Chapter Text
As Luther tumbled from the vortex, Five and Diego stepped forward, ready to catch Vanya. Diego quickly grabbed their sister before Luther let her drop to the ground, letting his giant brother fall to his knees. Vanya seemed small in Diego’s arms, still unconscious and clad in her white suit. He turned to gently lay her in the van, Klaus settling behind her to support her frame. On the driver seat, Allison was chewing on a nail, her gaze shifting anxiously from her sister ‘s unconscious form to Luther, kneeling in front of Five. The vortex had closed up, leaving behind a disturbing silence. Not a word had been said since the last two siblings had appeared.
Five stood with his hands on his pockets, watching Luther who was trying not to throw up whatever he had last eaten. He wanted to say something, anything, but nothing came up. He was pissed, and he didn’t trust himself to open his mouth without shouting at his brother. So instead, Five settled for his signature look, half annoyed, half scornful, with only a hint of worry.
Then Diego stepped in and punched Luther. "That's for letting our brother die in a club." Luther’s head snapped to the left, but before he could protest Diego punched him again. "That's for locking Vanya up." He raised his hand to land a third punch, but Five grabbed his arm mid-air, hissing : "What the fuck do you think you are doing ?"
On the ground, Luther held a palm to his cheek, obviously very confused. Diego’s punches were nothing for someone with his powers but, man, he was already disoriented by the time-travel, he didn’t need that on top.
Diego slowly let his arm down. "What I wanted to do for the last six months." He sniffed, turning back to the van where Klaus and Allison sat, stupefied. Klaus‘ arms were securely wrapped around Vanya, who was now covered in a thick wool scarf and a green jacket. Klaus‘ way of handling the stress of their siblings return was to focus on the practical aspects of the operation, which meant he had brought warm clothes so Vanya wouldn’t get cold. He had also brought a cassette player loaded with a tape of whale sounds and relaxing music in case Vanya woke up and started panicking. Allison had been dubious on that part, but then again, why the hell not ?
Five distantly registered Allison arguing with Diego, as himself squatted down to look Luther in the eyes.
"What the… What happened ? Where… ?" Luther articulated.
Five sighed. "Later. Can you stand ?"
Luther paused for a second, then slowly nodded.
"Good. Let’s get you home."
The ride was silent. Luther was looking at his siblings with something like distrust in his eyes. He kept looking at Vanya, still asleep in Klaus arms. Behind the window, snow slowly started to whiten the city. Which only added to Luther‘s confusion. Everyone seemed… Different. Five looked somewhat older. Luther would have sworn than he was one inch shorter an hour ago. Diego wasn’t dressed in black, even if he was still far from the rainbow-striped trousers Klaus wore. Speaking of Klaus, he seemed… Better ? Like in, sober and not sleep-deprived better ? As to Allison… Luther had heard her speak. Which she couldn’t do an hour ago. He had wanted to say something, too, but something in her gaze had silenced him.
Now, Luther wasn’t stupid. He was actually far from it, but to him the concept of time travel had always been… Well, a concept. Which he didn’t understand a lot about. Which meant that he was lost. Had he landed in another dimension ? Were his siblings his real siblings ? How long had they been there ? It was snowing outside. When were they ?
"For God’s sake, you think so loud."
Five had spoken in his typical annoyed voice. "Well, sorry to think too loud, but do you mind helping me a little here ? Why is everyone so silent ?" Luther replied.
Diego cleared his throat. Allison gripped the wheel a little tighter. Klaus stroke Vanya’s hair, looking out the window.
"We’re in 1989. December. Klaus, Ben and I have been here since April. Diego arrived in May, and Allison in July. The Commission doesn’t exist anymore. We’ve had a rough couple of months here, so I’d appreciate it if you kept quiet."
"Wha-" Luther started, but found himself at loss for words. Indeed, it was a lot of information to digest. 1989 ? The Commission ?
"I get that you’re confused. You will adjust, don’t worr-"
"What about Vanya ?" Luther blurted out.
Klaus arms tightened protectively around their sister.
"What do you mean "What about Vanya ?" " Five snapped. "Do you really want to have this conversation here, in a car ?" He took a deep breath, and spoke slowly, as if explaining something to a child : "Vanya is our sister. We will help her. We will understand what happened."
‘Cause Ohana means family, and family means that no one gets left behind', Klaus thought, though he managed to stay silent. Not the mood, Klaus.
"Oh my god, can you believe this ?" Ben asked from the backseat. Klaus mouthed back : "I know, right ?"
Facing the silent reprobation of his siblings, Luther decided to keep to himself for the rest of the ride.
"Allison."
Five's voice had been soft, but Allison stopped the car almost instantly, pulling up on the side of the road. She watched her brother get out of the car, locking eyes with him in the sideview mirror. She nodded lightly. "Luther," she said. "Get out of the car, please."
Luther obeyed after a few seconds of confused silence. Klaus flinched as he slammed the door, still gripping Vanya. Diego looked like he'd do anything to follow his brothers, but a sharp glare from Allison stopped him from moving. "Not now", she said as she started the car again.
In the rear-view mirror, Luther looked at her with what looked like betrayal.
"How do you feel ? " Five asked.
"Weird. Like my insides are not where they’re supposed to be", Luther said, shifting under his brother’s glare.
They were in the park bordering the river, a mile or so from the damned docks that Five had come to despise. The snow was now falling steadily, covering the trees and bushes with a fine white coat, muffling the sounds from the city. It was still early, and apart from the occasional dog-walker, they were alone.
Luther seemed uneasy, but Five was certain that it wasn’t due to the weather. Luther had never been particularly sensible to cold temperatures, another courtesy of his powers, and he was still wearing his awful green coat and his fingerless gloves. Five himself wasn’t bothered by the snow; he had faced forty apocalyptic winters on his own. Besides, the memory of his short trip to the maybe-Russian forest was still fresh on his mind. "That would be the space-jump."
"Oh."
Five watched as Luther grew more and more restless. "I’ve been here for six months", Five began. "Do you know what that means ?" Luther shook his head, puzzled. "It means I’ve had six months to think on how things happened, back before the Apocalypse. About what I could have done differently, where I took a wrong turn" Five said, looking at the river. "It also means that I had time to talk with each of our siblings, apart from Vanya. And you know what ? I have learnt some very interesting things. Things like, you asked your drug-addict brother how to get high. Or that you choked said brother, unprovoked. And left him to die, because you were busy ‘popping your cherry‘, as Klaus put it. His memories were a little confused, but Ben helped me fill in the blanks."
"I have no excuse for being rough with him. I know that." Luther cleared his throat. "But what do you mean, he died ? That’s what Diego said earlier, but I don’t understand. He’s here. He’s fine. Right ?" He added, a little worried.
"He died. He met God – she‘s a woman, by the way – and she sent him back." Five turned to his brother. "After which he came back to the Academy, and poured us fucking coffee." Luther coiled a little at the anger that began to seep through Five’s voice.
"I had no ide-"
"I’m not finished", Five snapped. "You almost killed Vanya. She came to you in distress, and you betrayed her. Despite everyone’s protests, you locked her up."
"Last I remember, you were fine with the idea of sacrificing her", Luther answered accusingly.
"Yes, and I’d do it again. She was too far gone at that point. I love Vanya, but one life is nothing next to the whole human race."
"You were quick to decide on that one."
"How long does it take to compare one to seven billion ? I would have killed anyone, including myself, to stop the Apocalypse." And you almost did, a little voice whispered in his head.
"She was already too far gone when she came back to us. She was dangerous, and I tried to keep her contained. It only failed because the walls weren’t solid enough."
"No, she wasn’t. I should have been there, and there is no excuse for my absence. But you had a shot at making it right, and you blew it."
"That’s not fair" Luther said, weakly.
"You know what’s not fair ? Being left behind in a shitty-ass club by someone you thought you could trust. Being caged like an animal by your own family. Life’s not fair, and congratulations, you are one of the assholes that actively make life complicated for the others." Five took a step forward, and despite their considerable size difference, Luther took a step back. "I know you, Luther. I’ve known you for thirteen years, and then Vanya’s book filled me in on what I missed. You are selfish. You never grew up. Despite giving me shit for wanting to kill Harold, you think that everything can be solved with violence.“
"Don’t you think that’s a little ironic, coming from you ?" Luther fought back. Five had struck a nerve.
"On the contrary. I am a violent man myself. Takes one to know one. You see, I dealt with people like you before. You’re big, you’re strong, all your life you’ve been told you should be in charge, you should be a leader. Then, the day comes where you have to take responsibility, and you are convinced that you are right. You’re so entitled that to you the others are just blind, or not competent enough, they can’t see that you’re acting for everyone’s sake. But it’s too late, you are on your righteous path, and nothing can change your mind. You don’t question your actions, and you convince yourself that everything you do is justified. Well, newsflash : it’s not. You are just another man-child with daddy issues. Yes, I know, you’re not the only one in this family. " Five let out a toneless laugh. "But none of us has reached your peak of indecency."
"It’s not… I’m not…"
"Selfish ? Violent ? You only cared about the Apocalypse when Allison was in danger. You fucking asked if we should take Vanya with us when we escaped from the theatre. You only think of yourself, Luther."
"I…"
"You ?" Five said with a spiteful grin.
Luther seemed to be at loss for words. He sighed deeply, looking everywhere but at Five, who stood in front of him, merciless. There was no escaping this. After a while, Luther cleared his throat and asked in a pleading voice : "I tried. I really tried. I want you to know that."
"I know."
"Then let me try again. Let me try to make things right."
"Oh, believe me, you will," said Five. "But you will not be in charge anymore. Not now, not ever. Consider yourself on probation. You will apologize to Klaus. You will apologize to Vanya."
Luther frowned but said nothing. Five stepped closer, lowering his tone. "I also want you to know, if you ever lay a hand again on either one of them, I will make sure that it is the last thing you'd ever do. I can, and I will, rip your insides out and feed them to you."
Five stood back, all trace of anger vanishing from his eyes. He suddenly looked like a kid again, dwarfed by his giant brother. He straightened his scarf, taking a long look at the slowly freezing river. "Let's go home“, he said.
"Hey."
Vanya sat up slowly, and blinked in Five's direction. She was sore, her limbs seemingly weighted with lead. She was wearing a light t-shirt, and her legs were covered by a thick blanket. Her brother was seated in an armchair a few feet from her bed, watching her wearily. Vanya was confused. She didn't recognize the room, and she wondered briefly where she was. There was a faint ringing noise in her right ear.
Then, everything came back in a rushing wave of light, technicolor images flashing before her eyes. Leonard, her powers, the cage, the Icarus, her siblings... Vanya flinched under the violent assault of her memories, burying her head in her hands, shaking. Were these true ? Or was it one of those horrible dreams that sometimes woke her up in a sweat ? No… No, those had happened. They were real, although they had a lot in common with her nightmares. The feeling of being trapped. The fear. But also the rage. There was a frightening rage in those memories, a too-raw emotion she hadn't felt since her childhood. She didn't even know she could feel that way.
"Hey", Five repeated, soothingly. He had moved so he was kneeling next to her bed, but he hadn't touched her. He didn't dare. Suddenly, Vanya felt ashamed. Was he afraid ? Of her ? Of course he is, she thought, you killed people. You almost killed him, and the others. But she couldn't recall what had happened. Power, a lot of it, and anger, yes. Then nothing. An ocean of black, so empty after her white explosion. Not lifting her head, she whispered : "What happened ?", because she couldn't ask anything else. There was so much she wanted to know, but the answers were too frightening. Had she killed their siblings ? Anyone else ? How long had she been out ? Was she going back to the cage again ?
"You are safe. Everybody is safe."
Vanya relaxed fractionally at those words. She lifted her head to find Five's eyes on her. She couldn't read his expression. Was he angry ? Worried ? She used to be so good at reading him. He hadn't made any comment yet, hadn't indicated anything, just kneeled calmly by her side. "What happened ?", she repeated. Five sighed, and his gaze fell to the floor before locking with hers again.
"I took us back in time. Everyone. We are in 1989. December, of 1989." He paused for a moment, maybe to let his words sink in. When Vanya nodded, he continued : "Everyone is okay. Allison got us a nice place. We can take our time. We are going to help you."
Alright. So, maybe things were not as bad as she had feared. Back in time meant that everything she had done had been undone, right ? Then, she froze. We are going to help you, Five had said. They were going to lock her up. Again.
Five must have had noticed something in her posture, because he hastily added : "No one is going to hurt you anymore. I promise."
But Vanya had heard a lot of promises in her life, none of which had been remotely held. She thought of Harold, pushing and pushing until she had snapped, she thought of Luther, who had taken her into his arms and smothered her, and she began to shake.
"Vanya, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I should have been there."
Vanya tried to supress the look of surprise on her face. Since when did Five ever apologized ? Probably a trick. But no, Five had never tricked her into anything. He had always been straightforward, to the point he was hurtful, but never had he lied to her. She searched his face for something, anything, but all she could see was a slight frown and tense shoulders. Nothing unusual. Vanya wanted to cry. She wanted to close her eyes and to wake up in her little flat, as if nothing had ever happened. Little ordinary Vanya. Instead, she settled for one of the many questions filling her head : "Where were you ?" Right. Way to pass as a whiny kid. You're an adult. Act like one.
"I was saying goodbye to an old friend. I didn't know about the cage. If I did, I would have gotten you out. I'm sorry."
And somehow, Vanya felt like Five was not only apologizing for the cage. Without warning, she felt tears well up in her eyes, and started to shake uncontrollably. She tried to face away from her brother, not wanting to have a meltdown in front of him – Really, that's what you worry about ? – but next thing she knew, Five's arms were wrapped around her, and he stroked her hair as she sobbed on his shoulder. Vanya didn't know for how long he held her, but at some point he had started to cry too. "I'm sorry", she hiccupped.
"I know."
"Maybe it would be smarter to split up. You and Allison could take Vanya somewhere outside the city."
"Right. In order to help her overcome years of social isolation, we isolate her even more."
"That's not what I meant."
"You meant, taking her somewhere she can't hurt people. And where Luther isn't."
"Well, yeah."
Diego scratched his head, embarrassed.
"Have you even talked to her since she woke up ?", Five asked.
Diego frowned. "Kind of. Small talk." Under Five hard stare, he added : "What do you want me to say ? "Sorry Dad used Allison to brainwash you ? Sorry he locked you up but hey, he locked me up too, sucks, right ?" "
"That could be a start."
"She hates me, Five. She doesn't want me near her."
"She believes that you hate her. I want you to tell her that you don't. If we want to save the world, we all need to work together."
"Save the world. Right", Diego muttered.
Five jumped to sit on kitchen countertop, sipping from his mug. Diego wondered whether the kid put whiskey in his coffee or if he had too much respect for that. After months of living with him, the pattern behind Five's alcohol and caffeine consumption had been clearer. His brother seemed to function in an entirely different space-time than the rest of the world – which, given his powers, was understandable – and thus had no qualms about drinking a glass of whiskey at 9 a.m. or an entire pot of coffee in the middle of the night. Diego had quickly learned that caffeinated Five was much more of a pain in the ass than drunk-Five, who was barely legible but at least was mostly quiet. Drunk-Five was mostly compliant - while caffeinated-Five was frantic and contemptuous and frankly too quick to follow. But since Vanya and Luther's return, Five had been acting overly protective and bordering on feral anytime they were speaking of their sister.
"I understand what you're trying to say. But I think it's safer for her and for everyone if she has space." Diego lowered his voice, trying to get his brother to listen. "Look, she barely gets out of her room. She's jumpy. She needs to feel safe, and she won't feel that way until she has space to breathe. Not with everyone watching her."
Five let out a hmmpf sound, looking down at his coffee. "I know", he finally said. "But I'm not comfortable splitting up again. I..." Five paused, wrapping his fingers tightly around his mug. "What if I can't help her ?"
Diego was genuinely surprised at that. That was a drunk-Five question. What the hell was he supposed to say ? Why would Five ask him ? God, how had this conversation turned so wrong, so quick ? Diego silently tried to bring his inner-Allison out. "You can. You already have." Five responded with a self-depreciating laugh. "Five. Look at me." His brother tiredly obeyed. "You saved us. You brought us back. All of us. Now you take care of her, and we take care of ourselves. Then we get home. As a family." That was it. That was the cheesiest thing he had ever said. Diego waited a few seconds for his words to sink in, then took off the countertop and left the room. If anyone asked, he would deny ever saying that.
Allison knocked lightly on the open window, bending outside to speak : "Klaus ? Are you up there ?"
"Indeed I am, sister. Care to join me ?" came the response. Allison stepped on the window pane and quickly climbed the ladder leading to the roof. Klaus was sitting with his legs crossed, a notebook carefully tucked on his lap, and a bunch of cans behind his back, probably his dinner.
"Ben ?" she asked.
When Klaus nodded towards his left, she dropped wordlessly on his right, careful not to knock over the pretty much full bottle of tequila standing by his brother's side. "How drunk are you ?" she groaned as she stretched her back, feeling bonelessly tired.
"Not very much." Klaus looked at her, gauging her worried face. "How drunk do you want to get ?"
"Not much. A little."
"Oooh... C'mon, tell me everything", Klaus said as he handed her his pack of cigarettes. She didn't hesitate. Klaus tucked his cigarette between his lips and lit his sister's, lifting a hand to shield it from the cold wind.
Allison took a long drag, and found she couldn't speak. Well, not, couldn't speak as in my throat is slashed and I'm gonna die, but more of as in I don't know where to begin and I've got too much feelings. She took a steadying breath and tried again. "I spoke to Luther."
"You've got to be more specific than that, handsome."
Allison sighed and took a swig of tequila that burned down her throat, helping her fight the chilled December air. She honestly understood how one could become an alcoholic. She was no fool, she knew Five had a drinking problem and that Klaus was drunk a little too often, but she understood. Right now, all she wanted was to forget the past hour.
"About us. Our relationship."
Klaus made an appreciative sound. "Elaborate ?"
"I..." Allison trailed off. I heard a rumour that you loved me. She closed her eyes. “What Luther and I had… It wasn’t real. It never was.”
Klaus stayed quiet.
“I rumoured him. When we were kids”, Allison finally said, her eyes shining with tears.
“Allison, that’s- shit, that’s really… Shit.” Klaus whispered half to himself. “Wait, and you told him ?”
“I had to.” She turned to her brother with pleading eyes. “I had to.”
Behind her, Ben shrugged in surprise. “What ?” he mouthed, careful not to be accidentally heard.
Klaus let out a deep -slightly drunken- sigh, before dragging himself closer to his sister and hugging her. “You’re right. That was the right thing to do.” He could feel Allison sobbing softly, her shoulders tensing. He just held her tighter, murmuring soothing things like I got you and It’s gonna be all right until her breath came back to normal.
“I just- I couldn’t take the lie anymore. He deserves better.”
Klaus made some kind of noncommittal noise but didn’t contradict her. If you had asked him, he would have advised a last tiny rumour. One that would go like that : “I heard a rumour… That you weren’t in love with me anymore.” Just. One. Tiny. Sentence. But at the same time, a lifetime of lies and deception… Maybe it was finally the time for truth to come out. Maybe it was the right thing to do, as she said. If there was such thing as a right thing to do.
“How did he take it ?” Klaus asked cautiously.
Allison scoffed. “He doesn’t want to talk to me.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.” Allison rubbed her eyes with both of her hands, careful not to set her hair on fire with her cigarette.
They said nothing for a few minutes, the silence only filled by the sound of their burning cigarettes and the occasional siren in a nearby street.
“I not good at a lot of things, you know”, Klaus said eventually.
“Mmm ?”
“I’m not good at drawing. I’m bad at knitting. I’m very bad at keeping my mouth shut”, he smiled. “But there’s one thing I’m good at.”
“”Yeah ? And what’s that ?”, Allison asked gingerly.
“Cheering people up. So. Truth or dare ?”
Allison chuckled. “Dare.”
“Alright then. I dare you to sing Dancing Queen with your mouth full of – “ He turned to grab something behind his back, and placed a can of whipped cream in her hand – “That.”
Turned out, Five and Diego earlier conversation regarding whether or not they should move Vanya out of the city was very unnecessary. Allison had looked at them and simply declared : “We’re all going.”
Varied shouts and groans had followed her statement, Klaus being overjoyed, Diego pissed off and Ben practically vibrating with excitement. Luther had said nothing, leaning back on the kitchen counter with his arms crossed, and Vanya had smiled shyly from her safe place between Allison and Five, who had not objected.
So, to the countryside they went. Allison had chosen a sort of hippie retreat in rural Pennsylvania, surrounded by acres of fields and forest. It was composed of an assortment of four wooden cabins surrounding a communal lodge, each cabin being small but well-furnished, and strategically placed so that everyone could have his space without feeling truly alone.
Vanya was keenly aware of the similarity with Harold’s place, but somehow it couldn’t have been more different. Here she was… Safe. The air was fresh and crispy and clear and smelled of pine trees, and wherever she looked her gaze was met by the cold and soft beauty of the snow-covered fields.
The place in itself was enchanting. Stepping out on the porch of the cabin she shared with Allison, Vanya leaned on the wooden railing, tucking her hands inside her sleeves to keep them from the cold. She exhaled softly, her breath visible in the chilled morning air. She struggled a little to tuck her feet in her boots without using her hands, and finally took down the three steps that separated the balcony from the snow-covered ground, heading for the common area.
In the few days they’ve been there, the siblings had been quick to find a functioning dynamic. From what she had been told, Vanya knew that the last months had been difficult for them, but she was pleased to see them existing side by side without trying to kill one another. It was new to her, and she liked it.
Upon entering the central cabin which housed the kitchen, Vanya was greeted by the sight of Five sipping his coffee while scribbling in a notebook. She waved at him with a shy smile, still a little afraid of the reactions she could get from her siblings. Not that they hadn’t been nice, no. Five, of course, had been very patient with her, and had always taken her side. Allison, out of guilt – or out of forgiveness ? –, had been soft and reassuring. Even Diego, in his gruff manner, had been kind. Well, he had offered to teach her how to throw knives, which in Diego’s language meant kindness. But still, more than two weeks after the jump, she sometimes caught a glimpse of fear in her sister’s eyes. A little bit of weariness in Diego’s gait when walking around her. And frankly, how could she blame them ? She still got flashes of that last night at the Icarus, blinding white and deafening violin, sometimes so loud she had to curl up sobbing.
And that, was were Klaus entered the equation. She and Klaus had not been close as children, unaware of the similarities of the tortures inflicted by their father. But now… Now, Klaus was different. He was… Good. He was very good at guiding her during her meltdowns, getting her to breathe with him, gently bringing her back to reality. She had been surprised the first time, seeing as only a few weeks before he had been seemingly too busy destroying himself to care for someone else. “Got plenty of practice with little Five-oh”, he had said, shrugging. Vanya knew there was more to it, but it hadn’t been the right time to ask.
The last of her siblings, much to her relief, kept mostly to himself. Even when he joined them for meals, he was uncharacteristically quiet, only talking when directly addressed to. Not that Vanya tried to directly address him. She did not intend to directly address him in the foreseeable future. And judging by the look of apprehension she sometimes caught in his gaze, he wasn’t about to directly address her either.
“Good morning”, said Five with a small smile and a look that bore no fear at all. Of course, he had never been afraid of her. “Coffee ?”
“Sure”, she answered as she stood on her toes to reach the cabinet that housed the mugs. Why was nothing ever made for short people ? She sighed, holding out her cup so Five could fill it. “You’re up early”, he commented.
“Well, I’ve never been a late sleeper.”
“I know. I meant earlier than usual”, her brother added with a searching look. Vanya quickly averted her eyes and reached for the sugar. No need for him to know about her nightmares.
“How’s it going with Ben and Klaus ?” she said, changing the subject not so subtly.
Five graciously accepted her deflection, passing a weary hand over his face. “They’re making progress. Ben managed to hold a toothbrush long enough to brush Klaus’ teeth last night.”
“No way”, Vanya chuckled.
“I wish I was kidding.”
For some obscure reason, Five, Klaus and Ben had decided to share one of the cabins, leaving the last one to Diego who seemed way too relieved to have His Own Personal Space to brood when he felt like it. Something to do with their first weeks back, she supposed. She took a seat at the worn table as Five closed his notebook with a “poof” sound and began to complain about his brothers. Vanya let herself fall into the easy small talk, feeling safer than she had in a long time.
They were still chatting lightly when Diego entered the cabin with fresh snow on his hair, his thick coat as black as the rest of his outfit. He stomped his feet on the doormat, trying to get rid of the ice-crust on his boots. “Oh good, look who’s already up”, he muttered as a greeting.
“Hi”, Vanya answered. Five just raised an eyebrow at him.
“I was about to go for a jog, but since you’re up, how about we train together ?”
Vanya almost choked on her coffee, the words having been clearly directed at her. Diego grinned as he crossed the room and snatched a bottle of milk from the fridge. “What ? I said I would teach you.”
“S-Sure.” Yes. He had. She just hadn’t thought he was serious. How could he trust her around a weapon ? From the absence of surprise on Five’s part, Vanya guessed that they must have discussed this beforehand. She felt vaguely hurt – she knew they talked about her, but she didn’t have to like it – but the opportunity was just too good not to be taken. “Alright, yeah”, she said, firmer.
Diego strolled back to the door, speaking over his shoulder : “Outside in ten, then. Put gloves on.”
Ten minutes later, Vanya found herself shivering in her fake-fur lined coat, waiting in front of the tree line marking the edge of the forest. Diego appeared silently by her side, carrying a plank with a badly painted mark on it. “Found this in the cupboard”, he said, positioning it against a tree trunk. He inhaled, posting himself beside his sister. “Okay. Feet apart, drop those shoulders, stop shivering.”
“Stop shiver- what ?”
“Yeah. You won’t hit the mark if you’re shivering like this”, Diego answered as if he was stating something obvious.
“Right.” Vanya tried to loosen her limbs, rolling her shoulders a little. Behind her, she heard the familiar sound of Five warping, probably wanting to assist to the lesson.
“You might try to hop a little, that’ll warm you up” Diego added, equally unfazed by Five’s arrival.
Vanya dropped her arms, turning to face her brother. “Have you even ever trained anyone ?” she asked, suddenly very suspicious. Diego was about to reply, puffing up his chest, when they were interrupted by a loud scream.
“GUYS”, came Klaus’ voice from the other side of the cabin. “GUYYYS ! I’M FLOATING !”
“What do you mean you’re floating ?” Five shouted in response, guiding their brother to their location. There was a pause, the three of them frowning in puzzlement.
Then Klaus suddenly rounded the small building, floating five feet from the ground, his hands glowing blue. “I’m floating !” he repeated, his smile ecstatic.
“Well go float somewhere else, we’re busy”, Diego said, pointing at him with the handle of his knife and turning back to his makeshift target.
“You,” began Klaus, “are a little shit. I’m fucking floating over here and-”
“Are you ? Or are you sitting on Ben shoulders ?” interrupted Five, still nursing his coffee.
“How dare you ?” Klaus huffed, clearly getting annoyed. “I’m floating and Ben’s right here” he said, pointing to his left.
“Yeah ? Prove it.”
Klaus paused. “I hate you.”
“No you don’t” Five grinned.
Klaus sighed in defeat before closing his eyes, tightening his fists. “Okay, you win.” He breathed deeply, visibly concentrating. “Come on. Come on come on comoncomoncomon…”
Blue fizzles of energy crackled around him, and suddenly Five was able to make out Ben’s form, right where Klaus had pointed to. Well, Ben’s vague form. He wasn’t clearly… clear, to say the least, but he was there, and Klaus was really fucking floating, and… No, Klaus wasn’t floating anymore. He had dropped abruptly, landing harshly on his ass. “Okay, next time over a mattress, duly noted”, Five heard him mutter under his breath.
“Are you okay ?”
“Peachy !” Klaus said, wincing as he got up. “Just seems like I can’t float and manifest our lovely not-so-departed brother at the same time.”
“Yet”, Ben chirped.
“Yet”, Klaus agreed with a proud smile. “Anyway what is happening here ? Can I have a knife too ?”
“Nope”, Diego answered without turning back, gesturing at Vanya to mirror his position.
They trained for the better part of two hours, after which Vanya felt like her right arm and shoulder were burning and her neck was stiff from being so tensed. She bent forward, leaning her forearms on her knees, grimacing as she heard something pop in her back. After a few seconds, she exhaled loudly as she straightened up, handing the knife she had be using to Diego. “I think we’re done for today”, he chuckled. “You did good.”
Vanya blinked at him. “I did ?”
“Sure. We could train with knives again tomorrow if you’d like. But we could also work on your self-defence moves ?” Diego cleared his throat and reached up to scratch at the back of his head. “Allison thought you’d like that.”
“I… Yes. I’d like that.” Vanya smiled a little.
“And you know, I could show you how to operate an assault rifle !” shouted Klaus over his shoulder, most of his attention focused on the cigarette he was adding to his snowman’s mouth. “That way,” he drawled out, “you’ll be proficient in every basic fight style. Well, we could also find someone to teach you fencing, and maybe you could take Torture 1-0-1 with our lovely Five, but also I could really teach you how to use a gun.” He had turned around on those last words, trying to convey his seriousness.
“I appreciate the offer, but I… I’m not comfortable using guns”, Vanya said.
“Alright then. You know where to find me should you change your mind. In the meantime…” He turned his gaze back to his snowman, “I need your expert opinion on this. How many eyes do you think he should have ?”
“Hey Five ?” Klaus whispered in the dark.
“Hmm ?” Came the muffled response.
“You sleeping ?”
“Not anymore, you asshole”, Five groaned softly. After a silence, he added : “What is it ?”
Klaus breath hitched a little. “Well, there’s this nice lady who probably hanged herself, she won’t stop looking at me.”
“Shit.” Five sat up on his bed, pushing away his covers. “Is she saying anything ?”
“Nope. Not yet. But I think she caught me looking at her this morning and now she’s kinda… Staring. I don’t like it, Five.”
“Okay, alright”, Five mumbled, turning on the light. “Let’s get outside.”
Klaus scurried out of his bed, putting on random clothes. Shit, that place had been nice. Why couldn’t he have one nice place without a ghost for at least a full week ? Why did people keep killing themselves every-fucking-where ? Pullover, socks, sweatpants, second pair of socks, scarf. Ready. On the other side of the room, Five was sticking his head through the neckline of a thick grey jumper, while Ben slowly circled around the dead woman. She was in her mid-fifties, her worn face black and blue from the lack of oxygen – clearly, she had fucked up in her calculations of the length of the rope. Ben made a face as he inspected her. “From the clothes I’d say she died somewhere along the sixties”, he said. “Haven’t seen her before today.”
“Yeah, I know… I don’t get it either”, Klaus sighed.
“Come on”, Five gestured toward the door, stifling a yawn. More than ever, Klaus was grateful of his brothers’ presence. It was nice, having everyone back. But it was nicer having Five and Ben by his side, sleeping in the same cabin. They got him. Even if getting him meant getting their asses in the cold in the middle of the night so he could avoid being watched upon by creepy grandma ghosts. “Wait. Klaus. Shoes”, Five said as he grabbed him by the arm. Oh, yes. Shoes. Klaus hurriedly shoved his feet into his boots before opening the door.
The air was crisp and fresh and good and Klaus inhaled deeply. It was a moonless night, and he could barely make out the form of the trees surrounding the cabin. Behind him, he heard his brother shut the door and step down the small set of stairs.
“Wanna walk ?” Five asked with hint of sleepiness still in his voice. He had really been loosening up these last few days. Klaus scowled briefly, recalling what it had been like, sleeping close to his brother for months. The nightmares. The insomnia. The feeling that whatever happened, he was not alone in this.
“Well, since it’s fucking freezing out here, no, I don’t really want to walk, love”, Klaus answered as he fished in his pocket for cigarettes. Bingo.
Five snorted at the pet name. “Wanna get drunk then?”
“My my, number Five. What a grand idea !” Klaus laughed, the flame of his lighter briefly illuminating his face. “Like the good old times ?”
“Like the good old times”, Five conceded.
“Oh my god”, Vanya laughed.
“What is- Oh my god”, Allison added.
Five was snoring, lying across the armchair, while Klaus was sprawled over the sofa, an empty bottle of whiskey stranded between them.
“Coffee ?” Allison asked loudly, startling them both awake.
“Coffee” Vanya agreed, still smiling. As Allison began clanking pots and pans – there was no way she wasn’t doing that much noise on purpose – Klaus and Five began groaning in protestation.
“Have a little mercy on our souls”, pleaded Klaus, burying his head under a cushion.
“I’m having a little mercy. I’m making coffee.”
Five just grunted his approval – coffee was indeed a small mercy.
“Anyway, what happened here ?”, Vanya asked, taking a seat at the table.
Klaus mumbled from under his cushion : “Ghost grandma under my bed.”
“Oh.”
“We need to switch cabins.”
“Ew, no thank you”, said Allison.
“Come oooon… You can’t see her. Plus, she really really dead. I promise she can’t touch you.”
“Nope. No way”, she said, waving a finger at her brothers. “Try Diego.”
Diego, as it turned out, didn’t care much for ghost grandmas, and as such easily agreed to switch cabins.
Klaus stood up gravely and leaned forward, placing his palms flat on the table. “I have summoned you”, he began, “because now is the time to face what may be the most important decision of our lives. We have lived through countless calamities, survived against the greatest odds and still, still, we have stood. Our . Ground.” He placed a hand on his heart. “And I, as head of this family, am proud of all of you. This is not the end, my friends. This is nothing but the beginning of our new lives, lives that-“
“Cut the bullshit, Klaus” Diego interrupted. “Where is Five?”
Around the kitchen table, Allison, Vanya and Luther were also shifting with varying degrees of nervousness. Klaus and Ben had invited them to attend what Klaus had called an “exceptional meeting”, gesturing with dramatic moves.
“Oh, come on! Can’t I have a little bit of fun pretending I am in charge of something important?”
“Well, you are”, said Five as he entered the cabin.
“Wait, I am?”
“Yes. We’ll get to that. Take a seat”, he gestured at an empty chair beside him.
“Well, what is it then?” Allison asked expectantly. She had her arms crossed defensively, sitting close to Vanya whose gaze stayed firmly on the table. She had a feeling that the holidays were over. Vanya felt it, too, judging by the way she wringed her fingers on her lap.
“I’ve figured it out.”
“You’ve figured… What?”
“I’ve figured how to fix everything. Well, not everything, obviously”, Five shrugged, “but how to take us back to 2019.”
There was a pause around the table.
“Without us being… You know. In double?” Allison asked.
“I have made some extrapolations on my algorithms, but yes, I should be able to project our consciousnesses forward in time to the exact moment I came back.”
“Some extrapolations, huh?” Diego said. “Not that I’m not grateful for your work and all that, but between getting stuck in the future, scattering us in the past and getting stranded in -what was it? Russia? I’m kinda concerned about your extrapolations.”
“Look, I know my time jumps have been somewhat unpredictable until now-” Everybody nodded or hummed in agreement. “-But this time, my calculations are right. This is it, guys. This is our way home.”
Five put his hands in his pockets, looking at each of his siblings in turn.
To everyone’s surprise, it was Luther that first spoke up. “I trust you. If you think that is the best course of action, I’m alright with it.”
“Thank you, Luther” Five said softly. Whether it was a genuine feeling or an attempt at conciliation didn’t matter.
Diego frowned “So if we do this, everything that happened after Dad’s funeral is just… Erased.”
“Yes”, Five answered just as softly. Diego’s thought process was transparent, and he could see the relief in his brother’s eyes as he confirmed that Eudora would still be alive.
“I’m in.”
Five turned to Allison. She slowly let her arms down. “But we will all keep our memories, right ?”
“Yes.”
“Count me in then.”
“Good.” Five started pacing the room as he ran a hand through his unruly hair. “Now there is something we need to be ready for”, he said, turning to Klaus, then to Vanya. “Our minds will integrate our old bodies. Which means that some of us will experience some… Technical difficulties.”
“You mean Klaus and I will have to get clean”, Vanya spoke up.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I get it. If we jump later in the timeline, people will die” – She glanced briefly at Diego – “And Harold will be in the way.”
“I’m glad you thought this up already.”
“Well. I mean. It was the obvious choice”, she half-smiled.
Across the table, Klaus mirrored her expression, his false bravado gone. He’d known for weeks that he would have to do it again. He was already tired and sick at the thought of going through withdrawal , but this time he wouldn’t be alone. This time Ben could even touch him. “Yeah, it was”, Klaus sighed. Don’t think of Dave. Dave will die in 68 anyway. You can do this. At least everyone else will be okay. “But what about my important role in this mess, dear brother?” he asked, forcing fake-enthusiasm in his voice. Smile now, cry later.
“You and I will take a little detour on the way.”
“And to where- or when, pray tell, will we go?”
“Oh I don’t know”, Five smiled. “What about a trip to Vietnam, in say, 1968?”
Laughter echoed loudly as Klaus managed to wrap Five in the tightest hug he ever received. “Klaus, I can’t breathe”, he rasped.
“I don’t care.”
Five didn’t really either, to be honest.