Chapter Three: Coping

17 YEARS AGO

"NIETZSCHE ONCE SAID," REGINALD BEGINS TO MONOLOGUE, "'Man is as a rope stretched between the animal and the superhuman. A rope over an abyss. It is a dangerous crossing, a dangerous looking-back, a dangerous trembling, and halting.'" The group of seven super-powered children waited at the bottom of the stairwell. Reginald Hargreeves and Vanya waited at the top. Training for the day had begun and each child was ready to show off their ability to be the first to get to the top of the stairwell. Reginald closed his red and gold book before looked to Vanya with a nod of his head. Vanya blew her whistle and all of the other children took off up the stairs. Well, six of them did. One girl remained at the bottom of the stairs and seemed to be waiting patiently. The six kids tripped over each other and took two steps at a time as they raced to reach the top. Luther and Diego were really the only two who were fighting to be first, seeing as they were a tad bit more physically fit than the others. "'As much as you must strive for individual greatness, and strive you must, for it won't come to you of its own accord you must also remember that there is no individual stronger than the collective.'"

Five then used his ability to allow himself to spacial jump in front of the leader, Diego. "That's not fair," Diego huffed out in frustration, "Five's cheating!"

"He adapted," Reginald snapped and wrote something down in his little red book. A gust of wind then brushed against both Reginald and Vanya. They turned to their right to find Jemma standing next to them with her arms behind her back. Reginald's eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the girl. "I suspected you getting up here quicker, Number Eight."

Jemma shrugged her shoulders sheepishly, "I thought I'd give them a head start."

"The ties that bind you together - make you stronger than you are alone." Now all of the children(sans Vanya) along with Grace and Reginald all were in the foyer of the home. A constant, annoying buzzing sound resonated in the air along with whimpering. Diego flinched as a tattoo artist marked his left wrist with the Umbrella Academy symbol. Each child would earn their branding today for being apart of the Academy. Grace tried to comfort Diego only for him to flinch back. While Diego was getting his tattoo, Allison and Klaus had already received theirs. Klaus hugged Allison as the two of them whimpered softly at the ink that now branded their skin. "They will make you impervious to the pain and hardship the world will thrust upon you. And believe me when I tell you, life will be hard. It will be painful." Luther, Ben, Jemma, and Five sat in chairs in a line, waiting to get their tattoos. Luther tried to keep himself composed and looking strong. Five watched the process with a grimace on his face at the impending pain they would all receive. Ben looked to be scared out of his mind. Jemma was just as frightened and was shaking slightly. Though the two of them tried to be strong for each other. That was evident from the fact that their hands were intertwined tightly to offer silent support for one another.

On the staircase leading up the main stairwell, Vanya watched sadly by herself. Feeling left out, she pulled a black marker out, uncapped it, and began to draw the same brand onto her wrist. She wanted to fit in with her siblings and wished she could be involved. Even if it meant feeling an immense amount of pain.

"We can accomplish anything when we accept responsibility together." As all of the children were fast asleep in their beds, Reginald sat at the bedside of the little blonde girl who appeared to have been swallowed by her green duvet. He brushed a lock of her long hair from her face which caused the small girl's nose to scrunch up adorably. She then shifted in her sleep when her father placed an electrode onto her temple just like he had done to his other children. "This is what creates trust." Reginald flicked through multiple camera angles of the children on a screen as they all slept peacefully while he sat in his study. Meanwhile, he scribbled down notes into his red book and listened to the beeping from the scans being conducted on the children. "Together, you will stand against the reign of evil." He then flickered onto Vanya's screen where the beeping increased significantly.

---

The house was still filled with a thick tension from earlier events. As soon as the fight between Diego and Luther had calmed down, everyone thought it was best to stay away from each other for a short time. Just so that way, they could all calm down. Though it was starting to get late and soon enough nighttime would blanket the city. The time for each of the children to leave and head to their own homes was approaching fast. There wasn't much doubt about them trying to forget about each other and not speak to each other once again. At least, not until something else brought them all together again which seemed highly unlikely. There was just too much toxicity that some of the siblings held for each other. Specifically, towards Vanya.

Said woman stood in the foyer of the home. She popped open her medication and instantly took a pill from it. She had grown increasingly anxious and nervous because of today, so she was in dire need of something to calm herself down. Another way to do that was to also leave her childhood home as soon as she could. She obviously wasn't welcomed by most of her siblings. Leaving just seemed to be a way for the uncomfortable aura to decrease just a tad bit.

She sighed out in what seemed to be exhaustion as she waited at the front door. She then heard footsteps and the soft clanking of a cane. She turned around to see Pogo approaching her with a sad expression. "Don't waste your time," Vanya said with a shake of her head. "Diego's right, I shouldn't have come."

"This is your home and always will be," Pogo stated firmly. Though he retired his will to keep her from leaving. He knew that Vanya wouldn't stay for long due to her always feeling like an outsider in the family. He smiled kindly, "should I get you a taxi?"

Vanya denied it, "I already called one. But thanks." A car horn then sounded from outside. "That's me."

Pogo glanced down and cleared his throat slightly, "uh, I hope you know your father loved you very much." Vanya stared at him and bit the inside of her cheek, "in his own way."

"Yeah, well, that's kind of the problem, isn't it?" Her father had such a strange way of showing his love… Excluding her from everything that her siblings did and constantly telling her that she wasn't special certainly showed how much he loved her. "Take care of yourself."

"You as well, Miss Vanya." The ape could tell that he wasn't getting anywhere with Vanya, and he couldn't blame her. She was practically ostracized from her own family. If it wasn't for Jemma, Grace and himself, Vanya wouldn't have been allowed to come as the rest of the family felt that they were betrayed by her.

Vanya turned to exit the home and never be welcomed back when a thought struck her. She should have thought of it sooner! She should have done it before she called the cab or even after the fight between Diego and Luther, but it seemed to slip her mind. She had a feeling that Jemma wasn't feeling the best after what happened to Ben's statue. She should have been a better sister and checked on her sooner. However, now it seemed like she would have to do it at a later date. And most likely comfort a drunk Jemma instead of a sober Jemma. If she had to be honest, Vanya certainly liked seeing her sister sober after being a chronic alcoholic for so long. She was glad that Jemma at least tried to restrain herself from drinking so much for that day. Albeit she did drink before she arrived there and was certainly drinking now, however, she was at least sober during the memorial for their father. That was nice… "Tell Jemma I'll see her later."

Pogo bowed his head in acknowledgment. He actually already had the thought of checking on the blonde earlier in his mind, "I will."

Vanya then exited the glass door decorated with the Umbrella Academy logo and outside where she got into the cab. As she left, Pogo watched her with narrowed eyes. They were drenched in worry and a forbidden knowledge as the cab carrying the powerless Hargreaves child away.

---

Downstairs in the basement, Jemma slouched in one of the wooden chairs that were sat around the table. She nursed a glass in her hands that were filled to the brim with whiskey. She wasn't a complete fan of the stuff and would much rather have vodka or something, but she'd just have to deal with it. When one is trying to numb the pain, it doesn't really matter what they use to do so.

Klaus and Five were also in the basement with her. Klaus sat at the head of the table with his feet perched upon it as a guitar was held in his hands. The guitar was a gift that he had gotten from Jemma when they were teens. It was something Klaus could never get rid of even if his father hated the fact that he had it. They were never allowed to have fun which included the toys and such that they tried to enjoy as children.

The last of the trio was searching through the cupboards and cabinets of the small kitchen. You would have thought that the boy was looking for some sort of treasure with the way he frantically searched. Every once and awhile, Jemma would eye her younger looking brother in confusion. It was like she was still trying to process the fact that Five was actually there.

Yeah, she could see the uniform-clad boy with her own eyes. However, she felt like it really was just a part of her imagination. Honestly, it wouldn't have been the first time she had imagined her brother in the past. Alcohol could surprisingly induce quite a few depressing hallucinations for her. Not only that, but she's had quite a few different dreams about seeing Ben again.

She also thought that it was a dream or something due to her siblings having just let the fact that he was back go far too easily. He suddenly appeared after having been gone for seventeen years! Then he reappears looking the same as he did the day he disappeared but apparently his consciousness is fifty-eight. The family had gone through some weird shit but this probably took the cake for her. Though she couldn't blame them for just disregarding it. Five seemed to want to stay away from them as much as he could which confused Jemma quite a bit.

If he wanted to be so far away from them she was certain that they would do the same. Nobody really showed themselves to care about each other that much anymore… which Jemma hated so much. Yet as the strong liquid was burning through her system and dulling her senses, she couldn't give a fuck about that at the moment. She was currently more focuses on trying to get rid of the crippling depression that had settled itself in her chest after the days' events. There were just far too many memories and emotions that had resurfaced that brought her mood down too much. They weren't all unpleasant or anything… yet there were still the major ones clinging into the back of her mind and dragging her through a roller coaster of emotions. Of course, her only resolve to deal with these emotions was to drink herself silly, much to her family's dismay.

Klaus and Vanya used to Jemma's alcoholic tendencies as they were usually there to see it themselves. Klaus had been there for her at the beginning and, as much as he regrets it now, was actually the one to encourage her to do it. He thought that it was best for her at the time… He didn't think that it would get this out of hand for her. And seeing as Jemma was close with Vanya and talked to her quite a lot, Vanya knew about her sister's problems. The rest of the family wasn't as accustomed to it. Jemma was the enigma of the family. It wasn't due to her powers or anything like that but it was due to the fact that she actually stayed in touch with all of her siblings. Well, she at least tried to.

Jemma wanted to keep her family together and didn't want to lose the relationships that she had with her brothers and sisters. It was slightly hard to do so. Luther had been on the moon for the past four years, so that prevented her from contacting him. She talked with Klaus and Vanya the most while she spoke with Allison regularly(whenever she wasn't busy with work and such). She tried to stay in touch with Diego but he seemed to develop that 'superhero mindset' and thought that it was best she stayed away from him. She could tell that he didn't want that but convinced himself it was ideal. He just couldn't really stop her from running to his place and speaking with him every once and awhile. Though she tried to keep her problems to herself and away from her family, sans Klaus and Vanya. She didn't want to burden them more than they already were.

As the three sat in silence, Allison came bounding down the stairs with her curly hair bouncing wildly. "Where's Vanya?" She asked with furrowed eyebrows once she only saw three of her siblings.

"Oh," Klaus started offhandedly, "she's gone."

"That's unfortunate," Five said as he ended his search and came to stand next to Jemma's chair.

Allison sighed out sadly, "yeah."

Though they now could see that he was less disheartened by the fact that his sister had left as he held a coffee pot. He seemed to have found something far more important to complain about. "An entire square block. Forty-two bedrooms, 19 bathrooms, but no, not a single drop of coffee."

All of the others rolled their eyes at him. Jemma allowed her lips to be torn from her glass for a moment and interjected, "Dad hated caffeine."

"Well, he hated children, too," Klaus laughed sarcastically, "and he had plenty of us."

They all shared a glance with each other before three pairs of eyes landed on Five who stared at the table for a moment. He then grunted, "I'm taking the car."

"Where are you going?" Klaus sat up in interest.

Five scowled at him, "to get a decent cup of coffee."

They all stared at him bewildered as Allison questioned him, "do you even know how to drive?"

The younger looking boy clenched his jaw and set a glare in their direction. Jemma mentally questioned what had really ticked him off for him to be so… irritated. "I know how to do everything." Then, just like that, he spacial jumped out of the basement and outside to find the car.

Jemma scoffed, "someone's got a stick up their ass."

Klaus quickly stood up and turned to his sisters. "I feel like we should try and stop him," he paused for a millisecond and quickly changed his mind with a chuckle, "but then again, I also just kinda want to see what happens." They all then heard a car engine come to life outside. Five found the car it seems. They could hear the car peel off of the property on a quest for some coffee.

"All right," Diego exclaimed as he descended the stairs. It was obvious that he was ready to leave the house and return to his borderline illegal work as a superhero. "I guess I'll see you guys in, what, ten years? When Pogo dies?"

Allison shook her head at his words and bit out spitefully, "not if you die first."

"Yeah, love you too, sis." Diego scoffed with a raised eyebrow, "good luck on your next film. Hope it turns out better than your marriage, huh?"

"Diego!" Jemma scolded him in a shaky voice. That was a low blow!

Diego paused in his steps and glanced at her over his shoulder. He stared down the tipsy woman who pinned him down with the harshest glare she could muster. He shook his head lightly before quickly turning back around to head outside. Even when buzzed, his sister seemed to try and be the peacekeeper.

Jemma then softened her glare and turned to her sister when Diego continued on. She saw the look on Allison's face as she gazed after their brother and bit the inside of her cheek. She watched as Allison then turned to leave the basement and didn't stop even when Jemma called out, "Ally! Wait!" She gave up when Allison stomped away and opted to just rest her head on the table. She wanted to comfort her sister, however, she may want to do that sober. Yet she still wanted to wallow in her self-induced numbness for a little while longer before she tried to talk straight to anyone.

Klaus jumped over to his brother, "Are- are we leaving?"

Diego shook his head firmly and started to stress, "no, I'm leaving, me by myself."

"Oh, fabulous!" Klaus ignored his denial and clapped his hands excitedly, "I'll get my things."

Diego just continued on his trek outside to his car. He had no intention of allowing his brother to follow him as Klaus intended. He tried to get out of the house as fast as he could before Klaus could get to his car and tag along.

As Klaus passed by Jemma who looked about ready to pass out on the table, he rested a hand on her shoulder lightly. She barely gave any indication that she felt him give a tight squeeze on her shoulder except for a soft grunt. "You'll be okay, right?"

She mumbled through her slurred voice, "yeah, think I'll stay here for the night."

Klaus pursed his lips slightly before nodding his head, "all right, I'll see you later." With that, he scurried away to get his stuff. Jemma sighed heavily through her nose before sitting up enough to take a swig of her cup. Sure, her family had finally gotten together after years of ignoring each other, yet they tried to get as far away from each other as fast as they could. Was Jemma upset with that fact? Yeah, she was. However, she was too numb at that moment to really give a shit. She was probably going to be too drunk to do anything for that matter for at least a few hours. She honestly just wanted to forget everything that had happened today.

Outside, Diego was on the homestretch. He had gotten to his car quickly and without any hiccups in his journey. Though his mini triumph was broken when he head fast steps coming up from behind him, "Hey! Diego." Diego groaned as Klaus came running out and jumped into the back seat. Klaus clapped Diego on the shoulders with both of his hands as he continued to talk, "you know, every time I close my eyes, I see a diarrhetic hippo about to shit on my face. It's terrifying!"

That was something that Diego didn't really need to know nor wanted to. He sighed out heavily in exasperation as he accepted his fate with his brother. "Terrific." He started up the engine to his car that instantly roared to life.

"No!" Klaus shook his head in a daze, "no."

Diego rolled his eyes and said with a monotone voice, "lean back." Klaus did as told as the car rolled out of the alleyway and into the city.

In the bedroom window that gazed down at the alleyway, Luther watched through his blinds as his brothers disappeared into the night. He sighed before turning to his injured arm that seemed excessively covered in hair.

Grace walked elegantly in her black dress and pearls to the area on the second floor that was covered in paintings. Every inch of the three walls was caked in so many paintings ranging from large to small. She sat down at the chair in front of them all and gazed at them like she always did. The android stared at them longingly as emotions seemed to swirl in her eyes. Androids don't have emotions… or at least they aren't supposed to. As she admired the paintings of landscapes and still life a silver and blue plug rose out of the seat that she was sitting in. As normal, the plugs inserted themselves into her ears to power her down for the day.

---

Tires screeched against the parking lot asphalt in Griddy's Donuts. The quite, cheap looking donut shop was dead in the night. The shop seems to be closed, however, that notion was waved off from the large neon sign on top of the shop illuminated in the darkness. Five jumped out of the car that he had taken from his home with purpose and quick strides. He certainly was on a mission to get himself a cup of coffee.

He pushed past a departing customer and made a beeline for the counter. He sat himself down on the stool just as another man came into the shop and plopped himself down next to Five. The balding man took a quick glance at the young boy next to him with an expression of confusion. What was a kid doing out so late by himself? He could only mentally shrug his shoulders at that.

A woman wearing a hot pink and dingy white uniform then shuffled out of the back room. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled up in a bun though there were a few strands of hair poking out every which way. She pulled out a writing pad and pen before sighing with a welcoming smile, "sorry, sink was clogged. So, what'll it be?"

The older man knew exactly what he wanted, "uh, give me a chocolate eclair."

"Mm-hmm. Sure." She gestured over to Five who waited patiently to be spoken to, "can I get the kid a glass of milk or something?"

Five scoffed and then demanded after the man stared at the waitress in confusion, "the kid wants coffee. Black."

"Cute kid," She chuckled nervously. The older man just stared at her in bewilderment as Five flashed her a tight-lipped smile in order to seem innocent. The situation was quickly becoming further awkward as the seconds ticked by. She cleared her throat uncomfortably and turned to do her job, "okay."

The old man and Five sat in silence for a moment as Five looked around the dingy donut shop. "Don't remember this place being such a shithole." He reminisced, "I used to come here as a kid. Used to sneak out with my brothers and sisters and eat doughnuts till we puked. Simpler times, huh?"

"Eh." His nostalgic rant only earned a strange look from the older man. The way that this kid spoke was completely strange. "I suppose."

The hot pink waitress returned with their orders, "here."

The man pulled out some cash, "I got his."

"Thanks," Five said to the man who started to dig into his pastry. He stared at the man and took notice of the old patch that indicated the man worked for a towing company. The young looking boy took a sip from his bitter coffee. "You must know your way around the city."

He looked over at the younger looking boy and nodded his head in uncertainty, "I hope so. I've been driving it for 20 years."

Five nodded his head, "good. I need an address."

Once the man finished his treat and gave Five the information he needed, he bid the boy a quick goodbye before exiting the shop. He climbed into his truck and started to drive down the road towards his own shop. He didn't even notice the group of bulky, strapping men watching the shop with narrowed eyes from the shadows. As soon as the truck completely disappeared and the men thought that the coast was clear, they all walked towards the shop to confront the assassin inside.

Five didn't even turn around when he heard the front door open. He was able to see the reflection of the group clad head to toe in black clothes come up behind him. Their weapons were held in their hand menacingly, yet Five didn't even bat an eye at them. He only sighed, "hmm. That was fast. I thought I'd have more time before they found me."

The leader of the group held his gun pointed at the back of Five's head. "Okay. So let's all be professional about this, yeah? On your feet and come with us. They want to talk."

"I've got nothing to say."

The armed man tsked, "it doesn't have to go this way. You think I want to shoot a kid? Go home with that on my conscience?"

"Well, I wouldn't worry about that." Five started placidly as he picked up the dinner knife that was in front of him and started to twirl it in his nimble fingers. His eyes hardened and grew cold at the snap of a finger. They were the eyes of a killer and it seemed like it wouldn't look right on a child's face. However, it fit perfectly on Five's young face. "You won't be going home." With that, all hell broke loose in a matter of milliseconds.

---

A cold breeze drifted through the air a licked across the water as Diego stared at what was in his hand. "Do you ever remember a single time that Dad wasn't wearing his monocle?" The distaste he held for the simple object hanging in his grasp was quite evident. Even more so when he dropped it right into the calm waters below.

"Yoo-hoo, Diego!" Klaus' scratchy voice broke through Diego's moment, "I hate to rush you through any kind of brooding moment you might be having, but come on, man, we're starving!" Klaus sighed in exasperation and shut the door to the car harshly. He turned to the figure who sat next to him that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. They wore a black hoodie that covered the top of their face through a strong jaw poked out from underneath the shadow the hood cast. It was the same figure that had been in the courtyard. The one that had watched Jemma cry earlier that day. Even though the hood was up, it was quite obvious that there was still a sullen look on their soft features. Klaus started to mutter to the man next to him, "I'm craving eggs. No! Wait, it's too late for eggs. Waffles. Huh? You like waffles, right?" The man nodded his head which caused Klaus to brighten, "ah. Of course, you do. Everyone likes waffles."

The radio on the car's hood then crackled to life, "gunshots reported on the 400 block of Milton Avenue, Griddy's Doughnuts."

At the statement, Diego took one more look at the waves before heading over to his car. Klaus perked up as he saw his brother approach, "Diego, thank you for joining us, we have decided on, drum roll, waffles."

He shook his head and started his car, "I'm gonna drop you off at the bus stop. I gotta get back to work."

Klaus' expression slacked in slight disappointment, "what?" He breathed out, "breaking bones and cracking skulls?"

Diego smirked and looked at Klaus through the rearview mirror after putting on his domino mask, "saving lives, baby."

He turned back to the steering wheel when he heard a sigh from behind him, "well, I guess it's frozen waffles again." It sounded like Klaus was talking to someone. Diego took one more glance behind him to see what Klaus was doing only to see him talking to thin air. "Yeah, I could do egg and bacon, but I'm trying to cut down on my pig products." Diego rolled his eyes and started to drive the car away from the water's edge and in the direction to drop Klaus off somewhere relatively safe.

---

Jemma slowly walked down one of the many winding hallways of her childhood home. She decided to stay the night and not go back to her apartment in order to cope with her eventful day. Seeing her family all together again was just as nice as it was nerve-racking. After all of the excitement, she was in desperate need of a nap. She was already running through the many drinks that she had about an hour ago and was slowly becoming sober. She knew that her mind would become completely clear by the time she actually goes to sleep. Which meant that she would need some more. It was a good thing that she had grabbed a large bottle of whiskey from the kitchen cabinet and brought it with her. In order to sleep, she needed alcohol. Sleep always eluded her for some reason. Jemma hypothesized that it was because of her superspeed causing her thoughts to race around in her mind and keeping her awake at night. It just gave her another excuse to drink more.

As the blonde was nearing the flight of stairs where her bedroom was, she was able to hear the unmistakable sound of a cane clicking against the floor. She turned to find Pogo trotting over to her. The old ape smiled at the woman and started up a conversation with her. "Hello, Miss Jemma. I'm glad to see you're better." He noticed that her pale face was less flush than before and she seemed to be sober. Pogo was more than happy to see the woman act normal than drinking. The ape hadn't seen Jemma in such a state like earlier and was glad to see that she was sober at the moment. However, when he took one look at the bottle in her hand, he sighed.

"Define better…" Jemma said sheepishly as she tried to hide the whiskey behind her back.

"I have a feeling that I should lock up your father's alcohol cabinet," he raised an eyebrow.

Jemma's eyes widened, "now Pogo, let's not be rash here."

Pogo stared at her unimpressed, "I wanted to make sure that you were all right. Vanya did as well after she left."

The woman puckered her lips, "I'm good. No need to worry about little old me." She spun around on her heels and started to climb the stairs, "I'm just heading to my room." A sour expression consumed her face and looked completely out of place on her. To hear that Vanya had left the house without even making sure that she was okay or saying goodbye left somewhat of a bad taste in her mouth. Though she didn't care all that much… It's not like she actually went to their apartment that much anymore. If anything she mainly spends her nights with Klaus at some motel or with a few other friends she had.

"Vanya was hoping to see you tomorrow," Pogo commented as if he could hear her thoughts.

Jemma waved her hand over her shoulder and climbed higher, "mhm, if I'm sober enough tomorrow then I just might."

Pogo could only watch as she climbed up the stairs and to her bedroom to, no doubt, drown herself further, to his dismay. "Goodnight, Miss. Jemma."

"Night!"

Jemma entered her room and placed the whiskey on her desk. She breathed out deeply while plopping herself down on her bed. Finding no motivation to really do anything, Jemma just laid back on her bed and stared at the bland ceiling over her head. Sooner or later the whiskey was going to become too tempting for her and she would easily down the whole thing. That seemed like it was going to be sooner due to the fact that the picture of Ben was staring straight at her.

---

Vanya had finally gotten to her apartment building. The taxi ride of silent and cold. She wasn't completely sure but seeing her family all together again and how much they loathe her dampened her spirits quite a lot. She knew that they were going to dislike her and express it openly, however, it was different thinking about the interactions than actually living through them. There was also the fact that Five had magically appeared in their home. After seventeen years, her brother had come back home looking just like he did when he had ran away!

She also had to add in the situation with Jemma. Though it wasn't just a situation anymore, seeing as Jemma's problem had been going on for years now. However, it seemed that the rest of the family now knew that she was an alcoholic. They all now knew how their darling, precious, innocent sister had turned into a dependant drunk who jumped at any chance to get drunk. Vanya also had a feeling that they all knew why Jemma was like this…

Vanya should have waited for Jemma instead of making a beeline out of the house. She should have taken Jemma home with her like she usually did. However, she was certain that Jemma wouldn't be completely irresponsible and try to travel to their shared apartment on her own. Jemma had enough common sense when she was drunk to not make terrible decisions like traveling across the city on her own drunk. Though now that Vanya thought about it, she had practically done that this morning. So maybe Jemma had the tendency to make a bad decision every once and awhile.

Vanya arrived at her door and pulled out her keys. She walked into her dark apartment on autopilot and turned on the lights. She gasped when she caught sight of a figure sitting in her living room that nearly gave her a heart attack. "Jesus!"

"You should have locks on your windows." Five commented nonchalantly as he casually sat in his sister's apartment, uninvited.

Vanya just stared at him in utter bewilderment, "I live on the second floor."

"Rapists can climb."

"You are so weird." She sighed while closing the door and venturing further into the room. She placed her belongings down and, of course, as soon as she got closer she was able to notice the disheveled and bruised appearance of her brother, "is that blood?"

Five turned his head and denied it, "it's nothing."

She stared at him with wide eyes. Even though they hadn't seen each other in such a long time, Five didn't seem to trust her like he did when they were younger. It was slightly saddening for her, but she let it go. Seeing that she wasn't going to get anywhere with him, she just got comfortable on the couch near him. "Why are you here?"

Five mulled over his thoughts for a moment to look for the right words. Soon enough, he found his voice, "I've decided you're the only one I can trust."

Vanya's eyebrows furrowed, "why me?"

"Because you're ordinary." There was silence for a moment before he sighed, "because you'll listen."

"Okay." Vanya got up and went to her bathroom and gathered some supplies in order to clean up the wound on her brother's arm. Ever since she was little she had known how to use a first aid kit and such. That skill usually came with having superheroes as siblings.

As Vanya started to clean up Five's arm, the young looking boy tried to straighten out his thoughts and where he would begin, "when I jumped forward and got stuck in the future, do you know what I found?"

"No."

"Nothing." He instantly answered as he stared off into space. The memory of first arriving in the future filtered through his mind from all those years ago. "Absolutely nothing. As far as I could tell, I was the last person left alive." Vanya could only gape at him silently as he continued on, "I never figured out what killed the human race, but I did find something else. The date it happens. The world ends in eight days, and I have no idea how to stop it."

Vanya stared at him in disbelief and shock before speaking softly, "I'll put on a pot of coffee."