Right okay so the last few chapters are now completely different so enjoyyy


Disclaimer: I do not own R5, Bradley Simpson from The Vamps, 5 Seconds of Summer, Dan Howell (danisnotonfire), Joe Sugg (ThatcherJoe), Caspar Lee or Phil Lester (AmazingPhil) - all rights go to Hollywood Records, Virgin EMI/Mercury/Universal Records, Capitol Records & YouTube!


Chapter 30
Be A Little Proud

Whilst Brad and Ashton had gone up to HQ to free Priscilla and Harvey, Ross and Rocky had gone down to the basement to let everyone out so they could escape/run/flee back home however they wanted and as fast as they could to be with their families, friends and loved ones as the world was coming to a devastating end.

Luke had ran to the nearest room that had a TV and switched on the News channel, and it was official. They had failed spectacularly.

Some of the warheads that had been released from the vaults had hit Canberra and Sydney in Australia as well as Spain, Russia and Japan – meaning Luke, Ashton and Landon couldn't go home cause they no longer had a home or family. Hell was breaking lose all over the world, panic was starting and so was a war.

Just like the one that had created Rydel, Calum and Michael's 2037 – only a little bit differently.

Rydel, Michael!Brad and Calum had ordered that everyone that was Brad, Ross, Rocky, Luke, Ashton, Samara, Phil, Renzo, Bailey etc. went to the Epoch Room as they would be safe in there due to the metallic of the room, and nobody would be able to get in unless they let them in.

Ross and Rocky had got back to the Epoch Room where everyone was after letting everyone out the basement. Joe sat on the steps leading up to the Epoch, staring into space with tears in his eyes, with Caspar sat next to him looking numb. Phil was sat in a chair by himself, looking upset – most likely about the world and because he had learnt of Dan's death as well as Samara who was sat on the floor.

Brad was also sat on the floor with his legs brought up to his chest whilst Luke and Ashton were sat on the floor together, where Luke had his arm round Ashton who was leaning into him with his head in his neck. Ross sat down in the nearest spot that was empty and Rocky walked into the middle of the room "I'm sorry. I'm really… really sorry." He said.

And nobody responded.

They knew it wasn't Rocky's fault that this was happening, but they couldn't think of anything to say.

Rocky looked over to Rydel, Michael!Brad, Calum and Courtney "You guys can go back to 2037 if you want. You know and have seen what happens next. I don't think you all need to see it again."

Michael!Brad shook his head "No, we're staying. The world's ended differently to how it did in our 2037 – the only thing that's the same is that it ended because of nuclear warheads being let off."

Rocky nodded as everyone stayed silent. "Does anybody want to leave and go home? We have wrist-epoch's that can get you home, it's absolutely fine if you want to go."

"I want to but… I can't." Ashton said, getting worked up and upset again as tears started streaming down his face. He couldn't go home because Sydney was gone as well as his family – his home was the first place to be hit. Luke put both his arms round him for comfort and kissed his head as he started crying.

"I want to." Bailey said, getting up from where he sat.

"I think it's best we send all five of you home. You don't need to see all this. You need to be with your families." Rocky said, as Bailey, Renzo, Ryan, Landon and Ashley were young and nobody was in the room right now would be able to look after them due to them having some other sort of responsibility during this.

"Well I can't. Australia's pretty much non-existent now. My families dead. All of them. Every last one." Landon said.

"Same here." Luke said, and that wasn't because of the warheads why they were dead.

"Just come with me." Ashley said.

"Are you sure?" Landon asked, and she nodded.

Rydel took the wrist-epoch's Luke and Ashton were using off them, as they didn't need them anymore, and gave one to Ashley, Landon and Renzo to share and the other one to Ryan and Bailey so they could share. "Coordinates are set. Ryan, you're going home first. Renzo, you are too. Afterwards, Ashley and Bailey, just type in your home and it should take you." Rydel said, walking away from them.

Joe got up from the floor "I'm going too. I need to. I need to see her."

"See who?" Ross asked.

"My daughter. I can't leave her all alone with my sister. She needs me."

"You have a daughter?" Brad questioned, becoming baffled.

"Yeah, I do. She's called Jenny and is probably petrified right now so can someone give me a damn wrist-epoch so I can get home!" Joe snapped, then breathing deeply to calm down as tears threatened his eyes.

Rydel took off her wrist-epoch and handed it to him "Here. You and Bailey can share one instead of Ryan and Bailey, but Bailey goes home first, alright?"

Joe nodded as he put on the wrist-epoch and let Bailey type in where his home was. He looked round at everyone in the room "Thank you for everything. Every single one of you. I know I haven't or didn't really show it a lot but… I love you guys a hell of a lot. I wish you all the best that can come out of this situation and I'm sorry I have to leave but… my daughter."

"It's alright, Joe. Don't worry." Rocky said.

Joe smiled a little and let it fall, getting ready to go as well as Bailey who held onto him. "Oh, and one last thing…" Joe said.

Silence fell as Joe looked at Brad, Ross, Rocky, Luke and Ashton individually.

"I believe in you."

And that was the last thing Joe said before he pressed the transport button and he and Bailey disappeared.

Ashley sighed, taking off the wrist-epoch she was wearing and giving it to Renzo "I can't go home either… Spain's been hit too," She said, and Landon put an arm round her "you two may as well go and be with your family."

"Are you sure?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah. I'm not stopping you. I'd do the same if there was a possibility my family were still alive."

Ryan smiled a little before hugging her and Renzo hugged Landon. "It's been fun. Goodbye." Renzo said.

"Goodbye." Landon said.

A few seconds later, Ryan and Renzo disappeared one after the other to go home.

The entire room shook, meaning that somewhere else had now been hit – and because everyone was panicking and doing ridiculous things whilst in a state of panic.

Luke stroked Ashton's hair "You call her Lucy," he said, making Ashton look at him confused "I know you're pregnant. When we both got sent to different futures, I got sent to the one where it ends and we didn't save the world. AKA this one. She was there with Michael."

"Oh… So this is why you've been acting the way you have with me." Ashton said, coming to a realisation of how Luke's behaviour in the last few hours was finally making sense and Luke nodded. "What was she like?" Ashton asked, as by the way Luke had just worded his sentence it sounded as though Ashton wasn't there – aka he wasn't/isn't going to be alive.

"Beautiful." Luke said.

Ashton smiled a little and Luke kissed his lips gently before putting his arm back round Ashton.

"I'm going to die in the next few minutes." Luke said, making everyone in the room turn their attention to him.

Ashton immediately sat up from Luke's arms "W-what? Why?"

"Maxwell's still alive."

Maxwell made his way purposefully through the base with a gun in his hand, ignoring everyone who was running by and panicking, in the attempt to find Luke and kill him with so much as giving it a second thought.

Luke got up off the floor and Ashton got up straight after him "What? No! You don't know that!" Ashton said.

"I do. Michael and Lucy told me when I went to the future the world ends because Maxwell kills me 'cause we all thought he was dead after I threw him off the roof but he survived." Luke said.

"Watch me." Rocky said, about ready to run out of Maxwell and kill him before he even got a chance to come anywhere near the science unit.

"No, Rocky," Luke said, putting his arm out as if to stop him. He looked back at Ashton "I'm the one who threw him off the roof in the attempt to kill him so therefore he's coming for me and nobody else. I may as well just go to him to save anybody else in here getting hurt or killed."

The room shook again from yet another explosion.

"Sure… Surely there's another way. Surely we can kill him before he kills you." Ashton said.

Luke sighed and shook his head "No… I don't know where he is. He knows where I am."

"There you go! You know where he is! He's making his way here!"

"Ash…"

Ashton looked round at everyone in the room as a silence fell "Why can't someone else go look for him and kill him?" He asked, where Luke tried to speak but he couldn't get a word in "what about you, Rocky? Can't you?"

"Ashton." Luke said, getting slightly worried by the way he was now acting.

"What? And get killed the moment he sees me?" Rocky questioned.

Ashton shrugged "W-well… I don't know."

"Ashton, stop." Luke said.

BANG.

BANG.

BANG.

"Luke. I know you're in there." Maxwell said from the other side of the door after aggressively knocking on it.

"I'll go." Ashton said.

"No you won't! This is my fault. I should've made sure he was dead like I was told to instead of assuming he was 'cause he fell from the roof." Luke said.

"I don't care if it's your fault, let someone else go. Please. I don't wanna be without you."

"I can't send someone else, that's not the right thing to do and you know it. This is the way it's supposed to happen." Luke said, trying to be nice and calm despite the fact that Ashton was clearly starting to lose his mind in front of him.

"I don't care!" Ashton raised his voice a little.

"Shut up, yes you do. You always do and always have. You can't stay mad, angry or hurtful in anyway at someone for longer than five seconds without feeling guilty or letting yourself forgive the person you're angry and mad at because you have too much compassion and empathy which is one of the reasons on the very long list of why I love you. You care too much and you know it." Luke snapped, his voice cracking a little.

Ashton shook his head "No I don't."

"You do. And I know it." Silence fell again as Luke took a step closer to him "Ash… Please… If this is the last time I see you please… Don't… don't turn into this. Don't start turning into a person that doesn't care, 'cause it's not you. I know it's not. I mean, you can try to be uncaring and heartless but I guarantee it'll last about five minutes before you start crying with guilt." He said, making Ashton laugh a little.

"Luke!" Maxwell shouted from outside the door, and banging on it again.

Luke looked around at Michael!Brad, Phil, Rydel and Courtney as they had the most knowledge about time travel "Just in case there is a way… Is there any way he can die before he kills me? That way he doesn't."

"We've messed with the future too many times and now look what's happened. Dan was right. You should never mess with the past that leads to a certain future… It can change it in dramatic ways – good or bad – or make it even worse than it is." Phil said, staring out into space.

Luke nodded, seeing how it was fair. He breathed deeply "Well, if Dan can do it so can I."

"Do what?" Ashton asked.

"Die bravely and rightfully."

Ashton shook his head and wiped his face "No. No. This isn't happening. No." He said, trying not to get upset 'cause if Luke died all he'd have left is Brad "I shouldn't have done this. This is all my fault."

"Done what?" Luke asked, confused.

"Brought you here. I sh… When I came here for the first time by myself all those years ago, I should never have put forward the idea of you coming too when you were old enough. M-maybe then none of this would've happened."

"Oh and you would have rather me be miserable back in Sydney without you?" Luke retorted/questioned "you were the only friend I had back there and you left me to come here so I followed you because I wanted to, not because you put forward the idea."

"I know but still! I should have looked after you better just like your Mum asked me too 'cause she worried about what would happened to you and now look! And I should have just taken care of and looked after you anyway."

"I didn't ask you to." Luke said.

"You shouldn't have to! If you love someone they shouldn't have to ask for you to take care of them."

BANG!

Maxwell had begun to try and shoot off the lock, but it wasn't working and the gun going off unexpectedly made Samara scream as she was closest to the Epoch door.

"I think he's getting impatient…" Ross said, even though he didn't want Luke to go and be killed by him.

"He can't get through the door, the lock can't be shot off so easily." Calum said.

"Luke, I'm so sorry. If I'd have known that Mariah, Abasi, Isaac and Oakley had this planned—" Courtney said, feeling very guilty, and only to be cut off.

"No, Courtney." Luke said.

"No, really, I—"

"Seriously Courtney, shut up. If you keep going on with that explanation and start to feel the slightest bit guilty I swear—"

BANG!

This time, the Epoch door lock sparked a little. "LUKE!" Maxwell shouted, getting and sounding really impatient.

Luke looked at Ashton, knowing that his time was becoming very, very short "You. Listen to me. I'm leaving and you're going to be alone, all you're going to have is Brad and Lucy when she's born. You're gonna be sad, you're going to be very angry but listen, okay? Don't let this change who you are, don't let this turn you into someone I wouldn't recognise or even begin to believe was you. You look after Brad and you look after Lucy, that's the most important thing."

"What's the point in looking after them when I couldn't even look after you?" Ashton asked, looking at him sadly.

"Look after yourself. Don't let this turn you into a monster or into someone like Priscilla, Maxwell and Harvey, 'cause I can see it slowly bubbling in your eyes and by your facial expression. Don't do it. Please. I don't want to be looking down on you and seeing you as this… Person I don't want to know. I'm not asking you to promise me, I'm telling you to 'cause that way you have to do it. Do not insult my memory. Do not hurt anybody thinking it's their fault I'm gone, 'cause it's nobody's fault – it's my own. You don't change at all. You look after our kids. And more importantly… Nobody suffers at all."

"What about me?"

Luke cracked a small sad smile "If there was something I could do about that, you know I would. We're just both going to have to be brave."

Ashton let out a small sob, being unable to hold back his sadness, and Luke immediately hugged him, and he hugged back. Ashton went to speak but Luke stopped him "No, don't. I know what you're going to say. I know every single word of what you're about to say. Everything. Just… Please not now." Luke said softly.

BANG!

"Luke, I swear to god if you do not come out here in the next two minutes, you won't be the only one I kill." Maxwell said, threateningly and angrily.

"I'm coming! Jesus Christ, give a man chance to say goodbye." Luke said, after pulling away from the hug with Ashton and raising his voice so Maxwell could hear him. Maxwell was then heard walking away from the door – not leaving, but to hide.

"Please don't go on your own. Let me come with you." Ashton said.

Luke smiled a little and shook his head "No. You stay here, everyone does this alone. I don't want you to see this."

"But—"

"Ever since I've came to this place and have been in the situations we've been in… This is as brave as I know how to be. Trust me. You should know that in any situation we're in – expect and accept death. And I know this is gonna hurt you but please… Be a little proud of me. He's not going to rest until he kills me and you know it."

The pair stared at each other for a moment, clearly forgetting that everyone else was in the room with them, but they didn't care that they had. Even Brad didn't, even though he was expecting some sort of goodbye from Luke as he is his Father after all – but watching Luke and Ashton, that didn't matter to him.

"Brad…"

Brad looked up from where he sat and saw Luke standing in front of him, holding out his hand. He took it and Luke pulled him up from the floor where he brought him into a hug and Brad immediately hugged back. "I don't want you to go." Brad said, sadly and quietly.

"I know," Luke said, also lowering his voice so nobody else could make out what the pair were saying "be good."

"It's the end of the world how am I supposed to be good?"

"I don't know… Isn't it what every Dad says to their child before leaving and never coming back?" Luke questioned, making Brad laugh a little.

"So what you're trying to say is that you're trying to be mainstream and cliché?"

"I have no idea what I'm doing to be honest."

A short silence fell between them both as tears started stinging at Brad's eyes. "Take care of them both, I don't want anything bad happening to them, I'd die inside of anything did, and it's most likely to given the circumstances of the world now. And most importantly look after yourself, I don't want you getting hurt or killed either – now that would kill me." Luke said.

Brad nodded, still being in the hug with Luke "I will, I promise. I won't let anything come so much as a metre or two close to them."

"Thank you."

Brad sighed tightly and shut his eyes, trying not to let any tears fall. "I love you, Dad."

Luke held him a bit tighter, now also trying not to cry "I love you too, son."

He pulled away from the hug and gently kissed him on the forehead before giving him one last look and going back over to Ashton.

Luke looked at the Epoch door and it was there and then that the pair, and everyone else, knew it was Luke's time to go. "I love you." Ashton said, his voice cracking sadly.

"I love you too."

The couple kissed each other – it being the final time they would ever do so. They slowly pulled away after a short while, trying to make the kiss last for as long as they could, and Luke held onto Ashton's hand, kissing it gently "Goodbye, Ash." He said.

BANG!

BANG!

Luke breathed deeply and let go of Ashton's hand, making his way out of the Epoch Room with his gun in his hand – making it appear as though he was going to try and kill Maxwell, but unfortunately he knew the gun was empty and had no bullets.

He got into the hallway but Maxwell wasn't there so he started walking up the hallway, being scared even though he knew what was to come. Despite Luke telling him not to, Ashton followed him out of the room and watched him from the door.

Luke got halfway up the hallway when Maxwell appeared with his gun in his hand, beginning to fill it up with bullets which gave Luke his cue to stop walking and stay put where he was. He dropped the gun out of his hand as he knew it wasn't going to help him at all being empty. Maxwell's fun was refilled and he aimed it at Luke, pulling the hammer back and Luke opened his arms welcomingly for him to do so. Maxwell put his finger on the trigger.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Luke gasped and Ashton froze in shock that what had just happened before Luke started screaming in pain that felt like it echoed throughout and everybody in the base could hear it. Everyone who was sat in the Epoch Room jumped the moment they heard him scream in pain and became horrified.

A few seconds later, Luke stopped screaming and collapsed to the floor. Ashton was tempted and went to run over to him but he stopped due to what Luke had said to him beforehand. But he didn't care. Ashton ran to him anyway, as he didn't want Maxwell's face being the last face he seen, and knelt next to him where he seen Luke's eyes fluttering shut.

Ashton stroked his face gently so that Luke opened up his eyes one last time and he did, letting a very small smile creep upon his face when he seen Ashton before his eyes shut completely.

He was dead.

Ashton frowned, biting back tears, and kissed his head before getting up off the floor and glancing at Maxwell before making his way back into the room.

BANG!

Next: Every Plan Results in Death


Please review to let me know what you think etc. & if you would like to see the rest of the alternate ending. :)