March 21, 2019
Reginald Hargreeves was dead. The Umbrella Academy team fell apart and were no longer a united team. The family was estranged and each sibling had their own hardships and tragedies in their lives.
Luther Hargreeves, Number 1, remained at the academy to service his father as a hero with his super strength. However his life was forever changed after an almost life ending mission. He was close to death and his father did what he had to in order to save him. Luther was injected with a serum that saved him, but gave him the physical body of a gorilla, which he covers up with thick overcoats. Due to his failure, Reggie had sent Luther to the moon in order to conduct experiments and keep something precious safe. What that something was, Luther never knew. For four years he was on the moon until he got word from Grace that his father was dead. The blond and blue eyed stubbled muscle man knew he had to return since he was Number 1 and he owed his father that much to him.
Diego Hargreeves, Number 2, adjusted in somewhat normal living but was still scrambled by the old man. He had a hero complex yet also trouble with authority. Diego was expelled from the best police academy and now results in moonlighting as a vigilante to keep people safe. He crossed paths with Luther, but they never worked together. When he's not saving people and throwing knives at villains, he works as an amateur boxer and a janitor at a gym. Not the best life but it was a life. He really didn't give a shit about Reggie at all and wasn't going to go. Yet he knew his mother Grace would be heartbroken and would come for her. He was a mother's boy and even with his rough exterior, including a scar over his tan skin, he needed to be home.
Allison Hargreeves, Number 3, became a movie star but it wasn't a completely perfect life. When you're able to rumor people to do what you want one can have a feeling of imposter syndrome. She had the talent but if she needed to, it's hard to deny those powers being helpful. Her personal life has been messy, she married and had a daughter but that ended badly. With her powers, she had an advantage in motherhood but her husband saw it as abuse. He couldn't even be convinced if their marriage was even out of love in the first place. Now she's divorced, lost custody of her daughter, and is struggling to be a happy and adjusted young woman. Family was still an important matter after the loss of her marriage and child, so that's why she returned.
Klaus Hargreeves, Number 4, was thrown out of the academy at age 17 due to his drug problem. You would have one too from all the abusive training Reggie did, including frequent nights locked in a mausoleum. He could see and speak to ghosts and that scared and plagued Klaus' mind. He was a drifter, an addict, and really had no real prospects. He would couch surf or live in the streets when not in rehab and did what he could to score booze or drugs to keep the ghosts away from haunting him. A sad life but one without Reggie would always be better for him. Yet luck was unkind as ended up in the same city the time news of his dad's death broke and…with death came an inheritance and money he could scrounge up for a fix.
Ben Hagreeves, Number 6, died in a mission when the family was 16. The death really tore the siblings apart and no one truly knows how he lost his life; only that Reggie's pushing and his powers were to blame.
Vanya Hargreeves, Number 7, lives her life as an numb zombie. Forced to take these mood pills all her life and wonders what their purpose was since she never felt good in all her life. She wrote a book to expose her family's dysfunction and secrets because she needed to. The family and her never spoke and most were bitter towards her. She's a second string violin player but even that didn't give her purpose. Vanya felt something was always wrong with her and that huge pieces of her were missing. She still misses Ben and of course, her brother Five. She returned home just in a vain hope they can be a family despite how she was left out all these years.
The family had gathered at the academy and it really showed none of them wanted to return. Reggie was still their father and they would come back for mom and their dad's friend Pogo. They gathered in the living room and the tension in the room was immense. At this point, they only met for weddings and funerals due to the dysfunction and trauma they all had. Diego was fiddling with a knife, Allison was drinking, Klaus was smoking a cigarette, and Vanya was meekly sitting on the couch watching everyone.
"Why are we here, dad's already cremated. No need to give him a 'proper' ceremony. We all are thinking it Luther. Let's say goodbye and show up in another ten years when Pogo dies." Diego commented, giving a cold icy stare to him.
"Yea but something is missing Diego. Even from today. We need to all wish him goodbye, he is our father." Luther sternly told him..
"Five should be here… I wish he could be." Vanya said softly
"He abandoned us, Vanya. Think he was such a big shot with his powers. I bet he never cared about returning to us and left to get away from us all. He's dead to us." Diego spat bitterly.
Allison sighed and shook her head.
"Five was always ambitious…I don't blame him for wanting to test his powers more. But he didn't think about us when he challenged dad. It just made our lives hell with intense training." Allison added.
"Five was always such a smart ass, guess maybe that's what capped him in the end?" Klaus said with a sigh.
Everyone went silent since if he hadn't returned home by now…perhaps he wasn't even around. Time can mess with the body and mind and maybe that doomed Five to his demise in a different time.
"Five cant be dead.. Can he?" Vanya asked feeling a bit sad.
They had lost Ben years prior to a horrible accident, now Five maybe dead too?
"He's pretty much dead to us all anyway. I mean would it be a surprise if his powers tore him apart or some shit." Diego shared.
"Nothing we can do about it can we? He's not here so maybe we should focus on our father's private funeral." Allison mentions.
" What's the point? Luther is right. Dad's dead, 2 of our brothers are dead, and we don't really give a shit about dad in first place. We should all just fuck off if we don't want to be here for each other." Klaus said.
"Hey, watch yourself Klaus! Dad's….'
"You should be hating him most of all. You gave your life for him and he ships you off to the moon for years! Why should any of us give a shit!" Diego yelled.
"You should really stop talking." Luther growled.
" Diego, no need to be an ass about it. You probably wouldn't come back if not for mom." Allison said
"Least I will admit dad only cared for our powers and nothing more. Mom raised us and dad just saw heroes to order around. It's his fault Five left and is practically dead or never cared about us." Diego went on.
"You don't know what dad thought. You barely studied in school, the only things you were good at is throwing knives and getting in trouble with the cops." Allison expressed.
"And you rumored to get everything you had from your career and marriage, don't think you're so high and mighty." Diego argued.
"Enough! We shouldn't be like this! We're here for dad and sad to say it, but Five isn't here with us…perhaps he will never come back." Luther expressed.
A sound of a cane could be heard and slowly an elderly chimpanzee in a sweater vest, shirt, and pants strolled in.
"Hey Pogo, you're about to witness another fight. I would stand aside so you don't get knocked over." Klaus giggled
Pogo sighed and looked at Vanya with a sad expression.
"What are they fighting over Ms. Vanya?" Pogo asked.
Vanya sighed.
"Dad as usual, and most think Five is long dead too or abandoned us. Same old news."
Pogo frowned and shook his head.
"You all don't truly know the truth and if I was a loyal friend, you would never learn it." he shared.
"What are you talking about ?" Allison asked
Pogo sighed and clutched on to his cane tighter. He hoped Master Reginald could forgive him but his actions were cruel to the family.
"Master Five is alive and your father never wanted you all to know."
This news shocked everyone to their core. Did they really hear that?
" Five is alive?" Vanya asked with hope in her eyes.
"Where the hell is he then? Why didn't he come back?" Allison asked visible shocked and bit agitated
"He…he never figured out the formula to return home, our time. Any letters your father received from your brother he burned. He stopped reading after the first one and ordered me to burn them. I'm so sorry." Pogo told them.
Diego gritted his teeth since yeah that sounded like him.
"Shit…really? If that's the case Pogo then dad is even more of a heartless asshole." Diego commented.
"Did you ever read them? Before burning them?" Allison asked
Pogo gulped a bit and shook his head.
"You know your father, I couldn't go against his wishes."
"How can we believe these letters existed, dad never told me he was getting letters from Five. He would have at least told me?" Luther asked.
" You know dad Luther. He was an asshole he never cared about us. He hated children yet her had plenty of us and didn't care if we were happy." Klaus said with a bitter laugh.
"Yes Luther, dad only cared for himself and the greater good. It's just a shame isn't it. He lied about our brother, telling us he was dead and not to linger on him while putting this picture in the living room like a shrine." Diego told Luther, pointing at the picture.
" I agree with Diego for once. How the hell could dad do that, such a hypocrite. If Five wasn't coming back is one thing but telling us he died when he didn't. Pogo that was a shit thing to do." Allison expressed.
Pogo nodded and he carefully pulled out something from his vest pocket with a quivering hand.
"This…this arrived yesterday. Your father had already died when it arrived." Pogo shared.
Everyone glanced at the letter in Pogo's hand.
"Is it… the letter…is it from him?" Luther stammered.
"From Five?" Diego asked.
" What does it say?" Vanya asked.
"I've yet to open it, I figured with your father's death; the truth can come out. I haven't heard any news from him in 13 years." Pogo admitted.
"Well read it old chap. I think we all want to know where the hell Five is." Klaus told him.
"Master Luther, will you do the honors." Pogo said, walking his way to him with the letter.
Luther opened up the letter and read the contents of it.
"Dear Family (if Reggie hasn't burned this letter, fucking stubborn old man),
I feel as if I've been sending similar or the same letters for the last 13 years or so. I know I should have started writing sooner but things were just so busy and complicated. By getting this letter, you know I am alive, clearly. You probably are asking, where the hell did I went? Well I jumped through time and space and landed in a real cow tow of Hawkins in the year 1985. Yes which means currently for me, it is 2002, the very year I jumped in our time. Since then I've been living an ordinary life but enjoying it. I've made friends, have a career I am really good at, and found love. You're probably asking 'Why haven't I found a way home or am I close to going home?' Honestly…I gave up those endeavors months after I landed. Truth be told, our father was setting us all up for social failures. What were we all without our powers and doctrines of being a hero? I've come to learn that I really love books, love fantasy and games, and that I can be less of an asshole to people I care for. I'm afraid if I even attempt to return to what would be my 2019 I wouldn't be able to do so because of multiple factors. To my dear siblings; Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus, Ben, and Vanya, I'm so sorry I left. It was out of stupid know all pride and arrogance that made me leave and I miss you all everyday. I do hope you all could find happy lives outside the academy and that Reggie's influence doesn't have a hold of you. Perhaps someday we could meet again at our proper ages since if you try to find me in your time, I will be almost 47. Hopefully this letter reaches you since I do think about you all now and again and I wanted to ease your minds about me.
Love you all.
Five
P.S. If you are reading this dad, fuck you and I hope you are alone in that manor. You're a miserable old man and while defying you will be the best thing I ever did, it did cost me my siblings and I hate what you were making us to become, a means to an end for your goals.
" Wow, Five lived in the past all this time. Damn." Klaus mused
"Yeah he did…he finished his teen years in the 80s…lucky bastard. Music was awesome back then." Diego commented.
"He is happy at least he found life outside of dads outrageous expectations. He even sounds like he has a wonderful wife by the sound of things." Allison said.
"Yeah well, like he said…we aren't able to find him and we can't. He didn't leave a return address on the letter. Heck if he did who knows if in our time he's still living where he is. Pretty much he is still saying 'Fuck us'." Luther commented, looking over the letter.
"Luther, Five wouldn't say that. He wrote to us for years. It's not his fault dad was dick who burned letters and told us he died or whatever. Maybe he didn't put an address for fear of dad going to find him afterwards." Vanya said softly
"Yeah well letters is all we will get. Not like we can find him in time." Diego commented with a sigh, taking the letter from Luther.
" Can't we find him now though. He did say he would be older than us but still, at least we can see him again?" Vanya asked
"Luther's right. He left no return address. Even if we had a clue where to start, it would take more years to find him. I doubt he's still living in that small cow town as he calls it." Diego told her.
'Yea we can't find him. Wish dad had a time machine out of all invention he had had, that would have most useful." Klaus mused
Pogo didn't answer and looked at them with a curious expression. Should he inform them he thought…they all still truly missed their brother and they need more closure aside the letter maybe. Master Hargreeves would be rolling in his grave for his defiance. Allison noticed the fallen face of Pogo and she knew something else was hidden or wrong.
" Pogo what else are you hiding from us?" Allison asked
"Not me, your father. The last thing he created before his time was a televator…a time machine in order to gain insight on times past." Pogo shared.
Luther's mouth dropped since he had no idea his father was making that. It should have been shared with him yet his father kept this from him.
" Pogo, how could you not tell us?! You know we missed Five! " Vanya asked in a hurt tone.
"Your father had me swear not to tell you as Five needed to be punished for his insolence as he called it. Where would have I gone if I went against his orders?" Pogo reasoned.
"That's still no excuse, you could have told us Five was alive earlier without dad ever knowing." Allison expressed agitated.
"Hey, let's not be entirely mad at Pogo. At least he's sharing this all now and not letting the lie continue. So…what now?" Luther asked.
" I want to use that machine and see Five. It's been too long and…I want to see him." Vanya said.
"Yea me too. I want to see what Five's been up to all these years. Maybe he's not a cheating and sarcastic asshole anymore. Oh he might even be good looking too." Klaus chuckled in delight.
"I would very much like to know what Five's life is like. Heck, he must have a good reason why he just gave up coming home." Diego mentioned.
"Uh yea Diego, he fell in love. Our brother got his head out of his ass and actually found someone to be with." Klaus said in a sing song voice.
Diego read the letter again and nodded.
"Huh…oh right, he did. Missed it. Now I really got to see what gal wanted to settle down with him. Hope they are easy on the eyes and don't put up with his bullshit." Diego said with a light smirk.
" Fives not that bad, if he found someone they must be an amazing person." Vanya said with a smile
"The televator is down in the lowest part of the manor in the basement. It's important to note there will be a lot of energy readings of your powers in 2002, find the one that's stronger and not in this location. It's also a spatial time machine." Pogo told them.
"Well what are we waiting for then. Let's go see our long lost brother." Klaus said happily.
They all went down into the basement and their mouths dropped at the contraption. It was a time machine and it appeared it could fit everyone for this trip.
"Holy shit." Luther said as he gazed upon the large mechanical teleporter.
"Holy crap. This thing is a time machine?" Allison asked
" I guess we don't come down here so we don't know about this," Vanya shared.
"Well time to rock and roll and find our brother. Been 17 years and he has a lot to explain." Diego expressed as he went inside.
"Woohoo. Road trip.. Through time and space" Klaus said.
"Yeah Klaus, just settle down." Luther told him.
They all got in and Luther was at a loss on how to work this thing. So many flashing lights and monitors that his head spun a bit.
"Uh…right…what should we do?" he asked.
"Pogo said follow the stronger signals." Allison said looking at the machine
Diego inputted the year of 2002 and he saw positions on the map. Though there were a lot of points, there was one clearly stronger in its pulsations and aura energy.
"There." Diego said, pointing to a location on the map.
" I hope Five recognizes us, then again we also may not recognize him." Vanya mused
"Yeah we were all either pre-pubescent or going through puberty….well here goes nothing. Allison, work this machine please?" Diego commented. Allison took over a bit and the machine made some noises before it went through some motions. After a bit the machine arrived at signal destination
" Were here…Somewhere." Allison said as she went outside to look around.
"According to the map, we're in a town outside Chicago." Luther told them.
" Five lives in Chicago now. Last we read he was in Hawkins. Probably went here for college and all that.. Lucky bastard." Klaus mused
"So we're going to go knocking on doors until we find him?" Diego questioned.
Vanya studied the machine and found something hanging on the side.
"Wait there handheld version tracker. It said we are close but not there yet." Come on, let's get going. The sooner we find Five sooner we can ask him all the stuff we want." Vanya mentioned
"Okay yeah…you hold on to that Vanya and we should stick together…wait where the hell is Klaus?" Luther asked. Allison looked around and spotted him
"Found him, he is taking his chances on random people I swear, we should have made him sober up or whatever." Allison said
"I'll get him." Luther groaned as he followed Klaus.
"I'm coming too big guy." Diego commented as they went to get their brother. He was schmoozing a random man and Luther had to drag his ass off the man's property.
Once they got Klaus, Luther scolded,
"Stay by us! And don't just ask random strangers you nutcase!"
"Oh come on, I was trying to help." Klaus whined
" Bothering strangers is not helping." Allison expressed.
Vanya followed the signal to a house that was kind of small but charming in its own way. It had a blue exterior, small garden and 1 car parked in the driveway
"Guys this is it, the signal stops here." Vanya said softly
"Alright so um…let's do this." Luther commented and they all walked to the house. Allison would be lying if she didn't admit she was a bit nervous. As they approached Luther knocked on the door loudly. There was no sound for the first few seconds but then footsteps got close and soon the door opened to reveal a young man in his 30s or so. He was not tall but tall enough between Vanya and Allison. He was dressed in a light shirt with long sleeves and black slacks. His hair was styled nicely and Vanya got a familiar feeling about him, especially when looking in his green eyes.
"Can I help you?" He asked
"Um well…"
This was awkward Luther thought.
"We're looking for our brother." Diego stated.
He glanced at the man at the door and it was clear he couldn't possibly be their brother since he didn't have the tattoo on his arm.
"Okay, that doesn't say much. Do you have a photo of him or a description of him? I mean for all I know you could claim you are looking for your brother but you are really going to rob us" he said snarky tone
"Look, is that thing even working?" Diego whispered to Vanya.
"It should be yes. The signal was strong here then it stopped." Vanya whispered back.
"Okay well maybe dad was losing it in the last few years, it could be defective."
He then returned his attention to the guy.
"As for our brother…we haven't seen him in years." Diego commented.
"Yes, sad really. We don't know where he is. So maybe you can help us out handsome? We would be grateful for your help." Klaus asked with a light yet slightly flirty tone.
"Klaus really?" Luther commented.
The man smirked and scoffed. Guess this is Klaus. Not much changed about him and he wondered…He glanced at everyone and it was dawning on him who these people were…family, his siblings, the siblings of Five Hagreeves. He glanced at the machine and thought to himself 'they found me at last'.
"Well if you haven't seen him in years, I'm not sure how I can help."
"Right of course. Sorry it's just…our dad wasn't the best…"
"He was an awful piece of shit." Diego stated
"That so? That really is horrible. I'm glad I made the right choice then." the man told them with a light smile.
"Wait what?" Luther commented, eyes widening a bit.
All the siblings looked at the man closely and he was smiling at them. The facial features, the tone, the chuckling laugh…
" Holy shit… Five? That's really you?" Klaus asked, putting hand over his mouth in surprise.
"Yeah it's me…guess I look good if you tried to hit on me." Five humorously asked.
"Sorry man it's just…wow you look amazing! All grown up, sophisticated and hot." Klaus complimented.
"Okay settle down Klaus. We're already a weird family, lets's not make this weirder." Luther told him.
Diego couldn't help but chuckle but gave him a slight glare.
"How long were you going to play dumb with us!? It's been 17 years for fuck sakes!" Diego exclaimed.
"Yes, we didn't think you were alive, let alone in the past. I thought you wanted to go forward in time." Allison told him.
"Ah as I recall I said I wanted to learn time travel itself. That goes both ways Allison. But man…it's good to see you all again. I've missed you so much." Five expressed
Vanya smiled. She was relieved Five was alive and was ok, safe, and healthy. She hugged her brother tightly and Five hugged her back, gently stroking her back. His family found him. He's waited for this day and he hoped they would understand why he didn't come home and accept his loving partner when he returns.
" Lets go inside to chat, it's too long to stand outside and catch up. Come inside, we have much to talk about and a lot for me to explain." Five said.
They had so much to talk about and catch up on and so many questions. What mattered most was that most of the family was together again.
Note-Sorry for the long delay. Had this done much sooner but life got in the way and I've been drained. Hope this was worth the wait and the next update hopefully will be soon.