The Divine

by tetsuyacchi

"I will fight for my family until my last breath." Thea Hargreeves had already experienced loss in her short life, but her family was something she was determined to keep together and close to her heart. No matter what.

41. Meet the Family

Thea didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Her emotions were so mixed up; she was so confused and unsure of herself that it would have been equally as valid to laugh out loud or burst into tears. Or maybe a little of both.

Because standing in front of her was a familiar stranger; a doppelganger wearing a loved one's skin. Out to further torment her once the dust had finally settled and she had believed everything was going to be alright.

Why was nothing ever okay? It hurts. It all hurt so much. Thea's life so far had been a serious of distressing and traumatic events all snowballing into the cataclysmic shitshow that she was currently being forced to participate in. Why did this continue to happen?

Thea couldn't help but think she was reaping some kind of cosmic karma. That, as she stared at the face of the man she loved twisted into such a cold and cruel expression, she was somehow paying for a misfortune of the past.

Why was nothing ever okay? Her emotions were at their peak, a clawing claustrophobia setting in as the shadowy figures from above descended the stairs to reveal themselves. None else wore the masks of a loved one, yet all held a vague sense of familiarity. The mirrored parallels of their lives as superpowered beings – as other – in a world filled with ordinary, gift-less people.

Their father's callous introduction made it clear who they were. Why they were in their house. Their old childhood home.

They called themselves the Sparrow Academy.

The small accents that she had initially failed to notice now stood out startlingly clear. Uniforms adorned in small, metallic sparrows, so different from the familiar umbrellas.

These were the children that had replaced them.

At the ease which Reginald disregarded their legitimacy as his children caused a phantom wound to settle itself into her heart, without her consent. She had always known his sentiments on the matter but still...to hear it said so callously stung a little more than she'd expected.

Thea was discovering she was vulnerable to all kinds of new hurts that never could have been expected. Glancing at Ben, she acknowledged that it was an unwelcome revelation.

Other than a superficially appreciative once-over, Ben had not looked in her direction. The dismissal was new and it prodded insensitively at the newly-healing wound of his death. The sneer on his lips contradicted the easy smile she remembered.

Bitter, Thea turned away, unwilling to have this new, unwanted face overwrite the one she held dear. Instead, while the others voiced their confusion and argued over the legitimacy of their claims, Thea regarded the other imposters from beneath her lashes. Secretively.

At the front of the group stood a handsome man. Tall and broad, he held himself like a leader with as much confidence as Luther and yet with underlying steel the blonde somewhat lacked. His dark eyes had yet to lose their intensity, clearly seeing them as dangerous. As a threat.

On the other side of him was a beautiful woman with brown hair that fell in waves, framing the unusually anxious expression twisting delicate features. She was the opposite of this new Ben, seemingly docile and unconfrontational.

Behind them stood three others, one wearing sunglasses and a stoic expression, the other two seemingly at ease despite the tension in the air, holding themselves in a languid and laid-back manner, watching the entire affair with amused smiles.

What caught the girl's attention the most, however, was that alongside them was some kind of sentient, floating cube...Thea maintained a blank mask even as, inside of her mind, she reeled at the sight of such an extra-terrestrial phenomenon.

Was this one of Reginald's experimentations? Like Pogo and Grace? Or was she supposed to believe that this floating...skin cube...was in fact one of the gifted children born on the same day as themselves? Was that even possible?

When the cube garbled incomprehensibly and the Sparrows all laughed, seemingly able to understand the alien language, Thea couldn't help but feel a lingering sense of intrigue alongside her natural scepticism. The temptation to connect to whatever the thing was and see inside of its mind...or whatever constituted a brain, was almost too much. But Thea held back.

A lingering sense of unease warned her not to go prodding about in something so potentially volatile.

Just because you want to poke your finger into the plug socket out of curiosity, that doesn't mean that any knowledge gained is worth having your brain fried like scrambled eggs. Klaus had learned that the hard way and Thea had been adamant about avoiding any of the mistakes he made. His real-life skill as a deterrent for dangerous situations was sometimes invaluable, she'd found.

Hold up.

Eyes searching the group, she noticed something rather frank. The tall one was clearly the leader of the Sparrows, not only because of his placement at the front but for the sheer ease at which he handled the situation. However, as her eyes took in six others behind him, Thea came up short.

"Are you Number One?" she asked bluntly, cutting over whatever drama was brewing.

The leader blinked, shifting his attention from Luther to her, instead. He looked perplexed at her random question but answered, nonetheless. "Yes, I am." He said politely, seemingly willing to cooperate when he wasn't being immediately threatened. "Marcus," he introduced himself.

"But there's only seven of you," she said dumbly, completely uncaring of his name and forgoing introducing herself. She received weird looks at the random statement. Nobody else knew where she was going with this line of questioning and her siblings in particular looked the most confused.

"So you can count," the girl wearing sunglasses drawled. "Impressive."

She flushed, but continued on with her line of questioning.

"Where's your Zero?" she asked, unable to focus on anything but the lack of representation on her part. For some bizarre reason that she couldn't quite understand, she needed to know. Perhaps it was simply the disorientation of seeing Ben again, or maybe the unsettling similarities between the two parallel families were causing her to hyper-focus on the most inconsequential matters.

In the grand scheme of how fucked up their current situation was, it was such a stupid, minor thing to focus on but Thea's mind was reeling. Scrambling for anything to think of that allowed her to avoid an oncoming meltdown. Rather than face reality it seemed her mind was laser-focused on this non-issue.

There were only seven children in the Sparrow Academy. In the Umbrella Academy, there were eight.

Did I make such a lasting negative impression on Dad that he refused to even adopt another child altogether? It couldn't be. No way was Thea the worst of the bunch!

I'm up against a drunk with daddy issues, an amateur assassin with daddy issues, a monkey-man with even more daddy issues and a daughter that ended the world – twice! – with a mountain load of daddy issues. Surely I can't have won out against such fierce competition! Comparatively, aren't I very much sane!?

Thea paused, thinking over her life choices so far and the complete fuck-up she was both mentally and emotionally – and the fairly sizable amount of daddy issues she had herself – and considered, perhaps, that she was possibly the pot calling the kettle black. Maybe.

"Zero?" Ben repeated, but Thea refused to look his way. The condescension in his voice made her skin itch. "Don't tell me that's you?"

"W-well, I suppose technically..." she stammered, feeling particularly foolish at the derision in his voice. She continued to look away from his searching gaze, wishing she'd never spoken. Imminent meltdown or not, the better option right now would have been to shut up and prepare to defend herself. The current situation only continued to put her further on edge.

Forget about it, Thea. Squash it all down and ignore it. Nothing else matters but keeping everyone safe. Forget it.

The Sparrows all laughed, and this time it was very clear the amusement was at her expense.

Thea pursed her lips, wanting to force them all to stop – show them, force them, see just how easily I can ruin their lives with the smallest of efforts – but she didn't. Glancing towards the floating cube, she was wary of even trying. She could only remember the pain that had come with connecting to Harlan, how dangerous it had been to embrace such unbound volatility. To connect to this 'Christopher' could very well spell her own death warrant.

She wouldn't risk it. Not over a little embarrassment.

"To think Dad actually named you Zero!" Sunglasses snickered, holding a hand to her lips in a semblance of mocking pity. "Why, if that were me I would have thought it stood for zero potential."

Thea dug her fingernails into her palms, feeling the sting acutely. Focusing on it.

"Hey, that was uncalled for," Luther berated but was completely ignored.

"Never mind," Thea muttered, turning away. "It was only a question."

"No, no!" Ben laughed. "You're right. While Dad saw at least enough potential in the seven of us, the Sparrow Academy is home to its very own Zero."

When she risked a glance his way, his dark eyes were mocking as he let out a piercing whistle.

The Umbrella Academy waited, tense and on-edge as they heard the sound of footsteps coming their way. They were fast and disorganised and Thea had the brief realisation that whatever was coming wasn't human-

-when into the room came a dog, golden and fluffy and tail wagging incessantly as it trotted to stand beside Ben. Brown, doleful eyes turned to regard the new guests, tongue lolling from its mouth.

Ben reached down to pat the dog's head, eyes staring straight at Thea tauntingly. "Good boy, Zero," he cooed mockingly. "Say hello to your counterpart."

The blonde stood frozen, staring at the golden retriever with wide eyes. A dog? The infamous Zero of the Umbrella Academy was in this timeline...a dog?

Her father had not only disliked her person so strongly as to avoid adopting a replacement child, but his resentment ran so deep that he had demoted her to an animal.

A dog, she thought hysterically. Dad has forsaken us, I lost my Ben to this cruel doppelganger and now I must accept that my father's image of me is nought but the shadow of a pet.

...the rest of the Umbrella Academy shifted in place, trying to hide their laughter. They could not know the darker turn her mind had taken and in the semblance of showing support, they tried to hide their amusement.

Zero sat in front of them, wide-eyed and innocent. Glancing occasionally at the dog, who was panting in happiness and whose fur was so bright it practically shone, and then to their sister, who remained frozen as she stared at her canine counterpart, with golden spun hair and wide, doleful eyes, it painted too funny a picture. Forget Klaus, this dog was quite obviously Thea's twin! Like mirror images! If someone had asked them to pick an animal that best described their sister, that could be her theoretical spirit animal, none fit better than a golden retriever.

The entire situation was too funny to ignore. Diego couldn't withhold a snort. Allison quickly followed suit. Though they both looked away at Thea's venomous glare.

Pricks, the lot of them. Turning to Klaus for support, she ground her teeth at seeing him make gooey faces toward the damn dog. Traitor.

"A dog?" She grit out. "The Sparrow Academy's Zero is an animal?"

"Woof!"

"Shut up!" she snapped, glaring at the disgustingly cute canine. "I didn't ask you!"

"As undeniable as it is that this will live inside of my head rent-free for the foreseeable future," Sunglasses drawled, smiling sardonically at Thea before turning to Marcus. "We've still gotten no closer to figuring out what exactly to do with these...intruders."

"You're right," Marcus said, once more taking back control. He regarded Luther, eyeing up the other man's large frame as though checking signs of weakness. "I'm going to ask you once more to leave, before I have to resort to force."

Luther laughed like the other had said a joke, looking down at him from his obvious height advantage. "Now you see, this has just been one big misunderstanding." He chuckled, arms spread in a sign of goodwill. "I'm sure once we've explained everything you'll find it just as funny."

"Psst," Klaus but in, walking past the safety of the group to get into Ben's personal space. "Benerino~ You're looking so much better alive! Death was horrendous for your complexion."

"What the hell did you say?" Ben spat, looking incensed at the mere mention of his death. He squared up, making it clear just how outclassed Klaus would be in a fight. "How about you shut your mouth?"

Klaus looked nonplussed, waving away the animosity and putting a hand on the other's shoulder.

"Don't be like that! Always such a grumpy pants," he laughed. "Come give your brother a hug, won't you?" he spread his arms out in a loving gesture, completely surrendering himself to the onslaught of brotherly love and so was taken aback when Ben swung forward to punch him across the face.

He went flying across the room, his leg catching against the low wooden table and sending him sprawling onto the ground in a catastrophic clatter. Thea started forward with a concerned call of his name, eager to help but was held back by Five, who was watching the others cautiously.

"Let go, Five."

"Don't draw any more attention to yourself." His eyes regarded the room and its inhabitants shiftily, as though marking all of the exit points and weaknesses in their defence. "I don't like any of this."

Thea considered his words. If Five was uncomfortable, then perhaps Thea was not so far-off feeling wary herself. There had been a growing dread in the pit of her stomach ever since they had landed in this forsaken house and knowing that Five was just as unsettled was, ironically enough, comforting.

While certainly not cold-hearted, his unease wouldn't come from something as minor as seeing Ben alive. No, it must be a part of his training kicking in. Instinctual forewarning.

She was inclined to take his word for it, as in the next moment the entire confrontation had spiralled out of control.

Luther – poor, honourable Luther – had demanded recompense for Klaus' assault only to be sent flying across the room by Marcus' kick, knocking a newly-awakened Klaus over like he was the final bowling pin.

Striiiiike!

It was pure madness. Though, she had a spare moment to take note of a golden blur running past her and disappearing out of the room. What a cop-out. So the dog didn't fight? Was it purely a symbolic member of the family?

Was my counterpart the fucking Sparrow Academy mascot?

Before she could allow that thought to incense her further, she was forced back into reality when, as was customary whenever her family was involved, shit hit the fan. Fast.

Therefore, her lack of surprise wasn't, in itself, actually very surprising. She had become used to her family's tendency to cause trouble, knowing she herself had been the perpetrator of said mischief many a time, and so she barely blinked as chaos descended. Being dropped into an alternate reality, facing their evil doppelgangers who so happened to also be a ragtag team of superpowered children was bound to bring the worst out in them.

Preparing herself to dodge the spiralling meat cube and its supervillain lightning strike – seriously? She was gifted with super-nosiness and that shit shape got the powers of a fucking Sith Lord!? – she was surprised to instead find herself grabbed by the midsection and blinked away.

Five had spatial jumped them both onto the balcony above and Thea watched as a tentacle swiped at the place they had been only seconds ago. A very real, very tangible tentacle. No transparent blue glow in sight. Thea looked down from their vantage point as Ben turned wildly, frustrated at their escape.

"Get down here!" he shouted. "Don't tell me you're too coward to fight?"

Thea and Five continued to stare.

"Why does he speak like a bad supervillain?" she mumbled, startled at how volatile he acted.

Five sighed, flicking back the hair which had fallen into his eyes. It looked like it was in need of a trim, and Thea had to hold in the urge to brush it back herself. Now wasn't the time for domestic affections! They were currently being attacked by a Ben who spat out corny antagonist dialogue and sported an awful haircut to match.

"Stay here," Five commanded, looking much older than his current appearance, so within his element. "And one word of advice, Z?" He gave her an uncharacteristically stern look, though the concern in his eyes softened his words. "Stop hesitating."

"What..?"

"That isn't Ben. Not the one we knew, got it? You can't keep hesitating," he warned before he disappeared, reappearing down below and taking advantage of Ben's confusion to punch him across the face.

The two were soon engaged in hand-to-hand combat, each using their respective talents and abilities to get the upper hand. Thea barely noticed, too stuck on Five's parting words.

Am I hesitating? What for? As she looked down from the balcony, she could see her entire family fighting with desperation and felt a rush of shame that she hadn't even considered stopping this sooner. What am I waiting for?

"Stop hesitating."

Hesitation? Is that what she was doing? Is that why her brain seemed to have shut down at the first sight of their doppelgangers, their replacements – the literal embodiment of their father's rejection? Was hesitation causing her to freeze up, to let her family get hurt when she had the ability to put a stop to it all?

No. It's more like...reluctance. An uncertainty that was so foreign had stalled her into a state of indecision. Even though logic dictated that this wasn't her Ben; he had made it more than clear that he did not recognise nor care for her. But logic could not always trump emotion, and Thea could not centre herself on logic so thoroughly as Five.

Sometimes, her heart acted before her mind could.

Blue eyes looked down at the two fighting figures below, watching as Five used his superior fighting skills and spatial jumps to finally knock Ben out. Somehow, he had managed to disregard any hesitancy in fighting the man who wore their loved one's face.

Thea bit her lip, feeling conflicted. She could not be as strong as Five. She did not want to if it meant sacrificing her heart.

But when his eyes met hers from below, so dark from this distance and yet so bright in understanding, she realised that no, Five was not disregarding his feelings, only hardening them in order to protect them. To protect her and their family.

As he disappeared, likely fighting harder to defend the others, Thea knew she could not stand here and do nothing herself.

Protect them, she heard the phantom of a voice whisper in her mind. A mixture of the two people who had carved themselves into her heart. One determined and steadfast, the other encouraging and gentle. Both urging her to do what was right.

Momentarily, she thought back to a beautiful landscape and a crumbling dream, of kind eyes and a kinder voice telling her to save their family, to leave him because he didn't want to see her anytime soon if it meant her sacrificing her remaining life. Of his voice begging her to save their family, to promise that she wouldn't let anything happen to them.

Would Ben – her Ben – forgive her for letting their family get hurt, even if it meant she had to hurt him in return?

...No. She knew he was better than that. He would never forgive anyone for hurting his family. Not even himself.

Thea could trust him to be her moral guidance when hers was compromised. Just as Five could strengthen himself with the resolve to keep their family safe, so too could Thea.

Concentrating on ignoring the wild noises of fighting and the constant hum within her mind, Thea imagined herself encompassing all those below, commanding them to submit to her will and heed her call.

To follow the luring tune of her voice, her whisper to stop, to fall back, to walk away and submit.

Sadly, while something so morally questionable came easy for her – forcing people to act against their will was as simple as breathing to Thea. Ever since she was a child, it was as though the darkest parts of her ability were always the easiest to master – she was still a slave to her emotions. No amount of wishful thinking could change such a fundamental part of her psyche.

Unfortunately, Thea could not lie to herself. Because just as Ben was her better half; her moral conscience and light, he was also her pitfall; her vital weakness.

In the tantalising euphoria of controlling so many people, of dominating their essential will and forcing them to follow her command, of watching as her siblings escaped one by one, Thea had forgotten to consider that the mind was a complex creature.

Hers no different than the rest.

Her bleeding heart had skipped one important person from suffocating under the blanket of total control. One person had been spared, considered family.

It was her mistake.

Watching as all of his siblings stopped moving like puppets on a string, all staring wide-eyed at the small, unassuming girl who had taken control of the situation with such finesse, Ben realised he could still move. Shooting the girl a questioning glance and taking note of her glassy eyes and vulnerable state, he wasted no effort in taking advantage.

Thea was caught off guard when she felt something wet wrap around her leg and looked down to face Ben with wide eyes.

"Why'd you look so surprised?" he taunted. "Didn't you leave me free for this very reason? Or maybe your little mind tricks aren't as impressive as I'd thought."

Thea reeled back, her concentration shot to hell. How had she overlooked him? How could I have been so stupid? She wasn't given the opportunity for further contemplation as the tentacle threw her from the balcony and across the room, where she hit the brick fireplace with a deafening crack.

The intensity of the pain was unfathomable. She gasped, struggling to breathe as her windpipe felt like it had been crushed by the impact. Slumped over and unable to move, all she could do was stare at the floor in front of her in a daze.

What...just happened?

Everything was spinning. When she tried to move, shooting sparks of pain shot down every nerve, setting them alight. All around her the noise increased. A horrid ringing like a dog whistle, the frequency so high it was almost like white noise. Her ears throbbed. So did her head.

However, beneath the ringing, she could hear the muffled groans of someone in pain.

Turning her head and swallowing back the sickness which rose violently in her throat, the blonde saw the sorry state of the room; bits of broken furniture and splintered wood strewn everywhere, shards of glass littering the floor in disarray. But what caught her attention most was the body lying helplessly on the remains of a broken table.

"Vanya!" she called, blood spilling from her abused throat.

Uncaring for the turbulent sickness which thrashed within her stomach, she scrambled forward on all fours, disregarding the agony screaming from every nerve and pushing past the intensity of the pain which caused tears to run down her cheeks. She only had eyes for her sister.

"Van...ya."

"Looks like we've got another live one," someone said, the figures nothing but looming shadows above them, detached and uncaring at her pitiful display. Watching as she crawled like an animal to shield her sister's vulnerable body from their clawing hands. "I thought you had her handled."

"I did," a voice said angrily, one she vaguely recognised as Ben.

Thea held onto Vanya's jacket with shaking hands, fingers digging into the fabric desperately as she tried to take steady breaths. Fight through the pain. Don't black out now. Defend. She looked up at the Sparrows with venom in her eyes.

"D-don't come a s-step closer," she hissed, looking like a wild animal protecting its young. "Or else I'll...f-fucking fry you a-all." Her stomach lurched, trying to dispel the coagulated blood but she swallowed it back in spite.

"Thea..." Vanya whispered weakly, sounding like her throat was as sore as her own.

There was a distressing amount of blood smeared on her forehead, obviously from some kind of head wound. It couldn't be ignored for much longer, less she suffer some kind of concussion. Thea could feel her own wounds screaming at her for medical attention and was suddenly feeling very crowded in. The claustrophobia mounted.

"Don't worry," she whispered, eyeing the Sparrows who stood around them. Waiting. Her threat had worked on momentarily pausing their movements, but her pitiful state made it clear she was in no state to fight. They weren't going to be allowed to simply walk out of here. Contrary to this realisation, Thea reassured her sister. "I'll g-get us out of here."

"You're not going anywhere," Ben said threateningly, moving forward with the intention of striking the blonde. "I have to repay you for your little trick."

"Don't touch her!" Vanya screamed as they edged closer, her skin becoming startlingly translucent. Her arms had wrapped themselves around Thea's shoulders, tucking her closer protectively.

The air had thickened, crackling with energy and becoming impossible to breathe.

Thea held onto Vanya tighter, feeling the fatigue of everything settling on her fragile shoulders all at once. The exhaustion threatened to drag her down.

It had been less than an hour since their fight at Sissy's barn – since Thea had connected to both Vanya and Harlan together in a wildly dangerous plan...since she had said goodbye to Ben – and now she was having to protect her sister from a group of strangers in their own home. From the very same face who had urged her to same them.

Her hands were shaking almost violently. Thea looked down at them like they were foreign objects, detached from her body. Why was this happening? Haven't we done enough?

"Easy," Marcus struggled to say, taking a wary step closer. "Why don't we all calm down?"

Thea's head shot in his direction like a viper, eyes wild and teeth bared.

Marcus hastily raised his hands in a gesture of peace. Neither Thea nor Vanya were in any state to notice. Neither of them could calm down while they were so suffocated, so threatened. In their current situation, it was all too clear how much danger they were in.

It was very likely the others had managed to escape, and Thea didn't blame them. She only wished they'd somehow found a way to help Vanya escape, too.

"Don't move any closer," Vanya intoned, calmer than the blonde and somehow managing to disguise the shaking of her body in a deep, confident intonation. She stared down Marcus with eyes void of any pupils, skin aglow. "I will hurt you if I have to. Don't test me."

Thea clung to her sister tightly, knowing that if Vanya attacked she would be safest right at her side. Trusting and knowing that no harm would ever intentionally come her way.

The Sparrows did not listen. Despite their leader's words of peace they continued to edge closer and closer, trapping both girls in and giving them no visible way to escape. Thea grit her teeth as her shaking intensified.

"Stop!" she ordered, but immediately let out a cry at the sharp pain in her head. It was so sudden and intense that she was barely able to avoid being violently sick, gripping onto her hair as she cried out. "Stop it..." she cried. "Stop."

"Nice thinking, Chris." Someone said from above and Thea cried harder as her head was filled with a shrieking, mind-shattering wail. It was unnatural. Unearthly. Her mind could not take it.

"Stop, please..." she whimpered, pulling at her hair in an attempt at silencing the noise. "Please..!"

"It seems no matter how powerful you are, Christopher is enough to put a stop to you."

"Stop hurting her!" Vanya cried, watching her sister writhe in pain like a tortured animal. Clutching onto her hair and pulling out small chunks in her agony.

It was heartbreaking to see and Vanya could feel herself shaking in response. It was all too much. Too much. Too much.

The pressure and the fear and the sounds of Thea's cries...it was all too much. Vanya felt too big for her skin. Like she needed to claw out of this shell. Let the power inside of her free. An aching vibrancy begging to escape and despite how much Vanya tried to fight it, to claw it back into herself and overcome its enticing call, it was too strong.

It was all just too much.

Vanya let go.

A shockwave of energy blew out from within her, rippling outwards like a tidal wave and knocking back everything in sight. Her body contorted with the power, back bent and arms spread to allow it all free. To protect them both.

Only Thea remained at her side, curled up with tears running down flushed cheeks and staring at her with wide eyes.

Vanya collapsed back to the ground as the shockwave ended, panting like a wild animal and staring up at the ceiling in a daze. Thea clawed at her shirt, hiccupping back her cries as she checked for a pulse. Vanya's heart was hammering wildly within her chest from adrenaline and Thea was so relieved she collapsed onto her front, pressing her forehead against the other's chest.

A throbbing ache in her head remained from the sentient cube's torture, and she tried drowning it out with Vanya's wild heartbeat. They were safe. Latching onto Vanya's front, the blonde watched from the corner of her eyes as the Sparrow Academy slowly recovered from their impromptu flight. For now.

Desperate to think of any semblance of an escape plan, Thea, panicked and terrified, could only call out for the first person that crossed her mind. Who made her feel safe. It was a cry for help that would lead them directly to her like a beacon. A siren's call.

"Five!"

A flash of blue and a comforting brush of a hand against her cheek. Thea leaned into the touch, sighing at how cool it felt against her flushed skin. All she could comprehend was the weightlessness that came with being carried and the sensation of falling as they disappeared from the Academy.

When they landed once more, Thea scrambled from the comforting touch to be sick into the nearby bushes, her stomach rolling from the internal damage. Her mind was spinning. Between each painful gag she cried, feeling her abused throat suffer even further as the acidic bile burned the raw wounds.

"You're okay," a soothing voice told her as hands gently pulled back her long hair from her face. "Never did I think I'd be the one doing this for you, and not the other way around."

Thea moaned pitifully as she gagged once more, feeling the pounding of her head slowly regress. A hand settled on her back.

"I know, I know. Just let it all out," Klaus said lowly, hand rubbing soothing circles on her lower back in the hopes of easing her tense muscles. "You'll feel better when it's all gone, trust me."

For a few minutes the twins stood there, Thea curled over the railing puking out her entire digestive system while Klaus rubbed her back and ran his hands through her hair, looking like a parent comforting their child. Eventually, she pulled back, wiping her mouth with the back of her sleeve, grimacing at the lingering acidic taste in her mouth.

"Gross," she whined, looking at the ruined shirt.

Klaus snorted, patting her on the head. "No shame, sis. We've all been there."

"Don't speak for the rest of us," Diego drawled, meeting Thea's eyes when she finally had the strength to move her head. He whistled. "They really run a number on you guys, huh?" At Thea's pained grimace, he softened. "How you holding up?"

As she stumbled over to take a seat on one of the wooden benches, Thea frowned as she considered everything. "It all happened so fast...I tried-" she coughed. "I tried to stop them but then..." frowning, she remembered being tossed across the room like a discarded toy. She shot to her feet, ignoring the black dots that obscured her vision to stare wide-eyed at her family.

"Ben threw me across the room!" she shouted, face aflame in anger. "He tossed me – just like that," she performed a mighty throw with her arms, clapping her hands together to re-enact her disastrous landing. "Right into the fireplace! Smush! – I could have died!"

"Well thank god you seem to be made of steel," Allison said with a shaky smile, walking over to engulf the smaller girl into her arms. "I'm so sorry for not trying to save you. In all the confusion I couldn't be sure who had already gotten out."

Thea felt her body relaxing at the familiar smell of her sister. Allison always had a mild floral scent, nothing overpowering but enough that it made her think of spring fields and visiting the florists on sunny weekends. Thea squeezed back as strong as her weak, noodle arms could manage.

"That's okay, Ally. I'm just glad everybody got out relatively unharmed."

Moving her head to the side so that she could see Vanya, Thea grinned, beyond happy to see that her sister was doing mostly okay. A little pale and shaken up, but showing no signs of internal damage. Or that she would soon collapse into a puddle of goo as Thea was seriously considering herself.

"I still can't believe Dad replaced us," Luther said, shaking his head. "I mean, did we leave such a bad impression the first time that he decided to just disregard us completely?"

"I'm more surprised that you're so surprised," Diego said with a raised brow. "This is Dad we're talking about. Of course he replaced us! Or did you forget the disastrous dinner party where he verbally chewed us up only to spit us back out again?"

"Well he still decided to adopt Ben, go figures."

"Yeah and he's a complete dickhead," Allison said with a frown. "He threw Thea into the fireplace!"

"They're all dickheads," Diego muttered.

Thea nodded along, feeling vindicated. "Colossal dickheads."

"Mega-ultra-super dickheads," Klaus jumped in.

"Dickheads who can fight," Luther added on, just as bitter. None of them had quite gotten over just how easily their asses had been handed to them. It was like their powers had been nothing in comparison to the Sparrow's natural ability to degrade and humiliate.

"The next person to say dickhead is getting a punch to the throat," Five said in exasperation.

A moment of silence was soon followed by a litany of muttered 'dickheads' all said in a sarcastic chorus. Thea took great pleasure in singing the word loud and cheerfully to be extra annoying.

Five sighed, running a hand through his hair and looking up at the sky like he was begging a higher power for the patience to deal with his family. He contemplated the benefits of un-adopting himself from the Hargreeves lineage in an official capacity and daydreamed of the day that he wouldn't have to put up with incompetent morons any longer.

His musings in wonderland were cut off when Thea suddenly shot up from her seat.

Black dots filled her vision once more and Thea had the brief concern that she should probably stop moving so fast after clearly suffering from serious head trauma, but shoved all sensibility aside as a mounting indignation rose up in its place. Her cheeks puffed out in anger as she turned to regard her siblings with eyes afire.

"They replaced me with a dog!" she shouted.

Her voice had been so loud that it jolted them all in place. Klaus even rolled off of the table with a spluttered curse. Thea ignored him, for once too clouded by a rising sense of ironic hilarity. With wide eyes and her hair practically on-end, she certainly looked a little wild.

"A dog! Dad actually replaced me with a dog!"

"I mean, you don't know that he replaced you specifically..." Allison sad unhelpfully, looking like she was trying not to laugh.

"And technically, it was a golden retriever," Luther pointed out.

"Don't know what all the fuss is about, sis. It kinda suits you," Diego smirked, pointedly looking at the way her cheeks puffed childishly and how her golden hair framed round, wide eyes. "Spitting image. Now, just say woof."

"Shut up!" she said, diving in to tackle him and ignoring the way her muscles cried out at being abused so soon after a beating.

Diego cackled, grabbing a hold of her sides and easily lifting her up and out of reach. She looked like a child, only able to swing her arms about and scramble between them in an effort to make contact.

"Let me hit you!" she shouted, swinging her arms wildly. "I'm not a dog, Diego! You are!" she retorted childishly and her brother cackled in delight, still holding her back with a smug smile. "I swear to god I'll make you kneel you mutt! Let me hit you!"

Five watched the entire spectacle with tired eyes, finally succumbing to temptation and collapsing back onto the park bench, done with life. How was this the girl he'd fallen for? He was old enough to retire, live a life of stress-free ease and comfort. Instead, he'd somehow emotionally locked himself into a life spent beside the human embodiment of a golden retriever and threw away the damn key. Five decided that life was too exhausting. It was simply easier to submit.

While the boy contemplated his life decisions, the rest of the siblings had been watching Diego and Thea's rather...one-sided fight. It was pitiful in the most hilarious of ways and lightened the mood after such a depressing day.

"Okay, enough playing you guys," Allison wisely stepped in, tone authoritative. She grabbed Thea like she was a doll and plopped her back onto her feet.

Thea and Diego shared a look before smiling up at Allison with matching grins. "Yes, Mom."

Allison rolled her eyes, jabbing Thea in just the right spot below her ribs. A memory from childhood that was finally to her advantage. Thea guffawed at the ticklish feeling before jumping back in surprise, arms out to defend herself. The entire scene was ridiculous.

"Low blow!" she accused.

Allison smirked. "I play smart, not hard."

Thea stuck out her tongue.

"If you clowns could halt circus practice for one second," Five drawled, gaining their attention. "Then you'd realise we have bigger issues at hand than our father's questionable choice in pets." He sent Thea a pointed look, but only got a cheeky grin in response. He rolled his eyes. Honestly, retirement was looking more appealing by the minute. "What none of you are considering is that, if Dad didn't adopt us as children, then he changed the timeline. So, who knows what else he's changed?"

"Shouldn't you?" Allison quipped. "The resident time-traveller? Mr Know-it-all."

Five's smile was dripping with sarcasm. "I apologise if it takes me a little longer than twenty minutes and serious head trauma to figure out the nuances of inter-dimensional causalities in time travel," he drawled. "Is that okay with you, Allison?"

"No, actually. It isn't."

"Guys," Vanya said, sensing the brewing storm. And just when things seemed to be lightening up, too. She looked pale and seriously tired. It was hard to remember that they had just finished one battle only to time travel and be forced to fight another. "Look, it doesn't matter, okay? We all made it here relatively intact and we still have the briefcase. So, worst-case scenario, we go back in time again and fix everything. Again."

Thea sent her sister a smile for being so level-headed. Standing up and taking the lead, good one Vee! So smart, so precious. Thea wanted to pinch her cheeks and praise her until she turned red. She held back, wise enough to sense now wasn't the time.

"Vanya's right! We don't know how different this timeline is yet, so why rush into worrying ourselves mad before we've even encountered a problem?" She pointedly refused to think about the group of strangers living in their childhood home or the doppelganger wearing her lover's face.

All smiles, Thea. Nobody wants to hear you complain.

"It's not that simple," Five shook his head, meeting their surprised expression with a grim one of his own. "First of all, time travel is not as straightforward as popping in and out to fix things to our heart's content." He sent them all dry looks when they looked ready to complain. "Let me finish!" He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Secondly...none of that even matters, as I am no longer in possession of the briefcase."

All was silent as they stared at the empty space beside him that none of them had questioned. Thea had been too caught up in her own pain to realise that Five had not been carrying anything when he'd jumped them out of the academy. Where had it gone?

"It's gone!? Where?"

"The Academy, obviously."

"Those damn Sparrows have the briefcase? What the hell, Five!"

"Stop it!" Thea shouted, clutching her head as their raised voices caused a dull throbbing. "It's not Five's fault, okay? He saved me and Vanya from being finished off, so don't blame him for prioritising us over a stupid briefcase."

That took the wind right from their sails.

None of them could rightfully argue against Five's actions in saving two of their siblings from further harm to instead go searching the house for a single briefcase. But that didn't mean they weren't despondent at the thought of being stranded here should anything go wrong. Who knows how many other things had changed? What were they going to do? How could they fix things when they inevitability went sideways? And yet...

"She's right," Luther sighed, all fight leaving his body. "Look, for now, let's just scope out the area and figure out what we're going to do next." He looked pointedly at their current destination, their position so open and vulnerable in the public park. Passerby's sending them funny looks as they walked their dogs. A bizarre group of adults beaten up bloody and making a ruckus was bound to draw attention.

With sighs and groans, the group began to walk through the park, trying their best to not draw further attention to themselves. In their current get up that didn't seem quite possible.

Most of them were wearing all black, Allison and Vanya looked like extras that had just walked off the set of an X-Men movie, while Diego was adorned in enough weapons to fill a small armoury. Luther's sheer size continued to be enough to turn heads, meanwhile, Klaus practically screamed 'look at me' no matter what he did. He simply exuded that kind of extraverted energy that drew people in.

In contrast, Thea's bright and outlandish attire stuck out even more in comparison to the all-black ensemble her family were sporting, and it didn't help that Five was still dressed like a schoolboy.

All in all, they looked like a merry band of freaks ready to perform on stage. Either that or we'll be accused of kidnapping Five again. She looked at his outfit and conceded that, however much she liked seeing him in the school uniform for the nostalgia value, it would be beneficial in avoiding prison time if he changed clothes.

Together the family just looked...odd.

Mismatched and disjointed and yet all walking in tandem like their clashing personalities just meshed. Diego was right, they really did give off Village People vibes. Thea shuddered at the thought of spontaneously bursting out into song and dance, raising her hands in mimicry of the YMCA. She tried imagining Diego in cowboy flares or Luther in tight leather biker gear, hairy chest on full display and snickered to herself.

"Oh great, even Thea's laughing at Diego's jokes now," Allison said. "The concussion must be worse than we thought."

Thea ignored the insult, covering her mouth to muffle her laughter at the final thought of Five sporting a handle-bar moustache. The horror.

They stopped short when the pathway opened up into the rest of the park and none of them were quite sure where to go from here. There was a conflict of interest, and as Vanya tried convincing Allison to rest before she tried finding her daughter, Thea looked up at the large poster plastered on the side of the skyscraper which sported the faces of both Marcus and Ben. Another smaller poster showed all seven of the Sparrow Academy, with the tagline that they were 'always watching'.

It was very dystopian in Thea's opinion and gave her the same bad vibes she felt reading an Orwellian fiction. What kind of message were the Sparrows trying to send using such bold and ominous language? Their father had never used such tactics for the Umbrella Academy, much preferring to cultivate a heroic and benevolent image as opposed to a controlling and domineering one of mass surveillance.

"Look at them with their...stupid...smug-" Luther muttered, trying in vain to muster up anything negative to say while fighting his innate kindness. Klaus was encouraging him, hyping him up but Luther looked like he was seriously struggling. Scrunching up his face in intense thought, the best he could come up with was, "-smug...smugness."

"Good one, buddy. You destroyed them." Klaus sighed. "I'm sure they felt that all the way from here."

"We have to make a decision!" Allison said, exasperated. She turned to face them all, imploringly. "We can't keep standing here bleeding out in the middle of the park. Someone is eventually going to call the police for suspicious behaviour."

Thea looked sideways at Five. Or kidnapping.

"We need to think fast and patch up before they come back for round two," Diego advised, adamant that the Sparrows were going to return to finish them off.

"What makes you think that?" Vanya asked, but Thea ignored their conversation. She was thinking instead of somewhere they could lay low.

If this was a different timeline, supposedly the same one they had been dropped into during the sixties, then it would stand to reason that her old house, as well as her bookshop, were no longer hers. But then did that mean that anything they owned in the first timeline would no longer belong to them? Had not growing up in the Umbrella Academy caused them to live completely different lives here? Thea's mind was reeling. What happened without the adoption? Had they somehow travelled forward in time only to replace alternate versions of themselves, or were there now two of them each running around in the world at this very moment?

Holy shit, am I somehow playing out one of those fix-it AU fanfictions? Where the protagonist goes back in time and raises themselves, or something? Was that even possible? No, what the hell was she thinking. The concussion must have been worse than she imagined.

Five had already made it clear that being around yourself wasn't advisable for the sake of your sanity. But then what was this situation they were in?

Thea went to voice her concerns but was cut off when Klaus jumped up and down in his excitement, shouting out the name of a place she'd never heard before in her life.

Hotel Oblivion? Where the hell was that? And what kind of moron called their hotel such a morbid name?

...once she stood in front of the looming building, however, Thea blinked up at the vibrant, neon sign and had to take back her words. Maybe she was the idiot. It wasn't Oblivion, but Obsidian.

"How do you even know this place?" she asked.

Klaus smiled widely, ushering them all forward in his eagerness to show them the inside. "Obsidian? Why, the two of us go way back!" he said, laughing as they all tried to squeeze in through the rotating doorway at once.

Thea watched them from behind with a deadpan expression, wondering whether everyone else was also suffering from a concussion. Even Five had somehow been roped into smushing himself up against the glass and shuffling through the spinning contraption.

Did they not realise there was a perfectly normal door right next to it? Thea walked through it and smiled sarcastically at the startled looks she received. Idiots, she thought fondly, the lot of them.

Klaus continued to explain the origins of his relationship with the hotel now that he was no longer battling for air. "I used to crash here all the time during my most chaotic years," he chuckled as though the years spent drug-addled and borderline suicidal were nostalgic trips down memory lane.

Thea gave him a funny look. She had a much darker, more depressing perspective on those years.

"This place is well-known for keeping things hush-hush if you catch my drift." He winked, swaying toward the counter like he owned the place.

The group trailed behind him but Thea held back, unable to resist taking in the sheer magnificence of the architecture.

The inside of the hotel was like taking a trip back in time. The décor boasting a vintage-chic aesthetic. It was oddly nostalgic if not a smidgen bittersweet. The large, looming ceilings with glittering chandeliers and an obsession with geometric patterning swept her suddenly back to her brief stint in the sixties and the disorientating whirlwind of an experience that had been.

A couple sitting on one of the plush, dark-green leather couches glanced her way – though perhaps they were simply taken off guard at the noise her family were making as they argued again over something or other. Honestly, Thea had stopped listening upon entering the hotel. They could figure things out themselves and come to her once it was done. The couple caught her attention if only because of how, well, out of place they looked. Certainly not within this hotel, but if they'd wandered outside, Thea couldn't help but think that their vintage style of dress would have made the pair stick out like a sore thumb.

She knew exactly how that felt, recalling the awful time she'd landed in the sixties scantily dressed – at least from their conservative perspective – and stumbling down the streets as though she'd just been kicked from the seediest bar in town after a night out. Those memories felt a lifetime away, but the couple brought back the startling thought of the Malkins'.

The Emporium of Exquisite Excellences had been her home for over a year and Thea couldn't help but briefly wonder what Melissa and Edward would have thought after her escape with Five. What did they think, seeing my face on the television, a supposed criminal?

The thought that Melissa would have likely found the hardened criminal prospect a turn-on sent her into giggles. Hurriedly she muffled her mouth with her hands, turning from the weird looks she was getting to instead pretend that she was riveted by the painting on the wall.

Thea Hargreeves what are you even thinking about? Has the stress finally gotten to you? Have you gone completely mad? She giggled once more, feeling infinitely foolish and yet unable to resist letting out the anxiety she felt through humour. It was so much easier to simply find everything hilarious rather than sit and contemplate the possibly traumatic aspects of their recent stint with time.

"Thea!"

Turning at the call of her name, the blonde saw her family all waiting by the staircase, minus Allison. Jogging over to catch up with them, she asked about her sister.

"Calling Patrick. About Claire," was Vanya's hushed answer and Thea nodded in understanding. That was to be expected, she supposed.

How awful it was to have loved ones so vulnerable...all of Thea's loved ones were right in front of her. She didn't have any friends or extended family to worry about sans the very people who stood in front of her. It came with its own issues – the constant near-death experiences which resulted from the Hargreeves Curse, as she liked to call it – but it lightened the burden on her shoulders to know that those she cared for were right beside her every step of the way.

Allison returned and the group made their way to the elevator where they would take the opportunity to rest and recover. Thea felt the sudden urge to press a soft kiss to her wrist, where the tentacle lay, intersected with the royal 'K', and so discreetly did so while no one was watching.

With a ding the elevator doors opened and they all stumbled out, organising themselves into two groups so that the boys were all sequestered into one room while Allison, Vanya and Thea had another all to themselves.

"So unfair," Klaus whined, surging forward to wrap his arms around Thea's neck, pulling her against him like a particularly clingy koala. "Who am I going to snuggle without my adorable cuddle-bear around?"

"You're so gross," Diego said with a disgusted expression. He looked at Thea like she was in serious need of therapy. "Blink twice if you need help."

She snorted, patting Klaus' arm in sympathy.

"I'm sure somebody else will be more than willing to take my place," she commented, smiling at the blanched expressions on her brothers' faces. Five, in particular, looked ready to take the risk of jumping back down the elevator shaft at the mere thought.

"I guess you're right," Klaus sighed, sludging towards the door, key in hand. He looked at Luther with a grim expression, eyes roaming his form. "I suppose I could stand being the little spoon for once."

"As I said, gross." Diego muttered.

Luther looked pale as a sheet. He turned to Thea. "Maybe you should stay in our room, instead? I've always thought gender division was a barbaric practice!"

Thea snorted, patting his arm now in the same manner she had done previously, a sly expression on her face. "There, there, Luth. I'm confident you'll make a fine big spoon." She winked before following Allison and Vanya, laughing all the while.

"Traitor!" Luther called after them but only received a wave in reply, the mocking laughter echoing down the hallway.

Coming to the room they were to stay in, Allison placed the key into the lock and opened the door to reveal a modest, two-bedroom suite. The three of them eyed the dreary choice in wallpaper and the tiny window with a little hesitancy but eventually, their exhaustion won over and they collapsed onto the squeaky beds. Thea and Vanya had unanimously decided to share, both being so short and thin that they barely took up half of the mattress each. Allison was spread eagle on her own bed, flat out like a starfish.

"I can't tell if the springs on this mattress are faulty or there's someone hiding under my bed very ardently poking me in the back," Allison muttered, her words slurring as she fought off sleep.

"Don't say that," Thea whispered, tired herself. "I won't be able to sleep thinking about someone hiding beneath the beds!"

Vanya laughed, rolling onto her side so that she was facing them both, back against the wall. She poked Thea in the side with a weary smile. "If that happens I'll be pushing you off first," she joked.

"What!" Thea exclaimed, jabbing her sister in the side. "The betrayal! How could you!"

"That's the benefit of sleeping beside the wall," she said sagely, nodding her head as though imparting wise wisdom to her pupil. "Everybody knows that."

"She's right," Allison said, laughing when Thea shot her a similarly betrayed expression. "It's practically law."

"Not you too!" she whined.

The two laughed as the blonde smushed her face into the pillow, muttering words that they couldn't hear.

They fell into a comfortable silence, which was only broken by Allison's wince of pain. Thea pushed her face up from the pillow to see the woman inspecting her nose, fingers coming back red. The blonde scrambled off the bed and awkwardly shuffled across the floor like an idiot before she was kneeling by Allison's feet.

"You good?" she asked with a bemused smile.

"Let me heal you!" Thea said with sudden enthusiasm, her earlier sleepiness gone. Blinking in surprise at her own outburst, she explained. "Well, it's not exactly healing, per se. But I can make it stop hurting. It's not perfect but it's better than nothing, at least until we can get a hold of medical supplies."

She made a mental note to add that to her to-do list while focusing on soothing away Allison's frazzled nerves, smiling when the other let out a content sigh as the dull throbbing of her nose finally receded.

"Thanks," she muttered, twitching her nose in surprise at how little it hurt. The pain was relegated more to a mild ache in the back of her mind, easily ignored. "I hadn't realised how much it hurt until just now." She rose a brow at Thea as the girl moved over to Vanya, insistent on soothing her wounds too, ignoring the ache of her own muscles which screamed for rest. "How long have you been able to do this?" she asked.

"Eh?" Thea said, turning to her in confusion. She wracked her brain over the events of the last few tumultuous weeks. "Back in '63. Diego was hurt. I panicked and just...well, stopped it, I guess?" she said with a questioning tone, still not completely able to grasp her own ability. It had been so sudden, even to herself. "And Luther was getting hurt fighting and I just, put him to sleep?" she waved her hands like it was no big deal. "Honestly, I'm still not quite sure how it all works. So long as it's useful that's all that matters."

"Its impressive, nonetheless," Vanya murmured, finally able to stretch her arms and legs and sighing as they cracked pleasantly.

"You'll both still need to treat and disinfect any serious wounds, though." She warned sternly. "All I've done is temporarily null the pain receptors in your brain. Basically tricking it into thinking nothing hurts."

"Clever girl," Allison smiled.

Thea grinned sheepishly. "I try my best."

No longer in pain, the three flopped once more onto the beds, Vanya pulling Thea up so that she rolled closer. Hesitantly, as though unsure of herself, Vanya wound her arms around Thea's waist. The blonde smiled to herself, placing her hands on the others in reassurance. Vanya's grip tightened in response.

It was nice, embracing the comfortable silence and drifting in her own thoughts. The warmth from Vanya and the softness of the pillow almost lulled her to sleep but she blinked away the temptation at Allison's sombre voice.

"Just last night I was asleep next to my amazing husband, in our own home."

The comment was like a punch in the gut as the three of them all realised how fast everything had changed. How quickly they'd been forced to come to terms with their unexpected reality.

"I kissed Sissy goodbye only a few hours ago," Vanya murmured, words tinged with melancholy. "Give or take half a century."

"I'm happy you managed to find someone who treated you right," Allison said quietly, turning to look at them both. "You deserve it more than anyone else."

Thea tightened her hold on Vanya's hands in agreement. "You do, Vee."

Vanya smiled, just a small quirk of the lips but it spoke a thousand words. "She truly saw me for who I am...I can't ever thank her enough for that."

"There's no need for thanks between loved ones," Thea whispered, pressing a kiss to their joined hands, sending a pointed look to both of her sisters. "It's something we just know."

They both smiled, Allison looking nostalgic. "That's something I had with Ray, you know. He just understood me. More than anything else, I didn't need to explain myself to him. It was like one look was all it took. We just clicked."

Thea sighed, unable to stop herself from descending down memory lane. Specifically of a dreamlike garden and soft hands covering her eyes. A voice sweet like an angel asking her to protect their family. To enjoy life and promise to keep herself safe.

"I'd only just come to terms with Ben's death and now he's here again, but so different..." she whispered brokenly. "And I don't know how I'm supposed to feel."

"Oh, Thea," Allison murmured as she moved closer to sit on the floor beside their bed, grasping their joined hands between her own, so that the three of them could take comfort in the combined warmth. "I hadn't even considered how Ben's appearance would affect you. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she sniffled, holding back tears. "I know it's silly to expect things to just go back to normal, but I can't help but wonder what I did to deserve being shown the man I love, alive, but so different than he was before?" She hiccupped. "I can't stand him. Even though I know it's him, I can't help but refuse to admit that he's Ben. Does that make me stupid?" she asked.

"Of course not," Vanya reassured. "It's perfectly normal to react that way. To be honest I can't quite wrap my head around the difference, either."

"I think it just goes to show what a difference a good woman makes in someone's life," Allison said with a rueful smile, which got a laugh from Thea. It seemed that was the goal for Allison proceeded to brush away the wild curls from her forehead in a very motherly fashion.

"We're going to get through this, do you understand?" She glanced between Thea and Vanya, wanting them both to listen carefully to her words. "Ben, Ray and Sissy. None of them would have wanted us to sit here and cry over them. They'd want us to remember the good times so that they can live on in our memories."

Thea smiled, taking solace in the idea. "So what you're saying is, I should completely avoid this new, awful Ben and only remember my Ben." She grinned mischievously, sniffling to rid her tears. "I can do that."

Allison laughed while Vanya snickered from behind her. "A rather unorthodox way to interpret my words, but sure. Whatever helps." She flicked Thea's forehead, smiling at the annoyed look she got in return. "We'll get through this so long as we stick together."

"Together," Thea said with a grin, squeezing both of her sisters' hands in overwhelming fondness.

"Together sounds good," Vanya agreed, smiling at them both in her own quiet manner. "But first, you need to go home," she said to Allison. "Find Claire. Give her a hug."

"She's right," Thea said with a reassuring smile. "Let's hope that our time travel didn't affect things too much and that she's alright. Tell her Aunties Thea and Vanya will come to see her soon enough!" she laughed at the idea. "Once I find a toyshop, that is. And manipulate my way out of paying."

"You're an awful influence," Allison shoved her lightly, getting to her feet and brushing down her clothes. She looked briefly into the mirror and reeled at the sight of her bloodied face. "Never mind, looks like I might be too. I definitely need a good wash before I even consider seeing Claire."

Walking to the nearest door and peering inside to see, Allison declared she'd found the bathroom and after a few minutes spent washing her face free from the accumulated blood and grime, she came out looking more determined than ever.

The two of them saw her out, savouring one last hug before she went. When the door shut behind her, Thea and Vanya went back to relaxing on the bed. They took up their former positions, both feeling the desire to seek out some semblance of comfort despite the empty bed across the room.

Falling into a light sleep, Thea was aware enough to rouse herself at the quiet whisper of Vanya's voice.

"Do you think there's anything family could do to make you love them any less?"

Such an unusual question would normally have raised alarm but Thea's brain was still half-asleep and so she paid it no mind. Nuzzling into the other's neck, she concentrated on the steady beat of Vanya's heart which had previously lulled her to sleep.

"Course not..." she murmured, pausing to yawn. "If so...I'd be all alone."

Vanya took a moment to reply, so that Thea had almost fallen back asleep.

"Even me?" she asked, slowly enunciating her words. "There's nothing I could do...that would change the way you see me?"

"Nuh-uh," she muttered childishly. Even pressing a kiss to Vanya's neck as a promise. "Ended the world twice..." she mumbled. "Still loved you. Kill someone and I'd...love you."

"Why?" Vanya asked, but Thea couldn't see her expression. Her eyes felt too heavy to open. Her mind moved slowly, as though underwater. All she could understand was the simple word. Why?

"Why not? Vee is Vee. S'all that matters." She smacked her lips together, trying to answer the question before sleep pulled her under. "Would love you...even if...didn't love...me back."

The arms around her waist tightened considerably and Thea had the pleasant thought that it was like being wrapped in a cocoon of warmth. "I'll always love you, Thea."

The blonde hummed in content, trying to nod in agreement but instead only managing to rub her face against the other's neck. "Good...love you too. Always."

With her final sentiment said, Thea drifted away into dreamland, floating upon a cloud, weightless and without a single concern in the world.

---

When she woke up, her first thought was to wonder where Vanya was.

The space beside her was cold, which indicated that she'd left a while ago, probably never having fallen asleep to begin with. Checking the clock on the bedside table, she was relieved to see that she'd only been asleep for an hour, give or take. Looking outside confirmed her theory that there was still enough daylight to wander outside the hotel in order to do some much-needed shopping.

The clothes she was wearing were beyond repair. Tattered and covered in dirt, grime and blood; the fabric of her skirt rumpled and frayed while one sleeve of her shirt had been torn away completely. It was clearly time for her to find some new clothes, and pronto.

Getting up, she groaned as every bone in her body decided to spring to life at once, clicking into place and making her feel fifty years older. Was this how Five had felt all those years? Decrepit and like he was ready to keel over at any moment? She rolled her eyes, and he had the nerve to complain about his new body! Many would kill for returned youth!

Muttering about Five's inconsistent mood swings, Thea washed her face in the sink and made use of the complimentary toothbrush, scrubbing her teeth with a liberal blob of toothpaste until they squeaked. Feeling like a new person she left the room and hurried from the hotel, pausing briefly at the odd sensation of loss which passed through her, even as the gentle evening breeze caressed her face.

Blinking back at the hotel, she stared up at the neon sign in contemplation. What had that feeling been? Momentarily, it was like a part of her had detached itself and remained back inside...as though it was waiting for her to come back. A down payment on her return.

Shrugging off the feeling as nothing but exhaustion, she made her way down the street, eyes peeled for any sign of a department store. Any longer and she was sure the clothes would simply evaporate from her body!

And where would that get me? In prison most certainly. Public indecency charges would look brilliant right next to my shining mugshot. At the thought of scampering down the street, starkers, Thea withheld a cringe. Naked and Afraid, indeed! Would it be a moral qualm to wipe the memory of everybody within a mile radius in such a scenario?

In the back of her mind, she was sure she heard the condescending voice of Five calling her an idiot for the fatalistic spiral into which her mind had descended.

He was very much correct as Thea had been so consumed in her own musings that she hadn't even realised where her legs had taken her. Finding herself in the middle aisle of a thrift store, she mentally applauded her subconscious. So smart!

Thea made quick work of finding clothes that suited her tastes. She liked to think herself the opposite of conceited, but being related to Klaus leant itself a certain credence of vanity.

The hardest part was actually stopping herself from loading her arms with clothes of all varieties. The patterns and colours were so striking that she couldn't resist cooing over a soft violet lace-top or a pair of brilliant pink stomper boots. When she stumbled upon a vintage Powerpuff girls t-shirt, she had to physically restrain herself from squealing in excitement.

In the end, she settled on an outfit she was sure none of her family could give her grief over and yet adhered to her inner child which demanded cuteness.

Looking in the mirror after trying it all on, she stared at her reflection. The girl on the other side stared back.

Despite the excitement of feeling like this was an opportunity for a new life; a fresh start for herself and their family, finally able to stop running away from the chaos that followed them. But she couldn't quite muster up a smile at this very moment. The lingering image of Ben's twisted smirk...the sickening pain as she was thrown into the fireplace, every bone in her body screaming out in agony...all of it playing on loop in her mind.

Despite being back in the correct time, Thea still felt a lingering sense of displacement. It unnerved her and she placed her hands against the glass, staring into her eyes until it became a blurred haze of blue. She thought of her siblings, the ease in which she had eased their pain so many times before and tentatively, she reached out to that part of herself. The centre of her being; the mind which dominated so many others and yet had never properly greeted itself save the few times as a child she'd been curious enough to try.

She tried moving that power inwards, numbing the discomfort she felt at being so disorientated. At still being lost in time, tumbling forward wherever fate dictated, despite her feet being on solid ground. Ever so slowly, she felt the grief recede in increments, slowly and slowly until it became nothing but a dull sensation, easily ignored at the back of her mind.

Pulling back to look at the girl in the mirror once more, Thea cocked her head to the side and smiled, watching in satisfaction as the girl smiled back.

See? She thought smugly, nothing a little self-remedy couldn't fix. She had no need for anxiety in this new timeline. If Five was confident that they were alright then she wouldn't let her own insecurities drag them down.

Smiling brightly at the Thea smiling back, she finally felt like everything was coming to fruition. Her happy life could begin, her family by her side.

Gazing at her new outfit she was pleased at the final look, feeling both cute and smart. A combination she wholly approved of.

A very Thea look, if I may be so bold.

The outfit consisted of a white shirt overlaid by a cream sweater vest, tucked into pastel pink checkered trousers and held up by a cute, silver belt looped with tiny, interlocking hearts. Thea made sure to untuck the rounded, lace collar of the shirt over the vest and grinned as she gave a small twirl in the mirror.

Who said business casual couldn't include a splash of colour? Perhaps people will start taking me seriously if I look the part? She adopted a mock stern expression but couldn't hold it for long without giggling at how silly she looked. Surely nobody could suspect anything bad about someone who wears so much pink?

When she exited the changing room she paid the cashier for the clothes, thanking her for disposing of her old, ragged ones.

Feeling fresh and comfortable in her new attire, Thea set off with determination to the one place she'd been contemplating the entire time she had been trying on clothes. Faffing over the hair which got stuck in the top and fell in her face with every movement, she was resolute in finally dealing with the problem.

The hairdressers was empty, the bell above the door signalling her appearance. A friendly face greeted her, ushering her to take a seat and smiling at her through the mirror.

"So, what can I do for you?" he asked, eyes raking across her hair in interest. It likely wasn't commonplace for them to get a client who, when seated, had hair that brushed the floor.

"Chop it all!" she said enthusiastically.

"All of it?" he asked in amusement, running his hands through the soft waves.

Thea laughed sheepishly, backtracking a little. "Well, not all of it," she bit her lip. "But, like, this much?" she asked, moving her hands so that they rested just below her jawline. "Is that possible?"

"Honey, what do you take me for?" the man asked with a carefree smile, holding up a pair of silver scissors. "If you're so intent on changing things up then that's on you," he winked. "Though it'll be a shame to cut such gorgeous hair. If mine would grow like this I sure as hell wouldn't."

Thea laughed. "It's such a hassle! Always getting in the way whenever I'm trying to do important things," she admitted, carefully omitting the details of just how frustrating it was fighting Swedish assassins when she had twin pigtails to yank on.

"Sure thing, honey," he tapped her on the head, smiling freely. It looked good on him, bringing out the glimmer in his dark eyes. "I need you to jump over there and take a seat for me," he pointed to the row of sinks that had seats beneath. "So I can wash your hair before we get to cutting."

"Isn't it a waste to wash the hair you're going to cut?" she asked.

He smiled fondly at her, walking around the room and grabbing bottles and equipment as he went. "Never you mind your pretty little head over something like that," he laughed. "Trust me. I know what I'm doing."

"Okay, okay!" she said with her arms raised, laughing as he ushered her over to the sinks. She sat on the leather chair and relaxed her neck on the sink rest. Her body groaned pleasurably at the position.

She actually moaned out loud when the tap turned on and the hairdresser began to run it across her head, fingers running over her scalp and scratching an itch she hadn't even been aware of. Laughter sounded from above.

"That good, huh?"

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "It's been such a long time since I went professional. I forgot how amazing this part was." Almost purring in satisfaction she felt her toes curl at the skilled fingers which massaged her head. The sweet aroma of strawberry shampoo filling her senses. It was pure bliss.

"We get it a lot, funnily enough," he said, continuing to offer her a heavenly massage with such ease and finesse. "Customers are disappointed when all we can offer is a dry cut."

When the wash was done Thea had to refrain from whining like a child for him to continue. Sat once more in the chair in front of the mirror, she smiled sheepishly at the man behind her.

"I'm sorry, I never even asked your name. After such an intimate experience it seems almost impolite," she joked with a cheeky grin.

"I've certainly heard that one before," he winked, smirking when Thea muffled her giggles. "But it's Ryan, honey. Ry to you."

"Well, Ry, nice to meet you! I'm Thea."

"That's a first I've heard that name," he looked intrigued. "Is it short for anything?"

Turning her face away to hide the flush in her cheeks, she mumbled lowly. Ryan grinned, leaning forward to meet her gaze.

"What was that, love? Didn't quite hear you."

She pouted, cheeks puffed in a childish manner as she spoke a little louder. "Theadora."

"Wow," Ryan said, moving back with a shit-eating grin. He tried to act nonchalantly as he started brushing out her hair with a comb. "Very unique. Your parents must have had a sense of humour to name their daughter 'God's gift'."

"My brother's name is Niklaus," she said, throwing him under the bus. "That's worse."

"Oh no, honey. We're on you." He grinned, all teeth. "Were they?" he asked.

"Were who what?"

"Your parents. They must have been eccentric to name their children Theadora and Niklaus."

Thea laughed nervously, thinking about her philanthropic father who bought them from their virgin mother and placed them in the loving care of their robot mother and sentient, ape caretaker.

"Yeah...you could say eccentricity runs in the family..."

Ryan laughed, likely thinking she was the regular kind of girl who complained about her family's quirks and not a girl who was thinking of her time-travelling assassin brother or the sister who had ended the world, twice.

Eccentricity was certainly a nice way of saying bat-shit insane.

"Right, the moment of truth. Are you absolutely sure about cutting so much?" Ryan asked, lifting up all of the hair that would be removed in the process. "There's no going back once you do and I certainly won't give you a refund if you come crying to me afterwards." His grin was sharklike.

Thea nodded resolutely, determined to follow through. Her hair was altogether an annoyance and she wanted to change her look to honour the new life they would hopefully be able to make in this timeline. Of course, she couldn't tell Ryan any of that and so only smiled and nodded.

"One hundred percent."

"Okay," he smiled. "Let's do this, then."

With a thrilling sense of excitement and anxiety, Thea watched as Ryan brought up the scissors and began to cut. As the majority of her hair fell to the ground, Thea felt the weightlessness not only physically, but emotionally. Not to be one of those cringy movie characters that cut their hair in a dramatic scene, but she definitely felt like she was emerging into a new era of her life.

Who knew that a simple haircut could be so impactful?

The minutes passed by and Thea succumbed to the lulling sensations by closing her eyes and trusting Ryan to work his magic. His fingers were light against her scalp and the brushes of the comb and the soothing sounds of the scissors snipping away at her hair were all very calming. At one point, the touches stopped only to be replaced by the warmth of a hairdryer against the nape of her neck. She briefly wondered what her siblings were up to at the hotel and whether Allison had already arrived at her old home when Ryan tapped her shoulder, drawing her from her thoughts.

"All done, honeybun."

Thea opened her eyes and blinked at the familiar stranger staring back at her from within the mirror. Her hair no longer drowned her but framed her face in soft, pale curls. Oh, the curls! She hadn't realised just how much the weight of her hair had been softening the unruliness! She laughed, grinning as she was momentarily brought back to her childhood.

"Hopefully that's a happy laugh and not one of despairing regret," Ryan joked, watching her through the mirror.

"Sorry," she grinned, meeting his gaze through the glass. "Only, I just realised how much I look like my brother as a child. We're twins – fraternal," she clarified at his intrigued look.

"The infamous Niklaus?" he asked.

"Yeah, though he only goes by Klaus." She smiled, tracing the remembrance of a boyish copy of her face, identical blue eyes and curly blonde hair. The same wide, impish grin. "I used to call him my little Apollo."

"I can certainly see it," Ryan grinned back, ruffling the curled locks which brushed against her jaw. "Are you close, then?"

"Like two peas in a pod," she laughed, thinking of just how opposite her and Klaus were despite being twins. "Two peas that have almost nothing in common and where one pea has to mother the other pea."

Ryan laughed at her analogy. "Oh, definitely siblings then."

"I couldn't ask for better!"

"I'm glad to hear it. It's too common nowadays for family to be divided over the silliest things. If they're good to you, then don't let anything tear you apart. Not if you can help it." He advised before laughing a little self-consciously. "Though perhaps that's a little too serious to hear from your hairdresser."

"No, no...you're completely right," she muttered, taking in his words with much more seriousness than he likely intended. To Thea, the words resonated at a deeper level than most. To her, family was everything and worth fighting countless battles for. While Ryan was likely speaking from a personal experience of a domestic dispute, he had unknowingly touched upon a soft spot of hers.

Family was worth everything. Even if she had to sacrifice the world, Thea would do so in a heartbeat for those she loved.

"I'll do my very best to keep mine whole," she vowed.

Ryan's smile was fond and if she was interpreting it right, a little bittersweet. His eyes were shadowed in the way she'd seen more times than she'd like, often in her own reflection. She knew that look and knew that an interrogation would not be welcomed. She only nodded and smiled sweetly, showing that she understood whatever untold hurt he was experiencing. He pat her on the shoulder in solidarity.

"Well," he sighed, brushing the stray hairs from her shoulders before pulling off the apron with a flourish. "There we are! Another brilliant success, if I do say so myself." Ryan smirked, watching her twist and turn in the mirror, feeling the new bounce of her shorter hair and loving the way it tickled her cheeks.

"I love it," she said breathlessly, tucking the left side behind her ear, a little giddy at the new look. "Thank you. I didn't think it could look this good!"

"All in a day's work," Ryan waved away her emphatic gratitude. He clapped, walking over to put away his supplies whilst Thea scrambled inside of her pocket for the couple hundred-dollar bills she'd swiped from an unsuspecting passerby on the street. She refused to feel sorry for it, after a brief scan of his mind and seeing just how insanely wealthy he was.

If she'd only done so after he'd given her the once over and catcalled for her number, then so be it.

The creep deserved it.

Ryan rung her up, asking for the charged fifty dollars and sending her a wide-eyed look when she pulled out the pair of hundreds, casually tipping him the rest with a brilliant smile. He tried to refuse but she waved him away, letting him think she was simply rich and not that she'd pickpocketed some swine outside.

"Thank you so much!" Ryan called out for her as she left the shop, a wide grin on his face. "And good luck!"

I was right, Thea thought with a smile. A smile really does bring out the kindness in his eyes.

The trip back to the hotel didn't take as long as she'd thought and the lights in the hotel greeted her upon return. The atrium was full, a hustle and bustle of people milling about despite the late time. It was quite comforting, and Thea couldn't quite withhold the sigh of contentment which washed over her at being inside the hotel once more.

Something deeper, something primal seemed to be satisfied at her being within the hotel walls. It just felt right. Like she belonged there.

She caught sight of a table housing four familiar faces and skipped toward them, ruffling each of their heads with a bright grin. "Hello, my lovely brothers!"

"Thea," Diego mumbled around the noodles hanging from his mouth. "S'up."

"Woah, nice locks sister of mine," Klaus complimented with a smile. "Very boho-chic of you."

She rewarded his compliment with a loud kiss against the cheek, grinning as the others took in her new haircut and clothes. She even performed a small twirl to their fond amusement.

"It suits you," Luther said, smiling at how happy their sister seemed. He nodded toward her outfit. "Very smart looking, too. Are you planning on going somewhere?"

"Nope!" she replied. "I just wanted to get rid of the old ones. They were covered in blood and grime. I was starting to look like I was dragged from the streets."

"We are technically homeless," Diego muttered, slurping his noodles.

"What do you think, Five?" Thea asked, ignoring Diego and Luther's argument about their living situation and instead staring at the one person who had yet to greet her. He was staring at her blankly, seemingly overwhelmed. "Nice dressing gown, by the way."

"Thanks," he coughed, avoiding her gaze. His cheeks were quite flushed. "You look good, Z. Though I doubt you need me to tell you that."

"So stingy," she whined, walking around the table so that she stood beside his chair. Without shame she wound her arms around his waist to cuddle him close, even resting her chin on his shoulder. Her smile was sweet when his eyes glanced her way. "Why do you always hold back your affection, Five? I know you have it in you to be lovey-dovey," she grinned goofily, nuzzling into him, knowing full well she was being annoying.

"Shove off," he muttered, trying in vain to push her away. "My apologies for not partaking in your infantilising affection," he drawled sarcastically.

"It's not infantilising," she pouted. "I just want to smother you in love because I know that deep, deep beneath that defensive façade is the loveable Five that used to sneak out of the house with me every Friday night to Griddy's, all because he knew how much I loved the sprinkled-donut special."

He huffed out a laugh at the memory of their nightly escapades under their father's eagle-eyed surveillance, utilising the powerful combination of his teleportation and her mind manipulation to continue the tradition for months without being caught.

Five finally cracked a smile.

"If you two are done canoodling," Klaus said, sending Five a mischievous, knowing grin at the latter's annoyed frown. "Thea, try some of this."

He offered her his chopsticks which held a hefting of noodles, steaming tantalisingly. She moved forward to take a mouthful, moaning at the burst of flavour and spice. Hurriedly pulling a chair from another table and sitting herself down between Five and Klaus, she wasted no time in accepting another mouthful from Klaus who wore a bemused expression.

"And you called us animals," Diego drawled. "Yet here she is being fed like a baby."

"Shut up," she mumbled over a mouthful of noodles, narrowing her eyes at the looks she was receiving.

Look, it had been a long day and if she wanted to accept a little babying from her brother then she was going to do so without any shame, okay!? Thea had never said she was completely grown up!

"Open wide~" Klaus sang with a smile and Thea did so, ignoring Diego's mocking laughter.

Whatever, he could continue to be salty eating his noodles the boring way. Thea allowed Klaus to alternate feeding himself and her until they were devouring his box of noodles with vigour.

"So, I've been giving our whole alternate timeline snafu some further consideration," Five began, starting to eat his own serving of noodles. "And I'm pleased to report that in my professional, expert opinion, or as Allison so eloquently put it, my status as Mr Know-it-all, that we are in the clear."

"So no more funny business?" Diego asked.

"No apocalypse?" Luther added.

"No nuclear war?" Thea started.

"Or timey-wimey shenanigans?" Klaus finished.

"None. Nada. Zilch," Five drawled. "Theoretically, there should be no serious circumstances to our arriving in this timeline."

"Wait a minute," Diego cut in with a frown. "What do you mean by nothing serious?"

"So you picked up on that," Five muttered before sighing, brushing back his hair. "Okay, so there may be one small, minor inconvenience. But it's nothing we can't handle."

He ignored their searching looks to focus on his food, as though hoping they'd simply let those ominous words go. For once he was very wrong.

"Well, what is it?" Diego urged. "Spit it out, boomer!"

Thea snorted into her drink.

She smiled lopsidedly at Five's irritation while she hastily wiped the juice from her chin. Five sighed, seeming to seriously contemplate disappearing back into his room and away from all the questions.

"Fine, Diego, it's like this. While Dad didn't adopt us all in this timeline, that doesn't negate the fact that those babies still exist here."

"Awww," both twins chorused as one, looking starry-eyed at the thought of miniature versions of themselves, all pink and wrinkly and swaddled up in blankets.

Five looked at them in exasperation. "So, while we grew up with different people and in different places, the fact still remains that they exist somewhere."

"So?" Diego said, nonplussed.

"So," Thea answered at seeing Five's draining patience. "That means there must be identical versions of us in the world."

"As always, Z continues to house the only brain cell between you all," Five drawled, smirking at the grin she sent his way.

"Oh!" Luther said, wide-eyed at his sudden revelation. "Our doppelgangers!"

"That's totally a made-up word," Klaus scoffed but he was ignored by the others discussing the possibilities of their identical selves roaming the world.

"Thea and I learned all about this in Texas!" he pointed toward the girl, who smiled bemusedly. "I remember all about the doppelgangers and the paranoid psychosis!"

"Paranoid what!?" Diego asked in alarm while Thea deadpanned at her brother's awful verbal delivery. "I thought you said there were no reasons for concern!"

"Theoretically!" Five repeated. "While there can be dangerous consequences to being in close, extended proximity to your doppelganger-"

"Like what?" Diego urged.

"Insanity," Luther unhelpfully supplied.

Five grit his teeth at being constantly interrupted. "-we don't have to worry about that. So long as you avoid your other self, you'll be perfectly fine. So, if you see your doppelganger-"

"Kill them," Diego said.

"Avoid them," Thea advised.

"Sleep with them," Klaus said confidently.

At that final comment, Thea finally snapped and thwacked her brother over the head, frowning at his pitiful whine. "You see an identical version of yourself and your first instinct is to sleep with them? Should I be concerned, you know, as your twin?"

"Oh, come off it," Klaus said with a mischievous grin. "As if you wouldn't go for a round with bubble-gum blondie yourself. I know your type, sis." He sent her a cheeky wink, which she could only stare back at blankly. He went on to say something to their brother about 'Luther Mountain' and she continued to watch him justify his bizarre fantasies with a deadpan expression.

Was he missing brain cells or what? She sent Five a look and was thankful he seemed to be just as lost as herself. For once she could finally understand the exasperation others felt for Klaus.

"How do you suppose we go about avoiding an encounter with ourselves, huh?" Diego asked. "If it's so dangerous don't you think we should have some kind of safety plan?"

"We were born scattered across the world," Five pointed out. "All in completely different countries until Dad adopted us and brought us together."

"Okay, and?"

"And, that means there are minimal chances of our alternate selves suddenly deciding to mass emigrate to America." He shrugged. "If they're all in different countries, then there's no concern of our running into them."

"I mean, that makes sense," Thea considered the point.

After all, hadn't she once found out that their mother had birthed them somewhere in Germany as a teenager? What were the chances that she'd moved to the US and brought her twin children along with her?

She scoffed, reaching across the table to steal Diego's food after he'd suddenly excused himself. Very unlikely, she conceded. What were the chances that their mother had left Germany only to settle herself into some niche, small community over her in the US? Doubtful. She could be comfortable knowing the pair were unlikely to run into their alternate selves.

Would I even want to?

After a brief thought, she conceded that no, she wouldn't. She wasn't sure she could handle seeing herself like that. However, it did bring up the memory of the older Five and quite suddenly she remembered the promise made.

Turning to Five, she gazed at his side profile consideringly, staying quiet as he spoke to Luther. Swathed in the white dressing gown and fresh from a bath, he seemed calmer than she'd seen him before. She couldn't quite believe how fast time had flown despite the years that had passed. The amount of chaos and world-ending events that had occurred one after the other must have been exhausting for somebody who had not had the year or two of rest as they had.

For once, Thea recognised just how tired Five had looked at all times. The ease at which he currently carried himself only attested to that. She felt a warming of her heart at the dawning understanding of just how selfless he had been in saving them all. At how much he had sacrificed in an effort to keep them together.

Five had fought against time itself to return to them and had been fighting ever since, always on the run from something or other.

For once, he could simply sit and enjoy being Five. Simply Five, and nothing else. Thea felt a burst of love bloom inside of her and so did not stop herself from reaching for his hand.

He startled at her touch, looking down at their joined hands with uncharacteristic vulnerability. It was always humbling to see him like this, behind the front he put on for others. Luther and Klaus were too busy arguing over doppelgangers once more to take any notice.

"I love you," she said softly, smiling at his stunned expression. "It's not that I haven't realised it before, but I suppose it only really just hit me how much you've sacrificed for us. I want you to know how grateful I am for that." She ran her thumb across his knuckles, taking comfort that he did not pull away. "I love you for that. For always putting us first." She looked up and met his intense gaze. "Most people would think it wrong for putting the few over the many, and I know that you care for the world in an abstract sense...but I know you, Five. I know at the end of the day, you did all of this for us." She whispered. "And I love you for that."

Five swallowed, gaze heavy and yet he only squeezed her hands back tighter. "I love you too, Z." He took a moment to gather his words, but when he did, his voice was almost too quiet for her to hear. She moved closer, so that their heads were pressed together.

As though only the two of them existed in the entire world.

"You're right," he admitted softly. "I didn't save the world for anybody else but our family." He frowned down at the table, choosing his words carefully. "I tried so desperately to come back because I didn't want to be stuck in the future alone...stuck in a world where you didn't exist."

Thea swallowed thickly, finding herself a little overwhelmed at his words, despite knowing deep down that those were his feelings all along. She was startled to feel her face heat up.

"And you know what, Z? You know what's the funniest part of it all?"

At her open expression, he laughed softly, flipping their hands so that he could now run his own thumb against her knuckles. She felt the soft touch tickle the skin.

"I would do it all again – every year spent alone in the apocalypse and neck-deep in mathematical equations, surviving on rationed food and rainwater – if it meant I still got to get to this moment right now, sitting here with you."

Thea smiled beautifully, linking their fingers so that they were now comfortably clasped as one. She almost glowed in happiness.

"We're finally free, Five," she smiled like a child sharing a secret. "We're free to do whatever we like. Free to live."

"Together," he agreed, smiling the smile she had missed so much from childhood. One that used to be so freely given. One she hoped would soon make a daily reappearance. "I wouldn't want to explore the world with anybody but you, Z."

"Me neither," she agreed at once. She gave him a cheeky smile, feeling a lightness that was wholly and undeniably giddiness at the idea of being completely free, surrounded by those she loved. "So, where are you going to take me first, Five? I'll have you know I'm not an easy girl to please."

Five gave her a charming grin, looking, for once, his actual age. His eyes shone with an undeniable fondness for her childish teasing. "Anywhere you want, Z. Wherever you want to go, you know I'll take you."

Anywhere she wanted, huh?

Thea looked at Five and thought that anywhere would be paradise if she could continue to be surrounded by those she loved.

---

The first chapter is finally here! I hope you liked it...I'm actually quite nervous to upload this in case nobody likes it (*ﾉ▽ﾉ) I slipped in quite a few hints at future plot points, so full marks for anybody that picks up on them so early! To see the photos I included along with this story, check it out on Wattpad, I go by vanillatsu on there!

Please leave me comments on what you thought/what you're hoping to see! I may be able to add things if they fit into my plot outline! ...Until then, I have University things to organise but I'll try uploading at least once a week (fingers crossed!) though chapters won't normally be this long! This was a treat (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧