Finally I have finished this chapter...what, there's TEN MORE EPISODES TO ADD TO THIS? Sigh...such is life. Well, when I eventually finish the first season on this, season 2 will follow. I won't give a schedule for updates, as I find I update more often without them. See you soon.
"It was clearly my time, mourning me is commendable as people, but for your duty, you must put such lesser thoughts from your minds and instead work together."
"Work together? On what?" Diego asked. "You just died, old man, I don't think we need to listen to what you think from here onwards."
"Hey, show some respect." Luther growled at his brother, the two of them eyeing each other.
"No, I want to know what he means myself." Klaus said. "You want your death to make us work together? You want the Umbrella Academy back together or something? Hate to tell you this, daddy dearest, but that ship sank long ago."
"Klaus!" Luther admonished him as Reginald frowned.
"I was hard on you, all of you, but maybe you most of all, Number Four. What I did though, I did for your own good, for the good of the world, to help you realise your true potential. If I had to do it all again, I would, without hesitation." Reginald informed Klaus.
"Look, we can all agree Dad was a dick, well, except Luther, but can we get on with this?" Five asked. "I don't know about you guys, but the apocalypse, that's something that needs to be stopped in my opinion."
"Another thing, what gives you the right to just show up out of the blue, and start making demands?" Klaus turned on Five. "Where have you been? What have you been doing? Why do you believe Dad's bullshit about the end of the world?"
"I'm sure these things will say, if it's about what I think it is, maybe I'll show up." Five said curtly.
"Why would you come back?" Diego asked, curiously. "You got out. You escaped before Dad could truly fuck you up, why come back?"
"Let's just watch the videos." Five said, turning back to the screen, ignoring Diego and Klaus' protests.
Vanya found herself in the back of a cab and pulled up outside of the Academy, the camera panning to show inside.
"Well, looks like we're all back at the madhouse." Diego said, looking around at the sight of his childhood, the site of his and all of his siblings trauma.
"Master Diego, some respect, please." Pogo pleaded.
"No, I'm sorry, but he's right, Pogo. The Academy was a madhouse, and I'm surprised we came back, even with Dad dead." Allison stated.
"Why wouldn't you come back?" Luther asked.
"Why would we?" Vanya asked, speaking up. "We all had a hard life here, except you, Luther."
"You don't know anything about a hard life, Vanya." Diego snapped at her.
"Really? I don't? You guys had it all, I was ignored and despised." Vanya spat at him, shrinking back when she realised what she had done.
"I was tortured in a water tank. Allison lost her voice repeatedly. Klaus had to take drugs for his issues, and you were ignored? Oh, boohoo." Diego snarled.
"Look, I'm sorry, alright. I know writing the book was a mistake, I was angry, and determined that for once, I'd be heard. I should have consulted you guys about the book, I know I should have. I can't change the past though." Vanya said meekly as Diego turned back to the screen in disgust.
"She's not wrong though." Five spoke up. "We all had hard lives there, but at least Luther had being dad's golden boy to fall back on. The rest of us, we only had each other. It seems when I left, even that wasn't there." Five admitted with a frown.
Hey Mom. Mom?" Vanya asked on screen as Grace sat by the fireplace, staring into space.
"Have to say, didn't expect the shrine to me." Five said, looking around the room and seeing the picture above the fireplace. "Huh. Surprised I didn't notice that already."
"We never gave up hope that you might come back one day, Five." Vanya said softly. "I'd always leave sandwiches out for you, just in case you were hungry when you came back."
"I know." Five said, giving her a small smile before his face became blank again.
"How?" Klaus asked, interest peaking.
"I found your book, in the future." Five said, looking at Vanya, the rest silent, listening. "Told me a lot about what I missed, have to say, airing the family secrets like that? Pretty ballsy."
"You did? I'm so sorry, Five-" Vanya began to apologise again before he held up a hand to stop her. Reaching into his pocket, Five fished out a tattered old book that the siblings at least recognised.
"It gave me a drive, a reason to make sure I got back here. For that, I'll always be grateful to you for writing it, Van." Five said, smiling again as Vanya timidly smiled back.
"If any good came out of writing that book, if it somehow helped you to come home, then it was worth it, all of it." Vanya told Five.
"Vanya? You're actually here." Allison said as she came down the stairs to hug her sister, before Diego came in and interrupted them. "What is she doing here? You don't belong here, not after what you did."
"Look, I can't apologise for it any more than I already have, can we leave it at that?" Vanya cried.
"I can't just forgive and forget, Vanya, neither can the rest of us." Diego snarled at her.
"Hey, idiots!" Five called, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "I actually have important things to be doing in this time so if we could move on so I can get back to doing them, that would be helpful to me."
"What's so important that you think you can come back, after all of this time, and talk down to us, Five?" Luther demanded. "What makes you think you're better than all of us?"
"I am better than all of you, or at least you, Luther." Five growled. "As for what's more important, I'm sure these clips will say, if not, I might humour you. I'm busy, and this, and by extension, you, are a distraction."
"You're seriously gonna do this today? Way to dress for the occasion by the way."
"Thank you, Allison." Vanya said.
"I don't agree with what you did, Vanya, but Diego was out of line." Allison admitted.
Vanya just nodded. Knowing forgiveness would be slow coming, but thinking it may be possible.
Heading to Luther exploring his dad's old room, and Diego following behind him, Luther checks the windows.
"I can save you some time. They're all locked. No signs of struggle. No forced entry. Nothing out of the ordinary."
Diego then talked more about finding the report and how Reginald died, before Luther asked if he was there first.
"Pogo found him." Diego told him.
"Thank you, old friend." Reginald quietly told him, knowing Pogo had gone through with his plan.
"Yes, Master Reginald." Pogo said to him quietly, frowning.
Luther and Diego discussed Reginald's death for a few minutes before the scene cut to Vanya, exploring the room they were currently in. Focusing in on Umbrella Academy memorabilia before Vanya pulled her own book off of the bookcase. Seeing the inscription she had written in the book as Pogo approached her.
"Did you ever even read it, dad?" Vanya asked Reginald, who just stared blankly at her. "Didn't think so..." She muttered after a moment, turning away.
"Did he ever read it?"
"Not that I'm aware of, no." Pogo admitted to her.
"Way to raise the dick factor, Dad." Klaus grumbled. "Even I read it in rehab."
Nobody else said anything to this, Vanya looked down in her lap, missing the flash of what might have been, had somebody not known better, concern in Reginald's eyes. (I mean, he had a shrine to Five, said he wanted the best for all of them, he was a grade A dick and even worse than Dumbledore as a leader and a father type, but Reginald did care for his kids in his own way. I'm almost certain he DID read Vanya's book, just once.)
"How long has it been since Five disappeared?"
"16 years, 4 months and 14 days. Your father insisted I keep track."
"Well, at least you could do one thing for one of us?" Allison remarked, Luther frowning at her as she did.
"Come on Allison, that's not fair." Luther protested.
"Since when has life ever been fair to one of us, Number One?" Diego piped in, glaring as Luther who stared back at him.
"Boys, stop this at once!" Pogo protested.
Five shook his head and pressed play once again, deciding to let the two idiots fight it out amongst themselves.
Allison headed up into another room, looking around as a flashback hit her.
"Number Three, you are to stay out of my office, even after I am gone, is that clear?" Reginald barked at her, making Allison jump slightly.
"Fuck off, you're dead, you can't stop us from doing anything." Klaus said.
Before anyone could say anything, they heard Allison on screen.
"Klaus, is that you?" Allison asked, as Klaus popped his head up on screen, mumbling and trying to distract Allison by asking for her autograph. As Allison asked if he was just out of rehab, Klaus lied about it and said he was ensuring Reginald were actually dead. Before Luther came in and told Klaus to get out of the study, and hand over what he had stolen, with Luther and Allison looking at one another with tension as Klaus left, kissing the box he had successfully swiped.
"Klaus, what did you do?" Luther groaned.
"I haven't done anything yet, brother dear." Klaus winked at him as Pogo shook his head.
"Master Klaus..."
"Number Four, I cannot believe this level of reckless behaviour and self-destruction." Reginald said, looking at Klaus with utter disdain. "That box must NEVER be taken from my study, do you understand? Its contents cannot be found by any passing person." Reginald warned them all. "None of you are to touch it, even when I am gone, Pogo, I expect you to take care of that."
"Yes, Sir." Pogo nodded his head as Klaus looked scandalised.
"I say its part of my inheritance, daddy dearest." Klaus snorted.
"Enough, Number Four." Reginald barked, as everyone turned back to the television.
"So Klaus is still Klaus." Luther said, as Allison remarked on how its comforting, before they both laughed about Diego and his costume.
"I do not!" Diego protested as the rest of his siblings bar Vanya began sniggering at him.
"I can imagine you do." Klaus said, wiggling his eyebrows, just to duck as Diego threw a knife at his head.
"He got custody." Allison said, with Luther joking she could use her powers and Allison explaining she doesn't use them anymore, that she made a wish that came true and she couldn't take it back.
Allison grimaced as she remembered the messy divorce that followed all of that. Reginald scowled at the reminder that Number Three was wasting her gifts but wisely kept his own counsel on the matter, for now anyway.
"I figured we could have a sort of memorial service." Luther started, before the conversation between the siblings descended into arguments about what had happened to Reginald.
"Isn't it obvious? He thinks one of us killed dad." Diego dropped the bomb on the rest of them.
"Are you kidding me?!" Allison asked as Luther cringed at his future self. He knew his siblings hated their father, but he knew, deep down, they wouldn't kill him.
"If I wanted to kill him, he would have died years ago." Diego said, Vanya shook her head at all of it.
"Why would I want to kill him? He would probably come after me, to pester me about my failings for eternity." Klaus joked, Ben shaking his head at him.
"I admire your reasoning, Number One." Reginald told Luther. "You cannot rule anything else, heart failure does seem unlikely with my dietary regime."
"Do us all a favour and drop dead now." Diego said as Luther growled at him.
"Diego, stop it." Allison said before Luther could get involved.
"That's right, defend him Number Three." Diego sneered.
"You know I have little love for dad, but we don't know what happened, we need to be quiet and just watch, we can accuse one another of murder later on." Five remarked from where he was sitting, the others startling as he talked for the first time in a while.
The scene switched to a bank robbery years before and the Umbrella Academy getting to work, taking out the thieves.
"Wow, look at us go." Klaus giggled as the rest glared at the screen.
Vanya watched with shock, she knew what her siblings could do, but seeing them in action for the first time was something else. She felt a twinge of jealously and resolved that she would need to up her medication dosage when she got out of here, before all of this triggered her anxiety.
Allison winced as she saw her younger self using her powers with abandon, not knowing the terrible drawbacks they would bring, Diego and Luther looked proud as their talents were showcased, Five simply looked bored watching his younger self without a care in the world. All of them sat up a little straighter with sad looks as Ben appeared on the screen, all except Klaus, who flashed Ben a grin and a thumbs up, with Pogo and Reginald watching him with concern.
"Why can't I go play with the others?" Young Vanya asked, as Reginald replied "We've been over this before, Number Seven. I'm afraid there's just nothing special about you."
Vanya hid her face as she tried not to show just how much those words stung her, even now. Failing to notice the somewhat sympathetic looks on Allison and Five's faces. Ben even looked sadly towards her, whilst Klaus thought inside just what a bad father Reginald really was to all seven of them.
The scene shifted to show the siblings scattered throughout the house, all brooding, when Luther put on a song on the vinyl and cranked up the volume, before long all the siblings were dancing along to the song onscreen.
"Wow, look at those moves, big boy." Diego said to Luther who blushed.
"At least I'm not doing some broken robot dance." He bit back.
"I think Allison is dancing the least weird out of us all." Klaus joked as it showed him cradling Reginald's urn.
"What are you even doing, Vanya?2 Five asked as Vanya turned beet red at her own dancing.
"This is unacceptable!" Reginald bellowed at it all. "Have you children learnt no decorum whatsoever?"
"Oh, who cares?" Five told him. "I agree I wouldn't do this, but Klaus has been right, we all detest you, father dearest. I don't blame what they're doing.
Before Reginald could retort, the scene changed.
Blue lights flashing and wind whipping around as they rushed outside to see a black hole appearing
"This must be where I come in." Five remarked.
"It looks like the anomaly did when you got here." Vanya spoke up. "Must be you."
They watched as an old man forced his way into the portal.
"Wait, Five, is that you?" Klaus asked, gasping for dramatic effect as Five nodded.
"It's what I'm meant to look like, got the equations wrong when I went through, obviously, ended up de-ageing myself like an idiot."
"Well I did warn you time travel what time travel would be like, Number Five." Reginald told him. "I told you-"
"-Oh no you don't." Five snarled, hurrying to get the show to play once more.
"I have to say, you pull off the old man look." Diego acknowledged.
Five arrived in their time, before the scene changed to the dining room, with Five asking the date and fixing himself some food, before explaining what had happened to him. "Forty five years, give or take."
"Wait, you're 58?" Luther asked, incredulously.
"What part of the future for forty five years did your pea sized mind fail to grasp?" Five snarled at him. He needed to know where the eye came from, not worry about the squabbles of his siblings, not now.
Luther rose in anger before being glared at by Allison, sitting back down, he stared daggers at Five, who blanked him.
"We need to keep watching, find out more about this." Allison reasoned. "Let's just see what happens."
"Finally, one of you has a brain." Five muttered.
The scene changed once more to show Vanya and Five discussing the past few years, before it turned once more to the funeral of Reginald, and Pogo giving a eulogy for his master.
"Thank you for that, my friend." Reginald said. "Truly inspiring words."
"It will be my honour, sir." Pogo replied.
"He was a monster. He was a bad person and a worse father, and the world is better off without him."
"Diego!"
"MY NAME, is Number Two? You know why? Because our father couldn't be bothered to give us actual names."
"Well, he has a point." Klaus said, as Luther and Allison just looked scandalised at Diego, with Reginald pursing his lips into a frown, but refusing to dignify anything that would please Diego, like a response.
The scene played on to show Luther and Diego brawling, with Diego slicing Luther's arm and Luther retreating into the house, the rest of them slowly following. It then showed Klaus, putting a cigarette out into Reginald's ashes, the scene changing once again to show the Academy in training before Reginald or Luther could speak out and blast Klaus for his actions.
The scene changed on Pogo and Vanya talking, about how Vanya would always have a place at the Academy, before changing to show Five deciding to leave the house in the car, with Klaus electing to go with Diego for a lift elsewhere, their business back at the Academy being completed.
"You never could see anything through to the end, Number Two, and you especially couldn't Number Four." Reginald barked, enjoying the look of pain on both of their faces as his barbs hit home.
'Maybe this will be the hit they need to actually be able to achieve their potential.' He thought to himself.
"Where do you get off, you sanctimonious old man?" Diego said, rising to his feet, Luther mirroring him, ready to step in if a fight broke out.
"Children, can we please just finish this? I have stuff I need to do." Five shouted, getting their attentions once more. "Thank you, now, sit."
It showed Grace going to recharge and staring at the portraits and the people in them, longing to be a part of these worlds, when the scene changed again, this time to Griddy's Doughnuts.
"Griddy's? How long has it been since we went there?" Allison asked aloud.
"God, it was...I think the day before Five left was the last time we all went." Klaus said, casting his mind to a happier time with his siblings.
"Why did you stop?" Five asked softly, curiosity in his voice.
"It wasn't the same without all of us, and once you left, we drifted apart one by one." Diego admitted.
"Huh." Five simply said, turning his attention to the screen, his siblings missing the single tear in his eye.
Five talked with a man about his past and how the place had changed, before asking for an address. The scene changed to show a group of men armed with guns enter the building. "Thought I'd have more time before they found me." Five told the leader.
"Ok, who are these guys and why are they after you, Five?" Allison asked, concerned.
"It's not important right now. Let's just say, I clearly made their employers mad."
"Who are their employers?" Luther asked.
"They're called The Commission. I'm sure it'll explain."
"You think I want to kill a kid? Go home with that on my conscience?"
"I wouldn't worry about it. You won't be going home." Five said before he began attacking the thugs, killing them one by one whilst music played in the background.
"Oh my God, Five you're badass." Diego nodded in respect as Five cleared up the shop.
"You're killing those men!" Vanya exclaimed, shocked by what was happening before her eyes.
"It's him or them." Klaus said softly, leaning over to Vanya. "I'm pretty sure we'd both rather Five was ok."
"You're right." Vanya said.
"At least it seems all your training wasn't a complete waste, Number Five." Reginald simply said, noting how Five moved and used his powers. Intriguing.
Five finished them all off before using a knife to dig a flashing beacon from his arm, dropping it outside as he left. The scene changed again to show Diego at the waterfront, with Klaus in his car behind him.
"Why do you have dad's monocle?!" Luther demanded to know.
"How should I know? You don't seriously believe I offed the old man, do you?" Diego asked.
"I wonder too, but I must agree with Number Two. He doesn't have the edge needed to have killed me." Reginald said.
Diego glared at Reginald as Luther settled back, letting the matter drop for now.
Klaus sat in the back of Diego's car, talking to a hooded figure about eating eggs and waffles.
"Klaus, who did you invite into my car?" Diego asked, freaking out. How did this guy get in there without Diego seeing?
"I didn't invite anyone, Ben is always with me." Klaus replied.
"Not this again, don't you get enough attention? Being high all the time must be screwing with you." Luther snarled at Klaus.
"Don't disrespect Ben's memory like that." Allison said curtly, glaring at Klaus as Diego also shot daggers at him. Vanya looked away, embarrassed, with Five and Reginald both looking bored at the proceedings. Pogo gave Klaus a sad look that Klaus felt stung most of all, half pity, half disappointment.
"I'm telling the truth! That's Ben!" Klaus argued as even Vanya began to frown now.
The screen flashed to say "Number Six. Ben. (Deceased)"
"Ben..." Vanya said softly, Five's eyes widened at it and even Reginald leaned in slightly closer.
"What...how…?" Luther asked, confused by what he was seeing.
"I told you." Klaus said softly. "I'd never lie about Ben."
"I'm sorry, Klaus." Diego said first, Allison nodding behind him as the others murmured their agreement.
"Is...Is Ben here now?" Vanya asked softly, Klaus nodded, pointing to where Ben was sitting.
"Hi, Ben." Vanya smiled, the others all waving at the same point. Ben waved back.
"Ben says hi back." Klaus told them all, their smiles growing at that.
The scene changed once more to show Five entering Vanya's apartment and discussing with her why he had come to her when injured, and telling her about the future.
"Do you know what I found? Nothing, absolutely nothing. As far as I could tell, I was the last person left alive. I never figured out what killed the human race but I did find something else, the date it happens. The world ends in eight days, and I have no idea how to stop it."
"Oh God." Everyone but Five and Reginald said, seeing the flames and the rubble around the younger Five.
"How did you survive in all that, Five?" Klaus asked, shocked.
"I nearly didn't. I did what I needed too though." Five simply said, his eyes swimming with the pain of it all, refusing to let the others know.
"We need to figure out how to stop this, it happens on April 1st, right?" Luther asked.
"I'm working on it, have been for some time. If I need you, I'll say." Five said shortly, slipping his hand into his pocket to roll the fake eye in his hand. He would need to look for its owner now he was back here, if these films didn't show him who it was.
"Well, on that delightful note, I suggest we all take a two minute break." Reginald announced, standing, Pogo walking to stand beside him. "Number Five. A word."