A/N: I don't know if anyone is still interested in this story but contrary to all indications (regular updates) I am still writing it anyway because, well, delusion. I've not given up on it, I just had a baby and babies are - and this is true - very distracting. If you're happy to see my username on your timeline, clap your hands (leave me a comment) and I'll try my best to update again before the child starts school in 2030.
Chapter 30: Sake
Chapter summary: With time running out to prove his innocence, Klaus seeks to confront his prime suspect. But he’s not ready for what happens next.
Chapter snippet:
AS HE finds the entrance to the passage, Klaus’s feet stop dead.
“Are we sure this is a good idea?”
“What do you mean?” asks Ben.
“I mean we’re walking down a rapey back alley to go meet a potential murderer, Ben. Call me a Nervous Nancy, but it feels like a bad plan.”
Ben looks down the alley and then back at Klaus, as if none of these details had really occurred to him before now. The narrow passage is lit only by a single pale bulb above the kitchen door, about halfway down. The wet cobbles are scattered with upturned crates and mouldy cardboard boxes, left out in the elements to rot. Dumpsters line the walls, sheltering a family of stray cats that slides between them like sultry nightclub patrons.
Ben turns back to Klaus. “You’ll be fine, come on.”
Klaus remains frozen to one spot.
“Look, how do we even know this is the guy, huh? I mean, what do we have to go on? A weird sculpture and a hunch?”
“It’s gotta be him, Klaus,” says Ben. “Think about it: Gary was an asshole. He was sleeping with Jaz’s fiancée, he was probably planning to blackmail her, and Detective Wesson said-”
“Ugh, can we not talk about her, please? She makes my sphincter twitch.”
“Detective Wesson said Jaz owed Gary money. Plus there’s the whole Janice connection. The two of them probably planned it all along.”
Klaus frowns. Is that possible? Could Janice really have set this up somehow? Could Jaz have harboured such a grudge against his friend that he would sneak into his room, stand over his sleeping body and cut his throat in the night? Jaz who had poured shots at the party and shared bitchy gossip over breakfast the next morning? Jaz with his limited edition Jordans and his manicured nails and his tiny twisted dreadlocks?
“Something just isn’t adding up and I can’t put my finger on it,” says Klaus.
“Well, this is the only way you’re gonna get answers. Just stop being a colossal wuss and get down there.”
Klaus’s feet are still rooted firmly to the ground.
“I-I don’t think so. Let’s just go back to the party before-”
“No!” Ben throws his whole ethereal form in front of Klaus. “It’s time to grow some balls.”
“I have balls, Ben,” says Klaus, his voice rising. “And there’s a bad feeling in them!”
“Well, I told you to see a doctor about that.” Ben shifts into the light of the moon so he can meet Klaus’ eyes. “Look, I know you’re scared, but if you don’t do this now you’ll never find out the truth. Diego will lose his job, you’ll have to go on the run. This is the only way, Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and take a risk.”
“That’s easy for you to say, you’re already dead!”
“Just do it,” Ben hisses.
Read the rest on AO3
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Chapter 4: The Sacrifice of The Destroyer (Series Finale)
Warning: Strong language, death
a/n: So an era comes to an end. The Eighth Child was the first fic I ever posted on this blog and now it's come to an end. Five years later, it's hard to believe and I'll admit it makes me a little emotional. Though our little amazing group of Rob appreciators might have dissolved and while I don't admire Rob as much as I did before for many reasons (those were definitely 15 years of my life worshiping someone I'll never get back lol). I am very grateful for the friendships, the ones I lost touch with and the ones that stayed, I'm grateful for the laughter and the tears, the joy and sorrow, I'm grateful for the chance to share these worlds in my head with you all. I don't want to close a door and say I'll never write for Rob characters again, I probably will at some point after some time to breathe, but anyway, please enjoy the final chapter of Vicky's story <3
(The Eighth Child Masterlist)
By the time they made it to the Hargreeves mansion, Klaus was all caught up in the situation.
They snuck around the back, which was weirdly empty, there were a dozen guards last time she was there, but this time... nobody in sight, it was almost like someone wanted them there.
"Isn't it pretty?" Abigail held a little glass with the smallest amount of marigold.
"It's pretty," Fortune gasped.
"If you drink it, it'll make you the most special girl in the world! You can trust Grandma."
Seeing that scene made Victoria's blood run cold as all the trauma from her childhood came back. The hours of torture under the hydraulic press, the missions where sometimes she had to kill innocent people, losing Five, then losing Ben... all because of those damn powers.
"You're not her fucking grandma!" She ran just as Fortune was about to drink the liquid and grabbed the glass from her.
"You little...!" Abigail tried to take the marigold back, but it only made the liquid fly right into Victoria's face. The glowing particles immediately penetrated her eyes and pores, some went up her nose and into her mouth.
"Fucking cunt! Vagabunda do caralho, filha de uma puta!" She screamed, shoving the other woman. "I told you to stay away from my family! Nobody messes with my daughter!"
"Daddy!" Fortune ran to Klaus, a little scared of the whole scene unfolding in front of her.
"Tunnie, my love! Daddy's so sorry, I promise I'll never ever scream at you again, I swear!" He kissed her all over her cheeks and forehead.
"It's over now," Abigail smiled. "I will take you to Jennifer and the cleanse will happen!"
"And what makes you think I'd go?" Victoria asked.
In a millisecond, Abigail's arm turned into a blade and everyone jumped back, except for Vicky.
"Liebling!" Klaus tried to pull her away, but it was too late.
Abigail went to slice her chest with the blade, the moment seemed almost like it played in slow motion. Victoria's clothes tore apart, but her skin was unbreakable.
"Die Hard is baaaack!" Diego cheered while the others were stunned. "Die Hard! Die Hard!" He chanted.
"If you're still in doubt... I'm Die Hard," Victoria smirked before pulling out one of the guns and shooting her three times.
"Dada, what's going on?"
"Shhhh grandma is just resting, she's so sleepy," Klaus covered Fortune's eyes.
Reginald heard the gunshots and came running out of the house, he found Abigail dead and went into a rage.
"Who did this? Why are you stupid children still meddling in my life?" He screamed.
"She poisoned me," Victoria jumped on his back and held him as he also tried to fight using his alien blade. "She infected me with marigold! That's what she wants! She wants to kill all of us, that was self-defense!"
When he finally managed to shake her off, he took Abigail in his arms and held her against his chest. That's when he noticed a note hidden in the inner pocket of her white jacket:
I ended the world and that's a good thing, my love. Dying was my penance for creating something so deadly. I had to see our world destroyed and you unleashed it on this one. I understand your loneliness, but your actions had consequences far greater than anything you could imagine. It was my duty to set it right. Forever yours, Abigail.
"I was wrong... and you made it right," Reginald finally realized.
"She made it right? What do you mean?" Victoria asked.
"The cleanse needs to happen, it's the only way the world can go back to its original state."
"That's it!" Five exclaimed. "When we were born, the timeline shattered in several pieces, the cleanse is just the fabric of space and time returning to the original timeline."
"So it's all good?" Klaus asked. "We make the cleanse happen and we'll all be free?"
"Not exactly... we are what always sets off the apocalypse. Our existence wasn't meant to be, we'll be erased from history."
"No, Five," Victoria shook her head. "The marigold wasn't meant to be. The cleanse will take all the marigold and leave you behind. It'll take me."
"No!" Klaus handed Fortune to Diego and rushed to hold his wife. "No, it can't take you!"
"I have the marigold now... it's gonna be me. But listen, you'll have Fortune and hopefully, this baby inside of me will find a way to his daddy. You'll be so happy, Klaus," she was trying not to cry, her voice wavering. "I'll always be a part of you and the kids, even if you can't remember me."
"I can't let you be erased from history, all our moments, our love, it can't just disappear!"
"Our love is too strong to ever disappear, it'll live on even if I never existed. It's just sad I won't be there to feel it."
"You can't leave, Mommy!" Fortune pleaded.
"Mommy won't leave," Viktor stepped in. "I can fix it. I can take the marigold from you like I did with Harlan."
"No, no, Vik! You can't do that!" Victoria protested.
"You're the one who can't do it! I have a shitty bar and no one waiting for me at home. You have a kid, another one coming, you have a husband... I can't let you disappear."
The siblings were conflicted, while none of them wanted Vicky to be erased, they also didn't want to lose Viktor. It was Sophie's choice, but it wasn't theirs to make.
"I love you, Viktor," Victoria hugged him. "I'm sorry for everything, back when we were kids... I should've done better."
"It's not your fault. It's my fate, I'm the one destined to end or save the world."
Viktor grabbed one of the glass shards on the grass and made a small cut on his palm where the last drop of marigold quickly penetrated.
"I'll arrange for Jennifer to be brought here and we can leave you both in the accelerating chamber," Reginald went inside to call one of his men.
Viktor took Victoria's hand and his whole body glowed bright yellow as he drew the marigold from her, it was taxing for both of them and the strength of the reaction made thunder roar in the sky.
Once the transfer was complete, she stepped away and was able to stumble her way to Klaus' arms before fainting.
**
"Uncle Ben! Uncle Ben! Do it again!" Fortune giggled.
Victoria opened her eyes and saw Ben playing with his niece. He tossed her in the air and caught her as she giggled and waved her arms around.
"Aren't they cute?" Klaus asked. "We finally got our Ben back and now we're losing Viktor..."
"I know, it should've been me," she mumbled.
"Noooo! That's not what I'm saying, nobody should have to stop existing."
"Where's Viktor?"
"In the accelerating chamber with Dad and Jennifer."
"So it's already started?"
Klaus nodded sadly, and Victoria got up, running to where the others were gathered, in front of a room with a single window. Reginald left the room, closing the door behind him with a heavy sigh.
"Very well, this chamber was designed by me as a way to accelerate chemical reactions that usually take thousands of years. This should only take a few minutes," he murmured.
"Minutes? No!" Victoria placed her hand on the glass and Viktor did the same from the other side, but instead of looking scared or sad, he was smiling. "My brother..."
"Remember Chocolate com Pimenta when we were 12?" Viktor chuckled. "Think of me as your Ludovico. I'll always be with you, you can't get me off your hair."
"But... you never watched it with us, how do you know that?"
"Of course I did, you don't remember? I just preferred to stay in the corner. Like always. Now at least I go with a bang."
"I love you so much," her voice cracked with emotion, tears shedding down her face. First Jennifer took one of her brothers, now the other. "I'll never forget you. The best brother anyone could ask for."
"You better not."
She left crying, letting the others say goodbye as she watched from afar. It was too painful to face that he was sacrificing for her, for them.
The dark mass of the cleanse that formed between Jennifer and Viktor was growing fast, slowly swallowing them like quicksand. At the last second, nobody wanted to believe he was truly gone forever, nobody had the courage to look, it was just him essentially alone, stuck in some chamber built by their father for the good of humanity... again.
And then there was nothing.
**
"Everyone, it's time!" Victoria and Klaus got up from the long picnic table.
It was a beautiful day, the sky was the bluest blue, the flowers were in bloom, the trees were filled with perfect bright green leaves, and a soft breeze blew through the park.
The pregnant mama grabbed a huge red, white, and black box with the logo that said Umbrella Bakery. Inside, there was a massive cake covered in white frosting.
"Soon we're gonna reveal the sex of our baby, I know it's my bakery, but I had nothing to do with this cake, so it's a surprise for me too," Victoria chuckled. "I just wanna thank everyone for being here, right Klaus?"
"Right, this is a celebration of life and you all are the most important people in our lives," he said as he picked Fortune up.
By the table everyone wore either blue or pink, depending on which they thought the sex of the baby would be. The closest ones to the happy couple were Victoria's parents, Maria Fernanda and Thiago, along with Klaus' adoptive mother, Grace.
His adoptive siblings were there with their families: Allison, her husband, Ray, and their daughter, Claire. Diego, with his wife, Lila, and their three kids. Luther and his wife, Sloane, who was also expecting. Ben and his fiancé, Jill. Quintin and his girlfriend, Dolores.
Hazel and his wife, Agnes, arrived just in time and joined Cha-Cha and her husband, Harold.
"Anyone else for the betting pool?" Herb asked while Dot took notes of everyone's guesses.
"Me!" Stan raised his hand. "It's a boy for sure!"
"No way," Elliott chuckled. "It's another girl, I can feel it."
"Are you okay?" Hannah asked, seeing Harlan cover his ears.
"Yes. I'm a little overwhelmed, but I'm okay, Han," he smiled.
"Cut the cake already!" Maria Fernanda cheered, her phone in hand to film it.
"Calm down, Mamãe!"
"Victoria Lisbela, you cut this cake right now! I can't wait to know!"
"Alright alright," Klaus gave Fortune the cake cutter. "Go on, Tunnie, let's see if you'll have a little brother or a little sister."
The little girl cut out a clumsy piece and revealed the blue batter inside, which made everyone clap and celebrate the baby boy.
"I'll have a brother!" the little girl ran around with the other kids.
"Parabéns, meu amor," Thiago kissed his daughter's cheek before smearing a little bit of frosting on her nose.
She shook her head and started cutting the cake to serve to the guests.
"So, any idea what name you two are gonna pick?" Diego asked.
"If it was a girl, we'd name her Vanya," Klaus chuckled, pulling his daughter into his lap. "But since it's a boy, it's gonna be Viktor."
"Viktor? Are you naming your baby after yourself?" Ben teased, taking a plate from Vicky.
"No, it's not after me. It's after someone really special, I don't know exactly who he is, but I dream of him sometimes... I know he's important to us and I miss him, even though we never met."
"Maybe someone we were close to in another life," Klaus suggested.
"You and your spiritual bullshit," Quintin chuckled.
"What? It could be true," Luther shrugged, turning the radio on.
"There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy," Lila agreed, offering Victoria a marigold which she placed on her hair.
"Klausie! It's our song!" Vicky took his hand when I Think We're Alone Now started playing. "Let's dance!"
On the twelfth hour of the eighth day in August 2024, something very important happened... a party.
Tag List: @jozstankovich @firstpersonnarrator @salvador-daley
... so it means that I'm about to start writing season 4 of 'A bend in space-time'. Maybe it's time to look back… and forward.
When I started this fic, I did it as a playful experiment, tackling a writing style often dismissed in the world of fanfiction: a first person POV, present-tense story, featuring an OC to revisit the plot with an outsider’s perspective.
Not only has the support for this story been incredible, but along the way, I also realized just how satisfying it is to try to understand the inner workings of the massive machine that is The Umbrella Academy.
'A bend in space-time' has become my playground for analyzing the story, its arcs, and its logical threads, to clarify what was obscure, or attempt to fill in plot holes.
Season 4 won’t be like the others: if you've seen the original material, you probably have an idea why. I feel both excited… and terrified. Any waffle will be highly appreciated.
Love you all, thanks for your support here every week ♡
Warning: Strong language, mention of death and mental illness, talk of addiction.
(The Eighth Child Masterlist)
A few days passed and they all forgot about Jennifer and the dry cleaner. Viktor decided to stay a few days to make up to Grace for missing her birthday, and Klaus was trying to be more romantic than usual.
"Was that good?" He asked, lying next to His wife.
"Yeah... yeah of course," Victoria nodded.
"You don't have to lie."
"It was okay. You're too soft."
"I can't be rough, you're pregnant!"
She turned her back to him and looked at the jar of marigold on her nightstand.
"I'm sorry," he said with eyes full of tears. "I don't know what to do anymore to save us. I don't know how to be different from what I am now."
"I know," she murmured. "You know how Dad took our powers and all? Because we kept ending the world, but that was because some of our powers were destructive. Allison can start and end wars and she's not mentally stable, Ben can commit a massacre without breaking a sweat, Five can mess with the timeline... but we're not destructive. You just become immortal and see a few ghosts. Alright you can conjure them and stuff, but you won't need to."
"Are you suggesting I drink this shit?"
"That would make you feel safer and nobody would have to know... then you could go back to being the man I love."
"What do you mean? You don't love me anymore?"
"How can I love someone who carries a gas mask to go places?" She snapped. "Who won't eat a runny egg yolk! Who needs to bathe in alcohol before getting in bed? Who won't buy used books because someone might have left fluids on them that could give you a disease? I can't stand your restrictions anymore and you're making our daughter into a fucking wimp like you! You're boring and your new haircut sucks! You getting sober was the worst thing that ever happened to me!"
A silence took over the room and he started crying, scared to wake up their daughter with all the screaming.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it," Victoria quickly tried to take it back, but words are like bullets. They can't be unshot.
"Three years... you wanna throw three years down the drain because that's what you want, right?" Klaus sobbed. "You love our little parasitic relationship, the eternal screwup and his holy savior! I'm your charity case, I've always been and you feel so superior because you can smoke a joint once in a while, have a few drinks and you're fine! You can go back to being normal Victoria, but I have a disease! Once I start, I can't stop!"
"I know... I didn't mean to-"
"Every time I'd relapse back in the day, you got a glint in your eye! Oh, I get to save him again!"
"That's not true! You know damn well how hard I tried to keep you sober! I said it without thinking!"
"No, don't take it back. Dysfunction is what we do best in this family so how could we ever raise our children in a happy home? You need to traumatize them like Dad did you us! Because you think it made you tough, it made you interesting, it built character. Newsflash, sweetheart! You're just broken and full of Daddy issues!"
"How can you say that?" She started crying as well. They had not fought this badly since she left him to work in California.
"You're selfish and a big baby! You leave me when things get too hard or too boring, you did it when we were 25 and you're doing it now! I'm so done living cowering in your little bubble of superiority!"
"I took care of you your whole life! I made sure you didn't get in trouble, I made sure you were fed and healthy and safe! I was your shield for 30-something years! You know I'd take a bullet for you even now that I'm no longer indestructible! You think it was easy? You think I like picking your sorry ass off the floor when you hit rock bottom?"
"Bottom? Moi? There's no bottom here, missy, no bottom at all. I'm the goddamn Mariana Trench! Just wait till you see!"
"You're threatening me now? Give me a fucking break, I wanted to help you, you coward! So scared of a little itty bitty ghosts that you need to pop every pill on the planet. Your power is a gift!"
"You wouldn't survive a day with my power! So easy for you... I don't feel pain, nothing hurts me!"
"I'd thrive with your power, you're just too weak and cowardly to deal with it how it's supposed to be!"
"Thank you... you know truly thank you. Finally a grain of honesty. Feels refreshing! You wanted the old Klaus? You got him!" He reached for the jar of marigold but she took it from him.
"I'll put this away, nothing good is gonna come from taking this shit..." Victoria got up and grabbed a box from the top shelf to leave the jar in, but she found something that caught her eye. A card.
"Give it to me! You want me to so bad to be your pet junkie again!"
"No! I'll give it back to whoever gave it to us!"
"You'll return it to the man in the dry cleaner?"
"No, someone else... look after Fortune, I'll be back."
**
Victoria headed to the Hargreeves mansion, she had not been there in years. Not ever since she tried to get the location of their birth mothers, but Reginald knew nothing of it.
The guards were more than eager to let her in, they treated her like she was actually part of the family.
When she walked into the mansion, she heard the sweet sound of a violin being played by a beautiful lady who looked almost angelic.
"Abigail."
"Hello, Victoria," she smiled, putting down the violin. "Long time no see! What brings you here today? I see you're glowing, when can we expect the second little one?"
"You forgot your jar of marigold," Vicky leaned against the wall in front of her.
"I'm sorry? I think you're mistaken."
"No, I'm not, step-mama. You know, I can't read minds anymore, but I'm not stupid. That whole Sy Grossman story was mighty suspicious. So I turned to the note you gave us to send the location of Viktor. Where had I seen that handwriting before? Oh yeah! The card you sent to us the day my daughter was born. I had to check it to make sure, and there it was... your handwriting. Now would you tell me why you gave us a jar of this stuff?"
"I synthesized marigold back in my world, but when I created this new element, another one was accidentally produced as a byproduct... Durango."
"Durango."
"Yes, and it's inside of Jennifer."
"Jennifer... as in Jennifer who got my brother killed?"
"I do not know about that... but when marigold and durango interact, there's a dangerous physical reaction."
"Makes sense. He touched Jennifer and started getting this weird rash, then his tentacles were out of control, and he ended up killing himself and the girl... but wait, you gave us Marigold and sent us to look for durango? Do you wanna fucking kill us?" Victoria grabbed Abigail by the collar.
"What is the meaning of this?" Reginald came into the room with a scowl. "Unhand my wife right now!"
"Your wife tried to end the world! I have a child and I'm expecting another! I have a nephew and nieces, how could you do this?"
"I never asked to be brought back!" Abigail finally said. "Reginald brought me back to life and I didn't ask for it! He unleashed this danger into your world after it destroyed ours, I just wanted to cleanse it."
"Very well, it's cleansed," Victoria opened the jar and tossed it in the fireplace. "Now don't you ever come near me or my family, with or without powers, I will end your sorry ass with my bare hands."
"There's no need for this sort of-" Reginald placed himself between them.
"Don't you miss being so strong?" Abigail held up a vial of marigold. "Nothing could hurt you, you knew what everyone was thinking and even controlled it, you controlled what they felt... wasn't it great?"
"I'm great without my powers, I'm a mother and a wife, a business owner... that's all I wanna be," Victoria sneered.
"What about your husband? Don't you miss him? Don't you miss the devil-may-care Klaus? Who jumped in front of cars and spent all night partying? The man you fell in love with is gone."
"Shut up..."
"This is the very last of the marigold in the world. Enough for two people... maybe three, if you want to make your daughter special as well. Protect her from the world."
Victoria sniffled and grabbed the vial, she looked at it and for a moment all the memories from her youth came rushing back.
She remembered crazy nights with Klaus, dance lessons, their mother's shoes, their college days, his face while getting his palms tattooed, the amazing girls she met in Vietnam, her life in the 60s, the cult, his proposal, their wedding, falling out of her window when he tickled her... and it was the concrete that shattered.
"It was the concrete that shattered," Victoria mumbled, opening the vial.
"All you have to do is to look for Jennifer," Abigail murmured.
"Will it hurt us?"
"You won't feel a thing. You and your family will be protected. You won't face the same ending as your brother."
"There's another thing I'm good at besides recognizing handwritings..." Vicky swallowed. "Recognizing liars."
She tossed the glowing liquid into the fire once again and turned her back to leave.
"Victoria!" Abigail called.
"Enjoy the rest of your life in our world and don't you dare create more of this shit. I'll come kill you myself."
**
Meanwhile, back at home, Klaus was pacing around the room. He kept replaying and replaying all the moments from the fight in his mind and it hurt more and more each time he remembered.
That familiar need started taking over and he knew he was about to relapse. He took the phone and called Claire, asking her to come over and pick up Fortune because he had to take care of an emergency.
After that, he started going through the house grabbing everything valuable he could get his hands on. First his own wedding ring, Vicky's collectible Disney music boxes, her jewelry, the Rolex she got him for their anniversary, and finally their daughter's piggy bank.
He smashed Fortune's porcelain pig on the floor and grabbed all the money inside before pulling their flat screen off the wall in the living room.
"Daddy?" Fortune stood behind him. "Why did you break the piggy bank? I'm saving for a Barbie Dream House!"
"Tunnie baby!" He tried to smile. "You're here! Claire is coming to pick you up so you can play at Aunt Alli's house."
"What are you doing, Dada?" She frowned, noticing something was clearly weird.
"You know this TV has been on the fritz for a while. Haven't you noticed, baby girl? I just thought I'd take her down to the old geek lab, let them work their magic."
"It's not broken, Dada. You're weird, I'm scared... where's Mommy?"
Fortune tried to come closer, but Klaus held his hand up.
"No no no! Your feet, sweetheart, you'll hurt your feet with the shards. Watch your feet, sweetheart!" He cried, covering his mouth in panic. "The piggy was an accident, Tunnie, I'll pay you back."
"I don't care about the money, Dada, I want you to be okay," the little girl looked down, tears running down her face. "I know something's wrong, please tell me so we can talk and make it better."
"I'll talk to you, Tunnie, I will. But Daddy has had a horrible day and he just can't... just can't have this conversation right now. I'm sorry."
"Claire said you were sick. That you needed help to stay healthy, are you not feeling well again? I can help you! I'll call 911, please stay with me!"
"It's too late, baby, I'm sorry. You stay put and wait for your cousin, okay? You need to stay on the couch waiting for her and when mommy comes back, she'll pick you up."
"No, Daddy! Don't go! You're sick, you need a doctor!" Fortune tried to stop him from going to the door.
"No, Tunnie, Daddy's gonna leave now just for a little bit."
"Please stay! It's dark and I'm scared!"
"I gotta go-"
"But Daddy...!"
"WILL YOU PLEASE JUST FUCKING MOVE?" He yelled. "NOW DO WHAT YOUR FATHER SAYS AND DON'T TALK BACK, FORTUNE BENNIE HARGREEVES!"
The little girl was stunned into silence and her little pout quickly turned into panic as she started crying harder. She watched her father leave and sat on the floor sobbing quietly.
Not once had he ever raised his voice at his daughter, she was an easy girl and never got in trouble. She never needed to be punished or grounded, he always considered himself lucky... but now Klaus feared he was turning into what he hated most: his father.
*
"Hello," Victoria picked up the phone as she drove back home.
"Vicky, we need to get together right now," Five said. "Bring Klaus."
"I don't know where he is, he left Fortune at Allison's and disappeared with our TV and my jewelry. I'm looking for him right now."
"Shit... we need you! I think we have some more insight on the whole Jennifer situation."
"So do I, wait until I tell you who planted the marigold in that box and sent us after durango."
"What? What are you talking about? Ben is here! We're all at the old Academy."
"I know, he's an asshole. Big news..."
"No, not Sparrow Ben, our Ben."
"What?" She nearly crashed the car when she made a turn to head to the Academy. "How?"
"He found this sort of subway where the train takes you to different timelines, there's a crack in time and space which made several portals around the world to this station. The timelines are bleeding into each other."
"Please don't say another apocalypse is coming, I can't cope," she huffed.
"No, I mean, not if we find out how this is all connected. It's supposed to be one timeline, The Keepers, that group Sy mentioned... Lila and I have been infiltrated there for months and they know we're in the wrong timeline."
"Well fuck, that means the cleanse is a little more drastic than I thought."
"How do you know about the cleanse?"
"Abigail told me, it's a whole chemical thing with Jennifer. I'll explain better once I'm there."
"Jennifer? Oh, that makes sense why Dad is trying to keep her away from society."
"He is?"
"Jean and Gene, the leaders of that group I told you about were just murdered along with a bunch of their followers when they tried to kidnap Jennifer from the make-believe town where she lives. Everyone in the town is a Hargreeves soldier."
"Alright, I'm so confused. The Klaus hunt will have to wait, I'll be there in five... Five."
Tag List: @jozstankovich @firstpersonnarrator @salvador-daley
93,000 words later (10% of them in the extra long last chapter WOWEEE) and I finished* my Same Weird Family post S2 spec fic series a whole two days before my self-imposed deadline of Season 3 Season 4.
(I've made my peace with S3 on Netflix and genuinely enjoy some bits of it but really, I still kinda secretly like my idea better. Feel free to tell me I'm wrong I'm here for all of it.)
So, with no further ado, here you go. First link is to the final chapter for anyone patient enough to have stuck around 6 months awaiting that (bless you).
Second link brings you back to the beginning if you're new here or just looking for some family shenanigans and Five Whump. Either way, hope you enjoy, because I certainly enjoyed writing it.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Woo! I’m back with another instalment of The Klave Air AU Nobody Asked For! ✈️❤️
First, an apology; I’m sure you all thought this fic had been abandoned due to how delayed this update has been. Rest assured, I’ve been chipping away at this chapter the whole time and I’m hopeful it will have been worth the wait.
It’s been a super rough couple of months for old Salv and I really appreciate every single one of you who has taken the time to read, comment on and kudos this story. Your interactions are little rays of light through the clouds and I love you all. ❤️🥲
Special thanks to @allisoooon for beta services and the incredible Photoshop of Bride!Lila
Enjoy, my little chickadees! Xx
Snippet from Chapter 7: Ladies and gentlemen, the Captain has turned on the fasten seat belt sign
“Is it okay?” Lila takes a step back and looks down at her outfit, an ice-white A-line minidress embellished with silver sequins, coupled with a pair of white leather pixie boots.
“You look…” Klaus fumbles for the words. The ensemble has a sort of sixties feel to it, offset by a small pillbox hat and a delicate fishnet veil that hovers over her eyes. “Incredible,” he finishes.
“Really?” Lila looks down again and smoothes out the imaginary wrinkles. She looks so different. Granted, the look is a huge departure from her usual grungy attire - ripped leggings and safety pins in her ears, check kilts and Doc Martin’s with paint on them - but there’s something else there too. She looks nervous.
Klaus reaches out and takes her by the shoulders, bringing his eyes to hers. “You look like Jackie O’s prettier sister. I might just have to marry you myself.”
That seems to quell her jitters, if only momentarily. Klaus thrusts a shot under her nose and she downs it without hesitation.
“Okay, pre-flight checks. Do you have your something old?”
Lila thinks for a moment then points to the hat on her head. “Picked it up at a vintage store.”
“Something new?”
“The dress.”
“Something borrowed?”
Lila cringes. “No. But is it really that important?”
“Yes! It’s bad luck otherwise.” Klaus reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small square packet. “Here,” he says, pressing it into her palm and wrapping her fingers around it. “Take this.”
Lila opens her fist. “A condom?”
“Yes. And it’s blue too!”
“Will this even work?”
“Oh, I doubt it. I’m pretty sure it’s expired.”
READ THE REST ON AO3
Tagging whether you like it or not: @badsext @softforklave @anglophile-rin @neist @purblzart @maerenee930 @firstpersonnarrator @allisoooon @cemeteryklaus @super-unpredictable98 @courtneytarynofficial @mokolataddict @pickledbeefwastaken @love-is-dirty-baby @rina-cydonia @inspiremeandsetmefree @jender123 @vonkimmeren @sylvertyger @merrilark @rob-private @pietro-t1me @not-oscar-wilde @squishitude
Tips for writing those gala scenes, from someone who goes to them occasionally:
Generally you unbutton and re-button a suit coat when you sit down and stand up.
You’re supposed to hold wine or champagne glasses by the stem to avoid warming up the liquid inside. A character out of their depth might hold the glass around the sides instead.
When rich/important people forget your name and they’re drunk, they usually just tell you that they don’t remember or completely skip over any opportunity to use your name so they don’t look silly.
A good way to indicate you don’t want to shake someone’s hand at an event is to hold a drink in your right hand (and if you’re a woman, a purse in the other so you definitely can’t shift the glass to another hand and then shake)
Americans who still kiss cheeks as a welcome generally don’t press lips to cheeks, it’s more of a touch of cheek to cheek or even a hover (these days, mostly to avoid smudging a woman’s makeup)
The distinctions between dress codes (black tie, cocktail, etc) are very intricate but obvious to those who know how to look. If you wear a short skirt to a black tie event for example, people would clock that instantly even if the dress itself was very formal. Same thing goes for certain articles of men’s clothing.
Open bars / cash bars at events usually carry limited options. They’re meant to serve lots of people very quickly, so nobody is getting a cosmo or a Manhattan etc.
Members of the press generally aren’t allowed to freely circulate at nicer galas/events without a very good reason. When they do, they need to identify themselves before talking with someone.
In The Dust that as a City - Umbrella Academy Fanfiction - Chapter Two?
Summary: What if Five didn't time travel to the apocalypse, but Diego did?
Characters: Diego Hargreeves, The Handler
A/N: I'm reposting my old fanfictions since AO3 is down. Hope you enjoy! :D
Diego watched as Five and Luther disappeared behind the machine.
It seemed to have its own gravity, pulling everything around it into its gaping, blue mouth.
“Back up,” Diego ordered. He put his arms out in front of the others, keeping himself between them and the...
Diego didn’t know what to call the machine. Luther had called a wormhole, but he didn’t want to use the same term.
Besides, if Luther came up with it, it was probably wrong.
Five looked around the machine and yelled for them to back up.
No shit, Sherlock.
Diego started to take another step back anyway, when movement caught his attention. A tall person in a bulletproof vest walked towards Luther and Five, a pistol in hand.
The scientist had warned them that people wanted his machine, but Diego hadn’t thought they would get here so fast. It’d only been in meltdown a few minutes.
The woman with the gun yelled something at Five and Luther but there wasn’t any way they’d hear her; not over the machine.
Diego sprang forward. Two knives instantly in his hands, then gone just a quickly. They flipped, end over end, until they found their target in the woman’s chest.
She fell back, dropping her gun.
Diego glanced over to Luther and Five. A long tube from the machine was in Luther’s hand. It didn’t take him long to break it, did it?
They both stared at Diego, wide eyed. Five was yelling at him, but Diego couldn’t hear anything over the machine’s hum.
He just saved Number One.
Dad would notice that. He’d have to rethink their numbers. He’d make Diego the leader.
“Diego!” Klaus yelled.
Diego looked over his shoulder. He was a lot further from them than he thought.
Oh.
Diego looked to the machine. It was glowing, getting brighter and brighter. It looked like it was about to explode.
Shit.
Diego turned and ran back toward Allison, Klaus and Ben.
“Run!” Diego yelled. He didn’t know what Luther and Five had done, but the entire machine was going to blow.
Ben was the first of the trio to get the memo. He grabbed Allison and Klaus by their jackets, pulling them to the exit.
Diego felt the knives leaving his holsters and flying towards the blue worm– No. He would not call it a wormhole.
He ran faster.
Ben stopped when he reached the door and yelled for Diego to hurry.
Couldn’t he see Diego already was?
Ben gaze flickered over Diego’s shoulder and paled.
The machine made an otherworldly screech and Diego felt it tug against him.His feet left the ground and the blue surrounded him.
The air was knocked from his lungs when he hit the ground.
Diego coughed, sending dust everywhere.
Dust?
He jumped to his feet. “Guys?” Diego asked.
He didn’t see them anywhere, but that didn’t make sense. They were just there.
The warehouse was gone too. The machine, the building, his siblings, everything. Everything was gone.
His foot bumped something metal and he glanced down. His knives laid scattered at his feet. Diego picked them up and put them back where they belonged.
“Guys?!” He called again. No one responded.
Sand, ash and fire covered everything. Death covered everything.
A spot of green caught his eye.
Diego walked over to it, recognizing what it was before he got close.
The green street sign read, Lamp Rd.
He frowned. Lamp Rd. That was right down from the Academy.
A quick spin helped him identify his surroundings. The collapsed buildings around him – they were just down the road from home.
Diego turned on his heel and broke out in a run. He ran up piles of rubble and across roofs of cars.
Soon he stopped in where the Academy should have been.
The brick had crumbled along with everything else.
Diego shook his head.
It didn’t make sense! He’d just been in there. It’d been okay. Everything had been okay.
Then that stupid machine.
He stumbled over the fallen pieces of concrete, walking into the remains of the building. He wished Dad could see it. See what the Academy came to.
But mostly, Diego didn’t want to be seeing it alone.
“Mom?” Diego yelled. She could survive this, couldn’t she? She could survive everything. She was the strongest person he knew; if she couldn’t survive this no one could. “Mom?”
Diego foot hit something soft and he looked down.
It was a hand and it was holding an eye.
Diego almost stumbled back.
The eye was covered in blood.
Diego looked away before he puked.
He closed his eyes, centering himself. It didn’t matter. There was only so many breathing exercises he could do.
He was in the remains of the Academy. His home.
And all he could find was some dude holding an eye?
After a moment he looked back at the man and carefully avoiding looking at the eye.
Seriously, who dies holding an eye?
Diego’s question was quickly answered.
Giants.
The man was huge. His shoulders were three times as wide as Diego – but then that wasn’t saying much – and most of his body was crushed under what looked like a fallen piece of the ceiling.
Diego swallowed.
The man was long dead.
Diego stepped away from him and noticed someone else a short distance away.
The next man was face down and considerably smaller than the giant. He wore a dark suit and blood had dried on his face.
A girl was next, followed by a man in a long coat. Diego tilted his head.
The man had ‘Goodbye’ tattooed across his hand in bold letters. Diego frowned. Klaus always talked about getting one like that—
Another tattoo caught his attention. A tattoo of an umbrella wrapped in a black circle.
Diego couldn’t breathe.
The mans hair looked like Klaus – same curly hair, same thin frame, same horrible fashion taste.
Diego couldn’t remember falling, but he was on his knees.
He couldn’t think, he couldn’t breathe. If they were dead, so was he, cause he couldn’t feel his heart beating anymore.
His hands shook and his ears were ringing.
It didn’t make sense; it didn’t make sense.
“Hello, Diego.”
Diego spun, two knives already in hand. Everything was blurry and he blinked to clear it.
“Oh!” She laughed. The sound was so wrong. How could she laugh?
“No need for those. Not against me anyway.” The woman lifted a black veil from her face. She looked dressed for a funeral and had cigarette in her hand.
Diego wrinkled his nose. He hated the stench of cigarette smoke.
“Who are you?” Diego demanded, surprised when his voice didn’t shake. “Where is my family?” He kept his knives ready to throw.
“I am the Handler,” she said, taking a puff from her cigarette. She cast a look around. “And it seems you’ve already found them.”
Diego’s heart plummeted. “What? No. Y-You’re wrong. These—”
“I don’t think I am.”
He didn’t know who this Handler was, but he already hated her.
She glanced at the bodies Diego had already checked. She pointed to each of them in turn. “Luther, Five, Allison, Klaus.”
Diego shook his head. “No. This isn’t them. My siblings are thirteen—”
“Your siblings were thirteen. It’s 2019, Diego. Year of the apocalypse.” She said the word apocalypse with a smile.
“It-it’s 2002.”
“Where you came from, perhaps, but not here. That scientist created quite the machine. But time travel—” She tilted her head, giving Diego a pitying look he could tell was fake “—it never goes right.” She took another drag of her cigarette and extended her hand to Diego. “You wanna get out of here?"
--
Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment if you enjoyed :D
An Umbrella Academy AU feat. Pathologist!Dave + MorgueRegular!Klaus
A/N: The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated. I was merely sleeping. Actually, I have been busy throwing up. Long story. Enjoy this extremely belated chapter! Leave me a comment to show me you love me.
CW: Angst-akimbo
Summary: Dave is a pathologist working at the city morgue. And Klaus… well, Klaus just keeps turning up.
Snippet from Chapter 5:
No sooner has Adrian Dellow’s elongated shadow passed beyond the transom window of the basement morgue than the sound of faint metallic banging becomes audible.
Dave pauses a moment longer to be absolutely sure the auditor is well out of eye and earshot before he turns to the wall of chiller cabinets. The banging is becoming more frantic, louder now too, accompanied by muffled shouting.
Dave flings open the door to the chiller from which the sound is emanating and rolls out the rack. The body bag is moving, the impression of fists and fingers visible, flailing in the rubber.
“Stop struggling,” says Dave as he slides the zip down.
Klaus emerges from the bag with a gasp, gulping at the air like a fish which has accidentally flopped onto the deck of a boat. “What took you so long? I could have died in there!”
“Well, would that really be a first for you?”
Klaus clutches his chest, in full Drama Queen mode now. “I had a nightmare that I was trapped inside a giant condom. You have no idea how terrifying that was. It was very realistic!”
“Would you keep your voice down?” hisses Dave. “You are going to wake up the other corpses.”
Read the rest on AO3
Tagging to see if you’re still alive? @badsext @yeah-klave @softforklave @anglophile-rin @falloutby @merry-melody @neist @purblzart @maerenee930 @firstpersonnarrator @super-unpredictable98 @wcrmboy @spookyfbi @squishitude @courtneytarynofficial @mokolataddict @pickledbeefwastaken @love-is-dirty-baby @jender123 @vonkimmeren @narnianaos @sylvertyger @merrilark @faceache111 @rob-private @pietro-t1me @not-oscar-wilde @thislovelylife @falafel14
hi!! do you know any fics in which klaus causes the apocalypse?
Great question! Here are a couple suggestions:
Into the Great Unknown by Honorable_mention
Klaus Hargreeves had always seen things that weren’t there. At times it felt like a taunt: your siblings get superpowers and all you get to be is schizophrenic.
Useless by Papapaldi (@wykart on Tumblr)
The truth comes out, and Klaus must come to grips with the fact that his entire life of happiness with Dave was taken away by his own brother.
Little Sister by Ace_of_Spades_400
Vanya is like Peter Pan, in that she'll never grow up. She'll always be Klaus' little sister.
Full disclosure... this is a stretch, if you squint Klaus causes the apocalypse.
It Feels Like There's Oceans (Between You and Me) by CursedWonders
The Hargreeves siblings go back in time to fix Vanya, and Klaus slips through the cracks of their new, better family.
And in the world where Vanya doesn't bring the apocalypse, Klaus does.
kianamaiart
stormborns
annaxmalina
origamiaround
jacobvanloon
andulkaphoto
baratheonpilled
