For as long as she could remember, books had been Sabrina Hargreeve's reprieve from reality. She devoured fairytales after fairytale, absolutely enthralled by the endless adventures and developing a deep longing for something outside of the routines established by the Sparrow Academy. Though every time she read the words 'happily ever after', her nose would crinkle and the book would slam shut - no such thing existed, and it was pitiful that people spent their entire lives chasing after it. So, as she grew older, she found herself drawn to more realistic pieces of literature, abandoning tales of princesses and wicked witches in favour of histories, sciences, and philosophies.
This held true as she stood in the Hotel Oblivion, flicking through pages in front of a dusty, old bookshelf. She tried her best to ignore the endless bickering in the background to no avail, so the girl sighed irritatedly, snapping the book shut.
"He's cramping my style! How am I meant to react to danger on a moments notice?" her captor, whom they had called Diego when he dragged her through the doors and into the foyer, complained. "How am I meant to do that when I'm playing wet nurse to some twelve year old?"
Sabrina slid the book back into the bookshelf, nearly inhaling the dust that filled the air, and spun around to face the dysfunctional family.
Three of the siblings - Diego, Allison and Viktor - were sitting around a booth. Viktor was slumped slightly in his seat, watching as Diego rambled on and on about the child that had watched as he dragged her out of the grocery store like a corpse. Sabrina crossed her arms in front of her chest, leaning on the bookshelf as she watched them.
"You're his dad," Viktor argued back. "That's kind of what dads do." The Sparrow Number Seven scoffed at that. Their dad certainly didn't do that kind of shit.
"Alleged dad," Diego corrected, pointing towards Viktor for dramatic effect.
Allison, who had been drowning herself in booze while her siblings conversed, placed another empty glass on the table. "Well, at least you have a kid." Sabrina tilted her head at the woman, who seemed utterly disinterested in anyone's problems but her own. Allison then stood from the booth, the clicking of her heels audible as she neared the bar.
Viktor crossed his arms, his expression neutral but laced with tension. "For someone who doesn't want to be babysitting, you sure keep your hands full," he said, glancing toward Sabrina, who was standing stiffly on the other side of the room, her arms folded tightly across her chest.
Sabrina's eyes flashed with irritation, but she kept her voice steady. "I don't need babysitting," she muttered under her breath, though the others seemed to dismiss her.
"She's leverage," Diego cut in, his tone matter-of-fact as he emphasized the word. "If we want to take the Sparrows down, we've got to be making moves!"
Sabrina's lip curled into a sneer. "You've already made plenty of moves, asshole," she snapped, her voice cutting through the room like a whip.
Diego raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance. "And what's that supposed to mean, princess?"
Sabrina took a step forward, her posture rigid and challenging. "I don't know if you're actually oblivious or just entirely stupid, but you lot have already taken Marcus from right under our noses. And don't think for a second that my family's going to let two kidnappings slide." Her voice was sharp, like glass about to shatter. There was something raw behind her eyes—a mixture of anger and concern.
Viktor's expression shifted, confusion clouding his features. "What are you talking about?" He glanced at Diego. "We don't have Marcus."
Sabrina blinked, taken aback for a split second before her brow furrowed in disbelief. "What do you mean you don't have Marcus? Where is he then?" Her voice wavered slightly, betraying the growing doubt that something far worse was at play.
Diego scoffed, crossing his arms. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but we don't know where your boss has run off to. He's not exactly been on our radar since your little scrimmage." He paused, eyes narrowing as he watched Sabrina closely. "Seems like you've got your own Sparrow problem to deal with."
Sabrina's frustration boiled over. "You're lying," she spat. "You expect me to believe that Marcus just vanished into thin air? Without any of you doing anything?"
Viktor shook his head, his tone soft but firm. "Look, we're not lying. We've got no reason to keep Marcus. If anything, this is just as much news to us as it is to you."
Sabrina's jaw clenched. "If Marcus isn't with you, then where the hell is he?"
Before Diego could think of another smart retort, footsteps neared the group. Sabrina kept her eyes on the man in front of her, her gaze sharp. If looks could kill, Diego would be six feet under.
"Okay, gather around, people!" A familiar voice called out, snapping Sabrina's attention away from knock-off Batman. Five neared the group, clearly having his exchanged his silly schoolboy uniform for a slightly-less-silly hat and jacket. "Where's Luther? Luther!" he called out into the room, dropping a thick book on the table where Diego, Viktor and Allison had been sitting. His gaze finally landed on Sabrina. "And what is she doing here?"
"She's leverage," Diego repeated, eliciting an eye roll from Sabrina, who stood with her arms crossed and her patience thinning.
"I'm really starting to not like you," she muttered, shooting him a glare, before taking a seat right on the table.
Diego, unfazed, sent her a mocking smile. "The feeling is mutual."
"Alright. Well, we've got bigger things to worry about," Five sighed, flipping open the journal while the rest of the Umbrella Academy - minus Luther - neared the table. The book was filled with old pictures of various women, clearly ripped from newspaper articles.
"Who are they?" Viktor asked, leaning in closer to study the images.
Five glanced up briefly before turning another page, revealing more photographs, each face different but familiar. "These," he began, "are our mothers." His words landed like a hammer, silencing the room for a moment. "They all died on the same day—October 1st, 1989."
Viktor frowned, puzzled. "That's our birthday."
Sabrina's brow furrowed as she processed the information. She leaned forward, her gaze locked on the pictures. "They all died in childbirth?" she asked, her tone laced with skepticism, but there was an edge of concern too.
Five shook his head, his face darkening as he flipped to the next page. "No," he said, his voice carrying a weight that made the room feel colder. "They all died before we were born."
Sabrina stared at him, her confusion mounting. "What the fuck?" she muttered under her breath, glancing around as if someone else might provide an answer. But the silence lingered.
Diego, always the skeptic, snorted. "That's dumb," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "If they died before we were born, how the hell can we exist?"
Five's eyes narrowed, his patience wearing thin. "Exactly my point, Diego," he shot back, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Very good job." He gave a dramatic roll of his eyes, but Diego's expression remained stubborn, clearly unamused by the condescension.
Viktor, ever the logical one, spoke up. "What are you saying, Five?" There was a note of unease in his voice, the gravity of the situation starting to settle in.
"I'm saying, when we jumped here, we created a time paradox. And not just any paradox, this is the Grandfather paradox."
"What the hell is a grandfather paradox?" Klaus questioned, frowning.
"It means you've created a contradiction," Sabrina interjected before anyone else could respond. Her voice was calm, matter-of-fact, and it caught Five's attention. He glanced over at her, a flicker of surprise crossing his face as she continued. "It's all purely theoretical, as far as I know. But if this is all true, the universe would be finding a way to balance itself—a devastating way to balance itself."
Five blinked, momentarily taken aback, then nodded, a hint of admiration creeping into his expression. "That's... right," he said slowly, his voice filled with both surprise and approval. He was clearly impressed by her knowledge, something he hadn't expected.
Diego, however, wasn't as easily impressed. He shot a skeptical look around the room before narrowing his eyes at Sabrina. "How the fuck does she know that?"
Sabrina shrugged, her demeanor completely unbothered by Diego's skepticism. "I read a lot," she said simply, as if that explained everything—and in her mind, it probably did.
The rest of the room stayed silent for a moment, absorbing the revelation, while Sabrina remained unfazed, arms crossed and gaze steady as though the paradox she just explained was no more complicated than reading the morning paper. Five sighed, making his way towards the bar and kitchen area to commandeer a cup of coffee.
"I'm so confused," Diego frustratingly sighed. It seemed that Five hadn't made much headway with his siblings.
"Shocking," Allison commented sarcastically from where she was leaned against a nearby pillar, her voice dripping with dry humor. The remark caused Sabrina to stifle a laugh, though she quickly pressed her lips together to hide her amusement.
"Well, someone killed our mothers, so we shouldn't exist," Viktor reasoned, his tone serious as he tried to piece it all together. "But clearly, we do exist, and the universe can't handle it, which is a problem."
"Bingo," Sabrina said with a nod.
Klaus, who had been silently taking in the conversation from the opposite end of the table, suddenly grabbed the journal lying in front of him. Without hesitation, he began repeatedly hitting himself in the face with it, letting out a loud groan of frustration. "Ughhh," he moaned, as if trying to physically beat the absurdity of the situation out of his head.
Five, unbothered by Klaus's antics, casually lifted his coffee cup in acknowledgment of the chaos. "Big problem," he agreed, his tone matter-of-fact, as he made his way back to the group. His calm demeanor only emphasised the seriousness of the situation, even as Klaus continued his theatrical self-flagellation.
Stanley, whom Sabrina had deduced to be Diego's alleged son from earlier conversation, had appeared near the group, twirling a pool stick in the air as though it were a weapon. "Yah!" he yelled as he jabbed it forwards, nearly knocking over a table. Sabrina frowned at the boy - was he trying to do judo? Or perhaps taekwondo?
"Stanley!" Diego snapped, turning his attention towards the twelve year-old. "Now is not the time to be doing karate, okay?" Sabrina raised an eyebrow, she stood corrected.
The boy lowered the stick, still holding it awkwardly. "Yeah? Well, Mom said I need to practice."
"Yeah, she's not wrong," Diego replied without hesitation, his tone half-joking but sharp. "You're really bad." His comment earned a snort from Sabrina, who quickly covered her mouth to stifle the laugh that almost escaped.
Stan's face reddened, but he quickly fired back. "Well, I saved your pathetic ass."
Diego's brow furrowed, his expression shifting into one of mild offense. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing," Stan replied, his voice a bit too quick, his eyes darting away as if trying to avoid further confrontation.
Allison quickly cut in, her voice sharp. "Okay, hold on, Five," she said, raising a hand to pause the conversation. "So we caused a paradox—what does that mean?"
Before Five could respond, Sabrina spoke up. "Hard to say, it's all been theoretical until now."
Allison's eyes immediately darted toward Sabrina, sending her a sharp glare. "I wasn't talking to you," she snapped, irritation clear in her voice.
Sabrina didn't react, but Five's expression darkened. "Watch it, Allison," he warned, his tone cool but firm. Allison scoffed, clearly unimpressed. Five pressed on, though. "Sabrina is right—this has all been purely theoretical up until now. But the difference is that things have started to disappear."
Allison's irritation melted into confusion. "What things?"
Five paused, thinking for a moment. "Right now? Uh, lobsters—"
"And a whole field of cows!" Klaus chimed in, raising his hands for dramatic effect.
Five rolled his eyes but nodded in agreement. "And I have a feeling this is just the beginning."
"A feeling? I thought you were retired," Allison tensely remarked.
He sighed. "Trust me, I want nothing more."
It was then that Allison pushed herself off the pillar, storming toward the group. "You know, you can't keep dragging us through hell and back just because you have an itch only an apocalypse can scratch, and then expect us to deal with the fallout. You're not the boss of this family."
If her hostility rattled Five, he didn't let it show. Instead, he flashed her a brief, mocking smile. "I'm just the messenger," he replied coolly. "And I'm telling you, something terrible is coming."
Allison's anger didn't waver. She crossed her arms, her expression sharp as she addressed her brother again. "Well, then let's go attack the Sparrows, get the briefcase, and go home."
Sabrina suddenly stood, her posture rigid as she took a step toward Allison, her eyes blazing with protectiveness. "Woah, lady," she snapped, her voice firm. "Leave my family out of this!"
Before things could escalate, Five hurriedly moved between them, dropping his coffee mug onto the table with a soft clatter. He lightly grasped Sabrina's arm, gently pulling her back toward him, trying to diffuse the rising tension. "This is our home, Allison," he said firmly, his voice carrying an edge of finality. "Accept it."
Sabrina's face reddened slightly from the contact, though her expression remained neutral. She was determined not to let anything show, keeping her focus on Allison, her stance unwavering. The tension hung in the air as the standoff continued, neither side willing to back down completely.
A loud clatter sliced through the tension like a knife, dragging the group's attention away from one another. Stanley, who had continued to practice his karate with his pool stick, had managed to cause the entire cue rack to collapse onto the ground.
Diego instantly flew to his feet, pointing at the boy. "That's it! I'm telling your mom!"
"I'm so scared," the boy sneered mockingly, clearly unfazed by his father's threat.
"Wait," Five started, releasing his grip on Sabrina's arm. Clearly, the mention of the boy's mother caught his attention. "Where's Lila?"