Now
When Vanya woke up that day she reached beside her realizing immediately that she was alone. Her brown eyes opened and she let her hand remain on the spot a few more minutes realizing that in fact it was true.
Five was gone again.
She sat up nodding to herself before she went to get ready for the day. Apart from her short lived relationships Vanya never had anyone with who she shared a bed for this long. Not her bed at least and not since she was a kid. It was strange. She didn't need any time to get used to the feeling of another person next to her, but it took her countless moments during the night to finally fall asleep alone. She...she missed him even when she was asleep.
Yesterday, when she got the part the first thing she wanted to do was to tell Five. She wrote him a message and tried to call him, but with no answer. Just like that she was returning to all the feelings she always felt, abandonment.
She cursed herself as she walked out of the concert hall through the worsening rain. It was insane. She knew he would do whatever it took to stop the apocalypse. He told her the other night and yet she felt...betrayed that he did? What the hell?
She stormed into her kitchen trying to find her pills. At least when she was numb, the pain of being alone wasn't so bad. She was halfway through the cabin when she realized she did not keep her pills in it, and she was out of them since two days now.
She looked outside. It was raining again.
Vanya went to sit in front of the window for a bit feeling kind of like a moody teenager looking at the rain outside thinking about the person who left them.
It was ridiculous really.
She tried to call Luther and then Allison but neither picked up.
She walked over to her chair where Dolores was left, looking at her.
'What do you think I should do? No one is answering their phone and Five hasn't come back. I just...I'm worried...what if he...what if he's gone again...'
She looked at Dolores who was silently looking at her, or so Vanya assumed.
'I mean, I can't just go to them,' she said and looked at the mannequin again,
'well... yeah, actually I can... It's my house to,' she stood up.
'Thank you Dolores,' she told the mannequin before she went to her bedroom again.
Despite her better judgement she put on clothes and went to the mansion, momentary stopping as she remembered what happened the last time she went there.
She didn't want to see Diego again. He was being an ass to her. Alright, she shouldn't have written the book without her siblings' approval, but he didn't have to act like a total jerk.
She was by the door when she suddenly felt like she should just turn around and leave feeling anxious. She was not a part of the Academy. She couldn't help anyway about the apocalypse. She was useless, plus if Five could he would come to her apartment just like before and he would call her. He did neither so it was clear he couldn't, and neither did the others.
She stopped with her hand on the handle, she was just wasting time here, not to mention getting in the way, if they actually were working on stopping the apocalypse.
Vanya turned around and started to leave. She was walking down the street, the rain wasn't so bad right now.
She heard someone call her name, 'Hey, what are you doing here? Long time no see.'
She turned around to see Leonard smiling at her.
She politely smiled back although the last thing she wanted right now was a social meeting, 'Hi, yes, uh, I was just visiting my family.'
'Oh, sounds nice. How are you?' he asked always looking so polite and happy. She wished she could feel so happy like this guy. How does he do it?
'I'm good,' she said and nodded a bit, 'Actually I got the part for the first chair. You know the one I mentioned before.'
'Really? Whoa, that's so great. See? I told you, you should try it,' he said and then reached to hug her which surprised her, but she pushed the feeling away giving him a quick awkward pat on the back to signal she wasn't a hugger.
She stepped a bit away from after that creating a distance she so desperately needed. The lack of affection as a kid did a number on her for sure.
With the corner of her eyes she caught a lamp being bend strangely and turned to look at it only to find several lamps in the same strange matter.
'That's...weird,' said Vanya wondering what the hell happened to the lamps.
'Hey, how about you lunch with me today?' he asked her, and she felt an odd pinch in her chest.
She gathered most of her courage finally to put to words what she should have said the first time Leonard asked her out.
'Listen, uh, I'm flattered. I really am because I think you're the nicest man I have ever met, but...I'm not looking for anyone because-'
I'm sleeping with someone else...
She blinked surprised by her own trace of thoughts. That was unexpected with double meaning.
'-Uh, because I'm just really focused on my family and work right now. I appreciate the offers though, but I can't.'
He looked at her for a moment, his face unreadable before he seemingly sheepishly looked down, 'Well, uh, you're welcome, but uh, I wasn't really implying anything like that. I'm not into women-'
'Oh God,' she said and closed her eyes feeling the humiliation hit her like a rock.
'I'm sorry, my ex always told me I'm overly friendly and people just assume I'm hitting on them, but I swear I just really like you and think you're a bit lonely and needed some friend. I understand if I pushed a line there,' he immediately said apologizing and Vanya quickly shook her head, 'No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed and you're right I...I need a friend. Uh, do you want some coffee? As an apology for thinking...I'm just so sorry.'
'No, no, no, like I mentioned this happened before. Uh, no apology or coffee needed if you don't want to,' he said smiling again.
Vanya looked at him feeling like an idiot. A guy was nice to her and she thought it matter...she mattered. She was really desperate. Allison and Five will have a field day when she tells them about this. She momentarily grew sad again. If she gets a chance to tell Five that is...
'Yeah, let's go,' she said and nodded. She briefly remembered Five's advice not to go out with him, but if he was gay what harm could he do to her. It was just coffee, and right now she kind of didn't want to be alone or with her family who needed once again be the heroes. It made her feel so worthless as it used to when she was a child. She never mattered, she wasn't important. She was just...ordinary.
'Oh, I wanted to ask you. Did I maybe leave my pills at your place?' she asked as they started to walk.
He looked over at her, 'Well, maybe? I didn't notice but maybe they fell under the couch. Do you want to check right now? It's not that far.'
She nodded, 'Yeah, that would be great.'
26 years ago
Four year old Number Seven was sitting in front of her plate in the kitchen. She was the last one there. All her siblings finished eating and left a while ago, but the stupid nanny was making her stay until she finished her food.
She didn't want to. She didn't like it. It tasted bad.
She heard footsteps.
When she looked at the stairs she thought it would be Father or Pogo, but instead it was Number Five and Number Four.
She smiled at them as they walked toward her, 'Come and play with us.'
'I can't. The nanny said I had to eat everything,' she pouted at her plate full of broccoli.
Number Four waved his hand and took the plate. He kept on looking for the nanny to show up before he simply dumb the food into the trash.
'She will find it there,' mumbled Number Five.
Four took some paper bag and put it over it.
He put the plate in front of Seven, 'Now come on.'
Number Seven got down from her stool and took Four's hand following Five upstairs before the nanny would show up again and force her to do something she didn't want to.
Now
Leonard opened the door for her and she walked inside. She was in his house only a couple of days before, but now she felt different. Less worried knowing he had no intensions with her. She still felt a bit like an idiot for thinking he did. Maybe she wouldn't even think so if Five and Allison didn't point it out before.
'So couch,' he said and went to the living room while she remained in the small corridor checking out the house a bit as far as she could from her spot in the hallway.
'Hey, you can come inside,' he called from somewhere in the house.
Vanya nodded although he couldn't see her and stepped further inside. She spotted some photos of a man and a woman. Probably Leonard's parents. They looked very happy as they smiled into the camera just like most people did. The photo was an old one. They were very young. She briefly thought back to the time her siblings and father were taking pictures without her. It still hurt maybe because she was lacking the numbness of her pills.
She looked around noticing that she was already looking into the living room, but there was no Leonard.
She blinked confused and walked further inside noticing he wasn't in the dining room either.
'Leonard?' she called a bit.
No responds. It puzzled her.
She looked backward to the door for a moment wanting to rush to it for some reason, but she pushed the thought away hearing it started to rain again outside. The weather was a bit crazy lately.
She stopped by the stairs to the second floor, 'Leonard?'
It would be rude to go upstairs without his permission. Her mind suddenly went back to every horror story and every news article which spoke of a woman found dead or not found at all, and she just went backwards only to find Leonard coming from the kitchen, 'Hey? Everything alright?'
She wanted to shout no, it was not alright. Where were you and why didn't you hear me?
She felt some noises around them.
'What's that?' she asked. It was like glasses were hitting against each other creating the same sound as little bells.
He shook his head looking confused, 'What's what?'
'I should go,' she said suddenly knowing this was not alright. She did not feel okay being in his house anymore, 'I should go to the concert hall and practice for the concert. It's in three days.'
'Alright, let me walk you outside,' he offered and Vanya wanted to tell him no but found herself nodding anyway. Always trying to please others even if it meant doing something she hated. That was what Five once said about her. It seemed fitting now more than ever.
'Oh, I almost forgot. I found dad's old violin,' he said, 'I wanted to show it to you. It will be just a moment.'
Before she could argue he was already out of her sight. Very hesitated she followed him stopping in front of the door which must have led into the basement.
She couldn't move for a moment, it was so dark. Not a single light and she couldn't see a damn thing. It reminded her of her dreams.
All alone, in the dark, left behind.
She let out a startled gasp and yelled into the dark, 'I-I have to go!'
She turned around ready to rush to the door and get the hell out, but something hard hit her head and made the world go dark.
26 years ago
Again with the broccoli. Why was the nanny torturing her so much?
'Number Seven? Eat your food,' said the nanny as she went to check Number One's plate.
The girl looked down at the broccoli and frowned.
'I don't want it,' she mumbled.
'Number Seven, be a good girl and eat your food,' said the nanny again.
Seven looked up catching Number Five looking at her for a moment before he made a face at her and she chuckled.
'Number Seven! You are a very bad little girl. You will not leave this table until I see you eat all of your food.'
Seven was upset. Why was the nanny always so angry with her? Just with her. She was never upset with anyone else, only with her.
She didn't like her. She was angry all the time and forced Seven to stay by the table until she ate the food which wasn't good. She hated broccoli so much! Why did she have to eat it?
Number Seven felt something inside her spreading. She felt it before a couple of times too. She heard the kettle on the stove started to signal that the water was boiled. Her mind focused on the sound feeling something spreading inside her, it was growing and growing until it sudden burst like a bubble and everything on the table broke into pieces.
Everyone screamed and Number Six and Three started to cry.
'Number Two,' she heard the nanny say and saw Number Two who was drinking from a glass in the moment everything broke to pieces had something red on his fingers now.
'I-I-I th-think I b-b-b-broke the glass,' he told the nanny looking confused.
The nanny looked scared at the boy's hand before she raised her eyes at Number Seven. She didn't mention the food this time, and she didn't look upset anymore either. She just looked terrified. She told everyone to leave and took care of Number Two.
Number Seven remained in the doorway for a moment looking at Number Two who was still looking at his palm before Number One pushed her with the others away.
Now
The first thing Vanya noticed when she woke up was that she was surrounded by dark and something was inside her mouth making her unable to open it.
She tried to scream only to realize that no sound came out before she started to trash realizing she was handcuffed or tied somehow to the wall near her.
No, no, no! This isn't happening!
She felt her heart going wild as she panicked, trying to break free or think up some way to break free. She pushed at whatever was holding her, but it was no use. She couldn't see, hear or say anything. She felt utterly defenceless and terrified.
When she felt someone touch her shoulder she jerked away crashing into what fell like a wall. It knocked the air out of her, but she just tried to push herself as much into it as possible away from whoever touched her.
Suddenly the blindfold from her eyes was removed and she was met with Leonard smiling down at her.
In that exact moment Five's voice echoed in her mind: Rapist can climb.
And apparently they can pretend to be nice gay guy to chain you to a wall in their torture dungeon basement.
She pushed herself as hard as she could into the stone cold wall looking around. She was in his basement handcuffed to the wall with some muffler in her mouth and had some sort of earphones in her ears.
The basement was empty except for a chair and some toll box on the table next to the chair.
She tried to pull the handcuffs off, but it was useless of course. She was panicking. She wanted to know what the hell was happening and why he was doing this to her.
Gosh, she was so stupid.
She felt tears roll down her eyes. Five and Allison were right and she was an idiot for thinking this guy had any good intentions with her. She should have known. She should have freaking known. Gosh, she was such a fucking idiot. Some guy shows little interest in her and she thinks something good could be happening for once in her life.
She watched as he grabbed a note book from the table and started to write something into it while Vanya tried to find some way she could go out. Anyway, she could survive this and get out.
She couldn't hear anything, but she noticed him waving at her at one point before he showed her what he wrote:
It's okay, I don't want to hurt you.
Vanya gave him a disbelieve look. He couldn't be serious.
He didn't want to hurt her? He hit her over the head and handcuffed her in his torture chamber.
She started to cry harder before she spotted him coming closer and tried to get away from him.
He frowned at her before he pushed away her tears. She felt disgusted by him touching her more than anything else.
He showed her what he wrote again.
I knew who you were before we first met, and I knew who was your family.
She shook her head. She didn't understand. Who was he? Some guy her family pissed off?
For a very long time I was angry at your family for how they rejected me. He continued to write and show her the pages.
I wanted them to pay. When I read your book, I realized you would be the perfect victim.
She felt like crying again but pushed it away trying to be strong and not want him to come touch her again.
You were ordinary. Powerless. You couldn't stand a chance. I was following you for a while now. I wanted to bring you here and hurt you in a way which your family would never forget. I wanted to torture you for a while and then leave you at their doorstep for them to find you. I wanted to hurt them.
She shivered at his words before she shook her head again. She felt like puking as she read all this. He was following her for a while now? He was planning this? Gosh, she felt so stupid in that moment! She should have listened to Five and Allison. She should have trusted them. She shouldn't have come here. She shouldn't have gone to the house, or she should have walked in and maybe he would have missed her. She should have just stayed in bed all day.
But then, the day at that asshole's funeral, she continued to read, your brother threw this into the trash.
He picked up another notebook with the letters R and H on them. It took her a few moments before realization hit her. She knew that book. She knew it well. It was her father's notebook. Her brother threw it away? What did that mean?
I read many interesting things about you and your family.
She shook her head again before she looked up at him. Not waiting him to come and force her to look.
You're not ordinary, Vanya. You're not ordinary at all. I'm going to help you realize that and get that full potential your father never could.
This guy was insane. He was insane. He thought she had powers? He was insane and he was going to kill her and the others were trying to stop the apocalypse so they would never know and they would never find her.
This is why she wasn't with the others because she was in this basement probably killed three days before the apocalypse.
I will let you process it a bit. We have time for you to understand.
He stood up and went to the stairs. She started to pull at the handcuffs again, until he suddenly turned on the lights and it was dark again. Pure, and terrifying dark, where she couldn't even hear anything.
She started to cry again hopelessly. When she was a kid she had nightmares of being alone, in the dark, forgotten, now she really would be.
26 years ago
Number Two had a bandage on his hand for two days and Seven left him her desert for the next two dinners feeling sorry. She didn't mean to hurt him. She just got upset with the nanny. She didn't mean it.
She never meant it. One moment everything was okay and the next it was broken into pieces. No one knew what it meant, but she had this strange feeling that she voiced only once when Five was playing with her by the fire place.
'I think I broke the glass the other day,' she said and looked at Number Five as he was helping her build a tower. Their father wanted them to always build something with their toys, or do something meaningful. She didn't understand it yet why some things had meaning and some didn't.
He blinked, 'But Number Two was holding it not you.'
She shrugged her shoulders, 'I just feel that it was me.'
Five watched her for a moment before he said, 'Sometimes...I feel like there is something inside of me which can do something too.'
'Break things?' asked Seven hopefully, but Five shook his head, 'No... just something. It feels like I can almost touch it, but not really.'
'Oh,' said Seven confused. Number Five always said weird things she didn't understand. She knew Number Three and Number Two didn't like to play with him because of that. She didn't mind. He made her laugh with his faces, so she didn't mind if he talked about things she didn't understand.
'Number Seven, it is time for your training,' said their father as he came to the room.
She stood up and went with him as usual. Maybe after they trained she wouldn't hurt anyone anymore.
She turned around and waved at Number Five who waved back telling her he would wait for her to come help him built the tower.
Now
Vanya pulled at her cuffs. She just needed to figure out a way to get one of her hand free. Yeah, small steps.
After a while of rotating and pulling, her wrists felt like she was cutting them in half she pressed the back of her head against the wall. She was so useless. She wished one of her siblings were here, anyone, because of course each and every one of them would know how to get out of this situation, but not her. Because she was just so...Vanya.
I think you're more capable then you let yourself or others believe.
She opened her eyes to the dark again for a moment not sure if it was the hit to the head or dehydration, but she swore she heard Five's voice in her ear.
No, that was not right. She was all alone here. Even Leonard finally left her for a bit.
That's good. Because if he was here, he would see what you were doing and tried to stop you.
Stop me from what?
From getting out of here. It is his goal to keep you here, while yours is to get out.
I don't know how!
She started to cry again, but it was almost as if she felt Five's touch on her chin lifting her up to look at him even if he wasn't really there.
Hey, come on. Enough of that. You're smart. Really smart. Stupid people annoy me, you know I have no patience to spent time with them, but I do with you because you're very clever. Think. There's got to be a way to get out. Look around you.
It's dark.
But it wasn't always, was it? Do you remember what was on the table when he took your blindfold off?
Tools...
Anything useful?
I don't...I can't remember.
Breath, Vanya. You got this. What was on the table? Five's voice sounded always so on point and rational in her mind.
Tools!
What kind?
Uh, screwdriver, a hammer, pliers-
Plies that could cut the handcuffs?
Vanya felt her heart beating faster with hope.
Yes.
So go get them.
She very carefully stood up as far as the handcuffs allowed her.
I can't reach it.
Try harder, fail better.
She felt the blood rushing through her ears over the headphones. She wanted to scream so badly in that moment even though she couldn't. She felt the same feeling she did before, of something spreading and gathering inside her before it burst like a bubble. She felt her whole body go cold for a moment like someone threw cold water at her.
In an instance she felt something touch her foot and she jerked away almost thinking that Leonard was really there playing with her, until she reached out. It was the screwdriver. How did it ended up on the floor when it was on the table in the tool box?
She started to move her foot feeling something sharp cut her at one point. She flinched, but she didn't know if she let the pained sound out or not since she still couldn't hear anything.
She tried to search some more until she found the pliers.
I got them.
Great, now just try to cut the chain. You will get rid of the handcuffs later. Was there a backdoor? In the kitchen?
Yes, but my shoes-
Forget them, don't look for anything, just run outside to the nearest house for help. Nothing else matters right now only your survival, alright?
Okay.
Good...
She pulled the pliers close enough with her feet for her hand to reach them. She grabbed them and almost twisted her wrist while doing so. She cut the chain using all strength she could muster. Once the chain was broken, her hands fell apart to different sides although she could feel the broken cuffs still around her wrists. She immediately pulled down the earphones and got rid of the muffler in her mouth spitting the disgusting taste of the rug. If she gets out of this, the taste will haunt her for days.
She stood up breathing hard, but grateful that she no longer had her mouth and ears covered. She walked with short and careful steps to where she remembered she saw the staircase.
She hoped she didn't make too much noise doing so. As she finally caught the wooden bar connected to the stairs she felt a spark of hope. She was careful as she walked up the stairs praying for them not to make a sound.
As she reached what she believed was the top stair the door opened, the light blinding her for a moment before she felt someone shoved her hard.
In the moment between her falling and actually hitting the lower stairs, felt like it took on forever in Vanya's mind as all the hope once again left her body and she believed that in the next moment she was going to die all alone with her siblings never finding her. She was going to die, without telling goodbye to Five. In that moment before her head hit the stairs Vanya realized she didn't say him goodbye when they parted in the car, and from all the stupid decisions that she did in her life, that was the one she regretted the most. She wished she could have just hug him...just see him...just one last time...
Her head hurt and she heard ringing and blood rushing through her ears as Leonard turned on the light and rushed down to her.
'Freaking bitch, what did you do? How the hell did you get out?' he asked her before he grabbed her by the hair and started to drag her back to the direction of the chains.
'You cut them?! Fucking-'
She screamed as she felt him pull her hair and for some reason, maybe for the first time in her whole life, she started to fight. Fight back.
She got her hair out of his hold and maybe it was the adrenaline, but in that moment she once again remembered Five's words and kicked him with all her might into his knee. She managed to get up and rush to the stairs again.
She heard him groan in pain and run after her immediately catching her and trying to drag her back down.
'Come here, you little bitch-'
He punched her, hard.
She let out a startled cry as she fell to the ground from the impact and he got on top of her. Screaming her lungs out this time, she started to punch and scratch him. She tried to cause him as much damage as possible that would help her get him off of her. She got caught up in the process of trying to fight him off her. She was desperate to get him off. She felt like he was so heavy he was crushing the air out of her. She couldn't breathe. She felt herself choking under his weight. She wanted to break free. She wanted to break free. She wanted just to break free and all of the sudden she caught the sight of something behind him move and the screwdriver cut the air falling right next to her face as blood splashed on top of her cheek and hair.
She let out a startled cry as Leonard put his hand against the spot which was now bleeding out.
He fell down to the ground and Vanya crawled from under him looking at him in shock as he tried to stop the bleeding on his neck while his eyes looked at her with fear and hate.
She swallowed hard before she moved closer to him, the instinct of being a good person or maybe wanting to finish him kicked in as she put her hands over his not sure if she was trying to stop the bleeding or cause him more pain. The blood flow wouldn't stop, until ultimately, he stopped moving all together his leg letting out one last desperate kick before he went still.
Vanya watched him for a while as if she was half expecting him to get up and say something or do something, but he didn't. He just remained laying there, motionless.
She...she didn't understand.
She looked around them now seeing things all over on the floor and the table was divided in half.
She didn't understand this. This wasn't right...
Vanya shook her head not sure if at herself or at him before she looked down at her hands. They were covered in his blood as she touched the wound.
She never saw so much blood. She...never witness anything so brutal. She was always the ordinary one. She was always home and nothing ever happened home. Everything was always so dull at home...nothing ever happened at home...
She needed to go home, she thought to herself as she stood up.
No, wait she needed to go to the Concert Hall. She should go to the Concert Hall and prepare for her part. She should practice. She should go to work. Of course, she will go to work. That made sense. She was late for work, so she needed to go to work.
She walked out of the basement spotting her violin case on the ground. She picked it up easily and walked out of the house. You can't practice without a violin.
She continued to walk and walk, she felt her feet hurt after a while, but she just walked. She needed to go to work and practise on her violin. She would practise and practise and then she would have a concert where she would be the first chair like she always wanted to be.
She heard a car nearby stopping. The brakes let out that odd squeaky sound that they did sometimes before she heard someone rushing to her and calling her name.
She blinked confused. Who would be calling her name? She needed to go to work.
'Vanya, hey, come one,' she blinked as Diego suddenly stood in front of her looking pretty shaken as he put his hands on her shoulders.
Why did he look so scared? And why was he touching her? He hated her. He told her to leave the mansion, that she wasn't a part of the family.
'I need to go to work,' she mumbled and tried to continue to walk, but he held her in place.
Suddenly Klaus was by her side looking from Diego back to her before he said, 'No, because uh, today, is no work day. It's a holiday.'
She blinked at him confused, 'I-I need to go to work. I got the part and I have to practice for the concert.'
She tried to walk again, but Diego still held her in place pushing at her a bit. She suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe again. She felt like he was pushing the air out of her. She wanted to scream that he was choking her. The air suddenly ruffled her hair. It was growing a bit stronger. It was such a strange weather lately.
'Hey-hey-hey, Five's been looking everywhere for you. He asked us to find you and take you home, alright?' asked Klaus suddenly and Vanya blinked the lack of oxygen feeling gone. She could breathe again.
'F-five?' she asked wondering why was her voice always so small compared to her siblings'. So small, so unimportant compared to them or anyone else...
'Yes. So you can't go to work because-'
'-Five w-w-wants to see y-you,' finished Diego shuttering a bit. It was a while since Vanya last heard him do that. Why was he shuttering now? Was he upset? He only did it now when he was very upset.
Vanya blinked and looked down at her violin case, 'But the concert...'
'Is it today?' asked Diego and she shook her head, 'No, in three days. I think...'
He gave her a smile which looked a bit forced, 'T-t-then you have th-hree whole days to p-p-practice, sis. Come on, just-just take a nice deep breath and let's get you to Five now, alright?' he asked and she nodded slowly. She wanted to see Five again. She wanted to hug him like she should have before he left. She should have hugged him then.
She felt Klaus's fingers touching her hand as he grabbed the violin case from her hand, 'I'll take this.'
'A-are you cold?' asked Diego as he let her go and pulled down his jacket putting it around her. She looked down. It was too big for her.
'Hurt?' he asked her, his voice softer, 'Is any of the blood yours?'
She was quiet for a moment. What blood?
Her eyes moved to the sidewalk and she looked behind her finding small traces of blood.
'I cut my foot,' she said before her eyes got filled with tears and she started to shake again.
'It's okay. It's fine,' said Klaus all too cheerfully before suddenly she was being slowly escorted to the car and they sat her down with Klaus sitting down next to her after exchanging a few words with Diego.
'I-I don't understand,' she mumbled. She didn't know what happened or how it happened.
'It's okay, Vanya. It's fine,' he said and he gave her the same forced smile Diego did before he pulled her a bit closer to him, hesitating.
'It will be alright,' he mumbled against the side of her face before he kissed the top of her head.
'It just...it just all happened so fast,' she mumbled before starting to cry again not even knowing why.
Everything after that was blurring in Vanya's mind. She remembered Klaus helping her out of the car or maybe... it was Diego?... Everyone was talking, over one another. She wasn't sure if they were talking to her as well, she sort of tuned everything out once they got back to the house.
Grace helped her out of her clothes, and into a bath just like when she was little. She even held her hand the same way, she did when she was little and didn't want Grace to leave her alone in the bathroom. Vanya watched confused as the blood was being washed down through the drain.
She heard argument outside, but she couldn't really hear what it was about. Allison brought her some of her old clothes. Funny, how they still fit her. It was like she was frozen in time. Never growing up or getting fat.
They put her to bed. Except she did not fall asleep. She laid awake staring at the wooden floor in her room as little by little it was getting darker and darker outside. She felt a rise of panic wash over her at one point, but instead of a bubble bursting inside her, she felt something else. She felt the disgusting taste of the rug which was inside her mouth forbidding her from screaming and the blood which splashed on her face after the screwdriver cut through Leonard's neck.
She jumped out of the bed nearly knocking over Allison who was just outside before she rushed to the shared bathroom on the floor. She distantly heard someone call her name, but she didn't care as she threw up what was left of her breakfast from that morning finally feeling like the disgusting taste of blood was out of her throat.
She felt someone's smooth and cold fingers dug into her hair and pushed it aside. She immediately pressed herself against his chest and shoulder. She didn't even need to look to know it was him.
'It's okay, it's fine. You did good,' Five whispered into her ear. She barely managed a small nod before she turned around and hid her face into his shoulder and neck not carrying that she just threw up. She just needed to hug him for a moment to be sure he was back and to be sure that she was really there and not in the dark all alone.
He pulled her into an embrace probably not carrying either that she just threw up and just wanted to keep her close.
'You're here,' she mumbled against his pyjama shirt.
'I'm here,' he said brushing her back softly making her feel for the first time in that all day safe.
'I'm sorry I left,' he said his voice sounding like he was carrying the whole world on his shoulders; 'I will never leave you again like that.'
'It's my fault. I shouldn't have gone to his house. I just wanted my pills back...he said he was gay,' she chuckled a bit shaking her head against him. It sounded so ridiculous now. She was such an idiot.
'It doesn't matter now. You did well. You survived and you made him pay. You did well, Vanya,' he said and she felt him kiss her hair the same way Klaus did earlier. But it didn't feel the same.
'Five-I don't know what happened,' she mumbled and he shook his head, 'It doesn't matter. You just did what you had to do to survive. Let's get you off the floor to the bed, okay? I will stay with you.'
He helped her up and led her back to the room. She felt Allison touch her arm on the way, and she saw Luther watching them before Five got her in and closed the door.
Her old room was filled with so many memories she wished she could erase and then some she wished she could keep forever.
They laid down next to each other on her tiny bed. Was it always so small? They were pressed tightly against each other and Vanya wondered how come the bed felt smaller when she didn't grow at all since she was a kid and Five was in his thirteen-year-old body again. Maybe both of them wanted to be closer to each other today.
'I kicked him into the knee like you told me to,' she whispered, but in the silence of the room it felt so loud.
'Good girl...you should rest now,' he told her, sounding actually proud of her, and expressing in the same time his desire for her to get some sleep. She couldn't though, she felt like she had to tell him as he softly almost lovingly stroke her hair.
'Why are you in your pyjamas?' she asked.
He answered all too quickly like he was lying, 'Because it's time to sleep.'
'I was so...so scared. I thought that I was going to die. I thought that that was the reason why you didn't find me in the future with the others. Because I already died in his house three days before and you did not find yourself because you left and-'
'I'm sorry,' he said cutting off her speech as she started to cry again. She felt him lean closer and then felt his lips against her throat leaving her with a small kiss. It didn't feel the same as when Klaus kissed her on the hair. It felt possessive in a way and made her let out a sharp breath and cause goose bumps to run over her skin. It made her feel something which confused her all her life whenever she thought about Five. This time, however, she didn't jump away, and he wasn't drunk. She let herself let it go for now. Too much had happened today to dive into whatever this was.
'It won't happen again. I won't leave you again, alright?' he asked and he stroked her arm under the blanket, 'This time I will stay with you and stop the apocalypse.'
The determination in his voice was almost enough for her to believe him. Almost.
'Of course you wouldn't...you're afraid I would set your books on fire,' she said and after a small pause she heard him chuckle. He remembered.
'I almost forgot about that, but yes, I wouldn't want them to burn because of our little deal,' he said before silence fell over them again.
'He said he had dad's journal,' she whispered silently almost losing her battle with sleep.
'What?'
'He said he had it...he showed it to me. I think it was really dad's,' she said and yawned a bit.
'Don't worry about it tonight. We have a whole day tomorrow to figure that out.'
'Alright,' she yawned again, finally allowing the exhaustion from the hell of the day she had gone through settle in.
She heard him let out a frustrated noise before he said, 'I...Vanya, I'm so sorry you had to go through that all alone. I-I should have stayed and been there with you.'
Vanya smiled a bit at that before she raised her hand and let her fingers stroke his cheek, 'You were.'
'What?' he asked confused.
She giggled feeling the stroking in her hair stop for a moment before he continued. Did she have a strange giggle? Maybe he wasn't ready for her to giggle after what just happened to her.
'You were this annoying voice in my head telling me not to give up and how to use what I could to get out. In a way,' she stopped her hand on his cheek, 'You were there with me.'
Five was silent after that, and she didn't blame him. He wasn't big on voicing his feelings and neither was she so telling him this was like she hit him over the head with a brick.
She felt him shift closer to her, 'Good...I'm glad you weren't alone.'
'Five?'
'Yes, Vanya?' he asked his voice sounding smaller now.
'If you must leave-'
'-I told you I won't ever-'
'-don't ever leave without a goodbye,' she finished closing her eyes and snuggling even closer to him.
She heard him sigh, 'I won't leave you.'
'Just don't do it without a goodbye,' her voice broke a bit at the end as she was close to falling asleep.
'Alright, Vanya, I promise I won't,' he told her and she didn't even have time to nod before she fell asleep tangled between the sheets with Five who was still stroking her hair keeping a watch and making sure she was safe.
A.N: Honestly, this was not the way I planned this chapter to go at all, so I have no idea if it is a good idea or not yet. Hopefully you will like it. Also next chapter will be the same day only from Five's POV because there are some things I need to cover in order for the story to make more sense. NOW edited by moira33
Thank you for all the support, comments, kudos are always welcome
Enjoy