Note: I want to thank Natsuki Sawada specially for their support. They did really gave me the confidence to push through and get this chapter done. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Please let me know what you all think for it will be greatly apreciated!

The Handler had eventually come to retrieve Five from the clinic as she had warned Josefa she would. Yet she had been told off and forced to leave empty handed by none other than Henri Moreau.

Five would have thought Henri would be the first one, to be happy to send him off to what was probably another hell or an early demise. But to his surprise, the young man had fought and refused to be bullied by The Handler into discharging him early before his anemia and malnourishment were properly taken care of.

That's how he ended spending the next days in soft and comfortable pajamas and in company of the French doctor he couldn't make up his mind if he despised or actually liked, and the Spaniard nurse whose presence made the clinic a warm place for him, and be in no hurry to leave.

Josefa would arrive always so silently to the clinic with a soft smile, that Five noticed would become a nervous one when addressed to him. He was sure this was a consequence of him having accused her of being payed by his father, and yet… he felt that was not all there was to it, that there was something else causing that nervousness in her, but he wasn't exactly a people person to be able tell for sure.

Josefa, had also recently discovered the joy of baking. It had been a curious thing for Five to witness it unfold.

He had seen her arrive one day with a skip on her walk, the brightest of smiles, and a basket full of cookies.

Five and Henri hadn't doubted to split the baked goods in half, and make them their breakfast for the day.

Josefa eagerly awaited their response upon their first taste of her oatmeal cookies. She had woken very early to be able to prepare them and still be in time for the start of her shift, hoping to give them both a surprise with something she had made herself.

"Are these meant to kill us? I remind you Mon Chou, we're meant to bring Monsieur Hargreeves back to health. Not kill him with charcoal in his stomach " Henri had mused as he bit into a cookie.

"Are they that bad? "Josefa's smile had dropped instantly, and looked worried between her professor and patient. It was true her cookies had seemed too brown, but they had smelt nice and figured they should taste good too. She had been so excited to bring them for Henri and Mr. Five she hadn't tasted any herself.

" I won't die for eating some burnt cookies. And if I did, that would be pathetic, and would deserve such a lame death. " Five said as he reached for another cookie.

"It would make a great epitaph. Here lies Five Hargreeves. Time Traveler, taken away from his friends by burnt cookies. "

Five laughed at the dark humor of the doctor, but Josefa seemed to be quite alarmed by the casual talk of death between the men.

"You don't have to eat them Mr. Five, I don't want you to become sick." She said reaching to try and retrieve the cookies he had set apart for himself. But Five covered them to prevent her from taking away.

Five didn't minded that they were a bit burnt. He had ate much worse during the Apocalypse and there was a nice and pleasing warmth spreading over his chest, at knowledge that the cookies, burnt or not, had been made specially for him. That feeling override completely the charcoal taste Henri had complained about.

"I won't get sick for eating these Josefa. Don't worry." he assured her as he continued to eat with seeming gusto. " Will you bring more tomorrow?"

"I… I will!" Josefa was surprised by the request, but eager to agree and compromise to bake for Five again.

If he avoided the parts that had been in direct contact with the pan, the cookies weren't too bad. The taste was there, even if overdone and he could notice some amateur attempts of decoration, for the cookie he was holding had the shape of sheep if he half closed his eyes. Again, that warmth settled over Five's heart, for he could almost picture Josefa in her kitchen, toiling away with the batter and cookie cutters, trying to make it all look neat even if it ended up being a mess once it came out of the oven. It was not logical but… it tasted delicious to him, even more so than the perfect baked cookies his mother had used to make for him as a child.

Five was pulled out from his musings by the sound of sniffing. He noticed Josefa had red eyes and was attempting to clean away tears so he and Henri wouldn't notice. But they both did.

All the burnt bread he had eaten turned into rocks in his stomach at the realization he had made her cry again, even if this time he was at a total loss of where he fucked up.

His green eyes turned to the doctor in search of a clue or explanation, and unlike last time, the Frenchman was rather amused and not with murder in his eyes.

That just threw Five off even more.

The exchange took seconds between the men, and with a sigh Henri gave in to offer a little nudge to the old man in the right direction.

"I know you're crying as you're happy Five wants more of your life threatening cookies. But even if he does agrees to keep eating them, perhaps you shouldn't allow him to. All that burnt bread might make him even grumpier. Can you imagine? We won't be able to stand him at all! " Henri said chuckling

Five threw a cookie to the medic, one Henri ducked easily still heartily laughing.

With Henri's words, Five understood the situation better. He had made Josefa cry out of happiness?

That was a change he could get used to.

"See? It's already happening, he's now throwing things. "

"Don't be mean, Henri " Josefa chastised so softly it was almost comical to Five to see her even attempt it. But Henri's words had done the trick and her tears were completely gone.

"When my cookies are good, only Mr. Five will get to eat them. I will give you nothing!" she declared, looking at the older man with a wide smile.

Five felt a sense of pride at the realization he could read some complicity in her chocolate brown's again, just like the night he had met her.

"That's not fair! I have raised you all these years and this is what I get? I call treason!"

"Yes"

"You're killing me, Mon Chou" he declared with dramatic flare.

Josefa giggled and gently leaned to kiss the Frenchman's cheek and seemed to be ready to retire to work at the apothecary, but she paused by Five's bed.

Her eyes locked with his and she felt a surge of thankfulness and happiness and something else she couldn't name yet but that was pleasing. Acting with a little impulse and with some unexpected found courage from her part, Josefa leaned over and placed a kiss over Five's cheek too.

She had expected it to be like when she kissed Henri or any of her other friends. But it was not. It was pleasing as it was with the others, but her heart sparked up and began to beat faster and felt a burn over her cheeks begin to spread.

"Thank you, for being kind about my cookies…. I… I promise I'll make them worth your while next time " Josefa was now second guessing herself for having allow her feelings take over like that, and was very conscious of how her tongue was trying to tangle over her words.

Five could tell how nervous she had suddenly gotten by how she was toiling with the hems of her apron. He had seen her done so very often since he had met her and had learn to read that little quirk from her.

Yet if she wouldn't be so absorbed in her own nervousness she would have realize she wasn't the only one blushing. She was not even the more apparent one, as her darker skin tone guarded her feelings better than what Five's did for him.

Josefa ran timidly from his sight before he could even answer her that it was no problem eating her cookies, and both men watch her go hid in the apothecary.

Five rubbed the back of his neck to stop himself from being so stupid to go and touch the place where her lips had brushed his skin. He was unsure too how to take how she had run away after kissing him. Was she scared of him again? How come he was always feeling he didn't knew a single thing around her and still desired to be around her?

He still had to apologize for the other day and the more time passed, the more embarrassed he felt about doing it. Maybe he could just keep ignoring it? She had seemed just fine today and had brought him cookies.

Henri cleared his throat to reclaim Five's attention. And once green eyes settled over him he smiled.

"Thank you" Five whispered to the Frenchman now they were alone.

" You'll learn to read her with time," Henri assured the elder man. He eyed Five with some lingering curiosity, for he had felt very strongly the panic emanating from him, when he believed he had upset her again. "And will get used to that hot Spaniard blood that runs through her veins. I see that little kiss left you all hot and bothered " he said chuckling "Perhaps I was too quick to call you an idiot the other day." Henri conceded.

"It didn't bothered me, and of course you were , I'm a genius. " Five said with a proud smirk on his face.

" A socially stunted genius, who can't tell the difference between happy and sad tears of the woman he likes and needs his best friend to rescue him."

Five's smile wavered. "Best friend? " he inquired with reserve.

"If I'm the only friend you have, I'm surely the best one too." Henri grinned triumphantly.

Five blinked in surprise.

Was that what he and Henri were?

Friends?

It was true he didn't had any other friends and couldn't exactly argue with that logic. And before, he had only had his siblings.

"I'll need to get another friend then. I'm sure anyone will be better than you holding that title."

Henri snorted, diverted by the grumpiness displayed by the old man. "You didn't complained of the part were I said you like Josie" Henri sang the words as an annoying elementary child would, when teasing a friend. He dunked a cookie on his glass of milk before biting into it, quite amused by the face the old man was now making.

"I don't like her. "

Five enjoyed Josefa's company , just as he did Henri's even if his could be very annoying, as he was being now. That surely didn't meant he liked her as the doctor was implying. For starters she was too young for him, he still didn't knew her exact age, but by estimation he was thirty years her senior. Secondly they had only known each other for around three weeks, only crazy people liked or fell in love in such a short time. And most importantly, he had to figure a way back home now he had managed to get out of the Apocalypse to save his siblings and that would surely demand all of his focus and time.

"Uh huh"

"I really don't. "Five couldn't stress enough this point, for he found bothersome the knowing smile that was now plastered on the French doctor.

"I remind you Monsieur Hargreeves, you're eating charcoal by your own choice this very moment, to not upset a belle mademoiselle. You even asked her to bring you more tomorrow. And a little kiss from her left you looking like a fifteen year old. So please tell me again you really don't like her. " Henri said pushing his cookies to Five so he'd be the one to finish them off for him.

"I hate you."

"And I love you Mr. Five! "Henri said and imitating Josefa's mannerisms he leaned over and kissed the older man's cheek.

Five furious pushed him off him.

"Do that again and I'll kill you." Five warned as he cleaned his cheek from the remains of the Frenchman's saliva on him. Why did he had to ruin it for him? He had been so happy, but now he could feel his anger would cause him a gastric ulcer.

"You won't. You'll need my blessing one day. " Henri said winking. "And we clearly need you to practice how comfortable you're with physical affection."

"Fuck off!"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Five didn't even got a stomach ache from eating the burnt cookies. And eating all that charcoal as Henri had called it, had payed up.

For the next couple of days Josefa's baking got better in taste and look. She shifted into bread making, to be able to prepare something Five could actually have while in the hospital and spaced the days she would bring something in to not affect his diet. His favorite was her banana bread.

Her bread became so good, even Henri began to become interested in what she would bring in.

Josefa tried to stick to her word that she would only bake for Five, but that was a lost battle before it even began. Josefa couldn't deny anything to the man that became an elder brother to her and finished raising her up. Once Henri asked nicely enough, Five found himself forced to share his bread with the Frenchman.

That morning Josefa was taking care of another patient, who had been brought in, in the dead of the night. Five had yet to see his current "roommate" as he remained out of his line of sight, thanks to the curtains that had been drawn out around each of their beds for privacy.

"I think I'll really die this time Josie" Hazel murmured as the gentle woman was changing the bandages of his gun wound.

Josefa smiled kindly to him. She had seen this trait with many of the Corrections agents. They were ruthless on the field and even in the hallways, but once in the clinic they seemed like children needing just some comfort and assurance that all would be all right. She kept all conversations secret even to Henri and that's how she earned the trust and respect from the Corrections Department, even if she had been but a child still when she began to tend to them.

" You're a strong man Zelly, we've gotten out of worse. Have we not? I'll give you another of my teas so the pain wavers down and you can rest. All right? "she said as she finished cleansing the wound and placed the new linen bandages in place.

Hazel's wound was no joke and he had a right to complain if he so wanted. She had been so worried by the amount of blood he had lost, thankfully they had been able to pull him back from death.

The big man's eyes perked at the mention of one of her teas "Can it be the cinnamon one?" he asked softly, the giant of a man had always had a soft spot for food.

Josefa nodded and petted his hair to reassure him and settle him in his bed once more "Of course Zelly, I'll make it just as you like it, and with some honey. I Still have some of the one you brought me from Argentina. "

"and the Dulce de Leche, do you still have it?"

"I do, but I don't think I should be giving you that much sweet right now while in the hospital." She felt guilty to see Hazel look so let down at the denial of such a little treat.

"Once you're discharged, we can have some Dulce de Leche when we go feed the ducks." She offered.

"That would be nice," he agreed, settling into the sheets as Josie tucked him in and fluffed his pillow so he could sit.

Hazel was pleased that by his bedside table Josie had gotten him new comic books. Brand new issues of the 1970s X men were waiting for him. His favorite superheroes and favorite decade too. Sometimes he didn't knew how she managed to get such specific things, but then again, she practically had a network of agents that she healed and took care of bringing her whatever she might like from across time if she only asked for it.

Josie brought him the cinnamon tea as promised and he heartily thanked her. Settling down once more with the beverage and his comic books.

Five could listen to Josefa's voice a few beds over. He couldn't make out the exact words she was saying as she was keeping her voice down. Yet her tone was so claiming, he found himself soothed, even if whatever she was saying wasn't intended for him, but to calm the other man that had been vocally complaining from pain earlier.

So far, Five had spent over two months in the clinic and that meant a few things. One he had already read all the books Josefa kept around the clinic to entertain patients. And two, if his blood analytics came out all right in two days he would be discharged, and his training and job at the Corrections Department would start.

To help with point number one, Josefa had brought him some of her personal favorite books from her own bookcase back home, to see if anything picked his interest to keep him busy.

With the sound of her voice in the background, Five reached over to the small pile of books she had left in his night table.

At first he thought they were modern leather books copying the vintage look, by how crisp and clean the paper appeared to be, and how clean the leather was. By reading the spines they were quite the eclectic pile. He wasn't surprised to find out she liked poetry, Josefa brought him several volumes of García Lorca and Bécquer, famous Spanish poets. What did surprised him was to find Dostoevsky, Kafka and Dumas between her picks. They were great choices but not exactly feel good books that he would initially associate with Josefa, like the previous poetry books and romance novels he found on her selection.

He opened a copy of Lorca's Book of Poems. It was a copy in Spanish and he could tell Josefa came back to it regularly by the wrinkles in the spine of the book and the dog eared pages marking what he imagined where her favorite poems. He grinned finding on the first blank pages she had the book marked the old fashioned way with a personal ex libris. The book plate depicted a woman picking flowers in a field, quite fitting for an apothecary.

Then a book that seemed brand new unlike the rest catched his attention. It was a copy of Homer's Odyssey, and he flipped through the first pages. This one didn't had her ex libris. Instead he found the following lines:

Translated from th K.

London,

printed for Renaud Hervieux

MDCCLII.

Five felt dread come over him as he read the name. It was the same one by which Josefa and Henri had addressed his father, during the unexpected and catastrophic meeting.

"Is everything all right Mr. Five? you turned a little pale."

Five felt a candid hand cup his cheek.

The warmth irradiating from Josefa´s olive skin, washed down the anxiety that had been building inside him, and made the buzz in his mind come to a quiet calmness that allowed him to stare at the bold printed words before him, without feeling he would lose his mind over it and the impossibility that he had met his father just some months ago in a pocket dimension, and said father had apparently ordered a copy of The Odyssey in 1752, more than two hundred years before he adopted him and the rest of his siblings.

"I'm fine." he assured her, yet his green eyes remained staring coldly at the false name of a very real man.

Josefa´s eyes followed his, and a sense of understanding came to her as she read the name he was so intently staring at. She felt instantly guilty. She was the owner of the book, but she hadn't been aware that was printed on the book. Had she known she wouldn't had brought it. She had never read through that copy as it was in old English and she hadn't enough dominion of the language to venture through it, yet it was the only English copy of Homer she owned and had thought Five might enjoyed it…

Her fingers were still at his cheek, he had yet to pull away from her. Tentively, Josefa allowed her fingers to caress him. Her movements were slow, half scared he would push her or yell at her like he had done before when the subject of his father had been involved.

But he did none of that..

Five closed his eyes at being touched with such gentleness.

Encouraged, Josefa took a seat on his bed and her fingers traced the side of his face and into his growing silver hair.

"I'm sorry… I didn't knew that was printed into the book. I wouldn't want to upset you. Your father did brought me that book a few years ago. I never knew why, but never gave it much thought either. At the time he said something… he said something about even silly nurses needing to be instructed in Homer." She caressed him again with her thumb as the rest of her fingers now held his face and he was intently listening to her.

Of course his father would try to instruct a child, even if it was not his own, in the Greek classics.

"I should be the one to apologize." Five said before she could say anything else "That day I hurt you and accused you of something horrible when all you had done was take care of me and I've been a coward not being able to apologize, and you're here saying you're sorry about a stupid book. I'm the one whose sorry Josefa."

She smiled "It's okay. You're forgiven. Been forgiven for quite a while. Henri did explained later from where you were head hunted from. He didn't gave me any details. I don't even think he knows any. But we both know you come from literal hell, so we both understand it's… not easy for you."

Five felt relief to have that out of the way and that neither she or Henri were asking questions of his time at the Apocalypse.

"You know, I do come from 1864, but we did had Homer back then too… my grandfather Guillermo used to read it for me as a bedtime story and when you asked for some books yesterday I thought you might be the type to like Homer too. You remind me of my grandfather sometimes."

Five snorted "You have a way of making a guy feel just right and special. I remind you of your grandfather huh?"

She blushed and looked extremely alarmed that he had misunderstood her words "Not in that way, silly."

"And now I'm silly."

"You have a bad habit of not listening and not letting people finish speaking . Now can I please finish?"

Five sighted rolling his eyes but nodded.

"My grandfather was the most intelligent man I ever met and the one I hold more respect for. He was a man of science. A scholar, and a self made man."

Five's demeanor quickly changed when he realized with how much sentiment and admiration she talked about her grandfather.

"He had to work very hard for all he had in life. He began to work as a child to help his mother, and went to school at night. He was the best at his profession and people would come across of all Spain so he would prepare their medicines" she smiled fondly "He had a serious and stern character, but he cared in his own way. He always made me feel safe, and was so patient whenever he taught me. I learned to be a apothecary from him, even if we women weren't supposed to learn any kind of profession, much less any related with healing . Some women did learn the basics to be extra helping hands to their husbands. But my grandfather taught me since I was ten as he would any of his boy apprentices. He always believed in me, that… that I could be as capable and intelligent as a man. He taught me, when he didn't taught his only child, who was my mother. Do you know what was that back then?" she asked him.

Five leaned in closer to her. He came from a time there was no question of weather a woman could be as intelligent as a man.

He had seen Josefa for months work in the clinic preparing medicines that required exact and complex preparations. An error in her work could kill someone, and she made it look so easy. She even sang while doing it!

Five had seen her patch up men and women like a war doctor would, with scarcity of supplies and inventive nature. No one in their sane mind would doubt Josefa was an intelligent woman or that she had a calling for the medical profession.

"I can't tell you I know or can relate. I never had to prove my worth like that. I always outshined my siblings in the academic field, specially my twin, and that allowed me to enjoy some acceptance from my father when my siblings had none of it."

Josefa had turned her head to look up at him and was examining his green eyes, for it was the first time he was talking of his father or his past at all. She smiled softly.

"You have a twin and a big family? I never imagined Monsieur Hervieux having many children"

Five's jawline became more defined as he bit down on his teeth. "Fraternal twin. His name is Luther and we're nothing alike. He's all muscle, no brain. We weren't always aware of actually being biological brothers though… in total we were seven adopted siblings. "

Josefa was about to ask more questions, specially about how it was possible for him not to always know he had a twin. But something in Five's face told her to not push too much.

It was a miracle he was talking of his past and the Spaniard decided that just like now, that he was talking on his own accord, he would eventually tell her what he had meant with all of that.

"Are you still offended I told you, you remind me of my grandfather?" she asked instead.

Five smiled relieved she was diverting the conversation back to her . "No. I'm glad your grandfather was a man ahead of his time and taught you, half of this damn place would be dead if he hadn't. "

"You're exaggerating Mr. Five. I'm just a nurse at most, it's Henri who's the physician and there's so much I still don't know… I do try my best, but I'm not nearly done learning or the one responsible for people's healing."

"You'd be a fool if you believed you were done learning."

"My grandfather used to say that too" she said giggling.

"Now who's the one interrupting?"

"I'm sorry."

"You'll never learn it all Josefa, but you do have to trust more in yourself. I'm sure Henri and all who have slept in one of these beds will agree this place will fall apart without you."

"Mr. Five…"

Five sighted "What's up with you being so formal with me all the time? " he sounded more angry about it that he intended to and he saw the alarm in her eyes.

"Just… Five is okay, all right?" He said being conscious to lower his tone and stiffened when he found she was now resting her head over his shoulder.

"If I'm to call you Five… can I have a request too?"

Five's interest was piqued "yeah, I guess." He said warily not wanting to blindly agree to something he might regret.

"My family used to call me Pepi. " she said softly into his chest.

He had to look down at her to make sure he was understanding her right. "You… want me to call you that too?"

She nodded.

Five Hargreeves felt himself blush.

Henri had called him a socially stunted man before . Was he reading too much into that request? Or not reading enough into it is what made him socially stunted?

Fuck.

He decided to just wing it.

His arm snaked awkwardly around her waist to bring her closer to him. She posed no resistance allowing his arm to relax and the rest of his body along with it.

"Hi Pepi. "

"Hello Five."

He grinned so brightly he felt his cheeks would fell off.

"Josie? Could I have some more tea?" came Hazel's timid but deep voice some beds over.

Josefa jumped to her feet, making the spot she had been sitting on Five's bed dramatically cold and empty.

"Of course you can dear!"

Five didn't had to go through orientation in two days to murder right then and there.