Giving up. What sounded like an impossible thing to accept came with perks. As Five helped Luther tidy himself up, he kept sparing glances at his other brothers going through the rack of clothes the hotel's tailor had on stock. They tried their best to dress for the occasion but kept laughing at each other's style. They mocked Luther for ripping open 2 suits. They laughed when Diego admitted he will not wear a suffocating neck tie because it would cramp his style. They helped when Viktor couldn't decide on his outfit but immediately turned down Klaus's ideas to go his route with no hesitation.

Five hadn't once thought about the world ending since he started singing with his brothers. He thought more about how they grew up to be such silly adults without him looking. That somehow they managed to all be here when it mattered the most. It was nice.

"Seriously Luther, does basic personal care mean nothing to you?" Five whacked the razor with shaving cream against the metal water bowl.

"I'm part chimpanzee, shaving really isn't the same as it is for a teenage body."

"You should still keep up with it."

"You don't think his fiancée hasn't already taken a trip around Luther city?" Klaus suggested from behind them.

"They even did it with her powers." Diego chimed in.

"Alright I do not need my sex life on display."

"What you need is to stay still." Five forced Luther to face forward. If the man wasn't built the way he was, Five would have cut him multiple times with how much he was moving.

"Guys, leave Luther alone."

"Come on Viktor, it's his wedding day. What other day do we have to make fun of him?"

"Every day. Since we were kids. You guys always made fun of me. Now look at us. I'm the one getting married to my beautiful wife today."

"We know Luther. We're here for your wedding if you'll please stop stating the same thing over and over again. To be frank I would much rather be spending my last night with Cielo quietly than partying with you lot." Not entirely true but this wedding wasn't exactly his sort of environment even if he loved the people attending.

"A wedding isn't only a party. It's a display of our love. I love Sloane and being able to show that to, not only her, but to everyone that we care about is why we're doing this. You wouldn't understand Five. You speak to Cielo in Italian so that she doesn't know how much you care about her. I almost feel bad for her knowing how much she's done for us. I get that you might be embarrassed but you should genuinely tell her how you feel about her while you have the chance."

"She knows. I told her I love her before the party." All the brothers' mouths dropped open.

"Like, in English? To her face?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yes in English and to her face."

In a single moment they were surrounding him with pats on the backs and smiles. "Congrats man!"

"Didn't know you had it in you, you old fart."

"Never thought we would see the day you admit something like that."

"And here you say getting married in this time is stupid."

He shoved them all off of him with a slight blush. "You all forget that I was married once before."

"Delores doesn't count."

"It does to me. Besides we're here to get ready for Luther's wedding, not my little confession. We don't have all day. Move move." He ushered them all away to scatter to find something to wear as he continued with fixing up Luther.

"You know we were just messing with you. I mean I think we all knew that Cielo would be the one for you but I'm proud of you for admitting it."

"Don't get sappy on me now Luther. She doesn't feel the same way."

He stood up, nearly knocking Five back. "What? Why?"

He roughly pushed his brother back into his seat again. "Not that it's any of your business but I didn't question it. Just because we get along doesn't necessarily mean that she's interested in me in a romantic sense."

"It's not only getting along. Cielo, she's… different, you know?"

"I know. Trust me I know better than you do how unique she is. That doesn't change that I can't make her feel a certain way."

That wasn't what Luther meant. They all saw the way they looked at each other when the other wasn't paying attention. Five was always longing for answers in her. Still it was solely with her that they saw a sliver of happiness in him that they've barely ever seen before. The love and care that Five displayed for Cielo was undeniable.

When they looked at Cielo though, they could never read her mind. She was in and out of their lives. The few moments they knew that she was completely opposite from their brother. She politely would introduce herself and speak with a clear goal in mind to the siblings. Compared to that was when she was scolding Five and criticizing his actions. Each time they saw her with Five, they didn't see her holding back any of her displeasures. She yelled, swore, lashed out at him, all without any fear. Though it wasn't the traditional way of showing a relationship, Cielo was the most comfortable around Five.

Luther patted his older-younger brother on the shoulder. "You can always come to me for advice buddy."

"Pass." Though it was a strange experience talking about romance with his brothers, he didn't mind it all that much. This was much better than stopping apocalypses.

"Are you sure that I look okay?" Cielo asked Lila as she tried to check herself in the wine glass' reflection. All those not from the bachelor party, minus Sloane, had already shown up to the wedding hall. For such a short notice celebration, they had managed to bring together a pretty decent set up.

"Stop fusing around. It may be a wedding but it'll be the, I think, 10 of us around? You've been running around the past few days in burnt clothes and no one said anything."

"Well excuse me for wanting to have a bit of fun. I've been holed up in Commission for so long that I never get the chance to do things like this anymore."

It wasn't like Cielo particularly needed to doll herself up. However, this might be the last chance to have some fun. She wanted to go all out. Though it didn't help that they were in such a time crunch and with no stores around to go shopping at. At least she was able to find a dress. Not an evening, formal dress but a casual, outing type dress.

A navy tea-length dress with butterfly sleeves and a belt around the stomach. Simple. She couldn't even find makeup since she couldn't let go of the possible infection of borrowing a stranger's. A slight wave in her hair ends was her sole form of 'going all out.' But, of course, she messed it up with her first attempt and held the wand too long. One of her strands was much tighter than the others that it stood out to be too curly. She couldn't help playing with it in an attempt to somewhat flatten it.

"Are you sure you're not just trying to look good for a certain brat?" She brushed aside the embarrassing question and put the glass down.

"Like you weren't insisting on wearing those boots because of how they looked despite them constantly pulling your socks down."

Lila grumbled as she reached down to pull her sock back up. "I know you don't have the same birthday as us but you sure you don't have some form of x-ray vision?"

"I don't need to be a Marigold child to see you fixing your socks every 5 minutes." Beside them Allison, who was listening in on their conversation, tensed up.

"Marigold child? Is that what we're called?" Cielo looked down to her watch that wasn't in its usual spot around her wrist. Briefly remembering that she had taken it off for the occasion, she ended up just staring down at her wrist.

Marigold children. Scanning around the room, she was the only one not of that category. The term sounded so familiar. It came out of her mouth almost naturally. "I don't know? It kind of suits you guys though. A lot easier to say than October 1st babies anyways."

"I don't really see it but you were always coming up with strange names for people."

"Strange? You think my names are strange? I thought they were very fitting for people."

"Of course you would."

"Hey!" She playfully jabbed Lila's shoulder. "I am but a creative person that is not understood by this world."

"Just say you're bad with names."

"You want me to call you by your name?" Lila thought for a moment before getting the chills. She had been called Copycat by Cielo since they met. The sudden change in name would be disturbing.

"I said nothing." The two giggled to themselves while Ben and Allison rolled their eyes poking fun at each other.

The elevator dinged before the doors opened to interrupt the conversation. The bachelors took the time to observe the floor as they stepped out. It didn't take long for Diego and Five to come to the girls' sides. Diego snaking an arm around Lila to greet her with a kiss and a compliment.

Contrast to that was Five with his hands in his pockets as he tried not to make it obvious that he was scanning her over. Diego realizing that the two were going to need some alone time, slyly removed themselves from the picture. Though the two knew what he was doing immediately.

Biting back her tongue, she recollected herself with closed eyes and opened them to face him. "How was the bachelor party?"

"It was surprisingly fun. Loud and none of them can barely carry a note, but fun I admit." Was it always this hard to talk to him? She understood that it was her fault for reacting the way she did to his confession but it wasn't like she could have controlled that.

"That's good to hear." Awkwardly, she started to play with the strand of hair again.

"You're not wearing your watch?" She rubbed her bare wrist.

"Oh um no. I know it feels weird for me too but the green really clashed with the dress. Oh but look look!" She stuck her hands into the dress' pockets with a smile on her face before taking out her watch. "This dress has pockets! Whoever owned this previously was ahead of their time. That's coming from me. This completely makes up for the lack of dazzle. Then again, they probably never thought someone else would be wearing it to a wedding."

"I never thought that I would be at a wedding like this either." The two fondly looked over to Luther settling the argument between his siblings. The tiny fight aside, it was his wedding day. They were here to celebrate his happiness in the worst of times. Literally. Five didn't think it was possible to see any of his siblings in this position.

From the corner of her eye Cielo could see Five blinking fast to hold back his tears. She couldn't blame him. Weddings were meant to be emotional like this. Even more so when it seemed impossible not a week earlier. "Spaceboy looks happy."

"Yeah. He really does."

"You did well in dressing him up."

"How did you know I did that?"

She chuckled. "I think a lot of your brothers but their ability to attend these formal events in proper attire is not one of them. Rumor most definitely looks the best out of everyone right now. Though, Copycat is a close close second, due to my work to brag. I can't wait to see how Gravity Defyer looks. Oh I love weddings. Too bad we didn't get a bachelorette party."

"That would have been a sight to see." Neither of them spoke about the elephant in the room. Standing so close it was almost a habit for them to be touching in some way.

As they watched Sloane enter the room, Five turned to Cielo wanting to say something to ease any worry she may have with being with him tonight. His words fell short when he saw her tightly holding onto her watch. Every one else focused on the bride that none of them noticed the sacrifices needed to get here.

Behind this wonderful celebration, Cielo could see all that she had failed. It was their wedding day and only a single Sparrow sibling survived. They were forced to do it at the last minute. If she had done better while Commission was running, then she would have killed Harlan beforehand.

Fixing the briefcase would have given her over a hundred different paths to take. Instead they were all cornered to make do. As they always were. It wasn't anyone's but her own fault for failing them. Behind this celebration was multiple unnecessary deaths and hatred. Cielo remembered every tragedy that led to this moment.

"Let's get this over with before I die of cringe." They all made their way to the courtyard.

With a smile on her face, her knuckles turned white holding her watch. She could practically feel the second hand pulsing through her body with each tick. Tick tock. Tick tock. Time flowed through her at every moment. She cannot change fate when she herself was a tool to keep everything in line. This wedding was nothing more than a show of their desperation in her eyes.

"Let me borrow your watch tonight." Cielo snapped out of her thoughts when Five yanked the watch out of her hands.

"H-hey! You have your own watch; why do you want mine?" She made an attempt to snatch it back. And though her arm length was longer than his, she couldn't bring herself to accidentally touch him.

Five hated this green watch. While it wasn't the start of when her memories started to take play, it was always the first thing he checked when he saw her again. The thing was a mockery. It was a symbol of the thing he hated the most in the world.

He took off his own watch to replace it with her's. "Because if you're not going to hold my hand tonight then I'll settle for this."

She took a step back with a pout. She knew that he was messing with her but it wasn't like her hesitancy around him was wanted. "Fine but I want your watch then. At least that matches my dress."

His watch had some lingering warmth when he placed it in her hands. It was way more expensive looking than the basic one she got for sale in the department store. It had milliseconds running. It wasn't synced to Commission time. The leather was new. Not worn out like hers.

As they put on the other's watch she smiled at him putting it on his right hand. His reports back at Commission were unique in that he tended to hand write them rather than use the typewriter. A good majority of them had a random smudge. She brushed that aside as him potentially being tired and bored from the paperwork. He was left-handed. Whether it be his paperwork, past, present, habits, her eyes were on him.

The two sat down in the front row, luckily the others took their own spots around the small section of the garden. "Five, I don't want to lead you on so I'll tell you honestly now that I don't have a response to what you said earlier. I care a lot about you. And there is something special about you that I feel. I won't deny it. But I'm not entirely sure if what I feel is the same as what you do. I won't pretend that it is because I don't have an answer for you. How I acted wasn't out of pity and I wouldn't do the things I did with you with anyone else but my answer is that I don't know. It's a lot. Does that make sense?"

He nodded. "I didn't say what I said because I wanted a certain answer from you. I do love you. On the other side of the same coin, I have done a lot of awful things to you. I know that. You don't owe me your feelings or an explanation. But you always wanted my honesty. This is my honesty. I love you. I want to be with you even if I don't have an answer. But if it's making you uncomfortable, I will stop. Just say the word."

"I hate your honesty sometimes." She held out her hand for him while looking forward to the wedding starting. "But I'm by your side. Always."

"Always." He took her hand. It wasn't the best relationship but it was a compromise they both could work with. It wasn't like this was the first time they've played this game. As much as it was painful to be with the other, there was no one else that understood them.

The ceremony was beautiful. Crazy, informal, and beautiful. How fitting for the two families. Cielo and Five cried. He didn't show it on the outside but she knew he was. This time it was out of happiness. There was nothing more that he could have ever asked for than his family's happiness. The moment of 'I do' from both sides met with genuine cheers.

The couple was trapped in their own world as they danced together. As much as the families found their love to be terribly timed, they couldn't deny that the love was real. In its own strange way, they were what the other siblings desired in the moment. Just pure happiness regardless of the circumstances or stares. It was the closest they would ever get to a dream wedding and they accepted it with their full heart.

"This is officially worse than the apocalypse." She rubbed his head.

"Yeah right. Can I ask for a single dance before you drink your weight in alcohol?"

He shrugged and kissed the back of her hand. "Of course."

With an extra hop in her step, she dragged Five onto the dance floor. He didn't hold back his smile seeing how happy she was. It was the first time since she arrived in this timeline that he saw her without the weight of the world on her shoulders. This was the Cielo that he fell for. The one that found joys in life and moved forward despite the pains behind them all.

Cielo didn't care much about the music playing or the others dancing on the floor. Under the dim lights she saw Five. He had bags under his eyes from all his running around. His suit was dirty in random places while all his brothers had the chance to clean up. Their height difference led them to straining their necks if they were too close. His fingers were lightly tapping against her. He was smiling. She liked when he smiled.

"What's your favourite colour?"

"Why?"

"Because how is it that I know so much about your Commission history and your days in the academy from Violinist's book and so much of your power but I don't know your favourite colour? That's like a grade level conversation starter."

"Fair enough. I would say blue."

She hummed a bit. "You said that pretty fast. Is there a reason?"

"Every time I use my powers my vision gets covered in a blue hue for a moment. Growing up I slowly started to become null to it but I still see it. And I know you hate the effect my power has on you but to me that rush each time I blink is unlike anything I've felt before. Not even a briefcase can match up to the tinge under my skin. My powers are a part of me that I can't help using it everyday like breathing. Seeing blue is a part of that."

"How poetic of you."

"Yeah yeah and what's yours?"

"Pink!"

"Pink?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "As a female I got a lot of pink things growing up. I remember, maybe, around my teenage years I didn't like it that much. But then you get into serious schools and office jobs that like business formal monotone colours which drain you of any artistic fun. A splash of something bright like pink is exactly what I've come to like."

"You didn't like being a prosthetist?"

"I liked it, yeah but it does get boring sometimes. Same with Commission. I'm helping people with my creations or I'm in a secret time organization. Both are pretty amazing things. In the end, they are, at core, office jobs. Paperwork upon paperwork. At least at Meritech I had Receptionist, Big Boss, and some interns to double check my work. At Commission I was left to myself. It's been so long since I designed any limbs, I never thought I would miss it."

"You don't talk about your past that often."

"I don't get the chance that often. It's weird. I've spent so long deciding on a career, living here in this city, getting a degree, all that; only to be sweeped away to work at Commission. Compared to your past too? Mine is the most boring story to tell. I can't even remember what my university dorm looked like or what my diploma said."

He thought about her answer a bit. "You wore a pink dress to your graduation if that helps."

It took her a second to understand what he said before burying her embarrassed face in his shoulder. "You went through my photo albums too?!"

"They were next to your journals." He defended himself.

"You are so annoying." They remained in this position that she could feel his laugh shaking his chest. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in.

He didn't question when she didn't move back. Instead, one of his hands went to play with the waves in her hair. He briefly wondered how long she was in the Commission. Her hair was definitely longer than when they first met but short enough that it must have been trimmed over a few months. Commission wasn't one for fashion trends or looking your best. Basic maintenance was all that was required. It must have been nice to style herself for a single day.

"I like this." She whispered.

"This?"

She pulled back and tilted his head to face her upward. A quick kiss on the forehead before she could look him in the eye. "Just... this. Talking. Not running around. Being with you. I like it."

He didn't have to think of his response. "Yeah. Me too."

The main dining room lights brightened up the dance floor as the sole hotel worker took the stage's microphone. Loudly clearing their throat caused everyone in the room to flinch. "The buffet is now open. The main course is lamb chops with sautéed vegetables on the side. On top of that, the bar is self-serve and the cake has already been sliced. Congratulations to the newlyweds."

"You know this may be their last day on Earth. I have to respect the dedication to the job. I can already smell the food from here. I should probably get the lamb first before your many brothers get to it all first."

"Well I don't know about my brothers but I hear that open bar calling to me." She shook her head.

"Try to at least eat some food and drink lots of water tonight as well. I don't want to bother Spaceboy to spend the end of the night dragging his younger-older brother to bed or find you in the most random of places in the morning. Think you can do that?"

"Whatever you ask for." He kissed her cheek and made a beeline for the table covered in alcohol. A few drinks here and there in celebration wouldn't hurt. Not that Cielo couldn't understand why he was always craving a drink.

Turning on her heel, she went towards the buffet tables. The two already there were Allison and Ben. But the moment that Allison saw her make her way over, she left with a single plate. Talking to her about what happened this morning was going to be unlikely. The last thing she wanted to do for tonight was get rumored anyways.

"And what are you having tonight Horror?" Ben's entire body faced the other direction, barely acknowledging her.

"None of your business."

Tilting her head, she really took in that this was Ben Hargreeves. Meeting the Sparrows that first time was a flood of information at once that she didn't have the chance to properly observe him. In more ways than one, Ben was nothing short of peeking her interest. He was one of her childhood heroes and yet he wasn't. Five was clear that he didn't fully approve of this version but she was more interested in meeting any version of him.

"Are you having fun tonight? Seeing your sister getting married must be strange. I'm an only child so I can't even comprehend how that feels. The whole thing made even stubborn old men like Five almost cry. But I can assure you that Spaceboy will treat her right so don't have any concerns about that."

"Why does it even matter? They're married for a day; wasting their time instead of trying to save the world."

"Is it so bad that they choose to spend it happily rather than following another flawed plan?"

She took a step back at him violently turning to her. "You would think that but it's your fault that Sloane's plans failed. If you kept your mouth shut and didn't tell her that she didn't understand the damn ball of flames, then we would have succeeded. You upset that thing and then said nothing but got into everyone's head. You caused Christopher and Fei to die."

Ben didn't know if he should be angered or freaked out by her shaky smile. "I'm sorry."

"You're- you're not gonna deny it or- or defend yourself?"

"You wouldn't be the first to blame me for my choices. I'm sorry that I couldn't do more at that time. But- and I wanted to ease into this topic- but I guess that I should just rip the bandage off before you start attacking me." His guard went up from her taking six small envelopes from her pocket. On each corner was a Sparrow name. The only one not named being Christopher. He took the one with his own name.

"What are these?"

"I privately told Chatterbox the rate of failure for the plan. He chose to continue with it because if there was a chance that I was wrong, he was willing to take it for everyone else's sake. At the same time, he accepted that my words weren't lies. He asked for my help in writing these as his way to say goodbye. Even towards those that already passed before him. I may not have saved his life but I hope that you'll hear his last words."

"How do I know that this isn't just an attempt to get closer to me?" He recognized that Cielo was constantly trying to get on his good side that he viewed it as a threat. The moment he let his guard down around her, he was going to stop being a hero.

"Faking a dying message? I don't want to be your friend that much. Five told me that you were so different from his Horror. I wondered how that view must have divided the two families. How, even though the conditions were roughly the same, you can be so different was why I want to get to know you. Not at the sake of mocking the dead. This was Chatterbox's last message. I won't disrespect the sacrifice he made for today to be possible. Please accept his letter even if you don't trust me."

All the Sparrows were the same age but sometimes it felt like he was one of the eldest. Maybe it was because of the number system that he felt so in control of his siblings. Christopher was one that he always felt extra protective over. Outside of the Sparrows, Christopher had no one. His powers being the cause. To trust this outsider with his final message was unthinkable. But if there was a chance that his brother was trying to say goodbye, Ben couldn't brush that away. Even if the messenger was a complete weirdo that only saw him as a comparison.

"About that guy- my doppelganger or whatever you call it- him. That other Ben. What was he like?" She didn't question why he switched topics. Christopher and Fei's deaths were only yesterday. The rest of his family piling up throughout the week. This was essentially a will that she was forcing onto him. It was easier to ignore it and focus on why those that remained didn't feel the same love as his late brother did.

"I'm sorry but he passed away before I could meet him. I heard wonderful things about him though. Mainly from his siblings. They said that he was a good kid with a power that didn't match him. From what I remember as a kid, he was always covered in blood and standing off to the side. He was still a hero in my eyes. And I don't know how you'll feel about this but he was the one to save the world in 1963. His love for his siblings allowed him to do so. Despite all the odds, he continued to be an important part of the family that they never forgot about nor leave behind. I praise him a lot for continuing through all the strife he went through."

"And I'm just the sad replacement?"

"Of course not." He was surprised that she denied it so quickly. "Listen Horror, you aren't the only one that lost a sibling. They just lost him a lot earlier in their lives. Multiple times. Seeing you is a lot for them but you are not a replacement, substitute, or anything of the sort. You are your own person with your own set of memories, skills and personality. That's why I want to get to know you. I never got a chance to say this but I admire you a lot. When your number 1 died, you didn't hesitate to take that position and help lead your family through this mess. That takes a special amount of confidence."

He scoffed. "Confidence my ass. My leadership didn't get us anywhere but dead."

"Your leadership gave us one more day. On this one day your sister is now married. Being a leader means more than creating victory. You made tough decisions and stuck by it. You may not be proud of the results but I promise you that no one else could have done better."

She gestured to the letter he clutched tightly to. "You should really read Chatterbox's message. He doesn't blame anything on you. None of it. You were a leader when no one else could. Take pride in the wins, do not forget your losses. You can mourn for your siblings now. There is still time tonight to celebrate your sister's wedding, join your in-laws, and have fun. Today may be the last time you can express both emotions. Don't spend it fighting yourself of all people. If you won't hear me out, then I won't force you to."

She picked up a plate with the other letters still in hand. "I should give the bride her letter too."

"Wait." Ben rubbed the sides of his head. "Give me the letters."

"That's a bit unfair. She deserves to read your brother's last words too."

"I know. I know. Just..." he turned to Sloane happily chatting with Luther. A sigh escaping his lips. "I don't want her to think his sacrifice was her fault. I'll give her the letter. Not today though."

She nodded. "What a great brother you are."

"Shut up." He snatched the letters out of her hand, carefully putting them in his pocket. Not saying anything more, he took his plate and sat at a table as far as he could from hers.

"No matter the timeline, all of them are such big softies."

She looked down at her watch when she realized how different it felt against her fingertips. Remembering that it was Five's relaxed her. She turned to him carefully inspecting the bottles labels. He looked so into it that he probably didn't even notice her talking to Ben. He had no idea she talked to Christopher in the first place.

It was better this way. Let Five live in ignorance of her actions. It wasn't like she was going to save the world from this or anything else she's done.

"Cielo! Just the woman I wanted to talk to." Klaus joined her side.

"Hello to you too." She handed him a plate so that the two could start filling them up. "The ceremony you held was wonderful by the way."

"Why thank you. I heard about Five's confession as well. Shall I book myself off for your wedding as well?"

"Thank you but we'll have to hold back on that for a bit. Out of the siblings, you already know I feel towards him. I can't change it that easily."

"You're still nervous about that?" She held onto her wrist.

"In a lot of ways, I'm jealous of you and the newlyweds. You told me that love was a powerful thing. I believe that. But at the cost of watching the world burn? Is that how strongly I feel towards Five? I can't help but think that. Not like Rumor or Spaceboy or..." Sir Reginald Hargreeves. She shook her head. "Nevermind. I just- I don't want to make anything official when there's literally no outside this hotel."

"Well then I have the best offer for you. One where we can stop the ball of flames outside and give you the chance to properly process your feelings." She popped a nearly fallen fry into her mouth.

"I return your offer with a statement that I will not work with your dad."

"But Cielo, he's a changed man. And if we can convince Five, the rest of them are sure to agree." He already knew that Five would not help him. However, if Cielo asked him to then there was no question he would follow her lead.

"Okay ignoring the legitimacy of that last part, I know that compared to everyone else here, I shouldn't have any bone to pick with him. I want to think that I don't judge people based solely on what I heard about them. But I told you that I don't trust him. Seven children Seance." Eight Hargreeves. Her eye twitched. "In two timelines he ruined seven children's lives for some unknown goal. He never learned his lesson and I don't think he will. Maybe he has some grand plan to fix everything and I'm a dense idiot that is getting in the way of that but until I see something that shows humanity in him, care for someone else, I will not support any plan he comes up with."

She almost dropped the tongs from the sharp pain that shot through her head. Words kept coming to mind that it had to relate to Reginald and his secret plan. In turn it had to relate to the children. Eight Hargreeves? That didn't make any sense. Unless it was counting Reginald himself but that didn't feel right. None of the names that she knew felt like the missing puzzle piece.

"So then how can he prove himself to you?"

"For one, he can speak for himself rather than having you running around on his behalf. I'm sorry Seance but I want to spend my last day partying a little with a man I may or may not love. Can I not ask for that small of an ask?"

Klaus suddenly felt guilty for asking her. He often forgot that Cielo wasn't like them. She wasn't raised by Reginald's harsh teachings that denial was a personal defense. His dad was always rough around the shoulder and the kids were used to that. He was still the only form of a parental figure they had. Going against him was not easy for any of them. There was a reason why they all gathered for the funeral in the first timeline.

All she wanted was to spend it with Five. The same could be said about his brother. Klaus knew the constant stress that Five was under the past few weeks trying to save them. He had already given up saving the world. His brother had taken the jump to confess. To interrupt the last chance they possibly had to relax with each other was not like Klaus.

"I'm sorry Cielo. I didn't mean to push you. I just think that it's such a shame that we can be doing something but we aren't. And I'm truly truly happy for Luther and Sloane and you and Five but don't you think that it'll be better to continue that love for a tomorrow?"

"I do think that. I just can't try for another possible failure with a man that has been nothing but awful since I met him. You can ask the others but please stop asking me."

"I understand. I'm sorry again." She placed some vegetables onto his near empty plate. With a more positive energy she patted him on the shoulder.

"Head up Seance, I thank you for listening to me out and accepting my answer. This is still a party night. Eat properly and celebrate. And if you still want to go around asking people to help Monocle, I won't stop that. I'm proud of you for having a balance between persistence and respect for us with differing views. Monocle should be grateful that he has your kindness to help him."

Before he could say any more, she had already left to return to Five. Klaus always knew that Cielo was a caring person. Even now when he was pushing her to do something he knew she would hate, she made sure he didn't feel guilty. Compared to that was his dad. As much as he couldn't turn down his dad's demands, it wouldn't be a stretch that he couldn't say no to her either. Maybe it was too weird to compare the two of them.

The time on Five's borrowed watch read near midnight. Five was long wasted that he barely registered that Cielo had told him that she was retiring for the night. It was better that she didn't tell him where she was actually heading. He was having so much fun singing that she couldn't ask him to come with her. Lila, too, was dancing with Diego carefree of the world. How she wished her mind could allow her to do the same on their last day.

Cielo knocked on the white buffalo suite door a few times until given permission to enter. Sir Reginald Hargreeves was confused to see her of all people coming to talk to him tonight. "The young time traveler. The old man not with you today?"

"Not right now no. He's celebrating his short retirement with a couple, many, alcoholic beverages. I didn't come here to talk about him though. There's been something that's been bothering me for a while that I was wondering if a smart man like you could clear up."

"Please sit down then." She only moved to the other side of the room near the window. Still being very wary about how this conversation could go, she didn't dare let him get close to her. Not like the two academies didn't make it apparently obvious that this man was less than sane. "Interesting that, given the first time we spoke, we were hardly on equal terms yet you come to me for assistance. Whatever is on your mind must be quite the feat."

"I still do not approve of your methods. Though your speech tonight was thought provoking I will tell you that it left a bad taste for me. However, I would be a fool not to acknowledge your brains. Somehow even with the world literally crumbling behind this window I have no doubt that you have a trick up your sleeve. So I'll cut to the chase. Do you have anything in this hotel or at your disposal that can assist in memory loss? Or more specifically, in memory retrieval."

"Hmm, how did you lose your memory?"

"Willingly. In order to keep the secrets of Time a secret, I had roughly a lifetime's worth of memories from an alternate timeline inserted into my head. I believe they are locked away. Deep in my subconscious."

"You experience cases of déjà vu?"

She nodded. "Now that I'm aware of them, even more so. Face and names that I should not know yet do. Systems that take people countless years of studying, mastered in a matter of minutes. Being drawn to things that would normally scare people away. Five being an example of this. Your stupid hotel as well. I hated it the moment I landed here. Did you find amusement in watching your children flock here?"

"What ever do you mean?"

"When I was at the wedding, watching over the children, there was an unknown name in my mind. Someone important was missing but I didn't know who. And if I did, why did it seem like there were already so many people on the floor? Because there only needed to be seven of them. In two timelines, it was always seven. Seven sacrifices were all you needed. I suppose seven bells would be a better way of explaining it. You can probably tell me why I think this way. But there is no eighth bell, so there would have been no use for an eighth sacrifice that would live to tell the tale. Not one of the academy children but someone more important. Tell me then Monocle, does the name Abigail Hargreeves mean anything to you?"

He tensed up a bit. Not wanting to let it show, he only readjusted his coat. "There is no use lying to you if you've gotten thus far; she is but an old name."

"Dead?"

"Not dead." He said too defensively.

"Hard to believe that when everyone outside this hotel is dead or whatever the Kugelblitz does to them. No she's not in this hotel or on this crumbling Earth, too dangerous. Your fear says that you want her alive." She started to look around the room. She was getting close. She knew she was getting close.

"You're treading on dangerous grounds young lady. You may believe that you mastered Time but there's a lot that you don't know." There was a pause where she wanted to laugh at his statement. Smart man knew nothing about Time.

"You see, that's the thing about Time. It can be a real bitch. Take it from me. My job wasn't to own it. It was to protect it. Give it space to move as it pleased to not hurt us. We can't reason with it and no matter how much we try, we cannot change what needs to happen. Defy it and it will bite us all without any discrimination. You built this hotel and adopted seven children for that reason. You fell into your job as you always do. Following those children born out of unusual methods. Which is why I have to ask again, who is Abigail Hargreeves? And why is Time so desperate to stop you that it doomed the planet over and over again?"

"You think I caused this doomsday? Preposterous! This was done by those children coming back to this time period."

"And yet you knew the first time that this would happen. That those children will be those that survive to save it. That this world would burn." At this point her voice turned soft. The memories speaking for themselves the longer she challenged him.

Outside the window the city that no longer existed. The only thing left, other than destruction itself, was the moon. Shining brilliantly ways, ways away. Everything clicked in her mind as she pointed upwards. In her memories, she could see a woman hidden away. Not alive. Not dead. But safe. Abigail Hargreeves.

Cielo opened her mouth to say more when a blade went straight through her stomach. She could only let out a weak chuckle mixed with blood. "I knew it... you're crazy."

"I apologize that it must come to this but I am too close for an outsider to ruin it." Her vision was getting blurry but her memories showed one more thing. It replaced the head of Sir Reginald Hargreeves with something not of this world. The blade coming from what should have been a hand. An alien. No wonder why he chose the moon as a safe haven.

It didn't hurt that much. She didn't know if that was in comparison to what she thought getting impaled would feel like. Everything was getting a bit hazy. Adrenaline really was a powerful thing. She could feel her heart pumping it as much as it could. There was blood coming out of her. She could feel that too. She tried not to feel the blade in her.

Not getting another word out, he retracted his hand letting her fall to the floor. Brushing off his suit as if only dust had gotten on it. It was taking everything in her strength to stay awake. Trying to call for Five. Or anyone to come save her. Realize who this monster was. But everyone was partying downstairs. If anything her death would be labelled off as just another Kugelblitz mishap. She could feel her body being dragged somewhere. She didn't know where. The last thing she heard was a door closing.

All she could think about was what she had left to do. Save the Earth being the last on the list honestly. She wanted to rebuild the Commission. Wreck some havoc on the timeline for the fun of it. Retire. Be a doting godmother to Lila and Diego's baby. Give Old man Five a proper burial.

Five. Oh Five. They probably only spent total of a week together. She never even got to return his borrowed watch. Since they met, she only gave him troubles. Never giving her the chance to tell him how much he meant to her.

"Sorry..."