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.

42. Fate's Firm Grip

A soothing hand ran through thick, dark curls, attempting to impart any semblance of comfort. Thea stared down at the sight of her distraught sister; at the red eyes and tear-streaked cheeks, the ruffled clothing from a night spent travelling with a broken heart.

She sighed, unsure of what to do.

How had this happened? Just when Thea had been convinced that their time here could be positive, she was woken up by the slamming of the bedroom door and a grief-stricken Allison collapsing onto her bed. Thea had blearily stumbled from her own bed and into her sister's, trying to understand what had triggered such distress.

It seemed that their un-adoption had caused further casualties than they could have initially expected. Thea had never anticipated this.

How could she have been so blind? To have not taken this possibility into consideration? She was the one person with a power bordering on clairvoyance and she couldn't have foreseen this? What was the point in having unlimited mental potential if it was given to someone stupid enough to lack logical reasoning?

Stupid, Thea. She thought darkly. If you would have only taken a step back from your own silly issues for one second you would have realised that there were much bigger things at stake.

"I should have known..." Allison murmured, eyes staring far off into the distance. "I knew the risks involved...yet still..." Her words were slurred as she attempted to withhold her cries. Thea continued to stroke her hair, unsure of what to do.

"It's not your fault, Ally." She whispered lowly enough to avoid waking up their neighbours.

The sky outside was blanketed in darkness, the moon a singular point of light in the blanket of darkness. The opposite bed that she had been sleeping in remained empty from any other signs of life. It had caused her some anxiety over Vanya's whereabouts, but she trusted her sister to look after herself.

"But it is," Allison said, still staring into the darkness like she wasn't ready to face reality. "I knew something could go wrong if we risked coming back...and I took that risk, anyway." She sniffed, pushing her face further into the pillow. "I thought it was worth it to be with Claire."

"You couldn't have known," Thea argued, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She moved a little so that she lay beside her sister more comfortably. Allison was so cold, likely from spending the entire night travelling. "You were making the best decision for your daughter. As a mother."

Allison's laughter was derisive. "I've been a terrible mother," she muttered, bitter. "Claire deserves someone who can ensure her safety. Not one who erases her from existence."

"That wasn't your fault," Thea stressed with a frown, not liking the degrading way she was talking about herself. "None of us could have anticipated the consequences of jumping again. Not even Five."

"Five," Allison scoffed, seemingly annoyed at the mere mention of his name. "He needs to stop dragging us into his messes."

"Hey, hey," Thea said, urging Allison to return to a sense of calm. It would do them no good for her to become irate at such an hour. "This isn't Five's fault and logically, you know that, too."

She worked on untangling a particularly stubborn strand of hair, keeping her voice low so as to hopefully ease Allison's reasonable irritation. "You're emotional right now and that's justified. I cannot even begin to imagine how you're feeling, as a mother, but I know Claire wouldn't have wanted you to take out your fears on her family."

Allison stayed silent, but didn't react negatively and so Thea assumed that she was paying attention. Her silence likely stemmed from simply not liking what was being said and less so from outright disagreement.

But that was okay.

Thea didn't pretend to know everything, and matters like these were too delicate to simply brush over with the standard placations. She didn't have all the answers and wouldn't pretend to. But Thea did know how to comfort people and knew that sometimes, all a person needed was support.

Everything was silent for a long time, long enough that Thea was sure her sister had fallen asleep, when Allison's voice spoke up, uncharacteristically vulnerable.

"Can you make it go away?" she whispered. "The pain? Like you did before?"

Thea sensed they had arrived at a dangerous, yet pivotal moment and tread carefully, choosing her words with caution.

Of course she knew what her sister was asking for. She also knew that it wasn't something she would ever consider.

"You know I can," she whispered, the silence of the room almost deafening. It only made the words harder to say. "But if you know me at all, then you also know my answer."

Allison scoffed, pulling away from her touch. "I should have guessed."

Unfazed at the rejection, Thea held on, allowing the distance between their bodies but ensuring that the comforting weight of her hand remained on the other's shoulder. She twisted the dark hair around her finger, focusing on the softness to help ignore the mounting guilt.

Why is it so hard to deny them anything?

"I say no not because I don't want to help you, Ally. Please, you must know that."

The raw earnestness in her voice was indisputable. Her desire to speak her mind clearly so as to avoid any misunderstandings or further confrontation. "But this isn't what you want, trust me. I can't take away your pain so easily when it's connected to something so important. For it to be successful, I'd have to erase all memories of Claire and Raymond, and I know that's not something you want."

"Can't you just try?" Allison urged, turning around so that they were face to face. Her eyes almost shone in the darkness, the welling tears glistening bright. "There must be a way to make it stop without getting rid of them. There must be."

Thea smiled sadly, brushing back the wild curls from her forehead, eyes tracing the regal features that looked so beautiful, even twisted in grief.

"It only hurts this badly because you care so much," she said. "Trust me, I understand that part of your grief very well. But it's our responsibility as someone they loved to live for their sake. To keep their memories alive along with us."

The compassionate admission finally caused Allison to break; surging forward as tears spilt from her eyes, she tried to muffle her cries in the blonde's neck. Thea shushed her, rocking them both back and forth.

Sometimes, the truth was painful to hear. However, it was a necessary step toward accepting grief.

"I don't know what to do, Thea," Allison cried, for once shedding her strong exterior and succumbing to the urge to be held, allowing Thea to comfort her in a manner she never normally would. "I just want someone to tell me what I'm meant to do now..."

"You live, Ally," Thea whispered into her ear. "You carry on living so that the memory of Claire and Ray can live on, too. You do that for them because it's what they deserve. And in the meantime, you can think up a plan to return to them. Or at the least, to Claire, okay?"

Feeling a hesitant nod against her neck, Thea sighed in relief. Just maybe, she had somehow gotten through that tough exterior hardened by grief and denial.

The grieving process wasn't easy, and if it was it'd be doing those gone a disservice, because it is their very importance in someone's life that causes such anguish when they're gone.

"Good, good. Five might have lost the briefcase but that doesn't mean that it's gone for good. We know it's at the Academy, right? And I'm sure that once we've all properly settled in here and found our footing, the others will be more than happy to help us go get it."

"Do you really think so?"

"I do. We have our disagreements, but they're our family, Ally. They only want what's best for you. We all do. Never doubt the things they would do for us." She pulled back, brushing a thumb beneath her eyes to wipe away the tears. "Because I know wholeheartedly you'd do the same for us."

"Of course," Allison stressed. "All I have left is my family...I just want it to be whole again."

"And we'll make sure that it happens, eventually. You just have to be patient. I'll make sure you return to them somehow, Ally. And is there anything your sister can't do?" She grinned, trying to lighten the mood.

It seemed to work, if only a little, as Allison's lips twitched minutely. The smile was a little wobbly and her eyes were too puffy for anyone to equate her expression as anything positive, but it was a start. And Thea had made much more with much less.

"There's the smile all the magazines went crazy for," she teased.

"Shut up," Allison muttered, though not unkindly. She pushed her face back into the pillow, sighing in exhaustion. "God, I'm so fucking tired."

Thea giggled at her uncouth language. The illustrious and prestigious Allison Hargreeves cursing like the common folk? Unheard of!

"Don't let Diego hear you swear like that," she said with a smile. "He just might blow a top at the hypocrisy."

"Yeah, well, Diego is in need of a little mothering on more occasions than not." She huffed. "And he swears like a sailor so he has no leg to stand on."

Snickering, Thea poked her sister's side. "And you're up to the task?"

"Who else will look out for their unruly asses?" she snorted.

"Me?" Thea asked, pointing to herself.

Allison scoffed, "Please. You're just as bad."

"Hey!" Thea exclaimed. "You can't lump me into the same category as Diego," she argued. "Surely I'm like, at the top of the degenerate pile, at the very least?"

Allison was clearly trying to withhold her smile at the silly direction their conversation had taken. "Of course you are."

"You said that so slyly!" Thea retorted, pouting. "I can't tell if you're being serious or not."

"Of course I'm being serious," Allison said again with a similarly quiet smile. Her eyes were twinkling.

Thea huffed, hiding her own smile in the pillow.

Closing her eyes, she took a moment to enjoy the dead silence of the night. Not even the cars outside or the populated streets were making noise.

Inside the hotel, it was as though they were separated from the outside world. Like the hotel was a world of its very own.

"How do you feel about Ben?" Allison asked after almost a half-hour had passed.

"Which Ben?" she murmured, not bothering to open her eyes.

"This Ben. The new one, with the Sparrows."

Thea thought over her words, considering what she really felt about this new iteration of her lover, once she ignored the initial dislike and heartbreak.

"...fearful. Confused. I suppose, I can't help but feel wary of him, you know?"

"Understandable. He did throw you into the fireplace."

"It's not that..." Thea shook her head, finally opening her eyes to look directly at Allison.

She frowned, trying to find the words to explain her conflicting emotions. Even as she barely understood them herself. "He makes me wary because I don't know how to act around him. I look and see my Ben, but that only makes it easier for him to hurt me because he doesn't see me as his Thea. In his world, he never even had a Thea."

"Do you feel bad for him?" Allison asked, sounding understandably surprised. She placed a hand on Thea's shoulder, her gaze searching. "He almost killed you, Thea. Don't mistake his cruelty for kindness just because he looks like Ben."

"But he is Ben, Ally." Thea sighed. "That's the worst part. If he just looked like Ben then I could handle it. Twins aren't the same person simply because they're identical, but this isn't the case. Ben is Ben just as much as he was in our timeline. The only difference is those around him."

Allison looked thoughtful, taking in the truth of her words but still looking like she found the implications distasteful. "Still, you can't let yourself be dragged around by him just because you loved him."

"I know that," she smiled, taking her hand and linking their fingers. Seeking comfort from familiar touch. "That's why I don't think I'm quite ready to face him again anytime soon...logically, I know that in this timeline he isn't my concern, but I can't quite shake the feeling that I'll have to confront this anxiety sooner or later. I feel like our paths are bound to cross again."

Silent but watching her with a searching expression, Allison looked concerned. "Do you love him, Thea?" Though she tried to hide it, the slight tremble in her voice made the worry clear.

Infinitely fond of her sister's bottomless care over her wellbeing, Thea squeezed her hand tightly. "Don't worry about that, Ally. I don't love this Ben...I never could."

"I don't follow..."

"I know I said that they're the same person, at their core, but that doesn't mean that I'll simply fall in love with Ben no matter what. That's the kind of silly stuff they tell you in those romance novels you enjoy," she chuckled at Allison's narrow-eyed glare.

She brushed the hair from her sister's face, smiling genuinely despite finally speaking the words that caused her so much grief.

"I fell in love with my Ben not because of how he looked or for some spiritual connection, but because of the kindness he showed me every day." She sighed. "The smiles we'd share at meeting one another in the hallways before breakfast, the books he'd leave on my bed that he thought I would enjoy, the joy he brought to Klaus' life as they founded a bond deeper than brothers...every day, he did things that made me fall harder and deeper in love with him. Things that this Ben will never be able to match."

Allison's eyes were misty, seemingly touched by the honest affection in her words. "I think I understand what you mean," she said softly. "It's the personality you fell in love with, not the person?"

"Kind of," Thea smiled lopsidedly. "I love Ben as a person, of course, and I can't deny that there will likely exist a certain fondness in me for this new Ben, no matter what he does to me. But I know better, and I would never tarnish the memory of the Ben I loved by trying to replace him with another. Especially with someone who is willing to hurt me. Ben wouldn't have wanted that. Not ever."

"You're right," Allison said, brushing a stray blond curl. "Our Ben would have kicked new Ben's ass had he been there yesterday."

Snickering at the mental image, Thea could only agree. Her Ben would have found his alternate self wholly disagreeable and very offensive to his kindly image. She could even picture him breaking character for a brief moment and sneering at the other 'him', taking an instant dislike. She snorted into the pillow, trying to banish the image.

"That would be funny," she said, smile sly. "See how he likes being yeeted across the room."

Allison sighed, her body finally relaxing as she sunk almost bonelessly into the duvet. It had certainly been a long night. Thea followed suit, eagerly snuggling in closer to her sister's warmth. Burrowing into the affectionate hold like a small animal sheltering from the dangers of the world.

Curled up by Allison's side and taking in the sweet flowery scent that saturated her clothes, Thea felt like nothing could touch her. I'm safe here.

"Good night, Thea."

"Night-night, Ally."

"...I love you," Allison whispered softly, before Thea felt the pressure of a kiss against her head. She smiled into the pillow, adoration lulling her into further sleep.

"Love you...too..."

---

It was never a pleasant experience to be woken up by falling out of bed, but as Thea stared up at the horrid green wallpaper that was, for some reason, plastered on the ceiling of all places, she considered it could be worse.

If nothing else it gave her a good jolt, enough that the usual grogginess of waking up had been scared away. She jumped to her feet and stretched her arms, satisfied when she felt more than heard them click into place. Her muscles felt pleasantly sore in a way that indicated a thorough night's sleep.

Remembering her snuggle buddy, she turned to look at the bed where Allison's slumbering form remained, unaware of the outer world while lost in dreamland.

Good, she deserves to rest as much as possible. Maybe I can have breakfast sent up to her?

Decision set, Thea made quick work of changing into her newly-bought outfit and folding the complimentary pyjamas onto the end of Vanya's bed. She smiled at the thought that, despite having no set bed for herself, she easily seemed to find comfort regardless.

I really do have the best sisters I could ask for.

Brushing her teeth and washing her face, as well as combing through her hair, Thea was astonished at how quick her morning routine had become after a long-awaited trim. Who knew cutting my hair would make it so easy to get ready in the morning!?

Refreshed, Thea made sure to pop her head over the bed to make sure Allison was definitely asleep, smiling at her peaceful expression, before leaving the room as quietly as possible. Taking note of the room number, she jumped into the elevator just as the doors were closing and pressed the button for the ground floor.

Realising that she wasn't alone in the small space, Thea smiled sweetly at the old man that rode alongside her.

He wore a grumpy expression, but beneath the heavy lines of his wrinkled face was a quiet kindness. Thea liked him instantly. His cranky countenance reminded her of Five and she couldn't help but smile wider at the thought of her grumpy little munchkin. Who would certainly kill me if he ever heard me call him that.

Would he already be up at this hour? She thought, wondering whether her brothers had decided to opt-in for a lazy morning. Already basking in his early retirement and lying in for once? How cute!

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Thea naturally waited for the other to leave first but felt herself flush when the old man spread his arm to indicate she go first, a grin tugging at his wizened face.

"After you, young lady."

"Oh! Thank you!" she squeaked, rushing forward but turning back to hold the doors open when they tried closing on him. "You're very kind, sir."

"Sir!" he laughed, the sound a little rough and gravelly. The deep wrinkles by his eyes crinkled further as he gave her a roguish grin. Beneath the weathered effects of old age, Thea would bet a hefty amount that he'd been a very handsome young man. "Been a long time since I heard that from one so young! Kids these days have no manners."

Brimming with fondness over this old man's classic old-people mannerisms, she tried to hold in her amused smile thinking of how much this man reminded her of Five. He was likely to find the comparison preposterously offensive should she ever tell him, but she couldn't help it. Five's grumpiness was clearly a sign of his old age and seeing it play out on someone appearance appropriate was endearing.

She hoped to still be around long enough to see him reach this level of old-age battiness.

"I'm sorry to hear that, sir. Though I do hope you have a lovely day!" she grinned. "Just try to ignore the unruly children."

"I certainly will do so!" He huffed, puffing up his chest as much as possible with his bent posture and walking stick. He gave her a stern expression from beneath bushy white brows. "Now, keep yourself, safe little lady. The world isn't what it used to be, you know. Why, back in my day a man would escort his lady to ensure nothing untoward happened. No one would dare!"

Thea nodded along, ignoring the casual misogyny and smiling as he continued to ramble under his breath as he walked away, seemingly forgetting their conversation as he wandered out of the hotel and into the daylight. Brandishing his walking stick like a battering ram as people got too close.

The blonde shook her head, finally laughing at the situation now she could no longer accidentally offend him. She continued to laugh as she made her way toward a table filled with a pair of familiar faces.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Am I not allowed to laugh, Diego?" Thea asked as she took a seat at the table, pressing a kiss to Klaus' cheek. "And good morning to you, too."

"Not this early in the morning, no," he drawled. He looked frazzled, bags beneath his eyes and clothes a little ruffled, yet the usually shaggy mane which framed his face was gone.

"Hey!" Thea laughed, shaking her head so that her hair flopped in every direction. "We're haircut twinsies!"

"How thrilling," Diego muttered, eyes darting around the place like he was waiting for something to happen. Or someone to appear.

"What's up with him this morning?" she asked Klaus as she helped herself to a slice of his toast, slathering on a bountiful amount of strawberry jam. Munching on the buttery goodness she rose a brow at Diego's shifty behaviour. "Did something happen? And where's Luther? I haven't seen him since we all split yesterday."

"Oh, sis, you'll never guess what I found out this morning!" Klaus said, completely ignoring her questions to instead gloat his newfound knowledge over her.

His face was lit up in excitement, practically glowing with amusement; the kind that made it clear he was having too much fun at another's expense. Thea had seen this expression countless times as a child, often moments before her brother decided to cause chaos in the academy. More often than not, his victims had been Diego and Luther.

Looks like some things never change.

"I recently found out a little secret about our dear Diego here..."

"What is it?" she urged, unknowingly leaning closer in her eagerness to know. "Tell me, Klausy."

"Well, Diego..." he drawled out, enjoying keeping her on edge. "Our precious, messy, little brother..."

"Spit it out already, Klaus!"

Eyes alight in amusement, he smirked at her impatience. "Diego has a son."

The revelation landed with as much destruction as he'd hoped, and Klaus watched with a grin as his sister froze, mind rebooting in an attempt to process just what he'd said.

"A...son?" she turned mechanically to face the man in question, who had seemingly been ignoring their entire conversation, too busy searching the hotel atrium for something.

Or someone. For his son.

Thea's mind was currently flashing error screens across her vision and all she could do was repeat her brother's words over and over again.

Diego has a son? What the hell, how long was I asleep for!?

When Diego finally turned back to face the table with a frown, he was taken aback when his shirt was grabbed by Thea, yanking him across the table. "You have a son!?"

"I told you not to tell her!" Diego hissed at Klaus, who shrugged uncaringly.

"Sorry dude, she dragged it out of me."

"Diegoooo!" Thea whined, shaking him in place and causing the pots on the table to fall over in her enthusiasm.

Her wide-eyed surprise was beginning to transform, the stirrings of anticipation getting stronger with each second she considered the very real possibility of having a nephew somewhere out there in the world. Her grin was bordering on maniacal.

"Where's your son? Is he here, in the hotel? Please let me see him!"

"Calm down for god's sake," Diego snapped, slapping her hands away from him and patting down the creases in his shirt. "Yes, Stanley's lurking around here somewhere. God knows where exactly, but the little shit's probably stuffing his face over at the buffet."

"His name's Stanley!? How cute!" Thea was floating in a cloud of happiness, ignoring everything around her to instead hyper-focus on the news that she had apparently been made an aunt again overnight. "I'll find him!" she declared, jumping from her seat and beginning to wander out into the open space of the hotel's atrium.

"Stanley!" she called, unabashed in her actions despite the funny looks she received. "Stan! Come to Aunty Thea!"

Over at the table, Klaus and Diego watched her with very different expressions. Klaus looked as though he was contemplating joining his sister in her nephew hunt but was too tired to leave his comfy chair and plate of freshly-baked croissants. Meanwhile, Diego looked ready to let the ground swallow him whole. Head dropped into his hands, he could only listen as the tiny blonde wandered around screaming out his son's name like a certified lunatic.

This timeline was a fucking nightmare.

Before she could shout the name again, Thea was greeted by a small figure suddenly appearing beside her. He had closely-cropped hair and a round, sweet face. She loved him immediately.

"Why do you keep calling my name?" he asked in an unimpressed voice. "And I prefer Stan, not Stanley."

"Hello!" she greeted with a wide grin. "I'm your Aunt Thea!"

"Aunt?" Stan mumbled, glancing toward the table where Diego sat, before looking up at her once more. "You're his sister?"

"Yep!"

"Aren't you like, twelve?" he deadpanned.

"No!" she shouted. "I'm only a little older than your Dad, you know! That is if you count the years stuck in time and all that shebang."

Stan looked completely lost, but one thing was clear. "But he's like a million years old and you look like a kid."

"Says you!" she retorted. " And I just have a round face, okay!?" she exclaimed, puffing out her cheeks in indignation. "It's not my fault I'm cursed with stubborn baby-fat! Get off my back already!"

Blinking at her loud voice and energetic personality, Stan took a moment to look her over, seemingly coming to a decision on whether he accepted her as family or not pretty quickly. His smile was a little lopsided but genuine.

"Whatever you say, Aunty Thea."

The blonde jumped in place at the term of familiarity and squealed, bringing the boy in for a hug. Stan seemed to have a moment of regret at having accepted her so easily when she began to tirl them around in circles, his feet momentarily leaving the ground.

"Oh, this is great!" she said, buzzing in happiness. Who would have thought her family could have grown so suddenly? "Have you eaten yet?"

Stan thought of the ten muffins he'd eaten already and shook his head. "Nope."

"Okay, first things first then, we need to stock up on a good breakfast!" She ushered them both over to the buffet table, grabbing two plates and beginning to pile them high with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, beans and Thea's ultimate favourite, hash browns. She even balanced a couple of chocolate chip muffins precariously on the edge of the plate for pudding.

Because of course breakfast needed a pudding. This was a universally known fact.

"I remember how much my brothers used to eat at your age. They were ravenous little pigs." She walked them over to take the table close to Diego and Klaus, waving at the pair enthusiastically when they glanced over and shouting I found him! "It was a nightmare trying to stop Luther and Diego from stealing food right from our plates!"

Stan seemed to be listening to her story but was too busy stuffing his face to reply. She watched him eat in content, chin on her hands and a goofy smile on her face.

"I've decided you're officially my favourite nephew."

Stan paused mid-bite to stare at her. "Do you even have any others?"

"Nope, only a niece. But I've decided you're my favourite nephew. Even if my other siblings have children, I promise first place goes to you." She winked.

Stan looked completely lost, unable to keep up with her energetic behaviour.

Despite this, the two of them soon fell into a comfortable silence, Thea finally eating some of her breakfast but happily letting Stan have the rest after finishing his own with impressive speed.

"Are you German?" she asked rather out of the blue, explaining at his startled look. "I couldn't help but hear an accent when you spoke. It's faint, but definitely there."

Her own German was impeccable, practically indistinguishable from her usual accent. Stan replied just as easily, the language obviously coming naturally.

"I didn't think anyone else would speak it."

"Apparently I was born there," she revealed. "I'm not sure where exactly, but it made me learn the language. I wanted to feel closer to home, I suppose."

"Cool," he said. "I only know German and English."

"That's still better than most adults. Be proud!"

He gave her a bemused smile, but looked pleased at her words as he went back to eating his food.

"Do you have any hobbies?" she asked.

Stan shrugged, cheeks full of fluffy potatoes. She refrained from reprimanding him when he spoke with his mouth full. "Not really...I like comics, I guess."

"I like them too!" she said, trying her best to seem enthusiastic about his interests. There was nothing worse than being dismissed over something you were passionate about. "What's your favourite?"

"X-men," he said with a wolfish grin. "Cool guys with cool powers."

She almost asked him if he'd read the Umbrella Academy comics, before remembering with an uncomfortable lurch that of course he hadn't. The Umbrella Academy didn't exist in this timeline.

"The X-men are certainly cool!" she agreed, refusing to think further on the depressive reality of their non-existence. "Who's your favourite character?"

Stan paused to think, taking her question very seriously. After almost five minutes of intense humming and aahing, he finally nodded, resolute. "Magneto."

"Isn't he the villain?" she asked, very much behind on her comic lore.

They hadn't been children who were allowed much in the way of pleasure and so Thea had mostly made do with novels to keep her entertained. Reginald Hargreeves hadn't thought comics suitable for cultivating the mind, despite happily signing off on the creation of their very own comic series.

I haven't even read the blasted thing myself.

"Well, yeah, but he's cool." Stan said in response, which seemed to be enough in his opinion to justify whatever villainous deeds the character had done. "Plus he has a cool helmet. And he can control metal. That's badass."

Thea wanted to coo over how adorable he was. "Your Dad can control metal, too. Well, metal weapons, but still. I bet he's just as cool as this Magento dude."

Stan scoffed, "No way."

"Yes way," Thea insisted. "I once saw him stop over a hundred bullets mid-air that were heading straight for us!"

"No way," Stan repeated, this time in awe. He glanced over to Diego who was watching them with a guarded expression. Stan edged closer to her, wanting to hear more. "You're not lying, are you? Adults always try and make themselves sound better."

"I'd never!" she exclaimed. "Trust me, your Dad is much cooler than he gets credit for. Did you know that he used to go around beating up bad guys and saving people? Like proper batman-style."

"Really? That guy?" Stan deadpanned. "I'm surprised he didn't pull a muscle even trying."

Thea snickered at the boy's wittiness, finding the ease at which he spoke a refreshing change from other children. Stan wasn't whining or complaining about things, just accepting the situation he'd been dropped into with minimal fuss. Thea could only guess that whoever his mother was had dropped him off, though she did question the unusual timing.

Cocking her head to the side, she once more regarded the child who was busy stuffing his face, contemplating his origins.

While even the mental image of Diego doing that with anybody was distasteful enough to make Thea want to bleach her eyes, she had to give it some thought in order to contemplate how Stan was even possible. They had been dropped into the sixties, only to arrive once more in the present day.

If Diego had slept with somebody during their trip to the past, then how could Stan only be around twelve years old?

Tracing the boy's features, Thea was stumped. She was coming up short of familiarities with her brother. Even picturing Diego as a child, the two didn't seem to share many similarities other than their darker features. Perhaps his mother's genes were stronger? But that only brought the question full circle: who was his mother?

Diego was a hopeless romantic and wouldn't be the type to sleep around, especially when he was so consumed by the JFK assassination and single-handedly putting a stop to it.

Sighing, she gave up. If Diego eventually felt comfortable enough telling her then she was sure her curiosity would be sated. Until then she would just enjoy having a nephew!

From the corner of her eye she saw a welcome face join the table with her brothers and turned to Stan with a smile. "Why don't you come over and say hello to your Uncle Five?"

"I have Five uncles?" Stan asked in surprise.

"No, no. You only have three," she explained. "Five is your uncle's name."

At Stan's lost expression she patted his head with a smile. "Forget about it, it's a long story. Come on, it'll only take a minute and then you can continue your breakfast."

With a sigh, the boy got up to follow along. The pair wandered over to the table where the others sat, and Thea slapped her hands down on the table and grinned widely at Diego.

"Stan is officially my favourite member of this family," she declared, switching back to English. "He's so cute!" Looking down at the kid, they could all see that she practically had stars in her eyes.

To think their quaint family had grown so suddenly! The introduction may have been unusual and his origins were still unexplained, but he was joining such a dysfunctional family that he'd fit right in!

"You've known him for five minutes!" Diego complained, looking annoyed at how easy her favour was won. He glared at his son as though the kid had somehow caused all his current misery.

Thea regarded him with narrowed eyes, patting Stan on the head affectionately. "Yes, and if anything happened to him I'd kill everyone in this room and then myself."

Diego rolled his eyes at her usual melodrama while Klaus whined from beside them. "I can't believe you've replaced me already!"

"But, Klausy, look at how cute he is!" she declared, squeezing the boy's cheeks and ignoring his frown at being smothered. "I can't help it, I see something cute and just want to smother them in love."

She turned to grin over at Five, who had been watching the entire affair blankly, sipping on a fruity cocktail. "Five can attest to that, can't you?"

"More than I'd like to admit," he drawled.

Thea giggled and turned to Stan. "Say hello to your Uncle Five, Stan."

"Hello Uncle Five," the boy drawled in a very similar manner.

Thea blinked at the parallel, looking back and forth between the two dead-eyed faces. "Oh, well, you two seem to already get along swimmingly. That's great! Have you already met my Klausy?"

"What kind of stupid name is that?"

Ignoring the noise of offence made by Klaus, Thea only laughed, not taking the boy's words to heart. "Well, it's actually Klaus but I call him my Klausy. Say hello Stan!"

"Hello Stan," the boy repeated, grinning as he watched the girl descend into laughter at his clever remark.

The others watched with blank expressions as their sister was practically wooed into submission by their new nephew, who easily soaked up her undivided attention. The little shit even had the nerve to glance their way wearing a smug grin whenever Thea wasn't looking, only to instantly switch to an innocent one when she looked back.

"Now, how about you go back and finish your breakfast while I have a chat with your uncles, hm? Eat your muffins. Oh, you can have mine, too." She ushered him away and watched as he sat back down at the table and got stuck into devouring the sugary treats.

Who said being an Aunt was hard? I have this shit down.

"Are you done babying him or should I run to the store and pick up a pacifier for you to give him next?" Diego drawled.

Thea shot him an unimpressed look, taking a seat with a huff. "I don't know why you're complaining," she muttered. "He's lovely and you're lucky to have such a cute son."

"Alleged son."

"Who's the mother?" Five asked, sipping his cocktail drink from a straw.

"Lila."

"Lila! Of course!" Thea slapped herself over the head. Duh! How had she not immediately come to that conclusion? That would explain the boy's age discrepancy! It was time-travel!

"Lila?" Five blanched, turning to look around them with narrowed eyes. "She was here?"

"She was," Diego stressed. "Only long enough to drop him off on me and bolt. Typical," he muttered bitterly.

"I never did like that one," Klaus murmured with a shake of the head, while Thea thought it over, coming to the opposite conclusion.

"I don't know, she is kind of family, isn't she? Especially now, being Stan's mother and all."

"Z's right," Five agreed. "Technically and theoretically, she could be considered family."

"She tried to kill us!" Klaus argued, looking between the two like they'd gone mad. "Like, yesterday, if you've forgotten."

Five and Thea shared a look before shrugging in tandem. "Like I said," Five drawled. "Family. She'll fit right in."

"Yeah, and when she wasn't trying to kill us I thought she was funny," Thea said.

Five has left the table momentarily to refill his drink but once he got back he was quick to ask Diego whether Lila had any intention of returning.

"She better had. Because I am not going to accept babysitting duty when we have more important things to be dealing with right now!" he raised his voice at the end as he glared over at his son, who was innocently enjoying his continental breakfast.

Thea glared at her brother, kicking his shin from beneath the table.

"Don't shout at him like that, Diego!" she hissed. "Have some compassion, won't you? He's likely just as frustrated at being dropped off here as you are."

"Doubtful," Diego muttered, wincing as he rubbed his leg.

Five had returned to the table with another bright drink and Thea poked him in the side, pointing to the glass. "Let me try some," she said, edging closer.

"If you'd only asked, I would have gotten you one," he sighed but offered her his drink anyway.

Rather than taking the glass for herself she simply leant forward and captured the straw between her lips. Five looked oddly flushed.

Sipping the drink, Thea was taken aback at how strong it was, the fruitiness so intense that it overwhelmed her tastebuds. She squinted her eyes, pulling back and smacking her lips.

"That's...a lot," she finally settled on, smiling wryly when Five took a drink for himself, almost laughing at her reaction by showing no signs of difficulty himself. Like he was a seasoned pro.

She supposed at his age, he was. Weren't all old people just casual alcoholics, anyway?

They were interrupted by the return of somebody Thea had been concerned about all night.

"Vanya!" she exclaimed, brimming with relief at seeing her face at last. "I've been worried about you! I went to sleep and you weren't there and then I woke up without you, too! Where were you last night?"

Vanya blinked at her barrage of questions but settled on a smile at the obvious heartfelt concern. "Sorry, I just- I had something I needed to do, that's all."

Thea slumped in relief. "Well, I'm relieved you're back - oh!" she paused, finally registering her sister's change in appearance, perking up as she took in the shorter length and styling of her hair. "Diego, look! Vanya had the same idea as us! No longer twinsies, we've been upgraded to haircut triplets!" she cackled.

Diego suffered her laughter with a self-pitying sigh. "No matter how many times you repeat that joke it still won't be funny, Thea."

"I found it funny," Vanya murmured, smiling at Thea's bright grin.

Thea stuck out her tongue at her brother. "See, Diego? Vanya thinks I'm hilarious so your opinion is irrelevant."

Diego's eyes looked ready to roll out of his head.

"Uhm, well - it's not Vanya," the girl muttered, looking nervous all of a sudden as four heads turned to regard her. "It's Viktor."

"Who's Viktor?" Diego asked blankly.

But Thea had been watching closely, and had seen the signs of mounting anxiety, of the preparation for rejection and the clawing hands of shame building up. Her mind briefly recalled a conversation held between the two of them the day before. She could not remember much, half-asleep as she had been, but one thing had stood out clearly.

"There's nothing I could do...that would change the way you see me?"

Nothing, Thea thought furiously. There is nothing in the world you could ever do to diminish my love for you.

Heart filled with affection, Thea plastered on a teasing grin and reached across the table to smack Diego on the head.

"They're Viktor, stupid." She rolled her eyes and turned to Viktor with a fake suffering expression. "Ignore the doofus, won't you? He brings down the collective brain cells of all those around him."

Viktor grinned sheepishly, seemingly taking confidence from Thea's easy-going attitude. Biting their lip, they continued to explain. "Thea's right, I'm Viktor...I always have been."

Eyes alight in recognition, Thea smiled winningly. "Viktor...victorious and conqueror - a very suitable name."

"So not fair," Klaus whined. "They get Viktor and I have to suffer every day knowing that I was named Niklaus?" He narrowed his eyes at his twin. "This is your fault, you know. If you hadn't made Grace think I loved the name so much I could have been given a cooler name, like Viktor."

"Shut up whining, you baby," Thea rolled her eyes. "You can't complain when Five over here is a bloody numerical."

Five shrugged. "What can I say? It's grown on me."

"You're all idiots," Diego sighed, turning to Viktor. "But I like the name. As Thea said, it suits you."

Viktor seemed to be brimming with a sudden brightness, wide-eyed at the easy banter which had occurred from the revelation of the name change. It seems this had not been the expected reaction.

"What pronouns do you go by, Viktor?" Thea asked, taking another sip of Five's cocktail and blanching at the taste once more. She never learned. "Personally I like she/her, but I'm partial to they/them when the occasion arises."

"Gender is just too confusing," Klaus waved his hand with an airy grin. "Feel free to call me whatever you like."

"I'd like it if you could use he/him...if that's okay," he mumbled, as though expecting this to be asking too much.

"No need to ask permission to be treated with basic human decency, Viktor." Five said, staring at the other with a serious expression. "Especially from family."

"They're right," Diego said, smiling lopsidedly. "What did you think we'd say? No? We're not assholes."

"Thanks you guys," Viktor smiled, the brightness in his dark eyes really strengthening his features and highlighting just how flattering the new haircut was for his face. "It means the world to me that you accept me for who I am."

"As you said," Thea explained. "You've always been Viktor, so, really, nothing has changed. You're still our sibling and we still care about you."

She leant across the table to pull his face close enough to smack a big kiss against his cheek, pulling back with a cheeky grin. "I can never have enough brothers, anyway." Winking, she pretended to whisper despite keeping her voice loud enough for the others to hear. "And I can see you rising in the ranks pretty easily."

"Hey!" Klaus said in offence. "That's twice I've been demoted today and it's barely noon!"

"You'll always be number one in my heart, Klausy," Thea said in between laughter.

Viktor had pulled over a chair and taken a seat beside Diego, looking a little more confident now that he'd gotten things off his chest. Thea watched how this acceptance bolstered his self-assurance and smiled. Confidence certainly suits him.

"So, I talked to Marcus last night."

Thea blinked in shock at his words. What a bombshell to drop so suddenly!

"You what? You spoke with the enemy?" Diego reeled back, "Who made you the leader, Viktor?"

"Wait, wait. Is that where you were last night?" Thea asked, reaching across the table to take his hand in her own. "You could have been in trouble! Please tell me next time and I'll come with you."

"I'm sorry but I wasn't about to risk you getting hurt," Viktor said resolutely.

"Hurt? Viktor, I know I messed up at the academy but I promise I would have kept you safe! I won't let myself slip up again."

"You can't honestly think that's what I care about," Viktor said with a frown. "I don't care about what happened at the Academy and I certainly don't blame you for what happened. I went to see Marcus alone because I knew he would listen to me."

"What did you speak about?" Five asked, straight to business.

"I told him that he had something we wanted and he agreed to give it back to us. He's willing to give us the briefcase so long as we agree to leave them alone. Look, Marcus gets it, okay? He doesn't want hostility any more than we do."

"That's not saying much with Diego on our side," Thea muttered. Her brother had been gearing up for a fight ever since they'd gotten their asses beat.

"They tried to kill us, Viktor!" Diego argued, only further proving her point. "You can't trust them, any of them!"

"You trusted Lila enough to have a kid with her," Klaus mumbled, holding up his hands at the venomous glare Diego shot his way.

"We made a deal, okay? When Marcus gives us back the briefcase we can leave this timeline for another," Viktor reasoned. "This works out best for the both of us...this way we don't pose a threat to the Sparrow Academy. We're meeting later today for the exchange."

"Oh, thank god!" Klaus exclaimed around the biscuit in his mouth, throwing up his hands and inadvertently throwing crumbs all over the table and Thea.

Ignoring Diego's mad ramblings on how Marcus was actually playing with Viktor and was going to double-cross them all, Thea brushed off the biscuit crumbs as she considered Viktor's proposal to leave this timeline for another.

A sudden exhaustion overcame her at the thought of jumping timelines, again.

Was this going to be their life from now on? Constantly jumping timelines? How many times would they leave one world for another - only to have to confront the reality that they just didn't belong? That nobody wanted them. That their presence in the world seemed to only make things worse.

Wherever they went they left destruction in their wake and Thea was starting to have a creeping doubt that they'd ever truly settle down. No matter where we run, we're always lost.

"Z? You good?" Five asked lowly, giving her a significant look of concern.

The others were still deep in conversation debating the pros and cons of going on the offensive against the sparrows, and only Five had been watching her spiral deeper into a depressive stupor.

She forced a smile. Cocking her head to the side and forcing back the intrusive thoughts, Thea tried to reassure Five that nothing was wrong.

"Of course, I'm just giving some thought to the plan with the Sparrows. We can't let them hurt us again."

"I see..." he said, sounding very much doubtful of the authenticity of her words. He narrowed his eyes, watching her shrewdly. "While your concern is appreciated, it's completely unnecessary. I won't let anything like before happen again."

"Oh?" she smiled, touched. "Are you going to protect me, Five?" she batted her lashes.

"I don't believe something so obvious requires further confirmation."

"Wow, so touching," she joked, snorting at the annoyed glare thrown her way. "You really know how to make someone feel special, Five. You might want to work on your charm for when you start hitting up the ladies." She paused momentarily, before turning to him with a charming grin of her own, wagging her brows suggestively. "Or gentlemen. I don't judge."

"God, you're infuriating," Five sighed, chugging back his entire drink in one. He needed to feel the sweet release of intoxication if he were to handle her frustratingly-endearing idiocy any longer.

Their siblings' voices cut through their momentary private bubble.

"Diego! Forget it, we're not fighting the Sparrows!" Viktor ran a hand through his short hair. "Can you just listen to me for one minute? We don't need a plan because we already have one - I'll get the briefcase from Marcus and then we can all go back and fix the timeline."

"Woah, hold on a moment," Five cut in. "Who said anything about changing the timeline? I don't know if you've taken notice, Viktor, but we've finally found a timeline that is perfect. There's no logical reason to leave."

Thea bit her lip, suddenly distressed. She thought of the woman upstairs, bereft and slowly drifting away from reality. Who would argue that this timeline was the worst yet.

"But it isn't," she mumbled. "Not for all of us..."

At the looks of confusion, she sighed, tucking the hair behind her ears in a nervous habit, remembering the upsetting talk she had shared with her sister.

"Allison returned last night and...it turns out that Claire doesn't, well, exist in this timeline."

"Oh god," Viktor said in distress.

"What do you mean she doesn't exist?" Diego asked.

"I mean, that Allison arrived at her home yesterday only to discover that Patrick had married somebody else and their child was not Claire. With whatever changes our being un-adopted caused in this timeline, it seems that it also meant Allison never met or had a daughter with Patrick."

"Hence, no Claire," Diego summed up, sitting back in shock. His eyes glanced towards the table behind them, where his newly-revealed son sat, oblivious to it all.

"No Claire," Thea solemnly agreed.

"While I sympathise with her situation, I'm sorry to say that this still changes nothing. None of this is about us. It's bigger than that."

Thea shot Five a surprised look, upset at how casual he was acting about the news of their niece's erasure from existence. "Five, what the hell-"

"Listen to me," he stressed, urging them all to understand but pointedly looking toward the blonde, who seemed the most distressed by his dismissal. "We cannot simply pick and choose to alter time to our will. It has further-reaching consequences - bigger and more serious consequences than any of you can likely understand."

"So, what? We just do nothing?" Viktor asked, frowning at the thought of leaving Allison to suffer while the rest of them carried on like nothing had happened.

"That's so...unfair," Thea voiced quietly, upset.

"Life's unfair, Z." Five looked concerned at her distress but determined to compound the facts. "I wish I could tell you something different but that's how it is. I know you probably told Allison that we'd figure out a way for her to go back and change things, but it just isn't possible. We risk too much if we meddle with time any more than we already have. For all we know, the next time we jump we could simply wipe everything from existence."

Despite the ominous words, Thea couldn't help but feel an inkling of anger at simply sitting back and accepting things as they were. How could she return to Allison's side and tell her that, actually, despite all her promises, there was nothing she could do. That it would be for the best if she simply grieved her daughter and moved on. The mere thought of it made Thea feel sick.

For once in her life, she felt a burning vindication at the thought of the rest of the world burning in return for her sister's happiness. Surely nobody else mattered in comparison to Allison's happy ending? Was it really such a bad thing if everybody else had nothing if that meant her family had everything?

Could Thea make that happen?

"Stop whatever you're thinking immediately, Z."

Blinking in surprise at the harsh words, Thea turned to Five who had been watching her closely. The others at the table had already left and a cursory glance behind them showed that Stan had left, too.

All that remained was Thea and Five.

"What, can you read minds now?" she snipped, uncharacteristically annoyed at him.

Five rose a brow at her tone. "No, but it's never been necessary for me to guess what you're thinking." His lips quirked into a smirk as he pointed toward her. "It's all over your face. You're quite easy to read, you know."

It was quite clear that he was trying to ease the atmosphere by teasing her, but Thea couldn't help but frown at his words, latching onto the idea of her being easy to read.

"Then if you're so talented, what was I thinking?"

"You feel responsible for letting Allison down and you feel like it's your duty to ensure she gets Claire back." He gave her a pointed look. "Completely ignoring what I said on the matter, by the way. Still, I know you well enough to realise that wouldn't matter."

"I care about your opinion," she argued, pointedly ignoring just how spot on his reading of her had been. Almost scarily so. "I just...I don't know how to feel about leaving Allison to wallow in her grief. We've done so much to return to each other, to keep the family alive and as one...that I feel awful we aren't going to the same lengths for Claire."

"Was she like her?" Five asked, expanding upon her confused look. "Claire. Was she like Allison?"

It took Thea a moment to realise what he was asking and when it finally came to her with a sudden shock, she could have slapped herself. Of course! How could I have been so stupid? Realising quite suddenly that Five had never even met Claire. Disappearing through time before any of them were even old enough to think about having children.

"Oh my god, Five, I forgot! I'm so sorry!" she cried, reaching forward to grasp his hands in her own. "Here I was berating you for being so callous when of course you wouldn't feel the same sense of attachment to her, you've never even met Claire!"

He smiled ruefully, seemingly taking no offence at her admitting to having been internally berating him all this time. "Finally caught on, I see."

"I'm sorry," she repeated, biting her lip in distress. It had only been two days and she'd already gotten so many things wrong already! Was she slipping? Was she losing that innate empathy she'd always prized herself on?

"Z, hey, look at me." Five caught her chin and turned her face toward him, smiling charmingly at the clear signs of upset clouding her expression. "I don't take it personally. I understand very well that I can be too blunt for some people, especially someone as emotional as yourself."

"Is that an insult or do you just suck at compliments?" she pouted.

Five's grin was crooked but just as endearingly handsome. "I wouldn't know, I don't give them out very often. You'll have to keep giving me feedback so I can improve."

Thea huffed, lips finally twisting into an exasperated smile. "There's no need. You're plenty charming when you want to be, Five. Don't pretend you don't realise that."

"It's pointless if it doesn't work on the right person," he muttered, ignoring her inquisitive look. He shook his head, releasing her chin from his grip.

"Forget it, I just need you to understand my point. Meddling with time is dangerous. It shouldn't be done for anything less than a world-ending disaster. That's the entire reason the Commission exists - to avoid the dangerous causalities of time manipulation."

"I know that, I really do," she stressed when he didn't seem to believe her. "But as you said, I'm emotional, I can't stand the thought of being around Allison and knowing that I can't help her."

"Do you trust me?" Five asked quite suddenly and she could only nod in response, not sure where he was going with this. "Then trust me that I know what I'm talking about. Trust me that I'll do my best to keep us all safe, and trust me that I'll explain it to Allison myself should the need arise."

Thea stared at him, at the yearning in his eyes for her to place her faith in him once more, to trust that he knew what was best for them all and wouldn't abuse that trust for his own best interests. She sighed, feeling the weight lift from her shoulders.

"Okay," she whispered. "I trust you."

"Thank you, Z."

He reached forward to tuck her hair behind her ear in a very uncharacteristically forward display of affection. She was confused to feel her cheeks flush with warmth. Smiling at her dazed expression, he ran a thumb across her cheek. "I truly just want what's best for us all. For you."

"I-I know..." she stuttered, bewildered. "You've always strived to do the right thing."

His stare as he looked at her was heavy with a thousand unspoken words. "Not always," he murmured, seemingly forgetting for a moment that she could hear him. "Sometimes I have selfish wishes, too. Ones that are wrong."

"I think you deserve them more than the rest of us," she chuckled, thinking back to the countless times he had saved them all, putting his own life on the line. Of the countless sacrifices he'd made just to keep them together.

Placing her hand on top of his which still rest on her cheek, she grinned childishly, leaning closer as though confessing a secret.

"My new wish will be to hope that your wishes come true," she smiled shyly. "That way we'll both be happy in the end."

Five looked back at her in awe, a surprisingly vulnerable wonderment in his eyes. "Sometimes, Z, you surprise even me." He chuckled, shaking his head but refusing to tear away his gaze. "And I was quite sure nothing you could do would surprise me anymore."

"I aim to please," she teased.

"You don't even have to try," Five replied, laughing at her open surprise. Pulling back, he laughed even harder at her amazement in response to his merriment.

The girl sighed and rested her chin on her hands, watching in content at the way genuine laughter brightened his usually-stern features. So used to seeing smirks, sly smiles or derisive grins on his face, Thea was a little awed at how well true joy suited him. It was infectious and she couldn't withhold her own.

"I think I've said it before, but you really should smile more, Five."

"If it causes you to smile like that, then maybe I will."

Scoffing, Thea poked him in the cheek. "What's gotten into you today? You're oddly complimentary."

"I did say I'd need feedback to get better, didn't I? Perhaps you should get used to hearing them."

"Well, I certainly will. Though I'll warn you now, I used to read all of Allison's romance books as a kid and my standards have risen significantly as a consequence."

"I'm confident in my ability to learn fast," Five smirked.

Snickering at his confidence and covering her smile with her hand, Thea turned away, feeling oddly warm and flushed, all giggly like a school girl. It was baffling but the light feeling in her chest was not unwelcome.

"Could it be that I'm interrupting something special?" Klaus sang as he approached the two and encroached on their private conversation. "I won't be a third wheel, will I?"

"What's up, Klausy?" the blonde asked, ignoring the warmth of her cheeks to instead focus on her brother. "Is everyone okay?"

"Of course that's what you ask," he rolled his eyes, casually swaying his way around the table to steal a muffin from the buffet table. "Everyone's fine," he dismissed. "But most importantly, I'm not. Quite frankly, I'm bored."

"And that's supposed to matter to us, because?" Five drawled, unimpressed at being so rudely interrupted for something so insignificant. "Klaus, you're bored every thirty seconds. What's new?"

"I need some stimulation!" he whined, jigging and swaying on the spot, running his hands up and down his body like he had too much pent-up energy. "I need to be stimulated."

"Then go get laid, Klaus," Thea sighed, waving her hand in his direction. "I don't know why you expected us to entertain you."

"No, no, not physical stimulation," he argued, moving closer so that he was looking at them both with wide, doleful eyes. "Spiritual stimulation. I need to feel the fresh air on my face and the sun on my skin. I need to get out of this damn hotel and be one with nature."

"I thought you and Obsidian went way back?" Five rose a brow.

"Thought you were old friends?" Thea added.

Klaus sighed dramatically at their stubborn behaviour. He turned narrowed eyes at Five, clearly attempting to be disapproving. "This is your influence, you know. Thea is never normally this stubborn."

"Oh? You mean she's finally not caving into your every demand?" he drawled.

"I don't do that..." Thea argued, pouting at how easy that made her sound. Five scoffed.

"Please. Surely you realise that all he has to do is whine like a child and you go running to baby him."

"I do not!"

"You do," both Five and Klaus responded as one. Klaus shrugged at their looks, smiling crookedly.

"What? You kinda do, sis. And it's not just me that takes advantage of it! You're kind of a sucker for family, everybody knows it."

"You say that like it's a bad thing!" she pouted.

"Not for us~" Klaus sang with a mischievous expression. "Now. Thea, darling sister of my life, can we please, please get out of this hotel and do something interesting for a change? I'm sick of all this timeline nonsense. I want to travel, and not through time for once."

"We can't just leave," she argued, shaking her head. "And what makes you think I'm going to say yes after you just admitted to taking advantage of my kindness?"

"Because you love me very much and want what's best for me?"

"I think we've already established the exploitation of my love, yes. I suggest you pick another."

Klaus sighed. "Come on, sis. Where's your sense of spontaneity? The zest for fun and adventure!"

"It disappeared the day I realised I would be stuck looking after you for the foreseeable future, taking with it my crumbling social life," she muttered.

"Ouch," Klaus whined.

Five sighed at their back and forth, realising that at this rate they were going to get nowhere. "Okay, Klaus. Let me humour you and say I'll come. My first question is this - why us?"

"Why not?"

"No, no," Five wouldn't allow him to get out of explaining himself so easily. "You came specifically to us, and while I can understand choosing Thea, that doesn't explain my presence. So, answer the question. Why?"

Klaus shrugged. "It's not that deep. You said you were retired, right? That you plan on spending your days in this new timeline enjoying the spoils of your labour?"

"I didn't word it so dramatically, but essentially, yes. I'm done with time travel and saving the world," he said, looking exhausted at the mere remembrance of apocalypses and world-ending disasters. "I've more than earnt my retirement."

"Exactly!" Klaus grinned. "So, what say you start off your retirement with moi, sojourning in the countryside with the wind in our hair and away from the mess that always comes with this lot," he waved his hand toward the elevator, likely indicating the rest of their siblings. "Sounds good, doesn't it?"

Thea rose a brow at his words, unable to really deny that he had a point. Trouble did always seem to be caused by a very specific bunch of the family, didn't it? But she had one question.

"So then how exactly do I fit into this equation?" she rose a brow at his surprised expression. "You asked us both to come with you and yet you've only given us a reason for why Five would join you."

Klaus seemed stumped, staring at her like the answer was obvious. "You're my sister."

"Well spotted," Five rolled his eyes. "If you hadn't already noticed, she's all your guys' sister."

"No, no. I mean, like, you're my sister. Mine, right?" Klaus cocked his head, looking a touch younger in vulnerability.

"So you assumed Z would just follow along regardless of what she wanted?" Five asked sharply.

"Yeah?" Klaus sounded confused at his own words being repeated back to him with such bite. Thea sighed, feeling conflicted and yet sympathetic.

For all of his life, Klaus had gotten used to Thea being by his side, ready to tidy up after him or fix the problems he caused. It was only natural to him for her to be right there, close by, and more often than not, she was happy to do so.

Only sometimes, Klaus seemed to forget that Thea was not simply an extension of himself but an autonomous person with desires and wishes of her own - that despite being his twin, she could disagree with him and want to do things that opposed his.

He struggled to understand that this difference did not make them worse twins, but stronger as individuals.

"Klausy," she began, "You know I love you beyond anything else, but you can't keep thinking that just because you want to do something, I automatically also want the same thing." She gave him a stern look, trying to set down some ground rules. "Do you remember what I said to you just before you started living with me again?"

"That our love is not determined by proximity," he repeated, recalling the words intoned many years ago after one of the worst experiences of his life. They were solemn words the both of them had started to live by, after realising that their childhood habits had been spiralling into an unhealthy co-dependency.

Klaus slumped against the table, feeling horrid for the way he'd gone about this entire conversation. "I didn't mean for it to come across like that," he tried to explain, waving his hand about. "Really! I only meant that I thought you'd want to come along because we're your favourites and that you deserve a break, too."

Taking note that he had remembered her words from so long ago, Thea conceded that perhaps he really had just worded things badly. Klaus wasn't exactly astute with emotional delicacy. But one thing had to be refuted.

"I don't have favourites."

"Lying to yourself only makes the truth harder to swallow," Klaus shrugged with a cheeky grin. "No shame in admitting you like me the best, sis. I'm your twin, it's like, a necessity."

"Putting up with you is a necessity I'm trying my hardest to escape," Five deadpanned, narrowing his eyes. "So make your point quickly before Z and I decide to ditch."

"So stingy," Klaus muttered, stuffing his mouth with a muffin while he eyed Five's prickly temperament. "Anybody would think you don't want me around."

"I'm glad the message is getting across clearly."

"It's not that we don't want you around, Klausy," Thea argued, poking Five in the ribs and ignoring the hiss he sent her way. "Only, surely you can understand that we can't just up and leave so suddenly. Where would we even go? Do you have anything planned out?"

"We can rent a car and just drive, baby," Klaus swayed side to side, seemingly back in his element now rejection didn't seem so imminent.

"With what money?" she asked.

"I don't know," Klaus shrugged. "I was just going to leave that part to you, my clever, darling, little telepath."

"So you have no plan," Five sighed. "Why am I even surprised?" Turning to Thea with a look of exasperation on his face he rose a brow. "Are you seriously considering this?"

"I'm not sure I have a choice," she pursed her lips, glancing toward Klaus who was busy stuffing his face in a very similar manner to Stan that morning. "I don't think my subconscious could rest easy knowing I let him wander off alone."

Klaus' immaturity was likely to get him killed. How he had survived Vietnam and starting a cult was beyond her. Forget being kidnapped or attacked, he was more likely to get hit by a car while picking a flower at the side of the road!

"He's a fully-grown adult that has to learn to move on from his sister's smothering affection at some point. What happened to being separate people and having different wishes and desires?" he drawled. "Giving in to him will only act as positive reinforcement for his bad decisions."

"But Five," she whined, pouting as she watched her brother try and fit as many muffins into his mouth as humanly possible, choking and spitting them out in a flurry of brown crumbs. "Look at him! Can you really say you'll sleep well at night knowing that he's at the mercy of the world?"

"Yes." Five said without hesitation. "Very well actually. Perhaps I'll sleep so well I'll never wake up."

Thea smacked him across the head, frowning at his cold words. "I'll put you to sleep you little shit," she hissed.

Running a hand through her hair to relieve the stress, Thea thought things through. She had two options and they were as follows:

Either she joined Klaus on his journey and tried to keep the impromptu trip to a reasonable length, where they could return quickly enough to help their siblings better assimilate into the world, thus helping Allison in the process.

Or, she let Klaus go on his own and worry incessantly for the foreseeable future over his safety, likely causing her to suffer a mental breakdown where she would inevitably run off after him anyway.

She slumped into her seat, cursing the world for dumping so much responsibility onto her shoulders. Not even halfway through her life and she was already being loaded with childcare and motherly responsibilities. Sometimes, Thea felt like she was in charge of seven bloody children of her own!

Where was Grace when you needed her!?

Either that or Thea needed some serious robotic upgrades to keep up with her family's constantly shifting demands. Why couldn't they all ever agree on one course of action and follow it through without veering off track?

It was obvious which option she was going to choose.

Klaus seemed to understand that, too, for he whooped in joy, jiggling around on the spot in celebration.

"I knew you'd come around you wonderful, brilliant sister of mine!" he pressed a loud, wet kiss to her cheek before dancing around the atrium once more, urging them to hurry up and pack their things.

"What things?" she deadpanned, already beginning to regret her decision.

"I can't believe you caved," Five snorted. "Oh, wait, actually, I can." He smirked at her annoyed expression. "And you say you're not a pushover."

"Do you want pushing over?" she snapped, surging forward with the intent of wrapping her hands around his scrawny little neck. "Don't act like you're so high and mighty - you're coming with us."

"Am I?" he adopted an innocent expression. "That's funny, I don't remember volunteering."

"I took the liberty of doing so myself."

"I don't believe you understand the definition of volunteering."

"I don't believe you understand the definition of I don't give a fuck," she hissed, moving closer to make her intentions very clear. Watching her brother prance about the hotel from the corner of her eyes.

"You are coming along because I need somebody there who'll keep me relatively sane. Do you understand just how easy it is to get dragged along into one of Klaus' schemes? The last time this happened I found myself co-hosting a goddamn cult."

"And I'm sure you did a wonderful job."

"Fiiiiiive," she whined, immediately losing the dominating exterior and clinging onto him like her life depended on it. She clung onto him like an octopus, using her slight height advantage to cuddle him to her chest like a teddy bear. "Please come with me! Klaus is right, you were talking about retirement and this will be the perfect chance to start!"

Five's expression made it very clear just how vehemently he disagreed with her on that point, and his words only compounded that further.

"Road-tripping with Klaus was certainly not on my retirement itinerary. In fact, it is so far down on my list of things I would enjoy doing that I would rather face another apocalypse."

"Okay, okay, that's fair," she agreed, hugging him tighter. "Buuuut, what if you didn't think about it as retirement with Klaus, and instead, spending your early retirement with me?"

When he spoke, Five's voice was quiet. "Retirement with you?"

Thea couldn't tell what on earth he was thinking that had caused his voice to drop so quiet and so moved her face down enough so that their cheeks were smushed together. His eyes were dark with an intense longing and when he glanced her way, she was left a little breathless at the very clear yearning shining bright.

"What makes you think I want that?" he asked, not harsh but quietly. Vulnerably.

Thea blinked, deciding to answer honestly. Boldly. As truthfully as her heart urged.

"Because I'd want to spend my retirement with you."

He sucked in a harsh breath before abruptly pulling away, though she tried not to take it too hard as he slipped her hand into his own, squeezing tightly. He refused to look her way but the conflicted expression on his face was still evident.

"When-" he paused, coughing as his voice broke. Frowning at the interruption and starting again. This time focusing on what he was saying to avoid any misconceptions or misunderstandings.

For Five, this needed to be understood clearly.

Glancing her way, frowning, Thea noted that he also looked more determined than she'd ever seen him before. Even after saving the world twice, Five had never shown such single-minded resolution.

"When we get back from the trip...I have something I want to tell you."

"Something you can't tell me now?" she asked.

"No," he denied, shaking his head. "Something I'll only be ready to say after the trip. I need time to think things over, first. Can you give me that, Z?"

"Of course," she answered wholeheartedly. "You know I'd give you all the time in the world, and lucky for you, it seems we finally have that from now on."

Five chuckled, shoulders easing their tension at her easy agreement. "I promise not to make you wait that long."

Nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck, Thea hummed in happiness. "Does this secret something have anything to do with the old man and what he wanted to say? Before you yeeted him through the portal, that was."

"Yeeted? What the hell does that mean?"

"Never mind that," she dismissed. "Does it?"

He frowned. "...Yes."

"And will you finally reveal why you didn't let him tell me? He seemed very insistent on the matter." She recalled the look on the old man's face, the desperation and yearning to be understood, for familial love and comfort.

"I think that clarity will quickly follow once you understand exactly what I have to say."

"...Okay." Smiling at him in reassurance, Thea finally relented. It was obvious that he wasn't ready to talk about this yet and he wouldn't ever want to push too much that it made him uncomfortable.

"Hey!" Klaus shouted. "I know you two like to go off into your own world and forget the rest of us peasants exist, but can we get a hurry on?" he huffed, impatiently pacing a hole into the hotel carpet. "I need to get outside or else I'm going to go crazy!"

"You could have waited outside," Five pointed out, quickly becoming sick of being interrupted. "Or, you know, anywhere else but here."

"We're coming, Klaus." Thea sighed, turning to Five with an exasperated smile. "I've never felt more like a parent in my life," she laughed, grinning mischievously. "Are you ready to co-parent, Five? I'll warn you, Klaus is a lot of effort but we come as a package deal, unfortunately."

Smirking confidently at the challenge, Five rose a brow, dusting off imaginary dust from his ridiculously mismatched outfit. "You'll soon find, Z, that it's going to take a lot more than Klaus to keep me away."

Giggling and slapping his shoulder at his charming attitude, Thea walked over to her brother and started pushing him towards the elevator so that they could pack some essentials for their trip. And so that she could write a note to leave for the rest of their family.

"Whatever you say, old man. I'll be putting your words to the test soon enough!"

---

That was how the three of them ended up driving a stolen car down the freeway, the windows rolled down and the wind blowing through their hair, music cranked up loud enough to drown out Klaus' abysmal screeching from where he was reclined across the back seats.

Predictably, Thea was driving. She had already been delegated the job once they realised that they were likely to get pulled over by the police should Five attempt to drive, and neither of them wanted to risk the journey with Klaus behind the wheel.

At least this way Five was free to browse his map of tourist destinations while Klaus reclined, spread-eagle on the backseats while he poorly attempted to harmonise with Stevie Nicks.

"You touched my haaand, I played it coool~ And you reached out your hand to me~"

Listening to the awful way his voice pitched up and down, Thea couldn't help but laugh as she looked in the rear-view mirror, watching as Klaus acted out each of the lyrics with his usual bout of dramaticism.

"If I live to see, the seven wonders...I'll make a path to the rainbow's end..." she found herself singing along pretty quickly, the intoxicating voice of Stevie Nicks too alluring to ignore.

Picking up on her easy compliance, Klaus jumped from his reclined position to pop his head in between the seats, raising his voice even louder as they belted out the lyrics in tandem.

"So long ago," Thea started, glancing toward Klaus as he understood her unspoken request.

"It's a certain time," he joined in.

"It's a certain place."

"You touched my hand," they both started to sing. "And you smiled. All the way back you held out your hand~"

"And if I hope," Thea sang.

"And if I pray," Klaus sang.

"Ohh~ it might work out someday~" they chorused, descending into laughter as Stevie Nick's carried on after them, belting out the nostalgic chorus.

The song continued to play on, filling the quiet country journey with beautiful synth melodies, the guitar riffs causing the passengers to bob their heads along with the beat. After their impromptu karaoke session, Thea couldn't help but look out at the endless road ahead and worry about her family who they'd left behind at the hotel.

Would Viktor or Allison get her note? Would they resent her for leaving so suddenly? For not putting my foot down and ensuring we all stick together...

"I can tell you're worrying and I advise you to stop," Five said, not bothering to look up from his map which he had open like a newspaper, circling different destinations with a red pen.

After being bribed to come along by Thea, Five had seemingly come around to the idea of a sudden holiday trip unexpectedly fast. She was suspicious that he'd had this planned all along and only made her beg him to join for his own amusement. When she'd pointed out his obvious enthusiasm he'd only smiled innocently at her, saying that he was only so happy to be spending time with her.

Thea didn't buy it one bit. The little shit had tagged along on a whim but was hiding his excitement to visit all the sightseeing spots that only catered to middle-aged moms and old people.

"I can't help it," she answered, biting her lip as she indicated and steered the car left, taking the small off-road pathway as Klaus had instructed. He seemed to have a place in mind for them to go, but refused to tell either of them when asked. "Viktor is going to be meeting with Marcus - alone! - and I just left Allison after losing her daughter and still, nobody can tell me where the hell Luther is!"

"Woah, chillax," Klaus said from the backseat. "This is meant to be a holiday, and that means no worries."

"How can I not worry, Klaus, when I'm split between looking after you and the rest of the family?" she asked. "I feel like I'm being pulled in opposite directions...like butter that has been scraped over too much bread."

"Weird analogy, but okay."

"You'd get it if you read more," she muttered, making a mental note to cultivate Five's literary tastes now that he had so much time on his hands. "I can't believe an old man like you hasn't read Lord of the Rings."

"Books aren't exactly plentiful in the apocalypse, Z. Too flammable to hold up much against hellfire and too fragile to survive the natural elements."

Oh, yeah. Of course. Sometimes Thea forgot just how bad the conditions would have been for him during his trip through time.

"Sorry, forgot," she muttered. "But regardless, I can relate to Bilbo's troubles."

"Hey, I might be wrong here, but doesn't Bilbo like, totally go on a holiday precisely because he's feeling so spread thin?" Klaus asked and Thea shot her head towards him in surprise.

"When did you read Lord of the Rings?"

He shrugged, wearing that easy smile that hid just how smug he was at having surprised her. It wasn't easy getting one over Thea, not with her abilities, and especially when she was so hyper-focused on an individual as she was with Klaus. He looked very pleased.

"Oh, you know, when we were children. Ben wouldn't shut up about hobbits and elves and I thought, why the hell not? It was pretty good."

She was so surprised at this news - as well as mentally screaming that Ben had not mentioned this one bit and that they had been missing out on the opportunity for a Tolkien marathon all these years! - that she only snapped back to attention at feeling Five's hand on her own, steering the car straight after veering sideways at her inattention.

"Oh shit, sorry." She quickly got back control, shooting Five a grateful smile. "Thanks."

"Just try not to kill us before I even start retirement, won't you?" he popped his head from above his map, brow raised in amusement. "Unless you want me to take the wheel?"

Thea scoffed. "And have us arrested when the police think I'm letting a teenager drive? No thanks."

"Can your feet even touch the pedal?" Klaus cackled and Thea snorted at the mental image, immediately smiling sweetly at the venomous glare shot her way.

Five sighed and finally folded up his map, stuffing it into the glove compartment. He leant his arm against the window, feeling the breeze pass through his hair and closed his eyes momentarily, taking it all in.

The peace. The tranquillity - at least when Klaus shut up for one second - and the smell of freshly cut grass.

"You know, maybe this wasn't such a bad idea," he said quietly, mostly to himself.

"Yeah?" she grinned, glancing his way before focusing back on the road. He looked content, like a very prickly cat finally taking a nap in the sun. "Not regretting the decision already?"

"I'll hold off on finalising the verdict on that one quite yet," he smirked. "But, this isn't terrible. In comparison to the rest of my life, always under the gun - be it working for the Commission or doing missions for Dad - it's nice to just do nothing. Not having to worry about what's going to happen or looking around every corner."

"It is very nice not having to worry about dying every thirty minutes," she joked. "To just focus on breathing like normal people."

"See! Aren't you happy you both came now?" Klaus said with a grin. "Feel free to thank me later."

"Which way, Klaus?" Thea asked as she saw a roundabout up ahead, with two diverging roads on either side.

"Right."

"No, turn left," Five disagreed. "The World's Biggest Ball of Twine is less than five yards away and I'm not going to miss it. It's one of the best destinations recommended on the tourist pamphlet."

"I cannot believe those words just came out of your mouth," she laughed. "Has the idea of retirement turned you completely senile? What did you do to the cool Five?"

He smiled sarcastically at her in response, rolling his eyes at the pair's snickering. "He died when he was forced to come along to this stupid trip. Now, turn left."

"No, turn right!" Klaus argued, reaching forward as though trying to steer the car for her. Five smacked him away, causing them both to descend into a childish smack-fest.

They were quickly coming up to the roundabout and Thea still didn't know which way to go. "Can you two please make up your mind already and tell me which goddamn way to turn!"

"Right!" "Left!"

"That isn't helping!" she exclaimed.

Five shoved Klaus back before leaning forward and grabbing a hold of the steering wheel and forcing her hands left just in time for the turn.

"Hey! No fair!" Klaus shouted from the back, his gangly limbs making it difficult to sit up after being pushed down and tumbled around by the car. "I thought we agreed that I was trip navigator!"

"Yes and we also agreed to make intermittent stops along the way to allow for destination hotspots!"

"I don't remember agreeing to that!"

"Then perhaps you should get your ears checked because I definitely recall that conversation!"

Thea listened to the two argue with a self-suffering sigh, continuing down the road and following the signposts which designated the infamous 'Ball of Twine'.

They were in a new timeline, with limitless potentialities ahead and all the time in the world to spend exploring them. They were superpowered, for god's sake. They had so few problems in their life and Thea was still young, full of life and extraverted enough to give anything a shot.

So why was it that she was driving a pair of clowns - an old man stuck in a young man's body and a veritable child stuck in an adult's body - in a stolen car that she had used mind control to achieve, down a back-ass country lane toward a lame ball of wool?

I'm better than this! I should be reclining on a beach somewhere hot, reading and catching up on all the books that have been on my 'to be read' pile for months.

It didn't even matter that she was very likely homeless and that all her previous possessions were most definitely gone along with the old timeline. Thea had that shit memorised. She didn't play about when it came to books.

"If you two don't stop arguing I'll turn this car around and drive us straight back to the hotel!"

Both Five and Klaus shut up immediately and she sighed in relief as the oncoming headache was temporarily averted. Looking back at her brother in the rear-view mirror, Thea had to ask.

"Klausy, can you tell us where you're taking us now? I think we deserve to know."

"Ah, well," he adopted a sheepish expression, pointedly avoiding making eye contact. His shifty behaviour was setting her on edge and when he finally met her stare only to give her the classic guilty Klaus smile, Thea knew nothing he said was going to be good.

"You're going to find this hilarious once I explain," he chuckled nervously, sensing the brewing danger at the blonde's raised brow.

"I'm already holding back laughter," she muttered, pursing her lips at his stalling. "Try me."

"Yeah, Klaus. Don't be shy. We're all ears."

"Well, ha-ha. Honestly guys, it's really a funny story. You see, well, that is to say-"

"Spit it out, Klaus!"

"We're going to Pennsylvania to meet our birth mother!"

Thea slammed her foot on the brakes and the car came to a screeching halt, causing them all to fly forwards. Whipping her head around to stare at her brother incredulously, she could only shout, "We're what!?"

"Oh, look," Five cut in, conveniently ignoring the staring match between the twins to stare out the window. "We made it to the Ball of Twine."

Somehow they had made it to their destination but Thea was too busy staring down her brother to care one bit. Not that she'd had even a shred of care to begin with.

"What on earth are you talking about, Klaus?" she asked, unbuckling her seatbelt and hurrying to follow him out of the car when he tried scrambling away. "Get back here and answer me!"

Klaus ran to hide behind the giant ball, dodging Thea's grabby hands as she screamed at him to answer her questions.

Five stood silently, staring up at the structure like it was a magnificent work of art. The screams and shouts of the twins echoed in the background, though luckily nobody was likely to be present in a twenty-mile radius.

"I'm sorry, Thea!" Klaus shouted as he continued to run round and round the twine, expertly dodging Five each time. "I didn't want to tell you because I knew you'd react exactly like this!"

"Don't use my justified anger as your excuse for lying, you gremlin!" she shouted back, panting as they made their thirtieth lap around the bloody ball of yarn. "I had every right to know what I was signing myself up for by joining you! If I'd known, I would have said no!"

"Exactly!" Klaus screamed, struggling to keep a safe distance between them both. His poor legs were screaming out at him for running so fast and long. "I needed the moral support and so I thought it was for the best that I keep the real trip a surprise!"

"Fat load of good that did!" she yelled. "Worst surprise of my life!"

Unable to keep up speed, Klaus finally collapsed onto the grass, sweating and panting in the blazing sunny heat. "I yield, I yield!" he cried out, "Have mercy!"

Thea ignored his words and jumped on top of him, tackling him and pinning his arms to the ground. She stared into identical eyes trying to comprehend just what on earth her brother was thinking. Never before had she been so taken aback by his actions.

"What is wrong with you, Klaus? I can't even begin to fathom why you think this is a good idea."

"Why not?" he asked. "Aren't you the slightest bit interested in finding out who she is? What she's like? She's our mother, Thea!"

"I don't care!" she snapped. "She gave us away. She sold us, Klaus! I think that's a pretty clear statement on her part to never wanting to see us again."

"She could have changed her mind since then," he argued, more determined than she'd seen him for years. "I have to know. Please don't stop me in this, sis. I understand if you don't want to come with me but I just feel it, deep down, good or bad, that this is something I need to find out for myself."

Thea sighed, the fight leaving her body all at once. Feeling weighed down in resignation, she crawled off of him and simply lay in the grass, uncaring of the small bugs which buzzed around her or the flowers she might be crushing. She only stared up into the bright, blue sky and sighed.

"...Okay, Klaus. I can't make decisions for you anymore." She rolled her head towards him, squinting her eyes for the sun was beating down too brightly. "If this is something you feel like you have to do, then I won't stop you." Staring back into the sky, she said even quieter. "But don't expect me to come."

The pair spent the new few minutes simply laying there, staring up into the sky which had not a single cloud in the sky, and listened to the cicadas sing and the birds chirp. Thea felt a bead of sweat run down the back of her neck and released a long breath, feeling too stuffy in her sweater vest but loathe to take it off and lose it somewhere.

Why was it so hot? Wasn't it supposed to be April? Summer didn't start for another two months...

"Need a hand?" asked a voice from above as an arm moved into her line of vision, thankfully blocking out the sun from her eyes. Thea followed it up to see Five.

Taking the hand she let herself be pulled up, dusting off the grass from her trousers. "Thanks," she muttered, glancing toward the tourist monument they'd almost died over reaching. "Have you done with the big ball of wool already?"

"It's the world's largest ball of twine, not wool. It isn't just some craft project," Five pointed out with a scowl.

"What a waste of twine," Thea muttered, squinting at the big useless ball. Pity it wasn't wool, I could have made a mean pile of scarves out of that stuff.

They were quite literally in the middle of nowhere. All around them were nothing but fields of green and trees far as the eye could see. With no other people in sight, it left just the three of them to stand there in the blazing heat, staring up at the disappointing ball of string.

"I thought it'd be bigger," Klaus said as he tentatively moved closer to the pair, staring up at the giant twine ball with the same squinty-eyed look as Thea. "Kinda sucks, doesn't it?"

"Looks pretty big to me," Five muttered, scowling at their snide remarks.

"Of course it does, Mr Tiny," he laughed. "To you, I probably look like the Eiffel tower." He clasped his hands together and raised them in the air as though to make the comparison clearer.

Already regretting his decision to join them and wanting to change the conversation, Five settled on a topic of discussion which had piqued his interest, if only because it had sparked one of the first serious disagreements he'd witnessed between the twins.

The tension was still there, and perhaps airing out the matter would help.

"So how is it exactly, that you know your birth mother lives in Pennsylvania?"

From beside them, Thea tensed up, shoulders rising and her jaw clenching in a natural defensive gesture. Klaus shrugged.

"From Dad's drawer."

"I'm going to need you to elaborate on that one, Klaus," Five bit out. Why did he even bother trying to help?

"Well, I was on the tormented ass-end of a two-week bender and I obviously can't tell you the date because I was fucked out of my drug-addled mind, but I visited the academy, right? And I snuck into Dad's office to simply borrow the key to his safe - and guess what I found while I was shuffling within his secret stash? Cheques!" He grinned, eyes shining in dragon-like greed. "A veritable treasure-trove of our family's history all told in the stub-ends of expired cheques! Jackpot, amirite?"

Fiddling in his pocket, Klaus produced a small, crumpled piece of paper, which he handed over to them. Thea pointedly looked away, but Five stared down at it with a frown.

"Rachel Herschberger?"

Thea pursed her lips at the name, a small, gnawing part of her unable to completely ignore the name. Annoyed at herself and annoyed at Five for humouring him, she tried to squash down all the thoughts and theories spinning through her mind at the knowledge of her birth mother's name.

Unwillingly and without her consent, Thea automatically accepted the stub of paper when Five handed it to her. It barely took her ten seconds to cave in and, zoning out from the conversation going on beside her, began to inspect the printed information held within her hands. Information that pertained to her very own origins.

Dated: October 3rd, 1989

To: Rachel Herschberger
7 Hackenstraße, MU

For: Small Recruits #0 and #4

Description of purchase:

One (1) Five-pound infant girl hereinafter referred to as Zero

and

One (1) Six-pound infant boy hereinafter referred to as Number Four

Amount this check: $5000.00

MU? She recalled the one time in her childhood that she had managed to wear down her father enough to have him admit where she and Klaus had originated from. He'd told her they had been collected from Germany.

So, it's likely that we're from Munich...but then why are we going to Pennsylvania?

She zoned back into the conversation at the mention of Ben's name, looking toward Klaus and Five who were deep in conversation.

"Why is she here?" Thea finally asked, interrupting their discussion. "In America?" she waved the stub in the air. "This clearly says she was in Munich at the time of purchase."

Klaus snatched the paper from her hands, folding it delicately and hiding it once more inside his shirt pocket. "Who knows," he shrugged. "Maybe she was sick of all the guten-tags and wanted to swap it for a howdy-do."

"She could have been drawn in by the prominence of German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania," Five mused. Thea looked at him blankly, wondering how much useless knowledge he kept stored inside of that little head of his.

"Still," she focused on Klaus. "How did you know that she'd moved?"

"Aha, I knew you'd ask!" Klaus clapped. "Turns out daddy-dearest made clear notes of all their movements throughout the years, probably to make sure none of them came sniffing around too closely for their children."

"Unlikely, when they sold us," she drawled. "For five-thousand dollars, no less."

"She got more than the rest," he ventured, but winced at Thea's unimpressed face.

"I'm so pleased the mother that sold us off to some random man knew how to wrangle a bargain," she said, voice dripping in sarcasm. "I must get my tough negotiating skills from her, along with my eyes."

"Oh, I see. You're being sarcastic."

"Astute as always."

"If the two of you are done bickering like children," Five cut in, turning to face the taller. "Why now, Klaus? Why haven't you tried searching for this woman before?"

"Well, surviving two world-ending apocalypses really put things into perspective, you know? And I just figured, that hey, if this really is a new timeline then I've been given the opportunity to finally begin anew - get a fresh start and discover who I really am." He glanced sideways at Thea, who continued to look unsettled by the entire situation. "Maybe figure out who we could have become had we not been adopted into this stupid family."

"Can you, with all honestly, call what we had a family?" Five mused.

"No," Klaus laughed. "More like an institute for-"

"-snarky delinquents," Five finished.

"I was going to say mismatched ragamuffins, but yours works too." He sighed, continuing to peek glances at his sister who remained silent while they talked. "But really, what is family? How can you even begin to define it?"

"Family is made up of people who love each other," Thea mumbled, staring up at the giant ball of twine in front of them.

Her brows pinched together as she looked at the mass of entwined string and compared it to the inner complexities of her unique family situation. They were all so messy and intertwined that she wasn't sure how they'd fare separated. Maybe they too would simply fall flat, unable to stay upright without the support of others.

"Family is compromise and endurance," she continued. "It's about loving people and embracing even their worst parts because the better ones make it worthwhile." She sighed, finally meeting Klaus' searching eyes which had been boring holes into her skull.

Family was accepting those you loved, even when they did things which you didn't always like, because you knew it meant something deeper to them that you may not quite understand.

But that was okay. Family didn't always see eye to eye and working together meant that a good family didn't always come to an unquestioned agreement, but instead a fruitful compromise.

"When you put it like that, it doesn't sound so bad."

For the first time since they'd arrived at the stupid ball of craft string, Thea cracked a grin. "Five, you say that like you didn't fight two end-of-the-world disasters for our sake."

"Who said anything about your sake?" he smirked. "Perhaps I just didn't want to live in a world without coffee and donuts."

Taking solace from the light atmosphere, Klaus made the jump to lean casually against the smaller blonde, smiling when his touch wasn't rejected.

"You're so cold, Five. No wonder you're nobody's favourite."

"Wow, and here I thought we were all finally getting along," Five snarked, rolling his eyes at Thea's mischievous snickering. "Let's just go find your stupid mother, alright? We'll finally know what kind of person could birth the twins of terror."

"That's totally a made-up name," Thea scoffed. "Nobody actually called us that."

"I can assure you they did, Z. Just not to your faces."

"How would you know, Mr Lost-in-Time?" Klaus said, backing up his sister. "Last I heard you skipped out on experiencing our wonderful teen years like you were a deadbeat father out getting milk."

"While a thoroughly engaging analogy, I didn't have to be there to know what others thought of you both," Five pointed out. "Even the apocalypse couldn't destroy those awful Umbrella Academy comics and I think you'd be surprised to know that a reoccurring nickname for The Séance and The Divine was the twins of terror."

"No way," Thea said, cursing those blasted comics - that she never bothered reading because, lame! Who reads about their own shitty life romanticised in cartoon form? - for ever existing. Who even signed off on that?

"We had comics?" Klaus asked, completely baffled by this news. "Was I cool? Oh please tell me they gave me a tragic backstory and a tortured character arc."

"No need for fiction there, Klausy. I think there's plenty of raw material to work from."

Their lives were already tortured enough - as Thea liked to say, they were quite literally living through a series of unfortunate events - and their childhood was mired in enough tragedy and trauma to write hundreds of books.

"Besides, it was in Viktor's book, too."

Of course it was, Thea wanted to sigh. What wasn't in the goddamn book?

Their whole life being aired out to the public had never sat well with Thea and while she hadn't particularly faulted Viktor for his actions at the time - a lifetime of being pushed away and purposely excluded was warranted some well-deserved backlash - but she still recalled the whole situation sourly.

"We should get going before we lose too much daytime," Five said as they walked back to the car. "Klaus, do you know exactly where this place is that you're looking for?"

"Yep!"

"Then let's get going, and pronto. If we hurry, we may still be able to squeeze in visiting Ricky's bakery and tasting his award-winning pies."

Thea leant down to press a kiss to his cheek, pulling back and patting his head a little condescendingly.

"Sometimes I wonder, if you could hear yourself talk, then perhaps you'd finally think you're as cute as I do."

"Unlikely," he drawled. "Now let's go. Chop-chop!"

"Yes, sir," Klaus saluted sarcastically, leaning in close to Thea to mumble in her ear. "What a slave driver."

"You've not seen the half of it," she laughed, pushing him into the backseat before climbing into the driver's seat herself. "Right," she declared, sending them both a stern glare. "No more disagreements while I'm engaged in an activity that has the potential to brutally murder us all. Got it?"

"You really do have a way of expressing things so eloquently, Z."

"Shut up," she said, buckling herself in and adjusting the rear-view mirror so as to avoid the childish faces Klaus was making from the back seat. "Klaus, put on your seatbelt or else this car is going nowhere!"

"Yes Ma'am," Klaus said while mulishly obeying her orders.

Thea checked everybody was buckled in and sorted before starting the car and setting off back down the road they had just come, this time, taking the other exit. The road was still quiet and without the radio on, the only noise beside Klaus' occasional directions were those natural ones; birds chirping, crickets and bugs buzzing around in the long grass and the occasional sound of some far-off farm animal.

As with most moments in her life, if Thea were to ignore her family issues and internal anxieties, she could say that she was having a pretty nice time right now.

"Take this left!"

Following his word, Thea did as he said and drove the car down another country lane, only this time it was more populated. It was lined on either side with brown picket fences and fields occupied by stout, healthy-looking cows. It was as though the three of them had accidentally stumbled upon a small patch of heaven. Even the sun shone down through the trees, illuminating the quaint brick houses in an ethereal way.

As they drove by, the people milling about gave them curious looks. They were all wearing matching outfits; the women adorned in plain, navy-blue or black dresses and either a white or black cape over the top and white bonnets on their heads, while the men wore white shirts and black waistcoats, their black trousers held up by suspenders.

It was all very quaint and Thea tried to take in as much as possible, never having been to an Amish village before. She'd read about the community but never had the opportunity to meet an Amish person in real life. While seemingly idyllic on the surface, Thea was somewhat averse to organised religion of any kind and could not see herself fitting in well with such a humbled, tight-knit community.

Klaus, on the other hand, seemed to be loving it. Which was very much a surprise.

As they parked up and got out of the car, Thea leaned against the bonnet as she watched Klaus take in the scenery and its people. He was smiling brightly and looked unfazed by the signs of unease being thrown their way.

Beside her, Five appeared stunned at the possibility that Thea and Klaus could have very well grown up within an Amish community - the mental image that concept produced too funny. He snickered as he turned to regard the blonde beside him, imagining her wearing the dark, plain uniform rather than her current bright pink ensemble.

"I know what you're thinking and I advise you to stop," she muttered, hunkering down at the continued staring from a group of Amish women.

They were staring at her like she was alien to them; running their eyes over her face and the bright clothing she wore, turning back to their group to whisper to one another. "Can we hurry this up? I'd rather not be here any longer than I have to."

Five walked up to Klaus and slapped him on the back, attempting a genuine smile. "Well, Klaus, good luck."

"Wait, you're not coming?" Klaus asked, turning to Thea. "Neither of you?"

"I already made my opinion on the matter clear," she murmured, unable to stop herself from looking around them anxiously.

It was too quiet for her liking; not the external noise, but internal. None of these individuals were producing much mental traffic and it was beginning to unnerve her. Thea was not used to being around people who practised so much self-discipline as to throw off her ability.

"This is something you need to do on your own, buddy." Five grinned before moving back to the car and opening the passenger door. "We won't be far away. Give us a shout when you're done."

Klaus huffed dramatically but after sending his sister one final pleading look and seeing she had no intention of caving in, he sighed. "Fine, fine. Sure, I'll do this one alone." He began walking away, sending waves and cheerful hello's to passers-by.

Only once they were back inside the car and driving away from the community did Thea feel the tension leave her body, her shoulders easing and her smile becoming a little more genuine. Pulling up to a large, spacious field populated only by some placid-looking cows, Thea stopped the car and fell back against the seat in respite.

"What a fucking day," she mumbled.

"Story of my life," Five replied, once again hidden behind the spread-open map.

She regarded him for a moment; only his hands visible from where they held the crumpled paper and his hat perched on top of his head, and laughed. A pair of strikingly blue eyes narrowed her way from above the map.

"What's tickled your pickle?"

Thea snickered. "Okay, first; who the hell says that? Tickle your pickle?" she laughed so hard she snorted, causing Five to grin crookedly at her obvious amusement. "Second, I'm sorry but when are you going to ditch the silly hat?"

"Silly?" he let the map fall onto his lap to instead press a hand against his chest, sending her his best fake impression of being woefully offended. "I'll have you know, that in particular circles this here accessory is the height of fashion."

Thea couldn't hold herself back and giggled even harder, unable to help snorting due to how hard she was laughing. Five soon joined in.

"Seriously though, do you really not like the hat?"

Smiling indulgently, she leant forward to snatch it from his head and place it on her own instead, striking a pose and getting a chuckle from Five.

"I will admit it looked quite dashing on the older Five, but I think you're too young to pull this off quite yet."

"You found the old man dashing?" he asked, askance. "Should I be concerned?"

"Don't sound so disgusted!" she said affronted. "He was quite charismatic in his own way! Or, well, you were," she corrected, confused at the mental gymnastics required to separate the two. "He was so affable and called me my dear." She swooned. "It was quite charming."

"I can't believe you," Five rolled his eyes. "So easily charmed by that snake."

Thea cracked up at hearing him call himself a snake, but couldn't help but find it endearing, nonetheless.

"Oh Five, don't be silly," she smacked him lightly across the arm, taking off the hat and throwing it into the back seat where he couldn't get it. "No need to be jealous of yourself. Hopefully, all went well and he managed to go back in time and reunite with his own family." She grinned, using her position to pinch him on the cheek. "You'll always be my favourite Five."

Five knocked her hand away from his face but caged her hand in between his own, refusing to let go. "I better be. Otherwise I'll have to time-travel again and replace you with another Thea."

"You wouldn't!" she said. "And you said my name! I can't get over how funny it sounds coming from you."

He gave her a pensive look. "Would you rather I called you that?"

She shrugged, nonplussed. "I don't mind, I think I told you before, didn't I? If it's you, I don't mind being called Zero. Between us, the numbers aren't demeaning like they used to be."

"I can't imagine being anything but Five," he mused. "It's lost its meaning as a number and just become a name at this point."

"I know what you mean," she said. "I can't imagine anybody else calling me Zero...it just makes my skin itch. But when you do it, I feel different. It's...comforting, does that make sense? It's like this little thing between us that reminds me of how much time I lost when you were gone. It helps me to remember the time before."

"Do you think about that day a lot?" he asked solemnly. "I know I do. I can't help it. Some days I think it was for the best; it made me stronger and capable enough to save everybody from danger. But on the other hand, most days I can't help but think it was the worst day of my life..." he trailed off, pensive. "If only I had listened to Dad, then maybe, I wouldn't have missed out on so much of our lives."

Thea ran her thumb along the knuckles of his hand, watching as the digit sank and rose between each crevice, focusing on the feeling of the bones beneath the skin.

"I do sometimes think about what our lives could have been like had you never left...but, when those thoughts get too much, I just try and find you now. I take a good look at you and hammer it into my brain that you're not leaving. That you won't leave like you did that day, ever again." She smiled sadly. "That hopefully, you won't leave me again."

"Never," he promised. "Not like before."

She smiled crookedly, feeling a little silly for dampening the mood so thoroughly. "And if you do, at least take me with you this time." She chuckled. "I'd like to think I'd make a very good assassin."

Five snorted and she took offence at his clear scepticism.

"I would!" she argued. "The both of us? We'd give that Hazel and Cha-Cha a run for their money!"

"If you say so, Z," he grinned fondly, squeezing her hand.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, Thea looking out at the lush field and the serene, bright blue sky, while Five once more opened up his map to investigate what tourist attractions they could visit along their journey. Thea eventually shuffled closer, practically draping herself across the centre console to lean against his side, where she rested her chin on his shoulder and watched him circle and cross out different areas of the map with a bright red marker.

Five had even taken to swapping hands so that he was now writing with his right hand, to save Thea the annoyance of being bobbed up and down from his movements. She smiled at the small gesture, touched, and was as equally impressed that his little scribbled notes were just as legible written in his non-dominant hand.

Thea had never had to really acclimatise herself to weaponry, as with an ability like hers she was a veritable powerhouse in her own right, and so she found Five's casual ambidexterity fascinating.

Countless times she had watched him write with his left hand, and in the last few years she had watched him hold weapons only a handful of times, though mostly with his right hand. Was this something the Commission trained its workers to finesse, or was it all Five; his natural perfectionism and aptitude for picking things up quickly shining through?

Holding onto his left hand, Thea traced the small white scars barely visible against his tan skin. They were small enough to be mostly imperceptible from afar, but this close up she could see how they were etched into his skin. Were these remnants of his life in the apocalypse, or were they new scars, made since his arrival back in time?

She wanted to voice her question, but also didn't want to interrupt his current fun. Five was wearing a small smile as he mumbled silent words, talking to himself as he scribbled words down along the margins of the map, planning out his impromptu holiday.

The last thing he needs is reminding of such things, especially when he finally seems at ease.

Thea was content to sit there and hold his hand, tracing her fingers along the skin while sinking into a comfortable thoughtlessness. Sometimes, simply thinking of nothing was reassuring.

If only she could get her mind off of Klaus.

"Do you think I should have gone with him?"

Rather than answer, Five asked her a question of his own. "Do you think you should have?"

"I don't know! That's why I'm asking you."

"I wouldn't presume to know you better than yourself," he said sagely. "And I think what you're really asking is whether you were justified in refusing to go - in which case, my opinion is yes. You were."

She slumped, unsure whether that was the answer she wanted to hear or not. What did she want him to say, instead? That she was a horrid person for refusing to support Klaus in this endeavour and berate her for being a terrible sister? Of course not! But Thea found it hard to deal with the guilt of disappointing people and found that sometimes, it was easier to forgive herself if somebody forgave her first.

"Is that not the answer you expected?" he asked. "Or simply the one you didn't want to hear?"

"Why are you so smart?" she grumbled.

"Astonishing genes," he grinned down at her, causing her to snicker.

"Yes, yes. A very handsome man with too much sarcasm for his tiny form, I get it."

She cackled when she felt a pinch against her side in retaliation.

"Call me tiny one more time, Z, and see what happens," he warned.

"Ohh, so scary," she mocked, grinning up at him cheekily and pulling away when he went to pinch her again. "You'll have to be faster than that," she stuck out her tongue.

Staring at her from the opposite side of the car, Five awarded her one of his genuine smiles, the kind she remembered from childhood, when he would patiently explain some complex diagram or passage from a book until she understood. Or whenever she would sneak into his room, desperate to talk to someone about her fears and anxieties, afraid of burdening Klaus with her issues.

"Tell me what's bothering you, Z." When she went to dismiss his concerns, he pinned her in place with a knowing look. "And don't say 'nothing'. I do know you well enough to not fall for that."

Thea sighed. "I'm not even a hundred percent sure myself - honestly," she insisted at his raised brow. "I don't know how to explain it? I suppose- well, I guess I just feel a little...lost? Like, Klaus is so intent on finding this woman and I can't help but feel this intense frustration and...anxiety?...over it all."

"What exactly is causing you anxiety?" he asked. "Are you worried Klaus will get hurt?"

"Physically? No. But emotionally? I don't know, maybe?"

"And what about you?" he asked, lowering his head so that she was captured by the intensity of his stare. "Are you afraid of getting hurt?"

"Me?" she asked in surprise. "What have I got to do with it?"

"Of course you're involved, Z. This is your mother, too."

"Grace was my mother," she argued, hating the way her voice shook. "I don't care who birthed me. Grace was the one who spent all those years caring for us. She's my mother."

"There's no rule that says you have to pick," Five said patiently. "Nobody says you can't have two mothers."

"And neither am I! Only, I don't want two. I chose Grace because she loved us when nobody else did. She wanted us unlike anybody else."

"Do you blame Rachel Herschberger for giving you up?"

"Of course I do!" she snapped, finally letting out all of her frustration. "I know she didn't ask to give birth but neither did we ask to be born! She didn't even give us a chance and now Klaus is gallanting off to see her like he doesn't care at all that she sold us to the highest bidder-"

"Are you angry that Klaus is giving her a chance, or that he's doing so without you?"

Thea froze at his words, eyes wide as she stared blankly out of the window, unseeing. "I don't- I don't understand?" she asked weakly.

Five softened, reaching across to take her hand back into his own, hoping it would ground her.

"Let me word it another way; could it be that you're feeling betrayed because Klaus is willing to seek out your birth mother, despite knowing that she gave you both up?"

"What do you- I mean, I don't-"

"Z," Five stressed, turning her face so that she could focus instead on the dark blue of his eyes instead of spiralling down into her own mind. "I'm not asking you these questions to hurt you. I want to understand."

"I don't quite understand myself anymore," she admitted.

Five wore a rueful grin, "Good job I do a pretty good Thea analysis then, isn't it?"

The jolt of surprise at hearing her name spoken - so many times today, already. What was getting into him? - as well as the hilarity of a 'Thea analysis' caused her lips to finally twitch into a small smile.

"That's a stupid name for it."

"We can discuss semantics another time," he chuckled. "For now, just give my question some thought. Are you disappointed with Klaus?"

"Never," she answered, sighing. "I think...it's not so much that I'm disappointed in him, but with myself, maybe. I thought it was a given that he would be just as affronted at the thought of meeting the woman who sold us - who sold me! - but here he is, being so mature about the entire situation while I can't let go of my childish grudge."

"I wouldn't call it childish," Five mused. "Quite justified, understandably. Though much more complicated in retrospect."

"Would you?" Thea asked, biting her lip. "Would you want to meet your birth mother?"

Five didn't answer straight away and seemed to give her question some serious thought.

"Perhaps," he settled on. "I'm ambivalent either way. I can respect the woman in an objective sense, for giving birth to me...but emotionally, I can't say I've given it much thought." He cracked a grin. "You forget I'm a very old man, Z. These kinds of things have long since been no concern of mine."

"You're making it hard to forget how old you are wearing clothes like that," she smiled wobbly, laughing at his surprise.

He looked down at his beige bodywarmer and plaid shirt with honest confusion. Oops. Looks like she'd gone and burst his bubble.

"What's wrong with this look? I thought it made me look younger..."

"Oh, Five." Her voice was watery but she sounded much more alive than moments before. "You have to let me take you shopping," she begged. "I promise I'd make you look just dashing!"

"As dashing as the old man?" he drawled with a sceptical brow.

Thea giggled. "Even more dashing, because I have so much more to work with this time. You have such a nice complexion and your dark hair would look great with a more fitted suit, don't you think?"

"If you think so," he seemed to consider her enthusiasm a little silly but she was too caught up in imagining him in a properly fitted suit to take much notice. "Feeling better?" he asked before she could wander too far off into wonderland.

Blinking back stars in her eyes at her fantasies, Thea sniffed. "I think so...god, I've been so immature. I'm so embarrassed!"

"I doubt, among the countless questionable things you've done in your life, that this could be a cause for embarrassment. Don't worry about it. I'm sure Klaus understands, in his own way. He's pretty astute for how much he acts the clown."

"You're so nice when you want to be, Five," she teased. "You should act like this more around the others. Then they'd believe me when I say you're sweet."

"I don't need you going around defending my honour," he rolled his eyes. "And I am nice to them, to an extent. It's called tough love."

"But I like defending your honour," she argued with a mischievous smile. Her eyes were practically twinkling. "I'm like your knight in shining armour, don't you think?"

"Not at all," he deadpanned.

"Five! Come on!" she tugged him closer when he tried pulling away. "Don't fight it - embrace your role as the damsel in distress and let me save you before we run away into the sunset!"

"Can you stop your incessant quibbling?" Five exclaimed, trying to release himself from the chokehold Thea had him in, so caught up in her theatrics. "Let me go!" he squawked, clawing at her arms that were like a steel cage.

Before either of them could say anything else, a flash of blue rolled across the field where they were situated and the pair turned to look outside of the window, speechless as they watched all of the cows disappear as one, vaporised by some kind of energy fluctuation.

The pair paused in their ministrations, comically positioned and wide-eyed.

"You saw that too, right?" Thea whispered, afraid that if she spoke any louder the weird energy would vaporise them, too. "All the poor cows just got dusted?"

"Yeah, I saw it," Five answered shakily. "But it can't be...fuck!"

"What?" Thea asked, pulling away and tumbling out of the car after Five, who was pacing a hole in the grass and tugging at his hair as he muttered mathematical equations too complex for her to understand under his breath. "Five, do you know what's going on!?"

"Can't I get a single, fucking day off!?" he exclaimed and Thea rushed forward to capture his hands so that he couldn't hurt himself any further.

"Five, please answer me. What just happened?"

"I'm not quite sure, but I think our arrival in this timeline has caused further damage than we expected."

"Well, fuck indeed," she agreed inelegantly. Watching him become increasingly anxious, she fretted in place, desperate to help in any way she could. "What can I do, Five? Tell me what to do and I'll get it done."

"Get me a pen, Z. I'm going to need to visualise this one to figure it out."

"Pen - got it!" she declared and dived back into the car for the thick red marker he'd been using to annotate his map.

Tumbling back out and handing it to him, she watched as he slammed the car doors shut and began to scribble intelligibly on the windows.

This went on for almost an hour; Thea simply stood there, wringing her hands while she watched Five write complex equations and draw incomprehensible diagrams all over the car, thick brows furrowed deeply as he seemed to come no closer to figuring out what was going on. What had caused that abnormal anomaly.

The image of the cows simply disintegrating into thin air flashed again in her mind and Thea spared a moment of pity for the innocent animals before a thought crashed into her mind like lightning.

Klaus! Oh god, is he okay? Could he have been hit by the energy? Would it have evaporated him like the cows!?

Before she could wind herself up into a further stupor, the more rational side of herself kicked in, reminding her that neither herself nor Five had been affected. It was more than likely that Klaus was fine and would think the whole ordeal hilarious once they told him.

I hope. God, if the last moments I spent with him were tense because of a shitty fight that was my own fault, I'll never forgive myself!

Just as she was about to ask Five whether he'd gotten any closer to figuring it all out, she was caught off guard by the sound of shouting further up the hill. Squinting against the setting sun, Thea saw a small dot approaching fast in their direction. As it got closer, she could make out two tiny sticks which she surmised were in fact legs, and wildly waving arms that were trying to get their attention.

When finally she recognised the wild curls, Thea was shocked to realise it was Klaus, sprinting at full speed. What on earth is he doing? It was obvious he was trying to tell them something but why he couldn't just wait until he got to the car was beyond her.

...beyond her for about two seconds, that was. Because immediately after that very thought, Thea was taken aback to see almost fifty black and white dots moving quickly behind Klaus, chasing after him.

"Oh shit," she muttered, unsure what to do.

When Klaus finally got close enough for his shouting to be discernible, Thea finally understood what he had been trying to tell them. "Start the car!"

"Five, we need to go," she exclaimed, shaking him from his mathematical spiral and pointing towards the army of angry Amish men that were getting closer by the second. "We need to leave now."

"What has he done now?" Five snapped, the marker snapping in his grip. "Can't he ever just get along with people?"

"I don't know but they don't look willing to stop and explain," she muttered, picking up on the buzzing hurricane of malicious energy coming from the hoard. "They seem to want to stab now and talk later."

"Understandable," Five muttered before ripping open the car door and climbing inside the driver's seat.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "You can't drive!"

"I can do everything," Five snapped. "And getting pulled over by the cops is the least of our worries right now. So get in the damn car, Z!"

Too panicked to argue, Thea opened the backseat door for her brother to jump into and then the passenger car door, though she didn't get in quite yet. Klaus was close enough to reach and she did just that; clutching onto him in worry and looking him over for any sign of injury.

"Klaus, what happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, sis, but we should really get in the car and drive away, preferable, like, five minutes ago."

"I agree," Five shouted from inside. "Get in, both of you!"

"Wait!" a foreign voice called and Thea glanced to the fence a couple of metres from their car to see a woman, adorned in the Amish dress and bonnet, rushing towards them with a worried expression. She was holding some kind of book, brown leather and old, if the frayed pages were any indication.

"We should go," she urged but Klaus' hand stopped her short. Thea looked toward the oncoming hoard of men in a panic. "Klaus, we need to go!"

"Wait, give her a second."

The woman was now in front of them, clearly out of breath but her eyes shone in honest wonderment. At first she only looked to Klaus, but then her eyes glanced over Thea and she blinked in surprise - and dare she say it, awe?

"You were telling the truth," she said to Klaus, though her eyes did not leave Thea's face. "Rachel's children really stayed together. A miracle."

"Like two peas in a pod," Klaus laughed, seemingly forgetting the angry mob rushing dangerously close toward them.

"Klaus," Thea hissed.

"I'm sorry," the woman said, shoving the old book into Klaus' hands. "Take this! Rachel's death was unusual and she wasn't the only one! Countless other women, all dying in the same, mysterious ways. It can't be a coincidence. You can find out what happened - find justice."

"Get in the car!" Five yelled.

The woman gave Klaus' cheek a quick kiss before turning to Thea, who was startled at the feeling of unfamiliar hands cradling her face.

"You both have her eyes," she whispered, tears brimming her own eyes, which Thea was shocked to recognise had a familiar shape. They were the exact same as those she stared at every day in the mirror, and on her twins' face.

"I-" she tried to say something but choked up. The woman glanced at the hoard of on-comers before pressing a kiss to her cheek as well.

"Go - both of you! And stay safe!"

Stumbling back and climbing into the car, Thea was dazed at the sudden onslaught of information. She barely registered as Five slammed his foot on the pedal and the car shot off, barely escaping being surrounded by the group of men.

Only one thing rang in her mind, like a bad record stuck on repeat.

"Rachel's dead?" she heard herself ask.

"According to her sister, yes," Klaus exclaimed, trying to explain. "Turns out this timeline is full of riddles! Wanna know why? Get this - apparently, our Mom died before we were even born!"

Five slammed his foot on the brakes and Thea barely stopped herself from slamming into the dashboard.

"What did you just say!?" he shouted.

"Five, keep driving!" Thea urged as she spotted the signs of a chase behind them, recognising the unique black caps bobbing above the tall grass. "We're not out of the woods yet."

Following her orders Five quickly got the car moving once more, but he demanded to hear more from Klaus on the apparent miracle of their conception. Thea held out her hand for the notebook, handling it with care when it was given to her.

The pages were frayed and the book was clearly old, as she'd suspected. Less of a notebook, it was more like a scrapbook; filled with cut-out newspaper clippings and photographs, all of random women that Thea had never seen in her life.

Cocking her head, she frowned at the flashes of familiarity as she took a closer look at the women's headshots. Thea could be going crazy, but she was certain she was staring down at a slightly softer, more feminine version of Viktor as she traced the black and white image of a young, teenage girl.

What was this? Could it be...their mothers?

Her suspicions were proven true when she turned the page and was confronted with the undeniable proof of their conception; a woman, so young and innocent, stared up at her from the photograph pinned to the page. Wearing the same Amish dress and bonnet as the woman from before, Thea was forced to admit that their similarities really were undeniable. If not in colouring then certainly in their features. Their creamy complexion, the slope of their nose and the wide, doe-like roundness of their eyes were all theirs.

But that was to be expected, wasn't it? After all, we're only our mothers' children. Like Mary and the virginal conception. No biological father to consider.

Flicking through the pages and skim-reading the newspaper clippings had informed her of the basics - seemingly, multiple women, all unrelated and from various countries across the globe, had all suffered the same mysterious and unexplained sudden death.

Reports said that they heard an intense, piercing sound and felt extreme pressure in the head, soon followed by bleeding from all orifices; eyes, nose, ears and mouth before they died from suspected brain haemorrhaging.

It was brutal and Thea bit her lip to stop herself from thinking further about how painful and terrifying it would have been to have died that way, however quick. Unconsciously she had turned the page so that the familiar face looked up at her once more. The blonde ran her finger along the slightly bleached photograph, wondering whether her mother had been scared in her final moments.

I know what it's like to feel so much pressure you're sure you're going to pop, she thought in sympathy. While thankfully, she had never pushed herself enough to suffer any kind of haemorrhaging, Thea had endured countless nosebleeds and debilitating migraines to understand the intensity of such an affliction. She wouldn't wish it on anybody.

Especially the woman that created us. She bit her lip, a tumultuous storm of mixed emotions raging inside of her, so twisted and wound up together that she couldn't even be sure what it was she was feeling.

Guilt, sorrow, anger, fear and pity...it was a spiteful cocktail that caused her stomach to roll in nausea.

"-ea...Thea!"

Blinking back from her thoughts, she turned to see both Five and Klaus watching her in worry.

"Yeah?"

"I said we're back. At the hotel."

"Oh?" she said, turning to look at the glowing neon sign of the Obsidian. He blinked languidly once. Twice. "I see. Well, we should go in then."

"That was our plan," Five said slowly, raising a brow at how dazed she seemed. "Do you need a moment?"

"No, no." She shook her head, closing the scrapbook and handing it to him. "I'm fine, sorry. Let's go, we should probably tell the others about this...its- well, it seems significant."

"You can say that again," Five muttered as they all exited the car and made their way back inside of the rotating doors of the hotel.

Thea paused at the threshold, feeling an encompassing warmth rush over her like a warm hug. The hotel seemed to be welcoming her back, caressing her and rushing to fill the empty gaps in her psyche, embracing her. The raw wounds of her mother's death suddenly eased, like a soothing balm.

Surprised at the sudden rush of emotions and confused at where they were coming from, Thea shook her head to get rid of any lingering anxieties before hurrying after the pair, who were by now reuniting with the others by the bar.

"Where's Luther?" she heard Five ask and she looked around herself, trying to spot her brother's hunkering form. It wasn't like it was difficult. But he was nowhere to be found and the others' casual dismissals made her worry.

"Never mind," he muttered. "We have bigger issues to deal with."

"Shouldn't we try and find him?" Thea ventured, nodding in greeting to her siblings. "I mean, if nobody's seen him since last night, that's concerning..."

"He's a big boy," Diego drawled, smirking at his joke. "He'll be fine."

"But-"

"Seriously, Thea. Luther can look after himself. He's probably out wandering the streets, as airheaded as usual." Allison said before knocking back a glass of what could only be whisky, going by the smell.

Her hair had returned to its natural curls and while she had cleaned herself up and looked in good health, her general countenance was seeped in darkness and her mood snappy.

Thea frowned in concern, opening her mouth to say more when Five slapped down the scrapbook and commanded all attention. She quickly shut up. Glancing at her sister in worry, she promised to speak to her afterwards.

"Gather round, people. Our troubles have not ended quite yet." He pointed at the book, which was splayed open, the newspaper clippings on display.

The shocking headlines were easy to read and by the frowns on their faces, they all seemed to have understood the seriousness of what they were reading. Five pursed his lips, brows furrowed.

"This," he said, flipping the pages one by one so the women's faces were visible. "Is a scrapbook detailing the mysterious occurrences of multiple women who all suffered similar attacks on the same day, despite never having met one another or having anything in common."

"Who are they?" Viktor asked, cocking his head when the page momentarily showed the image of the teenage girl who shared his face.

"These," Five declared. "Are our mothers."

Thea and Klaus watched as their siblings' faces morphed into confusion. Though, Klaus hurried to point out Rachel once they got to her page, a shy smile on his face.

"This one's ours," he said, glancing at Thea. "Looks like us, doesn't she?"

Ignoring his sentimentality for now, Five was quick to make one thing clear. "They're all dead."

"What?" Viktor asked in shock.

Allison shook her head, frowning at them from above her glass. "All of them? At the exact same time?"

"Same day, same time," Thea answered. "Just like our births."

"It's exactly like our births, because they all died on October 1st, 1989," Five explained.

"Our birthday..." Viktor whispered, confused. "But that means-"

"It's not our birthday anymore," Five cut in. "Because they all died before we were born."

"That's dumb," Diego muttered, brows pinched in evident confusion. "If we weren't born, then how the hell do we even exist?" He seemed to think he'd cracked the code, pointing out the logical fallacy of Five's argument, but the boy just sent him a dry look.

"Exactly, Diego. We don't exist. Not here, at least. When we jumped into this timeline, we created what's known as a time paradox," he said, trying to emphasise just how colossally fucked they were. "Not just any paradox, either - if only we were so lucky - no, this is a grandfather paradox."

When Klaus spoke, he was saying what was running through all of their minds. "What the hell's a grandfather paradox?"

Thea couldn't answer. Just like the others, she didn't know.

All she could understand was that somehow, in some way, the danger had followed them back. No amount of time travel or jumping from timeline to timeline seemed to cure them of their curse. Bad luck followed them like the plague, dogging on their heels like the grim reaper after their souls. It wouldn't stop.

It never stopped.

Lady fate wouldn't let them slip from her grasp so easily and Thea was starting to feel the pressure of her firm grasp.

---

I did it! This chapter almost killed me to write...so long...('〜｀*) zzz