Chapter Text
She knocked on the bedroom door. The smell of home cooked food wafted over from the kitchen, where her husband was humming a tune. Her ring glistened in the morning sunlight.
“Fuck off, Sloane!” screamed the 30 year old teenager living in her spare room. She knew he loved her. After everything they had been through. After everyone they had lost, they had to stick together. That’s why her brother was living in the spare bedroom of her apartment. She was lucky that her husband was so accepting of him, so excited to bond with him. She wished the excitement would be returned.
She walked the short distance to the kitchen where her husband slaved away cooking for them. He was tall and moved as if he had just learned to control his limbs. It was a big change for them, the whole no powers thing. Luther’s strength was not something he could just turn off, he had to learn to control it and living without it came with some unexpected challenges. For example the pickle jar he had smashed on the floor in frustration after struggling for hours trying to open it (Ben had superglued it shut the day before). He looked different as well. His shirt no longer struggled over his ape-like torso. She had struggled too. On many occasions she had thrown things expecting them just to float and realising they wouldn’t right as they hit the floor. Ben seemed to have adapted perfectly well. She leant in and kissed him on the cheek.
“Teenagers, am I right?” he quipped at her.
“Morning, Space-boy…Whatcha cooking?” she questioned.
“Only the finest eggs and bacon for my gorgeous wife.” She grinned from ear to ear. Once the universe had reset, she had awoken in New York city, living with her parents. Then one day Luther had burst in claiming they were married; rambling about Sparrows, Umbrellas and an apocalypse. It took a year or so for her memories to fully come back. She met Ben again. Her and Luther got properly married. She was happy for the first time she could remember. She kissed him once again, grateful that they found each other.
“Ew. Get a room.” Ben had walked in at some point as she and Luther stared lovingly at one another.
“Well maybe you could move out and stop leeching off of us. Maybe you could get a girlfriend and go live with her.”
“Or a boyfriend. We don’t mind.” Chimed in Luther.
Sloane didn’t mean it of course, but Ben could get irritating at times. She wished he would just admit he was struggling. That he missed his siblings. That he missed having a purpose. When they had all settled in a few years ago they had discussed searching for the others, in case they were brought back in the reset. One day if they ever found the money she promised the three of them would travel the world to find them, but today was not that day. It looked like that day would never come, so Ben continued to be a dick.
The phone began to ring, Luther hurried to answer it.
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Diego leant against the kitchen wall. His daughter was sitting at the table, painting. He had checked up on her and it had seemed to be a picture of their family. Diego, Lila and Grace. The paints were an early birthday present. He had given into the begging fairly quickly. He wasn’t sure how his Mom had put up with seven screaming superpowered kids for all those years. He was barely in year four with one child and already on the verge of losing it. He dialled in Luther's number. The phone barely rang before his brother picked up.
“Hey Luther.”
“Hey, you're on speaker phone. Is everything all right? You sound…”
“Tired? Yeah. Lila has been working a lot recently. Things are a bit stressful right now.” Did he sound tired? He definitely felt it. Maybe agreeing to being a stay at home dad was a mistake on his part. He obviously supported Lila, going out and using her super spy talents in a less illegal way by joining the CIA, but he missed her. He also missed the action and the missions. But that wasn’t important right now. “It seems like married life has been treating you well.”
“It has been great. I’ve never been happier.” Luther had gotten officially married to Sloane. He hadn’t gone. It was small, private. Just the two of them signing the paperwork. Himself and Lila had done the same as soon as they had gotten situated in their new timeline. Reginald had created it so that they all birth certificates, getting rid of the stress of not legally existing.
“Do you need anything? Not that I'm against having a chit chat, but we were just about to eat.”
“Right. Yeah. I was just wondering if Ben was gonna come to Grace’s birthday party tomorrow?”
“I’m not.” Oh. Ben was awake then. His brother had confided in him admitting that he was struggling with Ben. Diego had suggested kicking the asshole out of the apartment but Luther had become quite the optimist after meeting Sloane.
Speaking of Sloane, she was the one to argue with Ben, “Come on. It’s your niece’s birthday party. It’ll be fun!”
“She isn’t my niece.” Ben was right, which isn’t something he had ever expected to think. Ben wasn’t raised with them, he was a Sparrow. Although technically none of the Umbrella’s were biologically related they were raised as siblings, just as the Sparrows were. He was an outsider. The only reason he stuck around was so that he wouldn’t end up homeless or in prison.
“He will be there.” Luther decided before a loud crash caught Diego’s attention. He made a rushed goodbye before hurrying over to where Grace had spilled her water. He reassured her it would be okay. He thought it helped but then she burst into tears. He loved his daughter, but sometimes late at night he would think about the young boy… Stanley. He grieved the life he could have had if the ruse had been real. He wondered if the boy existed here. He hoped he did, because he didn’t know what he would do if he found out he didn’t.
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Allison walked into her home. She was greeted by a large entryway, perfect for a movie stars mansion but too big for her little family. Ray and Claire were sitting at the kitchen table. He was attempting to help her do her homework. She was a teenager now, a phase that Allison never thought she would get to see. Claire didn’t need any help, she was headstrong and intelligent. She looked like Allison. It was overwhelming to finally be this happy. She kissed them both on the top of their heads, worried that at any moment she would blink and they would be gone forever. Things were as normal as they could be. She was acting again. It was as if nothing had ever happened. She tried not to think about how Claire used to have a different father or how Raymond was actually born in the 1930’s or how she betrayed all of her siblings for a chance to get them back. She went to get some water.
“The paparazzi have seemed to finally let up.” He was right. The paparazzi that were usually set up on her driveway were gone. She knew why. They both knew why. Allison had spoken to them the day before and she could be very… persuasive. Ray hadn’t gotten back any memories from their past life unlike Sloane. Maybe it was for the best. She had told him the basics about the Umbrella Academy, but he still loved her. He didn’t leave and it seemed like he never would.
“Maybe they have found another family to bother.” She knew it wasn’t true, but God did she want it to be.
“Remember it is Grace’s birthday tomorrow so we will be out late.”
“Why do I have to go? No one there will be my age so it will just be weird. I mean I love them but…”
“No buts, Claire. Family comes first always.” That was one thing Allison and Raymond had always seen eye to eye on. He looked at Allison as if he wanted her to continue his point. “Your father is right. Family sticks together.”
“What like how you sent Uncle Klaus away? Doesn’t really sound like a family that sticks together to me.”
“Your uncle was sick.” Klaus was sick. Addiction was a sickness. Loosing his powers was the perfect opportunity to get sober. Allison had helped him even if it was from afar through paying his medical bills. However this wasn’t a good enough answer for Claire.
“What about Uncle Five? You Say he is my age but when I ask about him you say it is complicated. When I ask about how you and dad met, you say it is complicated. When I ask about how you grew up or about your career, you say it is complicated. Your life can’t be that complicated, Mom!” Allison turned to face the wall and leant against the counter. “Go to your room Claire.”
“I’m just asking-“
“Now” Allison breathed. Claire collected her things and stomped to her room. She felt Raymond place a hand on her shoulder. It was hard to finally be happy.