Chapter 2

Run Boy, Run

(Part II)

March 25, 2019. The daylight hours.

Celeste wakes up disoriented and sore. The events of the past 24 hours plus the jet lag have really taken their toll. She wonders if this is what Diego feels like after a fight. It's awful.

She opens her eyes and a violin case comes into focus. Vanya. She's at Vanya's. She feels Vanya sleeping behind her. Good, she hasn't overslept the day away. She looks at the clock, it's 9:18am.

Celeste digs around her suitcase in the living room for a change of clothes as she waits for the tea kettle to whistle.

She unzips a not so secret pocket in her suitcase and pulls out a broken wristwatch. It has stopped working with the hour hand pointed at the 12 and the minute hand pointed at the 7. She can't remember exactly when it stopped working but she can remember when she stopped wearing it. She kept it though, and had taken it on tour with her and asked various watch repair shops around the world if they could fix it and no one had the right part needed. A few had ask where she got it, they had never seen such intricate work. She was honest and said it was a gift. She was not sure where Five had gotten it. She had accepted that this was the appropriate metaphor for them and was about to throw it into the Seine when the first of the briefcase people showed up.

It just now accrues to her though, she wonders why she never thought of it before. Maybe Five had made this. He and Ben often like to take things a part and put them back together.

She feels Vanya get out of bed and stuffs the watch back in the pocket.

Celeste attends to the tea.

"Where's Five?" Vanya asks with some panic.

"I'm not sure, he left last night."

"What did you say?" she asks accusingly.

"I-I was just getting a piece of cake and he was getting me up to speed."

Celeste sets the tea cups on the counter and they rattle. Did she set them down that hard? No, they're still going. How? Vanya storms off. Celeste's attention goes to her.

"Vanya? He was leaving as I was coming out. He has his agenda and you know he's going to stick to it." Celeste follows her to the bathroom.

Vanya takes her medicine and breathes.

"Sorry. I'm sorry. I just am scared he's going to disappear again."

Celeste feels her friend slowly turn into stone.

"That's a fair assumption."

Vanya splashes some water on her face.

"I was thinking we could grab some breakfast before your lessons?"

Vanya nods her head.

On the bus Celeste feels Vanya's worry, but it's incased behind stone. Sometimes Celeste hates the medication. It's not like it keeps Vanya from feeling, it's it keeps her incased. She can't show her anxiety, but she still feels it. And Celeste has felt others on anxiety medicine and it never feel like this. But every time she tries to bring this up with Vanya it's always a dead end fight. All the Hargreeves siblings are alike this way. They have already all decided what is before it has happened. Celeste thought maybe this was some sort of coping mechanism.

"You're really worried about Five, huh?"

Vanya nods her head.

"Alright, if we go see that Five is ok first can we stuff our mouth with omelettes in peace afterwards?"

A smile breaks through onto Vanya's face. 'Yes."

They enter the Umbrella Academy and it feels just as cold and empty as it did yesterday, yet there are life forms inside. The funeral really must have gone terribly.

"Five?" Vanya calls out. "Where is he?" she asks Celeste.

"He's on this side of the estate and in the back." Celeste points to the left, so probably in his room.

Vanya heads up the stairs.

"You coming?"

"No, I felt Klaus. I'm going to check on him."

"Okay."

Celeste feels out for Klaus. Wait, he's also on that side of the house and in the back. What's he doing in Five's room? She follows Vanya.

As the events of yesterday digest in her today, Celeste realizes there's a few things that feel different about Number Five. The main things are he's now decades older and has the trauma living in a post apocalyptic wasteland, but Celeste also feels a rage he's suppressing. As she gets closer to his room she's more aware of it, now that the initial shock of seeing him is finally over. It's like he's a volcano trying to remain dormant, but steam is rising. It's not exactly his rage though, it's…Celeste can't quite feel it out yet. Something has been done to him. Like Luther.

She hears Five and Vanya talking, but no Klaus, which is unusual because Klaus doesn't just not talk.

"Klaus?" She calls out in her mind.

"Sister-sister!" he answers back in her head. She stops and hides in a door frame across the hall. He's not high this morning, but he wishes he was.

"Where are you?"

"In Five's wardrobe thing." he answers.

"How are you fitting in there?"

"I'm not sure, but I am!"

"And why are you in there?"

"Five told me to hide quickly."

Great. Since Vanya and Celeste were hesitant to believe him, he's now roping Klaus into this. Celeste tunes into what Vanya and Five are saying.

"Like you said, the old man did say time travel could contaminate the mind." Five says to Vanya in a bit of a patronizing way. Just because she didn't believe him automatically last night he now tip toes around her like she's a glass doll.

"Lest?" Klaus asks in her head.

"Yes?"

"Oh you're still there, what are you doing?"

"Listening to this conversation."

"Oh yeah. It's quite moving isn't it?"

Vanya is now suggesting Five to go to a therapist, which is a vulnerable gesture. Five feels it is too, but he also has his agenda and feels a bit antsy that Vanya is getting in the way of it.

"Lest!" Her twin yells in her head.

"Yes, Klaus?" She whispers back in his.

"Did you know Five's back!?"

"You know what, I did know that."

"And…you know what he looks like?"

"I sure do."

"Oh good so I don't have to tell you."

"Nope, thanks for making sure I knew though."

"Anytime."

"Thanks, but I think I'm just going to get some rest." Five tells Vanya.

That's a lie.

"It's been a long time since I've had a good sleep."

That's true.

"Okay." says Vanya. She leaves the room and heads down the stairs.

Celeste moves across the hall and stands at Five's door frame. Five was making his way out to see if Vanya was out of ear shot but stops in his tracks when he sees Celeste. There's a beat of silence, then Celeste reaches in and hits the side of the wardrobe with her fist.

"Ah." says Five.

Klaus pops out of the wardrobe along with other things that fall out and make a racket.

"That's so…" Klaus stumbles over a box. "…touching all that stuff about family and dad and time. Wow!"

"Will you shut up, she'll hear you!" Five snaps.

"And what if she does?" asks Celeste from the door frame.

"I don't want her to worry." Five says.

He does mean that. It is still a bit demeaning not being honest with her.

"Maybe you should let her decide that."

Five locks eyes with Celeste and considers this.

"I'm moist." announces Klaus.

They both look to Klaus.

"I thought I told you to put on something professional." Five says to Klaus.

"What? This is my nicest outfit." Klaus says as he touches is shirt.

"I think you look very nice." Celeste says.

"Thank you." He can pull off anything. Sometimes it is infuriating having a twin brother who is prettier than you.

"We're not going for nice, we're going for professional. Come on, we'll raid the old man's closet." says Five as he walks out of his room.

Klaus looks to Celeste.

"He means boring."

"Aw. I hate boring, but as long as I'm getting paid." Klaus says to Five.

"When the job is done." answers Five.

Klaus follows Five out into the hallway. They all head toward the stairs.

"I was going to see if you wanted to grab breakfast with V and me, but it seems you have been employed by Five." Celeste says to Klaus.

"Ooo, waffles?" Klaus inquires.

"And maybe a spinach omelette." suggests Celeste.

"Yuck."

"You already agreed to do this." Five says to Klaus.

"He really needs me." Klaus nudges Celeste.

"He must." Celeste searches Five. He really hates being in this limiting body. He pulls out a glass eye from his pocket.

"I need to figure out who this belongs to."

Celeste can feel him hold it like it's the greatest treasure on the earth.

"And this has to do with the ap-"

"-Yes." Five hasn't told Klaus yet.

"Well, thanks for keeping Klaus off of drugs for a bit. I hope you are paying him in eggs and water."

Celeste says as she makes her way down the stairs.

"What is it with getting me to eat eggs today?" Klaus wonders out loud.

As Celeste gets to the landing she hears Klaus yell, "That slut!" from above. She stops and looks up.

"What?" She asks in his head.

He leans over the railing to her and says out loud, "Just some back story." Five looks down to her and shakes his head. She wants to laugh, she really does. It's just still too weird and painful to see his same face after all this time. She nods goodbye and goes to find Vanya.

Celeste turns to go down the last flight of stairs and stops. Allison. And Vanya.

"You're an adult now Vanya, you don't get to blame your problems on anyone but yourself." Allison says and walks away. Celeste can feel that Allison is thinking of herself as she says this and mostly upset about her daughter and Vanya was the nearest outlet, but of course, that's not how Vanya took it. There's more with Allison, some deeper pain, but Celeste focus on Vanya. Allison has stated she doesn't want Celeste to read her and Celeste wants to respect her wishes best she can. It's hard though, like Klaus said yesterday, they don't really have a choice with their abilities.

She makes her way down the stairs to Vanya, who feels like she's just been punched.

"Pancakes? Omelets? Waffles? Coffee? Tea? Toast? Bacon?" she asks.

"All the above." answers Vanya.

"Correct."

Celeste tried to make the breakfast about Vanya, she really did. They talked a little bit about the orchestra and her lessons, but that's all Vanya really offered up. They talked a little then about Celeste and her different photo assignments post ballet company. She tired to get Vanya to agree to visit her in a country she think she would like, but Vanya says "maybe." as always.

Celeste then asked about the funeral and heard about that disaster. She tried to dig out how Vanya was really feeling about her dad's death, but could tell Vanya didn't want to go their yet and Celeste has learned not to pry. It took her a few weeks to grieve her own father and she didn't have the shock of losing him to get through like the siblings do. She also herself is not sure how she feels about Sir Reginald's death. He hasn't been a part of her life for so long it almost doesn't seem different, but what he did with the Umbrella Academy was such a significant part of her childhood it seems so strange to not have him in the world anymore. Strange but not impossible, like it sometimes is with her father.

And Vanya has complexities on top of complexities on top of all of that with Sir Reginald.

So, of course they talk about Number Five. Vanya was the sibling he trusted the most, therefore closest with. As Five was spending more time with Celeste outside of The Academy in the unbeknownst last days, it took a toll on Vanya. Five was finding it hard to be in the mansion, they all were. Celeste tried to invite Vanya along, but she always ended up feeling like a third wheel, which both Celeste and Vanya hated. And Five really wanted time with just Celeste and honestly Celeste did too, I mean, thirteen year olds. So with that, school, ballet, and her own family time, that left little time with Vanya. They did both lean on each other after he left and even now during these strange 48 hours.

Vanya stayed, Five didn't. Even if he did get stuck accidentally, Vanya's here in front of her, Five's not.

Even though he's back in multiple impossible ways, Celeste was going to make an effort to spend time with Vanya for the rest of the week.

Especially if they only have seven days left.

Vanya's two lessons of the day were two adorable kids. Celeste loves being around kids, they are so giving where as adults are so taking.

Now Vanya was practicing and Celeste was in the bedroom doing ballet moves. She wants to keep as much of it as she can for as long as she can. Though Celeste loves that Vanya loves to play the violin and is good at it, her music feels incased, just like her.

Then Celeste feels a man outside of the door. A man a bit too nervous and excited for comfort.

He knocks.

"He's not here, Mrs. Kowalski." Vanya calls out.

He knocks again.

"Mr. Puddles isn't here." Vanya goes to answer the door.

"It's not Mrs. Kowalski." Celeste says from the hallway.

Vanya looks to her, then opens the door slowly.

Celeste is not okay with the thrill this man is getting from seeing Vanya. It's like a, a hunter seeing a deer.

"Can I help you?" Vanya asks him.

"I'm Leonard."

No recollection from Vanya.

"I'm your four o'clock.

"Oh my…I forgot. I'm so sorry."

"I swear I had nothing to do with Mr. Puddles." He says in a terrible cheesy and creepy way. Celeste tries not to make a face and be fair, but gross.

Vanya then explains the whole Mrs. Kowalski/Mr. Puddles situation and is unfairly hard on herself for talking too much. She invites Leonard in.

All the hairs on Celeste's arm stand up, in a bad way.

"Lest, I have a four o'clock. I'm so sorry I forgot."

"We had no plans, it's okay." Celeste smiles. She wants to be as friendly as possible to keep Leonard as open as possible so she can feel everything he wouldn't want her to.

"Do you have another four o'clock?" Leonard asks Vanya. Is he panicking? He sort of feel like Klaus when he can't find his pills.

"No, I'm just staying here." Celeste answers and smiles again.

Leonard takes off his coat. Vanya looks over to Celeste and shrugs. Celeste wishes she could scream in her mind like she can with her twin.

Celeste is about to ask why he's taking beginning violin lessons, when he answers that himself.

"I'm guessing I look different than your usual students."

Celeste does everything to not cross her arms, she needs to remain open. But gross, this is entirely rehearsed.

"Yeah, 20 years or so different." Vanya says and Lenard chuckles just a little too much.

Vanya explains most of her students are young because it's easier to learn music then, like a second language.

"Ich verstere!" Leonard shouts awkwardly. Vanya looks back to Celeste.

"You understand." Celeste nods to Leonard. Vanya knows German fairly well, but Celeste is fluent as it was her first language.

"I took three years of German in high school and that's all I can remember." He states more than says. Again, this is all so rehearsed. But Celeste has to let Vanya decide what she wants to do.

"Well, it's right over here." Vanya points to the violin. "Let me just get, organized, sorry."

"No it, it's fine." Lenard says.

Vanya looks to Celeste.

"Sorry again."

"I have articles to go over anyway. I'll be right back here if you need anything."

Leonard doesn't even seem to hear the two of them.

"It was nice meeting you Leonard." Celeste says to be nice but also to keep reading him.

"Oh yes, you too." he says but barley looks at her. He's too antsy for music lessons. This is more to him.

Celeste goes to Vanya's room and absolutely does not go over the articles she needs to.

As she listens and feels behind the door. The lesson is a little awkward and his violin playing is difficult to listen to, but other than that there's nothing really off about it. When it's over, Celeste can feel him wanting to stay, but Vanya is done. Good, V. Vanya says she'll see him next week and for him to get a violin.

But then, then he brings up again that Vanya can be honest if she thinks it's weird he's starting violin lessons this late. He's back to presentation mode and Celeste is back to being creeped out. Vanya says a lovely thing about Monet not starting to paint until his forties and Leonard then brings it back to his agenda. They way he says "dad" when he says "I'd say you're describing my dad more than your describing me. He was the music lover." makes Celeste scrunch up uncomfortably. He knows! He knows Vanya has recently lost her dad and that means he knows about the Umbrella Academy and he's laying down bate to trap her.

Don't do it, don't fall for it Vanya. But of course Vanya is nice and gives her sympathy. Then he brings up that he passed away and they had a "complicated" relationship with his father and they "didn't really get each other." All chosen words to trigger Vanya. There's no emotion attached to what he's saying. He's either lying, a psychopath, or both. Celeste can't take it.

She opens the bedroom door a little to loudly and walks to the kitchen.

"Family, it's never easy right?" Leonard says as he must have said 10,000 times on the way over here.

Celeste clangs the kettle around in the sink.

"Sorry for getting heavy on you, guess I'll see you next week."

Yeah, bye bye Leonard, Celeste thinks.

He then invites Vanya to his wood shop. Um, on the first day he meets her? No. Vanya no. But Celeste feels her considering it.

Celeste puts her hands in the air. Hello, Vanya. You're with me this week. Celeste wills over to Vanya who catches sight of her. I'm busy…busy this week." She says.

"It's okay, I understand. Another time. See ya next week."

"Bye."

"It was nice meeting you, Leonard." Celeste says for kicks.

He absolutely didn't remember or notice she was there.

"Oh, yes, bye."

Celeste was hoping they could both gab over what a total creep he was but Vanya felt sorry for him. When Celeste brings up that she felt her knew who Vanya was and about her dad Vanya brought up the "So what?" point. He's just taking lessons.

"V, no he's trying to get you to trust him in a creepy way, like he's luring you in."

"Or he's just trying to get me to like him."

"Yes, but not in a good way!"

Celeste can feel Vanya go inward, moving farther away from Celeste.

"Look, I just had to say what I felt. I felt it V. It's what I do."

"Yeah, but you said yourself the feelings are like puzzle pieces and you don't always get the whole picture."

"True, but as I get older I'm learning where the pieces fit more and more easily."

"So he can't just like me?"

"I-no. Of course he can. But I don't think he does."

Vanya close the emotional door on her. Shit, she went too far.

"I say this out of concern and love. I hope you hear that."

Vanya heads to her room.

"I'm going to go change into my 5pm pajamas. Want to make popcorn for dinner and watch a movie?" She asks Celeste.

Oh thank goodness, Celeste takes that olive branch.

"Yes, sounds great."

As Celeste makes popcorn she wishes she could transfer her feelings. She wants so desperately for Vanya to feel what she felt so Vanya can understand where she is coming from. This is Five's frustration. This is what he feels like like with them not understanding what he's seen in the apocalypse and beyond. No wonder he's insane.

Chapter 3

Extra Ordinary.