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This was wrong. He could be overdosed and still know with clarity that this was wrong. Locking someone up because they couldn’t control their powers instantly and fully? Fuck, just seeing her trapped in there had brought him flashing back to the crypt. Not to mention he was recently developing new facets to his powers that he couldn’t control. He and Vanya were stuck in the same boat, as far as he was concerned.
But he wasn’t going to win a fight against Luther. He couldn’t strong arm the dumb ape into letting her go. Hell, he could never win any fight against any of his siblings. Excluding Vanya, who had never trained and who had been deliberately weakened because their father was a coward. There was no way in hell that he would let his own physical weakness stop him from helping her, though. So he had to rely on every other talent he possessed. Like pretending indifference or avoiding all notice because his siblings wrote him off.
“What are you going to do about this?” Ben asked, breaking Klaus from his brooding on the bed.
“Not let Luther go apeshit and get away with it,” Klaus said, because he still wasn’t sure what the best plan was.
Thankfully, he had a very smart deceased brother on his side. He’d seen the same disgust and horror at Vanya’s treatment on Ben’s face that he knew had been on his. And Ben knew about the crypt. “Let’s go see her. They said her powers are affected or controlled by her emotions; choking her out, locking her up, and leaving her alone is about as productive as shoving you in a box full of ghosts.” Ben scowled, and it wasn’t often he got truly angry, but Ben was always the kindest, most considerate of them.
He had been the glue between them that kept the Umbrella Academy from being carried away by a strong wind. Ben had a good relationship with all of them, even Vanya. Klaus (although especially when he was younger was an asshole) never picked on her as much as the others. Numbers One through Three competed to earn their father’s favor, but the Séance was a realist. He could barely keep up. So he felt less need to make himself feel more important by putting her down.
But that didn’t mean he was close to her. They had a few positive interactions over the years, but Five and Ben were the only ones who went out of their way to engage her. Then Five disappeared. Then Ben died. And she was left with their sorry, dysfunctional asses. They had let her down.
Now she was left with the least sorry ass: his. Five was AWOL and she couldn’t see Ben’s ghost, so of the four remaining siblings, he was the best suited to this rescue mission. He giggled a little. The best Umbrella left to stave off the storm.
“It’s not the time to laugh; every minute in there is like…” Ben didn’t really need to directly say “mausoleum” to get Klaus moving.
Getting up, no real plan, his mind flashed to Vanya silently screaming and pleading, and the way her eyes desperately trained on Allison’s notebook. Well, now he at least had an idea of where to start. He’d grab a notepad on his way down.
(-)
Klaus felt sick when he saw her slumped against the window, mostly curled up on the floor. He should have gotten here sooner. The screams of the dead had deafened him; she (according to Pogo and Luther) was highly attuned to sound waves and was trapped in utter silence. Their own unique hells.
Trying to tap on the window didn’t work, which he realized was part of the soundproofing. “Try waving your hands; you still cast a shadow through the door,” Ben suggested.
That didn’t work right away, but when he idly started a shadow puppet show, the effect much diminished by the harsh light in the cell and the angle of the light out of the cell, she stirred, then whipped around, face soaked with fresh tears, to see him with one of his hands pretending to eat the other.
Instantly, she was pounding on the window and screaming, the words “I’m sorry” on her lips now a familiar sight after his first trip down here.
“We can’t open the door with her like that,” Ben said.
“No kidding.”
He opened the notepad and wrote: Calm down so we can let you out, okay?
It got an instant reaction, if not instant calm. Her gaze went from the words to him, desperate hope gleaming in those wet brown eyes. Even if she wasn’t screaming and banging, Vanya still seemed to be hyperventilating. Knowing how that felt and having learned (long after he most needed it) how to stop that kind of thing, Klaus started breathing deeply and evenly, gesturing between the two of them to indicate she should do the same.
Slowly, they got her breathing more normally. He wrote: Now we can focus on getting the door open. Then, after a moment’s thought, he put: But we need you to stay calm once you’re out. Luther’s a dick, but if we can prove to everyone else that you aren’t a danger to us, the others will side against him. After another moment, he wrote: No one but him was okay with this, Vanya. It’s wrong to treat you like this.
The tears that had still been leaking from her eyes actually got worse, but he saw the “thank you” on her lips.
“This might be the healthiest emotional communication I’ve seen from you in…ever,” Ben said, but it sounded more approving than demeaning.
And damn if that didn’t encourage him more. He was used to Ben’s scolding and nagging, but his praise was so rare that he treasured it. When he said, “Well done,” after Klaus used the information from the ghosts to freak out his torturers, it gave him a high that he could never replicate with drugs.
You’re our sister. Maybe we’ve been shitty siblings in the past, but we’re here to save you now.
She frowned and mouthed “our” and “we” as she looked at his message, her face puzzled, and Klaus realized his mistake. As far as she could see, he was the only one who had come for her.
He glanced at his brother, who shrugged. “You kept using the plural. Vanya isn’t stupid.”
It was tacit approval to say what he pleased next: Ben’s here too.
Her eyes widened, and her face pressed to the glass as she tried to look around for him. “Ben?” was on her lips.
Klaus and Ben, rescue party of two. Well, of Four and Six, anyway.
That got a tiny smile from her. So he wrote: Sit back from the door a little and I’ll see if I can open it.
Vanya swiftly obeyed. Unfortunately, the oaf without a brain had a plethora of muscle to compensate, and the door was shut tight. He pulled, tried different grips, and even tried to hold on and use his body’s weight to move it, but it didn’t budge. “Fuck!” he said when he relented, panting.
“Your skinny junky ass isn’t up to this,” Ben said, but it was more factual assessment than insult.
“I’m open to suggestions,” Klaus said.
But Ben’s eyes were on the door. “Uh, she’s breaking down again.”
Their sister was crying again, curling up in despair. Klaus went for the notepad. We won’t give up, Vanya. He’s got the beautiful brain; I’ve got the beautiful body. We’re an unstoppable team, so nothing will stop us from figuring out how to free you.
When she read that, she let out a laugh that loosed some snot. She calmed some and wiped her nose on her sleeve.
“That’s great to say, but how can we do this?” Ben asked. Then he frowned thoughtfully. “I hit you.”
“Yeah, and haven’t managed to touch me since,” Klaus said.
“Maybe playing patty-cake is just too banal. I touched you when it counted.”
“Are you saying that because this is more important, you’ll be able to do it?”
Ben shrugged. “Worth a try. Let’s see if I can help.”
Klaus went back to trying to open the door, and Ben got right next to him, and his grip on the wheel held. “Holy shit!” Klaus said.
His brother was grinning. “Let’s get her out of here.”
But even with both of them, it wouldn’t budge. “Damn ape,” Klaus said. “Shame you can’t use your tentacles.”
Wincing slightly at the mention of them, Ben quickly gave him a small smile. “Or can I?”
It made sense. If his hands could grip the wheel, why not his tentacles? But that apparently wasn’t as easy. But he thought about how it felt when Ben pulled the wheel with him. The way it felt when he got slugged by his ghostly brother. He was in too much pain at the time to notice, but there was the same sensation. Like when his foot fell asleep and was tingling itself awake. Something was stirring inside him.
“Give me a second,” Klaus said. He reached for that feeling on instinct, trying to hold onto it. When he clenched his fists with the effort, a spectral blue light radiated from them, and then from Ben. His brother laughed and tentacles emerged from his torso, wrapping around the wheel and spinning it with ease.
The effort drained him, and when the door opened, Klaus let the power go and fell to the floor. He scarcely had time to see Ben’s radiant grin before his sister was on him, wrapping her trembling self around him and gasping, “Thank you,” over and over.
Getting hugged wasn’t normal in their family, but Klaus knew that if he’d had anyone besides Dad to cling to when that crypt door finally opened, he’d be all over them. He wrapped his arms around her, loving how her trembling died down. Klaus was such a fuck-up that the feeling that he was somehow getting this right was exhilarating.
But now that her body was calm, Klaus definitely felt it. When the house had shaken earlier, he mistook it for an earthquake, but that power was radiating from Vanya right now, a rippling pulse that washed over him in intervals. It wasn’t painful, quite the opposite. It soothed him. But what was a ripple now could become a tidal wave or tsunami, that had been made clear. “You’re safe, Vanya. And now we know that if anyone tries to put you back in there, I can manifest Ben to kick their ass.”
She pulled back to look him in the face, eyes wet and wearing a disbelieving smile. “It was really him! I can’t believe it!” She looked around the room, then said, “Hi, Ben,” apparently at a loss for other words.
Ben sat down next to them, a fond look accompanying a gentle attempt to stroke her hair. It didn’t work, but he said, “Tell her I say hi back, and that I’ve missed her.”
“Ben says, ‘Hi’ and that he’s missed you,” Klaus said.
Vanya let out a wet laugh, clearly trying to hold back happy tears. “I’ve missed you so much. If this becomes a regular thing, we should talk about books again.”
Now it was Ben who had a few tears escaping. While Ben and Klaus had always been a duo (with Diego frequently making them a trio), he knew that Ben had bonded with Five over their love of knowledge and with Vanya over their love of literature. At least once he had seen all three of them in the library, Five spouting theories and formulas every so often, with Ben occasionally engaging, but also talking with Vanya about what they were currently reading. He remembered that the next day their father thought she hadn’t been taking her pills because she looked so happy. And he knew that Ben spent time like that with Vanya alone too.
“He looks thrilled, but that was pretty draining. We’ll have to see if I can get more endurance first.” And that ripple was getting more powerful, still not unpleasant, but instead of calming, it was stimulating, energizing, making him feel more awake as it danced across his skin. “Vanya, do you know how to calm that down? It’s not bad, but if that goes through the house like your anger did, someone will come looking.”
“I was practicing with…I was practicing.” She sat up and settled beside him, breathing and focusing. The waves died down and eventually stopped.
Klaus decided not to press about the rewording. “Have you really only had your powers back for a few days? That’s impressive.”
She ducked her head and looked away shyly. “Thanks.”
This was Vanya. Too sweet and humble. “You’re kinda like the Hulk now, huh? Mild-mannered Bruce Banner until threatened or upset.”
That analogy didn’t please her. “I guess. But I don’t want that kind of lack of control.”
He sat up and reached for her hand, holding it gently. “We’ll figure it out. Now that most of us are done being assholes to you, it’ll be easier to work on.”
That won him a smile. A smile that quickly died as they heard the elevator start to descend. Her eyes got wide as she scrambled to her feet. Klaus got up and gave her a brief hug. “Don’t worry. You’ve got us, remember? We won’t let them put you back in.”
To back up his words, he stood between her and the elevator doors. When they opened, Diego was checking an old tool bag that clanked when he picked it up and got off the elevator. He froze when he looked up and saw Klaus, then his eyes fell on Vanya peeking around him. “She’s already out,” Diego said, and Klaus grinned at the knowledge that he wasn’t the only one who refused to let her stay locked up.
Vanya stepped out, eyeing Diego carefully. Klaus looked between them and said, “Look, Vanya! Here’s your rescue party of Two!” When that made her relax, he added, “So now you have Two, Four, and Six. All the even numbers before Seven. Not bad, right?”
“Six?” Diego asked, and Klaus should have anticipated the way his expression darkened. “Attention seeking is one thing, but lying about Ben-”
“Hey!” Vanya said, and all three of them looked to see her glaring at Diego. “Klaus isn’t lying. I saw Ben; he’s the one who opened the door.”
Diego looked shocked, probably both because she was validating Klaus’s claims that Ben was there and because Vanya didn’t snap at people like that. When she told them off a couple of days ago, Klaus had been pretty shocked at just that.
It was also vindicating for him to have someone take his side, back him up. Well, he supposed he had just rescued her from her personal Hell. Time would tell if this support would last. In the meantime… “Where are all the odd numbers now?” Klaus asked. He was pretty sure they were stepping into murkier waters discussing their other siblings.
“Five hasn’t shown up, and Luther won’t let Allison out of his sight,” Diego said. “Made it easy to put some tools together and come down here without the ape stopping me.”
But Klaus was right as he watched Vanya’s face crumple at their sister’s name. “I didn’t mean to!” she said as she started sobbing. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to!”
When the walls and floor started vibrating slightly, Klaus knew he needed to stop this. He saw Diego’s amazement at witnessing that, yes, Vanya had powers. He ignored the knife thrower and hugged his sister. “We know it was an accident, Vanya; you’d never hurt us on purpose.” He still remembered that day with the ants. And both Luther and Pogo made it sound like the rest of them would be like ants if Vanya lost control.
She calmed only slightly, at least enough that the vibrations went away. “She’d just told me about how she did it when we were four and then she tried to do it again! I lost it.”
“Do what?” Diego asked.
Vanya looked at him and said, “Rumor me.” She was calming more in Klaus’s embrace, and he was still thrilled that he’d found something he could do right, despite how screwed up he was. Vanya continued, “She Rumored me when we were four to make me think I was ordinary and forget that I had powers. I was furious when I found out and lost my temper, and my powers started going haywire. Then she started to Rumor me again, and I snapped.”
“Holy shit,” Diego said.
Seriously. No wonder Allison said it was her fault. Not the first time, obviously; dear old Dad had an iron grip on them when they were that young, simply because they were too young to question him. But when they hit six or so, Allison started using her powers too freely. Both Diego and Klaus knew the dread of hearing “I heard a rumor” and knowing you were about to be controlled. Vanya too. So Allison trying to pull that when Vanya was furious she’d been Rumored into mediocrity and misery…yeah, he understood why Allison said it was her fault.
It was time to change the topic. But surprisingly, Diego beat him to it. “Look, when we were kids…and now…we should have treated you better, handled things differently.” He never said the words, “I’m sorry,” but it was what he was saying.
That shocked Vanya into near silence. She slowly pulled from Klaus’s embrace, sniffling, looking at Diego with cautious hope. “Thank you,” she said at last.
“And no one is putting you in that damn thing again,” Diego said vehemently, and they all looked at the monstrosity that had been built to contain teeny-tiny Vanya. “That’s Dad’s fucked-up solution. Not ours.”
Vanya smiled at their brother, and Diego actually smiled back. “If we aren’t careful, I think a group hug will happen…” Klaus said, the words a sing-song threat as he began sliding an arm around his brother.
Diego snorted and shook it off. “As if.”
“We should get her upstairs,” Ben said. “She’s been screaming and crying for hours; she needs to hydrate, eat something, and rest.”
“Good idea, Dr. Ben,” Klaus said, grinning. When both his siblings looked at him, he said, “Dr. Ben prescribes hydration, food, and rest for his sister. This whole thing has been bad for your health.”
Shuddering slightly, Vanya said, “I was close to breaking. I was thinking things and seeing things…if you hadn’t come…” She looked at Klaus. “I don’t want to be a monster.”
He put an arm around her to steer her to the elevator. “We’re all fucked-up and powerful, sis. Doesn’t make us monsters. Just dangerous. Welcome to the team.” He smiled as they all piled in. “You’ve always been our sister, but you’ve always been one of us too. It was just that none of us knew.”
“I always thought you were lucky that Dad didn’t train you,” Diego said. At Vanya’s startled look, he said, “Sure, I liked being a hero, but some of the things he did to hone our powers…”
Klaus wondered what had been done to Diego. And he slipped. “I’m sure he didn’t lock you overnight in a crypt at least once a month.”
“What?” Diego and Vanya said in unison. Ben’s eyebrows went up, because it was something Klaus had never told anyone but him.
Suddenly uncomfortable with attention, Klaus looked away from them and said, “I was afraid of the dead. So he locked me in a tomb with screaming ghosts.”
Both of them looked horrified, but he saw comprehension dawning in Vanya’s expression. “Your drug use…”
“It makes them quieter, makes them go away,” Klaus said, still unable to believe he was telling them.
Diego, who was actually the sibling he was closest to after Ben died, said, “Why didn’t you say something?! We could have helped you!”
That just made Klaus give him a bitterly amused and skeptical look. It made his brother sigh. “No, we would have found a way to brush it off and ignore your problems. It’s how he raised us. God, our family is so fucked up.”
Vanya looped her arm around one of Klaus’s and said, “I still like it.”
And her saying that, after everything they’d just laid out about their lives, reminded Klaus of another reason she got along with Ben. Vanya was sweet and caring. Ben had been the glue that kept them together, let them get along, but Vanya could have done it too if anyone had let her. Especially when she was younger, before dear Daddy upped her dosage, she was always friendly and nice to them all, wanting to spend time with them. They usually brushed it off or pushed her away, but that didn’t deter her much. Not until it had gone on for a decade.
She demonstrated over the years that she knew things about them, like when his favorite dessert showed up in his room after he came back from practice with a sprained wrist that his father had blamed him for getting. He thought it was Mom, but she said she didn’t know what he was talking about. Then he was eating the chocolate pudding when Vanya passed by his open door. She looked in, gave him a bigger smile than she normally wore, and kept walking.
“I think there’s hope for us,” Ben said, again trying to pat Vanya’s head but failing. Then he looked at Klaus with a warm smile. “I’m really proud of you. I didn’t think you’d ever tell anyone but me about the crypt.”
Again he was filled with elation at the praise and approval. “Yeah, well, if there’s hope for the family, than maybe there’s hope for me too,” Klaus said.
“Of course there is,” Vanya said, holding tighter. “You saved me.” She looked over at Diego. “And you came to do the same thing. That’s being a good brother.”
They all got off the elevator when it stopped. Their mother was walking by when she saw them and paused. “Vanya, dear, you look terrible! Is everything all right?”
“It is now, Mom,” Vanya said with a disbelieving grin. Klaus had been relieved to find their mother was alive again too, and not just because she saved Allison’s life.
“Hey, Mom, can you bring her some food and water?” Diego asked. “We’re going to take her to the lounge.”
“Of course, dear,” she said warmly, then moved towards the kitchen.
“The lounge?” Klaus asked.
“All the bedrooms are too close to Luther, and I don’t want to deal with that asshole yet,” Diego said. “Let her recover first.”
“I was going to suggest she stay in my room until I had the same thought,” Ben said.
“Lounge it is.” They made their way there and Klaus added, “The couches aren’t too bad. Not the best back support, but comfy.”
That won him a smile. “Anything is better than that…place.” The smile died and was replaced with a haunted look Klaus was far too familiar with. “What are we going to do when Luther finds out you let me go?” she asked. A harder expression that didn’t look like Sweet Vanya at all crossed her face when she said, “I’m not going back in. He won’t trick me into thinking he cares again. If he tries to force me in there, he’s going to regret it.” There was uncharacteristic venom and hatred in her voice.
Klaus traded a look with Diego and then Ben as they reached the lounge, both their expressions worried. Klaus sat her down on the couch and joined her, putting an arm around his sister, noting with some alarm that her skin was losing color. “That’s Scary Powerful Vanya talking,” he said. “We already said he won’t put you in there, remember? You don’t need to do anything if he comes. We will. If Diego can’t stop him, Ben will.”
“Like hell I can’t stop him!” Diego said, drawing a knife and twirling it restlessly.
“She needs to make sure she isn’t perceived as a threat,” Ben said as her skin darkened to her normal hue. “Controlling herself like that is a good start.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Klaus said. At his sibling’s questioning looks, he said, “Ben pointed out that you need to show that you aren’t a threat and showing that you can calm down like you just did is helpful.”
“Ben’s right,” Diego said, but his expression was troubled. “But you killed Peabody, didn’t you?”
Vanya curled up, hugging her legs to her chest as she said, “He lied to me. He was trying to turn me against you guys, trying to make me attack you. He killed Helen so I could get first chair-” Her eyes widened and cleared of impending tears as she sat up straight and said, “My concert is tonight!”
“Slow down,” Diego said. “We need to get this settled before you leave. Don’t want Luther charging in and ruining your concert like an asshole.”
That relaxed her a little. “I got you guys tickets,” she said more softly. “If you want to come.”
Sweet Vanya was back. “A night of orchestral music with little Vanya as the star? Count me and Ben in.”
She frowned. “I didn’t know to get a ticket for Ben.”
That made the ghost laugh. Klaus smiled and said, “I’m pretty sure we can sneak him in, and he’s used to sitting on whatever surface is handy. Hell, he could sit up on the stage next to you if he wanted.”
“He’d do that?” Vanya asked hopefully. Klaus didn’t understand for a second until she said, “I mean, if Luther comes and tries to…” Ben would protect her. And his presence made her feel safe.
“It’s settled, Ben,” he said. “You just got upgraded from front row seats to backstage pass…well, onstage pass.”
Ben smiled and sat on Vanya’s other side. “I’d love that.”
“He’s thrilled to see you play,” Klaus said.
“I’m coming,” Diego said. “Besides Luther, one of those masked lunatics is running around. And I like high culture shit too.”
Vanya giggled. Then her amusement faded, and she asked, “Do you think Allison will be well enough to go? Do you…think she’d want to?”
“I’m sure she’ll want to come,” Klaus said, because Allison clearly felt more to blame for Vanya slitting her throat than she blamed Vanya. “We’ll have to see how she feels, I guess.”
“She should be strong enough to enjoy music,” their mother said, coming in with a tray with a plate and a glass of water. “And you play beautifully, Vanya. I’m so proud of you.”
His sister’s eyes got shinier, but she didn’t start crying. “Thanks, Mom. I’m not sure I ever thanked you for everything you’ve done for me.” A single tear slid down her cheek before she said, “I’m glad you’re back, Mom. I love you.”
Their mother set the tray down on the coffee table, revealing a plate piled high with grilled cheese sandwiches, enough for all of them. She smiled and stroked Vanya’s hair. “Being your mother has been the greatest joy of my life. And I’m glad you came home.” After a short pause that was characteristic of her switching gears, she said, “I’m going to go clean up the kitchen. Let me know if you need anything.” And she walked away.
“I think you were right, Diego,” Vanya said as she went for the glass of water first and chugged it for a few moments until it was half gone.
“About what?” Diego asked, looking puzzled.
“Dad wouldn’t know how to program that level of loving care into her. He couldn’t understand how to make her as wonderful and supportive as she is. Which means she grew that on her own.” Vanya had some of that venom in her voice, but she just picked up half a sandwich and started wolfing it down.
That made their brother grin. “Old bastard didn’t have a heart. He might have made her to take care of us, but she’s the one who cared about us.”
Klaus grabbed another sandwich half, moaning at the taste. One thing he’d say for the geezer, he had made Mom a great cook. Then Diego sat on Vanya’s other side, sitting in Ben who quickly moved, and grabbed some grilled cheese heaven as well.
There was a contented silence as they ate, Vanya already going for more, until they heard Luther’s voice call, “Pogo, she escaped!”
Vanya stiffened, and Diego got up, setting his half-finished piece down and drawing his knives. Klaus grabbed Vanya’s free hand and said, “Just keep eating, Vanya. He won’t be doing anything to you with us around.” Ben had also stood, moving towards the doorway, ready to be conjured if necessary.
It was an exciting new power that had a lot of potential. Ben was always a better fighter than Klaus, which meant his ability to conjure him would upgrade him from being stuck as lookout to being support in the field. It was a little strange that his first thought was of the Umbrella Academy, but spending this time with Diego and Vanya, sharing things he’d only told Ben…it felt like the team and family they should have been all along.
And she didn’t even turn her head to look as Luther walked past the doorway and spotted them, just kept chewing, although her hand squeezed his tight.
When Luther charged in, Diego advanced to get between him and the couch where Klaus and Vanya sat. “Not this time, big boy. Vanya’s our sister, and you aren’t locking her up again. She needs support, not a fucking King Kong witch hunter.”
Luther flinched at the monkey reference, but stopped just far enough that Diego couldn’t directly slice him with his knives. “Why would you let her out?!”
“I’m pretty sure he just told you, Luther,” Klaus said, lacing his fingers through Vanya’s when she started shaking. “Leave her alone.”
“No, she’s too dangerous; she’s going back in.”
The room shook for a few seconds before it stopped. Vanya’s eyes were squeezed shut, and she had gotten paler. But her skin returned to normal again as she did some deep breathing.
“See? She’s dangerous!” Luther said, gesturing to the room.
“Are you kidding me?” Diego asked. “If I could do what she could do and you’d done to me what you did to her, I’d be sending you flying into every surface I could. She’s controlling herself; she’s proving that she’s not a danger to us!”
While the argument raged on, Klaus said, “Hey, Vanya. Why do gorillas have big nostrils?” When she just gave him a confused look, he said, “Because they have big fingers!”
It was a bad joke, but it had the effect he’d hoped: it diffused the tension in her. She cracked up, her body relaxing as she laughed. It also stopped the argument as both his siblings looked over to see what was so funny.
A slight slapping sound, and Luther stiffened, turning to reveal Allison behind him, clearly having just smacked him with her notepad. Vanya’s laughter died, but Allison’s eyes were glued on her sister. When she tried to go to her, however, Luther’s arm blocked her path. Then a knife whizzed by close enough to slice him slightly, making him recoil and let her pass. Diego said, “Next one won’t be a glancing blow, Luther. Stop being a controlling dickhead. I never thought you could act this much like Dad.”
Allison ignored all that. She went around the couch, and the second she got close to Vanya, Vanya started crying and saying, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to; it was an accident!”
A finger went to Allison’s lips to tell Vanya to be quiet, and she started writing on the notepad. She wrote three sentences before she showed it to Vanya. I know it was an accident. I forgive you. I’m sorry.
And the sisters were hugging, Vanya crying into Allison’s shoulder while Allison cried into hers. Then Five blinked in, drawing all eyes.
He looked at all of them and said, “What the hell is happening here?!”
Everyone started talking at once. “Vanya’s dangerous and needs to be contained,” Luther said.
“Luther’s a dick,” Diego said.
Klaus said, “Family party, as fun as they always are.”
Allison wrote: Too much and held it up for them to see.
Five addressed Luther first. “Are you high? What do you have against Vanya?”
“She has powers!” Luther said.
“You’re high,” Five said.
“He’s not,” Klaus said. “I’d never share with him.”
“It’s true, Five,” Vanya said softly, slowly retreating from Allison’s arms. And Klaus realized this was another pivotal moment. Five was special to Vanya, and vice-versa. Even Ben had never gotten as close to the time-traveler as she had. Of course, given Five’s condescending attitude growing up, it wasn’t like Vanya had anyone other than Ben to compete with.
But it was going to be very important how Five reacted. Luther was one thing; he’d always been an overbearing Daddy’s boy. But if Five turned on her…it could be bad.
The fifty-eight-year-old thirteen-year-old stared at his sister for a moment before he said, “What are you talking about?”
“Dad had Allison Rumor me when I was four to forget I had power and gave me those pills to keep them suppressed all these years,” she said. And some of that venom was in her voice as she glanced at Number One. “And Luther locked me up because he’s scared.”
Five was never slow on the uptake, although he still looked shocked. “What kind of powers? Why is he scared?”
“I’m attuned to sound waves, and I can manipulate them and turn them into energy.” Another glare shot at Luther as she said, “It’s connected to my emotions, and since I just stopped taking my pills and haven’t had my powers since I was a little kid, I can’t fully control them.”
He saw the elation on Vanya’s face when Five immediately looked at Luther and said, “Don’t be an asshole. Everyone has a learning curve, Luther. And this is Vanya.”
Vanya started letting off that pulse again, and everyone looked at her as those waves of energy hit them. Klaus still enjoyed the riveting feeling, but he saw Luther flinch. And Number Seven was beaming at Five, something like adoration in her gaze. Then she closed her eyes and the pulses ceased.
The small, sincere smile on Five’s face really spoke to the bond he had with Vanya. Five was a smirker, not a smiler. When they were younger, he never knew why Five enjoyed her company. Vanya was smart, but not on his level, not even as smart as Ben. But, as he had said, it was Vanya. Five’s attitude caused friction with everyone on the team but Ben, and since Ben spent most of his time with Klaus, Five was most often alone. Until Vanya started hanging around him.
She was nice to everyone, but she seemed to sincerely enjoy his company. He didn’t know why Vanya enjoyed Five’s company either, but they got along in a way that no one else did.
But, like a true addict, the touching moment couldn’t keep Five from his apocalypse high for long. “See, Luther? Vanya will be fine. We need to find out about Harold Jenkins’s…”
Epiphany struck Five at the same time Diego said, “Vanya killed him.”
She curled up into herself on the couch between Klaus and Allison, eyes only daring to look at Five in intervals. “He said Dad was right about me. That I was nothing, worthless, ordinary…over and over and over. I told him to shut up, but he wouldn’t stop!”
“Until you made him,” Five said.
“He deserved it,” Vanya said, that darker nature showing again. “He was trying to turn me against you guys. He wanted me to attack the Academy.”
“Makes sense,” Diego said. “He had that creepy hate-shrine to us in his attic.”
“My God,” Five said, and it was so quiet and almost reverent that it drew their attention. He looked at Vanya. “He was manipulating you. The Commission didn’t want him alive because he was supposed to destroy the world.” Swallowing, Five said, “He was the fuse. Vanya’s the bomb.”
“Hey, don’t talk to her like that!” Klaus said, because Five was too important to Vanya to turn on her without consequences.
Five shook his head. “She understands.”
Surprisingly, she smiled at the old-young boy. “It’s been ages since I’ve listened to you theorizing aloud, but I still remember what it sounds like.” But then the smile died. “I ended the world?”
“I could never find your body,” Five said, and his voice sounded a little broken. “It was surprising how many corpses were intact enough to be identifiable. But even after I’d scavenged through the entire city, I never found you, or anyone I thought could be you.”
“That doesn’t mean anything,” Diego said. “She could have been buried under rubble.”
“Or whatever I did to destroy everything destroyed my body completely,” Vanya said. It was so accepting, nothing in her voice to try and deny that she caused the apocalypse. And before anyone could weigh in on the matter, she glared at Luther and said, “When he betrayed me and locked me in that silent cage…it got bad. You all left me. I thought about it. Tearing the Academy down without caring who was inside. Destroying anyone who pissed me off from now on…” Vanya shivered. “I could do it. And I would have. I was so hurt that no one cared, that I was always alone.”
“But we do care, and you’re not alone,” Klaus said, and he hugged her side-to-side. Even Allison had drawn back a bit at Vanya’s confession, but he understood. He wasn’t powerful enough to destroy anyone, but when he’d hoped someone would come and open that crypt door and get him out against their father’s wishes, he knew no one would, even if they had known. Ben was too afraid of their father, and the rest of the team would brush him off like they always did. And he’d imagined sharing his misery by loosing packs of screaming ghosts on Numbers One, Two, Three, and Five. Making them able to see what he did and never letting them escape, never forget what he had to suffer. The crypt was terrifying, but it took him to other dark places too. He never wanted to believe he was capable of that kind of hatred, so he buried that under the drugs with all the rest of his trauma.
And speaking of drugs, he’d had another thought. “Um, if I could add my expertise to this-”
Luther sighed. “Klaus, we don’t have time for your sh-”
Vanya’s eyes flashed white for a moment and a pulse emanated from her, knocking them all back a little, as she snapped, “Shut up, or I will make you shut up.”
Whoa, that was usually something said to Klaus. And he wouldn’t deny that it felt good to be defended like that. The way Vanya looked expectantly at him, waiting to hear what he had to say, felt so vindicating, to be taken seriously when he had serious input.
He looked at her. “You’ve been on those pills most of your life. Dear Daddy upped your dosage the older you got. And I saw you just take them a few times when you were stressed. Is that how you take them now?”
Nodding, Vanya said, “It’s something like twelve pills a day now. I…don’t like feeling how I usually feel. There’s nothing good, so the pills are better. Or I thought they were…”
All the siblings looked horrified at this confession. Ben came to crouch in front of her, putting his hand on the air on top of hers. “Why did we never see this? What was happening to her? She had more personality, more fire when she was younger.”
“Same reason no one bothered to look into my drug use: no one wanted to know. Old Pa-pa didn’t want us to help each other since it might let us unite against him, so he made sure we’re emotionally stunted.” Klaus always found new reasons to hate Reggie.
“Who are you talking to?” Five asked, looking from Klaus to the space Ben occupied that he was apparently conversing with.
Both Diego and Vanya went to answer, but Klaus said, “Later. My point is that Vanya is addicted to those pills. And they’re strong enough to flatten her out and keep apparently-world-destroying-power under wraps. She’s just gone cold turkey from something like that; of course she’s got erratic behavior and mood swings. I’ve seen withdrawal from stuff nowhere near that strong make a super-chill guy stab someone. Bringing the house down and killing us all is totally reasonable given all that and the bad emotions and trauma the pills have been burying.”
“Klaus, surprisingly, makes a good point,” Five said. And those words from that little know-it-all’s mouth merited a national holiday or something. “Vanya isn’t inherently dangerous; she’s Vanya. She just needs support to stay stable while she detoxes, and after that we should probably try to act like a real family instead of a bunch of dysfunctional assholes who are only good at hurting each other that have been forced to live under the same roof. That second one is a really tall order, though.”
Allison finally pitched in. That’s how we stop the apocalypse, then.
“Ooh, we can all go to Vanya’s concert tonight,” Klaus said, clapping excitedly. “She got us tickets!”
Five gave her a small smile, and it still looked weird. Klaus assumed normally Vanya was the only witness to them. “You were pretty good when you were thirteen; can’t wait to hear you play now.”
But their other sister seemed nervous. She wrote: Violin dangerous?
He saw Vanya’s eyes tear up. “I’m sorry. There’s…there’s still blood on my bow.”
Shaking her head, Allison turned a page and wrote: Your power was being channeled by your playing when I got there, wasn’t it?
“Oh. Yeah, playing my violin really helped me focus before, and it helps me concentrate my powers now.” Vanya bit her lip before she said, “I think I can play without hurting anyone though. My music has always been my escape, my sanctuary. It…it feels good, makes me feel good. I don’t think it will do anything bad.” After a moment’s thought and a glance at Luther, she said, “Unless someone tries to rush the stage and attack me. That would be a very stupid decision.”
“So we’ll put Allison in charge of keeping Luther from doing anything stupid,” Diego said. He looked at his sister and said, “Sorry to ask the impossible.”
She smiled and shook her head, and Klaus knew she was still in love with the oaf. But she frowned in concern when Luther said, “Am I invited?”
That surprised Klaus, especially with how staunchly he’d been supporting Dad’s take that Vanya had to be strictly controlled. But maybe it was setting in that he wouldn’t win that argument, given that they had all sided with Vanya. And Klaus knew that under all those muscles and desperate need to lead them and please their father, Luther was actually really sensitive. The way he broke down when he found out his father had exiled him to the moon…Luther really needed approval and acceptance. Heh. Didn’t they all? They’d been raised to strive to be the best and doomed with an asshole who would never acknowledge their achievements.
“I got a ticket for you,” Vanya said quietly, not looking at him. It was still rewarding that she reached for Klaus’s hand to hold and squeeze, a silent release for the tension in her from extending even that olive branch.
“Yay!” Klaus said, trying to lighten things up. “A night at the orchestra!” He looked down at himself and said, “I’ll need to find my best frock to wear.” When Vanya smiled at him, a full smile, something he hadn’t seen in ages, everything felt lighter.
“Just not that monstrosity you were trying to wear to the prosthetics place,” Five said, and he came over to get a sandwich, walking through Ben a little. He took a bite of what had to be a lukewarm grilled cheese and after he swallowed his bite, he looked at Vanya and said, “Your favorite.”
They all grabbed another half sandwich, except for Luther, who seemed reluctant to get too close to the group. At least he finally seemed to realize how badly he’d fucked up. But Allison got up and grabbed the last piece, moving around the couch to offer it to him. Klaus saw the relief on his face that, she, at least, had forgiven him.
Vanya had wolfed down her third piece when she looked at the clock. “I need to go home. I have to change my clothes and get my violin.”
“I’ll go with you,” Five said without a moment’s hesitation. “Then we can head to the theater together and meet everyone there.”
That got a brief grin from Vanya, something almost radiant aimed directly at their older brother, before she stifled it. She stood up, as did Klaus, to go get ready. But she’d only taken one step before she turned back to look at him. Vanya pulled him into a quick firm hug before saying, “Thanks for saving me.” And one of those small smiles, the kind from their childhood that made it look like she wasn’t sure she was allowed to be happy, was given to him as she said, “Thanks for saving the world.”
Leaving him speechless, she walked off with Five. A hand patted his back, and he turned to see Ben looking at him, sudden surprise mirrored on their faces. When Klaus poked his brother in his favorite spot when they were children, Ben stifled a giggle. But then his brother was wrapped around him, crying softly at the first real contact he’d had since he died. Klaus was laughing a little, even if his eyes were wet.
He knew that Allison and Luther thought he was crazy or high, but he was pretty sure he saw jealousy on Diego’s face. When Ben finally pulled back, they’d been left alone. “You’re amazing,” Ben said, and his face would be sore if he was alive from how big his smile was. His smile lessened, but he still had a hopeful look as he said, “Think this is worth staying sober for?”
Originally he’d done it to see Dave, and he still hoped he’d be able to. But now he had something else, someone else, multiple someone elses who would help him get clean. If no one else, now Ben could touch him, and he was sure that Vanya would be there for him as well.
And when Ben told him he was proud or called him amazing…it made him want to live up to that. “Yeah, this is something I don’t want to bury.”