Chapter Text
Five had done it. They were in another timeline where they could stop Vanya and the apocalypse for real.
Five frowned as memories of the previous timeline's academy flooded back to him.
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"Number Five," Reginald Hargreeves called. Five stepped forward. He crossed his fingers at his side, hoping his father would have something good to say about his performance that day.
"Good job today," Reginald said. Five smiled, proud of his accomplishment. If his father was complimenting him, that meant he did well.
"If you were 4 year old," Reginald sipped his wine. Five's smile fell.
For once could his father just say something nice to him? Five wondered what other fathers did.
Maybe this was normal.
Five stepped back into the line.
"Number Six,"
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In this timeline, Five wouldn't have to worry about anything except for preventing the apocalypse.
Then, Five realized that's a pretty big worry.
Five turned, seeing Klaus hugging Ben so tightly that, to Five, it looked like Klaus had cut off circulation. Five rolled his eyes and shook his head.
Wait, Ben?
Standing before Five was Ben, back in his 13 year old body, and definitely not a ghost.
"Ben, you're alive! You're not a ghost anymore!" Klaus clapped his hands together.
"Oh thank God ." Ben laughed.
"Good to have you back, I guess," Five nodded at Ben, who looked offended at his comment.
"I bet you everything in my pockets that there's a 'but' to his sentence," Klaus whispered to Ben.
" But , we're still going to have to make a plan. We're trying to divert the apocalypse, for God's sake," Five continued.
"Hah! I was right. You don't get my rope or questionably fresh-" Klaus dug through his pockets, finding nothing. "Wait a minute, there's nothing in my pockets!"
The rest of the group ignored Klaus. "Wh- wh- when Vanya wakes up," Diego stepped in the middle of the group. "We-we-we should see if she still remembers the other timeline, like we do."
"I agree, but what if she's still, you know, evil ?" Luther readjusted Vanya in his arms. "Maybe she's weaker now that she's younger,"
Five watched Allison's hand instinctively go up to her throat. Her face brightened when she felt no gauze. "What if she-" Allison began. A knock on the door interrupted their conversation.
"C-come in," Diego yelled. The door opened and Grace waltzed in.
"Dinner's ready. We're going to have grilled cheese and soup," Grace told the children excitedly. At that moment, Five knew that Grace had seen Vanya, because her face fell and she ran over to Luther.
Grace held her adopted daughter's cheeks in her hands.
"She's probably just tired and needs rest," Grace said, her concern turning into her weird-to-the-point-of-being-fake happiness.
"As for you all, your father would like for you to report to the dinner table,"
Diego left first, followed by Ben, then Klaus, then Luther, then Allison, and lastly Five. As Five left, he stopped to watch Grace as she tended to Vanya.
"Five? What are you doing? It's dinner time, silly," Grace laughed. At first, Five thought Grace was going to walk him downstairs herself, but instead, she closed the door to the room. Behind the door, Five could hear Grace's muffled humming.