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"Hey, person from the future."
Amanda jolted when she heard the remark.
She looked at the young man in a suit who called her, it was Five.
"What do you think of the plan?" The young man asked.
What am I supposed to do? Does he want me to answer now? I'm still enjoying my Chinese food.
She then glanced at the others, trying to grasp the situation. Even they were waiting for an answer from her.
She put down her utensils and gulped before thinking about her answer.
"I think it could work... Sloane's calculation sounded right to me when she explained it earlier. And if I'm right, it sounds right to you too, so I think it's worth the shot." Amanda answered.
The siblings looked at each other, trying to convince themselves to try Sloane's suggestion to save the world. Even if it means they have to suffer interacting with what was left of the Sparrow Academy.
Allison, on the other hand, is still hesitant, not with the idea, but with the woman who suddenly has a part in deciding what they should do. She looked at Five, hoping that he would get the idea. She left their circle and then stood at the other side of the room, Five got her hint and followed her.
"What is it now, Allison?" Five asked.
"Are we really gonna consider everything she says?" Allison complained.
"You know that she's from the-"
"The future. I know, okay? You don't have to repeat it every time." She cuts him off.
Five, having a hard time figuring out her sister, sighed. "Okay? Now, what is your problem? You said it yourself, she's from the future and she knows more than any of us what happened when we didn't make the right decision." Five explained.
"And are we just supposed to believe her? She didn't even tell us anything about herself! And now we're supposed to take everything she says?" Allison snaps back.
Before things get heated between them, a loud voice interrupts the conversation.
"Hey, what is happening with the two of you?" Luther asks as he notices that the two have left the circle.
Allison avoided his glance, "Nothing, Luther."
Five, frustrated with what was happening, brushed his hand on the back of his neck and thought to himself.
Why does he have this sudden urge to defend Amanda when he knows that Allison is right?
Amanda doesn't even reveal to anyone what her relationship is with the family that leads her to travel to the past and protect them from the disasters of the future. She keeps repeating that it isn't the future they want and that she can't reveal much of herself to avoid ruining the timeline. But, is that reason enough to trust her?
Why is he not doubtful of her?
Luther's voice caught the other siblings' attention, and they started to crowd around them.
"Great. Let's just hear what everyone thinks." Allison said sarcastically.
"What's going on?" Diego asked.
"It's about her." Five points to Amanda who's quietly eating her food, not giving a damn about what the siblings are talking about.
"What about her?" Diego asks again.
Allison rolled her eyes and looked at Diego, "Why should we trust her? We don't even know her."
"Maybe if we ask her about it, she'll tell us." Viktor suggests.
"Didn't we just do that earlier?
She keeps saying that she can't tell anything." Allison scoffed.
Viktor sighed, "I'll talk to her if that helps."
He was already on his way to Amanda before Diego could even contest the idea.
"Great. This will just make everything worse." Allison complained before leaving the group to breathe some fresh air outside.
‐--------------
"Amanda."
Amanda looked behind her, seeing Viktor approaching.
"Hey... So, how's the family meeting?" She asks as she shoves another piece of dumpling into her mouth.
"I- I don't know where to start." Viktor sighed as he took the seat next to her.
"It's fine. I know it's about me." She calmly said.
Viktor looked at her, not knowing what to say next. He avoided her gaze and looked at the corner of the room.
"They don't trust you." He said.
Amanda smiled; she knew that this would happen.
"Not a single one of you trusts anybody that easily." She chuckled.
She paused for a moment, like she was thinking about what to do next. She wants to help this family but she also knows that she needs to prove to them that she came here not to harm them.
"I can't tell anything, you know. If somehow we survive this, I don't want to be the person to mess up the timeline. I want to be able to leave without having any attachments." She continued before Viktor could even say something.
He looked at her, understanding what she meant. After the last jump, he knows that creating these connections with other people will hurt once they leave.
"I believe you, Amanda."
She looked at him, amused. She didn't know she'd be able to convince him that easily.
"Having attachments when you jump from a different timeline is hard. Trust me, I've been there... I respect your decision, and I won't push you anymore." He stood up and patted Amanda's shoulder.
As he was about to leave, Amanda took his hand.
"Who in their right mind do you think would time travel in the past just to help a family, knowing that for the timeline not to mess up, they can't tell them who they are? Which can also be the reason that the same family they're trying to save might kill them?"
Viktor looked at her.
Of course, he knows what she means.
That insane person must have loved them so much to go to that length.
Funny how that insane person is in front of him.
Amanda gulped, "If you still don't believe me, I think this might help."
She put her hand in her pocket and pulled out a locket. She opened it and gave it to Viktor.
He took the locket and looked at what was inside it.
Whatever was inside the locket stunned Viktor. All he could do was look at the woman right in front of him.
He wants an explanation.
He needs an explanation, but he knows she won't tell him anything.
"This is supposed to be my last resort. I hope that it will be enough to prove my purpose here."
'I hope that's enough.' She thought to herself
---------
"I trust her." Viktor came back to Five after talking to her.
"So sudden, dear brother." Five joked as he fixed his tie.
"I'm not joking, Five."
Five looked at him, trying to figure him out.
"I'm willing to risk my life for her." Viktor continued.
Just like that, Five's whole body shivers. The most powerful out of all of them is willing to sacrifice himself for the person whom they just met 2 days ago.
Whatever Amanda said must be something so important to make Viktor react this way.
Why did Five feel relieved after hearing that?
That, finally, he wasn't alone.
He wasn't the only one who felt like blindly trusting someone whom they knew nothing about.
Should he trust his gut?
Why is he feeling this way?
'
Who are you, Amanda? Why are you making me feel this way?' He thought.
----------
Five opens the door of his father's room, where Viktor went in after ditching the party that was happening in the main area of the academy.
They finally beat the Kugelblitz, and Five felt accomplished for finally surviving yet another apocalypse.
Maybe he could finally retire for real this time.
He knocks and opens the door, seeing Viktor sitting on the sofa.
"Hey, want some company?" He asks
"Sure." Viktor answered.
"Okay." Five murmured as he closed the door.
"Hey, that was really nice of you. Kill mom so Diego didn't have to." Viktor said as Five walked towards the table of his father, eyeing the cigar box lying on it.
"My God. We are a weird family, aren't we?" He mocked, taking the cigar box and a lighter.
He finds himself walking towards the empty chair beside the sofa.
"Sorry. Yeah, I heard it as I said it."
"It's all right." Five said as he sat and took the cigar out of the box.
"What are we gonna do with Allison?" Viktor asked.
Five felt the worry in Viktor's tone as he said those words.
"We're all worried about Allison, but..." He paused for a moment before looking at Viktor who was nervous about what he was about to say next.
"I'm scared for you." He continued.
Viktor looked at him in disbelief, "Seriously?"
Five took a moment to think, "Yeah." He answered.
"She killed someone. I was trying to do the right thing and save Harlan's life." Viktor protested.
Before his brother could even say anything, he didn't stop himself this time and told Viktor what he felt.
"Do you know why I wanted this last jump to work so badly?" He asked.
"Because you're old and tired?" Viktor answered without taking a minute to think.
"Because I slaughtered a boardroom full of people to buy our way back here." Five said in a heartbeat.
Many years ago, he time jumped to the apocalypse and has been longing to go back to his family ever since.
It feels like all his life, he's buying himself the ticket to see them only to find himself constantly dragging himself and his family to an apocalypse.
He's tired. Not tired that he's old or whatever.
He's tired of everything, and all he wants is to take a moment to just rest. Why can't his siblings think of that?
"Shit." The only word that Viktor could say after his brother's revelation.
Five paused for a moment and composed himself.
"Little advice from someone who's been there? Don't do the math."
He looks from afar, remembering every single thing he had to suffer to be able to go back to his family,
"That equation does not exist. There's no 'save five Harlans for every two Claires' formula. People like us, we will never-"
He paused again, thinking of the right words to make Viktor understand what was at stake.
"-save enough lives to make up for the ones that we take." He continued.
"I don't accept that." Viktor disagreed.
"Then you'll drown." Five countered.
Five sat properly this time, moving his face closer to Viktor.
"This is the price of being powerful. Sometimes we step on ants. And the sooner you face that, the safer we'll all be." He continued.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Viktor asks.
"It means you're very dangerous, Viktor Hargreeves." Five smirked.
"The decisions you make impact the entire world. So no matter how benevolent they may seem, you don't get to make them alone." He continued.
Viktor looks to the ground. Five knew that Viktor felt a whole lot of responsibility fall right into his shoulders. As much as he didn't want to make his brother feel that way, it was the truth.
And everyone deserves to know the truth.
"You know what they call a superhero who works alone and doesn't listen to anybody?
A villain."
Viktor looked at him slowly, "I am not a villain, Five."
" And, Viktor, I hope to God you never will be. But that remains to be seen." Five sighs before standing up.
"No more going rogue. If you ever need anything, I'm always here for you."
He took his time to think whether he should say the next few words he wanted to say.
"But lie to us again...
Viktor, I'll kill you myself."
His brother looked at him.
Five turned his back towards Viktor and was about to leave the room when his brother said something that made him stop in his tracks.
"So what about Amanda?"
Five turned to look at his brother as he felt a cold rush of blood from his foot to his stomach, "What about her?" He says.
"Is she gonna come back to her timeline just like that?" Viktor asked.
Five was still uncertain and somehow disappointed in what he was thinking to answer his brother's question. After careful thought, he still chose to tell that answer to him.
"If her mission is done, then I suppose she'll do that." He answered.
"Aren't you curious about what she said to us? The outcomes of the mistakes we made?" Viktor asked yet again.
Five smiled, "I would rather not. Like she said, it might mess up the timeline."
As he was about to take a step, a surge of energy flowed into the room, then back.
Both of them felt it and immediately ran out to the room, only to find that the ceiling of the academy was slowly collapsing.
"We gotta get out!" Viktor exclaimed.
"Wait. Ben!" Five shouted before blinking to the living room, where he found Ben lying on the floor.
Grabbing Ben, he blinked outside before they got eaten by the big ball of energy destroying the academy, little by little.
When they reached outside, he laid Ben on the floor and checked his pulse to see if he was still alive. He thanked the heavens when he felt a pulse on him.
Before he could even tell the others to seek refuge in Hotel Obsidian, he looked at them and started counting, only to find just 7.
Shit. Amanda.
"Five!" Viktor shouted as Five blinked inside the academy that was already broken down and was seconds away from being obliterated by the Kugelblitz.
---------
He blinked in every cranny of the academy to look for the missing Amanda.
He was about to lose hope when he heard a whimpering on the second floor. He blinked at the hall full of paintings, finding Amanda on the floor that is just seconds away from breaking and falling to the ground below.
He had never felt this sudden rush since Luther threatened to drop Dolores from the window of the academy before.
He never felt this feeling to save someone like they were so dear to him.
Before the floor could collapse, he teleported to Amanda and grabbed her before blinking away to safety.
--------------
Amanda found herself closing her eyes so hard and preparing herself for what was about to happen.
There were so many times in her life that she could fall face flat on the floor, but the universe really decided that the best time for it to happen is during a life-or-death situation.
As she hears the ground she's lying on make a noise like it was about to fall, she accepts her fate.
'This is it. It was a fun ride and I'm so glad I get to meet them again before I die.' She said to herself.
The floor started to cave in when she felt someone grabbing her.
Maybe it's the angel of death, carrying me to deliver my soul in the afterlife.
Maybe I should have told them who I was...
Once she felt 'death' lying her on the ground, she was afraid to open her eyes. She was scared to see the pearly gates right in front of her.
"Hey." A soft voice said.
'Wait that's familiar?' She thought to herself.
Amanda slowly opened her eyes only to find Five in front of her. She felt blood rushing to her face as she realized that the man was the one who saved her from her death.
He smiled when he saw Amanda awake, brushing his thumb on her cheeks.
This is the first time Amanda has seen this man smile since the day she arrived in this timeline.
"You're okay." Amanda can't help but smile as Five said those words.
Maybe this is fine.
This is more than fine.
It's everything.
-------
'A wedding? Before the world ends?' Amanda thought to herself as she entered her room in the Hotel Obsidian.
She came here to help the family, and now, they are just giving up.
' But maybe this is the right thing to do. Maybe the Future Five was right, the mistake they made was that they kept on saving the world.'
She sat by the chair near the window and looked at the giant ball of energy slowly sucking the whole place down.
' But a wedding? I don't even know if I have clothes to wear on that...'
She stood up and looked through the bag she had brought on this journey.
'T-shirt... Another T-shirt.. I have a gun?'
She gave up and threw her bag to the floor.
She looked around the room, and the closet caught her eye. She walked towards it, hoping that the old occupants had left something for her to wear.
Lo and behold... There was nothing.
She walked out of her room, deciding to check the last thing you could ever think of to look for a dress, the lost and found section of the hotel.
Maybe she'll find something there.
---------------
Five couldn't even bear another second to stay at the party once it started. Staying through the whole wedding was enough for him, and he needed to take a minute to recharge.
He decided to go outside and get some fresh air before coming back to suffer at the party. When he was in the garden, he saw a woman standing alone and looking at the orange, blackhole-like energy in front of them.
He coughed as he felt the night breeze enter his system. A few drinks plus the cold air make him feel weak.
His cough made the woman look around to find where the noise came from.
' Amanda...'
She was wearing a dark blue satin dress that flowed beautifully on her skin. Five couldn't help but stare at her. He felt weird things in his stomach churning his insides and making him feel like it was empty.
"Why are you here?" Amanda asked.
"I- Uh... Why are you here?" He stuttered.
Amanda avoided his gaze, "I didn't feel like I should be there."
"Our dad is already inside, so I don't think they would mind if you're in there." He commented.
Amanda laughed at the comment and continued to look at the kugelblitz.
Five stole another glance from her, "So uhh- what now? What are you gonna do?"
Amanda played with her hands, thinking about how she should bring the news to the fella next to her.
"I sneak a peek earlier when the wedding was happening. All of you looked happy."
She smiled before looking at Five, "After seeing that, I knew my mission was still successful."
Five smiled back before looking away, "When will you jump back into your timeline?"
Five hold their breath as he waits for Amanda's answer.
Please...
Please...
"I won't."
Five let go of his breath and glanced back at her. It wasn't the answer he was expecting, yet somehow he felt relieved to know that she chose to spend the last days with them.
Amanda laughed, "This is much better than the future. I would rather remember this than go back to that." She said as she looked away from him.
There was a moment of silence before Five decided to talk again.
"You must really love them, do you?"
Amanda stopped; she was taken aback by what Five said. She looked at him, waiting for an explanation of what he just said.
"I just connected some dots here and there, then thought to myself that you wouldn't risk so much if you don't have that kind of connection with us or any of us.
All I could think of is that maybe it's because of someone." He explained, looking at the Kugelblitz that was floating in front of them.
Feeling like she was caught red-handed, Amanda sighed and looked away.
"He was so kind... So selfless and always puts his family first. He was very different from what he portrayed himself to others." Five listened to her as she explained.
"I love him so much, Five. I really do... And I'm here because I know that if he's still alive, he would risk everything just to save his family. So yeah, maybe you're right. I'm so dumb and in love with him that I'm willing to do this." She chuckled before looking at the orange-colored sky.
"I hate him for making me love him so much...
I also hate that because of the changes happening in the timeline, there's a possibility that I might never see him ever again." She continued before turning her back towards the giant black hole.
Five felt the pain as Amanda said those statements. Even though love is still an unfamiliar feeling to him, and the only experience he had was something others don't consider as an example of it, the feeling was still, somehow, familiar.
In some way, he felt guilty. He felt responsible for what was happening to him, his family, and also... To Amanda.
Before he could even comfort her, Amanda was already composing herself.
"I think we should go inside, don't you think?" She said as she tried to change the topic before she became overwhelmed with her emotions.
Five, taking her cue, cleared his throat before answering. "Yeah, I think we should."
There was nothing but silence as both of them walked towards the entrance of the banquet hall from the garden.
--------
"Well, I say we vote." Viktor said as the group was discussing what they should do with the myth their so-called 'father' had told them. He claims that this could reset the world and stop the end of it.
"This isn't a democracy. Dad's calling the shots." Ben protested.
'
Argh, Ben in my timeline is much better.' Amanda thought.
"I'm with Viktor. We vote." Five added.
Amanda looked at him. She felt the seriousness in his tone and the doubt written all over his face.
"The world is ending, and you want to count hands?" Reginald asks as he convinces his children in another mission.
Amanda looked at the old man, trying to understand what his game was.
Is he telling the truth? or this is another one of his set-ups?
"You're asking us to risk our lives. I think it's only fair you give us time to discuss it...
Privately." Luther said.
Their father scoffed away as Luther set time for the group to discuss their final decision.
------------------------------------
As the group starts to disperse and make up their mind on what they should do.
Amanda was about to go to the bar of the hotel when Five called her.
"What's up?" She said.
"What do you think?" Five asks as he fidgets his fingers and looks around.
Amanda noticed and cleared her throat, "Five..."
Five doesn't look at her. At that moment, she knew that he was nervous. He was anxious about what could happen.
"Five." She called out once more, making Five finally look at her.
"Whatever decision you think you should make... You go with it." She continued.
"But you said that every decision we make would affect the futu-"
"I trust you, Five. I know that you'll make the right and best decision." She cuts him off.
Five gulped before nodding. He was still unsure of what he should do, but Amanda just smiled and held his hand, "You'll be fine." She smiled.
Five felt some weight lifted from his shoulders when he heard those words.
----------
"Oh my God, Luther." Viktor gasped as he saw Sloane with the dead body of his brother.
"What happened?" Five asked, grasping the scene right in front of him.
After deciding that they would stick around and skip the myth of the Seven Bells, they found their brother, Luther, dead right in front of the passage to the myth with a slash on his chest.
While Sloane and the others were explaining what happened and what they knew, Five looked around the room looking for something that could make him compose himself. He finds Amanda in the corner, clearly in shock at what happened.
Reginald walks into the room, also shocked at what happened with Luther.
Five looks at them as if he's watching a show, playing out its plot perfectly.
Before he could even call them out, the room shook as the blackhole became bigger and bigger, ready to obliterate the hotel.
Ben warns everyone as he sees the hallway starting to get sucked by the black hole.
"What are we gonna do with Luther?" Sloane stuttered.
As chaos erupts, Five tries to keep the group together.
"Okay, we're out of time! The Kugelblitz is here." He says as he gathers everyone away from the door.
"Into the passage! It's the only way!" Reginald said as he helped Lila open the door that led to the place that he explained earlier about the myth of Seven Bells.
As others start to convince each other whether they should stay or not. Five runs towards Amanda, grabbing her.
"What are you doing?!" He yelled at her.
"I can't go in there!" She exclaimed.
"What do you mean, Amanda!? You need to go too!" He snapped back to her.
"If it's successful, I'll just mess up the timeline if I come with you! There will be two versions of me that will exist!" She explained.
"Who fucking cares Amanda?! Just go!" He shouted at her.
"No Five!! I won't!" She answered once more.
"Go, go, go!" Reginald screams at them.
"Come on! What are you waiting for?" Klaus grabs Five, dragging him to the door.
Five, not allowing himself to leave Amanda, was removing Klaus's hands that were grabbing him.
"Just go Five!" Amanda says.
"No!" Five yelled.
"Five!" She shouted at him to slap him some sense while holding his shoulders.
"Get your shit together and look for me in the future."
Five stopped resisting after what she just said, making Klaus pull him easily to enter the tunnel. As Amanda follows behind Klaus to close the door behind him, Reginald steps in front of Klaus.
"Wait! What are you doing?" Klaus whispered.
Amanda, who can't see anything because Klaus is much taller than her, can only hear what is happening.
"You've done a fine job bringing me back into the family fold. You're just more trouble than you're worth. Sorry, Klaus." The old man explains before closing the door and pushing him. Since Amanda was behind him, both of them fell to the floor. Reginald leaves Klaus yelling for him.
After what just happened, Amanda hurriedly picked herself up and grabbed Klaus, who was still in shock from the betrayal.
"Klaus!" She yells at him.
Klaus looked at her, "Save yourself now!" She begged.
Klaus snaps back to reality, "Shit!" He yells as Amanda helps him up.
He looks around the room and finds the head of the Buffalo hanging on the wall. Amanda rushes to Luther and hugs him tight as the Kugelblitz starts to obliterate the room they are in.
Klaus runs and jumps to stab himself in the chest with the horn of the Buffalo. Seeing a faint scene of Amanda and Luther's body disintegrating in the air because of the Kugelblitz.
----------
Reginald enters the room panting, "At last, the other side." He says as he closes the door of the tunnel.
"Wait. Where's Klaus?" Viktor asks.
Five was still out of words from what happened earlier. The last thing Amanda told him was still ringing in his mind.
"Children, I'm sorry, but your brother... I did all I could, but he didn't make it through in time. The Kugelblitz has claimed its last victim." Reginald explained while still out of breath.
Five, who's slowly trying to regain himself, decides to jump in.
"No, he was right behind me when I entered the tunnel." He insisted.
"We need to go back." Sloane says.
"There's nothing to go back to. Children, there will be time for tears later. Right now, we have to keep moving." Before Reginald could leave, Viktor stopped him.
" And Amanda? Where is Amanda?" He asked the old man.
"Who is she?" Reginald answered dumbfounded.
"What?"
Viktor looks around everyone in the room and then at Reginald.
"You didn't..." Viktor murmured.
He grabbed Reginald's collar, and everyone panicked, "You did not just leave her in there to die!" He yelled at him.
"Viktor!" Everyone exclaimed.
"Enough, Viktor!" Five exclaimed while Diego pushed Viktor away from Reginald.
Viktor looked at him, then looked at the others, "She's Five's partner."
Everyone stopped.
"What?" Five asked.
"She's your partner in the future Five... She's your wife." Viktor uttered.
Five felt like he's gonna be unconscious any moment from now. He felt like gravity was pulling him so much that he wanted to vomit.
His eyebrows curled and looked at others like he was waiting for them to explain it to him, but everyone had the same reaction just as him.
He looked at Viktor again, "She told me not to tell anyone." Viktor murmured.
As he heard those exact words come out of his brother's lips, Five fell to the ground, and everyone was silent. He brushed his hands on his hair, trying to figure out if this was real.
"She showed me a locket. There was a picture of both of you together inside it."
Five glanced at Viktor, "You look good together, Five. I- I never saw you smile like that ever." He stuttered.
"No." Five whispered.
"No... No... No... No!!" He cried as he stood up and ran to the door of the passage, trying to open it.
"Five." Allison whispered as she put his hand on Five's shoulder, making him stop.
He laid his head on the door, "She told me that she might never see me again... She told me that, Allison." he defeatedly said as he closed his eyes.
He never felt this kind of pain before, like someone stabbed him in his heart repeatedly.
He wants to cry his pain away.
He wants to go on a rampage and kill everyone in the room.
He wants to kill himself.
"This is all my fault." Five whispers to himself.
And like a machine on its deathbed, a memory flashed in his mind.
"-look for me in the future."
' I don't know how.' He answers back as if the memory was happening right in front of him.
"Five..." Diego calls him.
Five couldn't hear him. He was trying his hardest to find a memory to remember.
"Five." Allison whispered.
All he could remember was the memory of the wedding in the garden.
She was wearing a dark blue satin dress that flowed beautifully on her skin. I couldn't help myself but stare at her.
'I will look for you.' He says to himself
He opens his eyes, snapping back to reality. He looks back at them.
"Let's get this over with."