Dusk didn't know how long she was out, it could've been seconds, maybe even minutes. But as the sound of muffled voices surrounded her, her eyes slowly fluttered open, her body aching as she moved, barely able to sit up without being met with the stabbing pain of whiplash. Her blurry vision cleared as she looked around the damaged van, the windshield cracked beyond belief, nearly on the verge of shattering into a million pieces. "Dusk, baby?" A hand went to her shoulder, making her turn to her left. The fear in Klaus's eyes was quickly replaced by a wave of relief. "Hey..." Her voice raspy and dry.

Klaus wrapped his arms around his beloved, the breath he had been holding in ever since waking up to find her unconscious finally escaped his lips as he buried his face in her neck. "For a moment, I thought I lost you. The both of you..." He trembled, Dusk's eyes grew wide, a hand sliding down to her stomach, hoping to feel some small sign, some small reassurance that their future was still safely nestled within her. "The baby..." She whimpered. Klaus immediately pulled away, his hand meeting hers. "It's okay, they're okay," Klaus assured.

"Where's everyone?" Dusk asked, trying to recall the moments before the accident, but it happened so fast, and everything was just a blur. Through the sheets of plastic window coverings, she could see the faint outlines of the rest of the group. Luther stood near the edge of the road with his thumb out, but the road was considerably dead, and the few cars that happened to be driving by refused to stop and help them out. The right passenger door slid open, and upon pulling back the covering, Allison poked her head into the van, she sighed with relief upon seeing the couple. "Hey, you! I'm glad you're awake!" She looked at Dusk. "You were out for quite a while,"

"I'm fine..." Dusk grew quiet, laying her head on Klaus's shoulder, avoiding as much eye contact with her as possible. "What do you want?" Allison was taken aback by the harshness in her sister's tone. While she didn't expect Dusk to hug her tightly and cry after suffering a near-death experience, she at least expected some kind of relief knowing her sister and the rest of her family were okay too. "I just wanted to check in and see how you're doing. Congratulations, by the way," She smiled, noticing Klaus and Dusk's intertwining hands over her belly. 

"Thanks," The brown blonde murmured. Klaus could sense the uncomfortableness within his wife's demeanor, wanting to escape the incoming bombardment with unsolicited advice. While the thought of being a parent had been pushed to the back of her mind for nearly eight years, Dusk knew that she'd never let anyone tell her how to raise her child, not even her siblings. And as Allison continued to make small talk about her experience with pregnancy and raising Claire, Klaus gently squeezed her hand, silently whispering "I've got you, it's okay,"

"If you need any parenting tips, just let me know. I'd be happy to help!" Allison offered. "No offense, Allison. But I really don't want to take parenting advice from someone who rumored their kid just so she could get some peace," Dusk bit. "I'm just trying to help!" Allison looked offended. "Yeah? Well, I don't need your help! Neither of us do!" Dusk snapped. "Excuse me? You were the one who was begging me to save your husband when he got shot!" Allison reminded. "Allison, I made it very clear. No Marigold!" Klaus sighed. "Well, what was I supposed to do? Just let you die? Watch Dusk become a widow and raise your kid by herself?" Allison inquired.

"Why are you suddenly caring about me? You sure weren't preaching to that choir after the world reset, and you definitely weren't preaching to it on our wedding day!" Dusk snarled. "Three years of my life have gone down the drain! Three years clean and sober, but this is what you wanted, right?" Klaus argued. "What are you talking about? Of course I wanted you to get sober, Klaus! All of us did! And Dusk, I really wanted to be there, I did! But-"

"Save your bullshit excuses!" Dusk unbuckled her seatbelt as she and Klaus slid out of the van. As the tension only grew and the siblings caught wind of the arguing, they all turned their heads and watched as Dusk, Klaus and Allison's voices overlapped one another. "Face it, Allison! As long as I'm around, you don't have to look directly at your empty pit of a life!" Klaus spat. "Wow, you know what? Maybe you two should take it down a notch," Allison scoffed. "No, I think I will take it up a notch, shall we? I mean, dysfunctional is after all what we do best in this family!" Dusk snarled.

"You are the most two-faced, self-absorbed woman I have ever met! And that's putting it lightly! You can claim you've changed all you want! But to me, you're nothing but a cold-hearted spoiled brat, who thinks she's entitled to every little thing in this world! And when one of us even dares to live in the spotlight for one second, you gotta swoop in and steal the show!" Allison's jaw dropped with every insult thrown her way, and even the siblings were surprised with how much pent-up anger and frustration Dusk held towards her for the past six years.

"Well, you know what, Dusk? You're not perfect yourself either! I've tried for years to make things right with you! But you don't even bother giving me a chance!" Allison folded her arms across her chest. "Don't even try to play the victim, Alli. It's not a good look on you. I DID try to make things right with you at first, but after you kept no-showing at events, and the stunt you pulled at my album release party, trying to sell your laundry detergent, I don't even want to have the same last name as you!" Dusk shook her head. "Holy shit..." Lila breathed, as the air grew cold with silence. Rage rarely looked good on anyone, but with Dusk, she wore it better than any model on the runway.

Allison tried her best to keep her composure, but the more she tried to come up with a clever comeback, the angrier she became. She took a deep breath, murmurs barely escaping her lips, but it was just loud enough for Dusk to pick up. "What did you say?" Dusk's eyes narrowed. "Nothing," Allison shrugged. "No, say what you were about to say!" The Phoenix challenged. "This is why you barely have any friends..." Allison repeated, clearer for anybody to hear. But rather than lash out, Dusk burst out laughing, her hand going to her chest as her heart pounded against her ribcage. "What's so funny?" Allison asked, just the tiniest bit freaked out.

"Girl, you cannot compare my lack of friends to your lack of husband! Where is Ray again?" Dusk smirked. "Why you!" Allison lunged at Dusk but was barely able to lay a finger on her as Diego and Luther held Allison back, while Victoria and Dahlia held Dusk back. As much as it gave Victoria the satisfaction to see her best friend rip Allison a new asshole, the growing rage within Dusk was starting to reach a peak. "Ladies, break it up! That's enough!" Luther commanded as the redhead pulled Allison further away from Dusk. "This is not how adults act!" Diego chimed in, struggling to keep his sister from breaking free.

"Keep my husband's name out of your mouth!" Allison threatened. "Then keep my friends out of yours!" Dusk retorted. "Lo que ella dijo, puta!" Victoria put a hand on Dusk's shoulder, her eyes narrowing at Allison. "You heard them!" Dahlia joined in, making Dusk and Victoria's heads slowly turn at the unnecessary input. "Sorry..." the icy blonde slid back behind them; her cheeks twinged pink with embarrassment.  "Look at us, we're all screwed up!" Klaus commented. "We've got daddy issues, daddy issues, chaos junkie!" He pointed to Viktor and Five, who looked at each other confused. But neither of them spoke a word.

"Mommy issues, more daddy issues, obnoxious asshole issues, toxic relationship issues!" Klaus continued, pointing to Diego, Luther, Ben, and Dahlia. "No comment on you," Klaus pointed to his wife, who had no idea whether or not to take it as a compliment or an insult. "Then you..." Klaus pointed to Victoria, whose demeanor completely changed as she silently dared him to drag her name through the mud. "Go on, say it! I live with you, so you better watch your words!" the redhead warned. Klaus stammered over his words, knowing whenever Victoria was mad, she was a scary person to be around.

"Uh... understandable, I'll just move on," Klaus murmured, turning to Lila. "Good decision!" Victoria smirked. Lila stared at Klaus quizzingly. But like Victoria, Klaus had a hard time calling out the root of her problems, not because he was scared, but because Lila's skeletons in the closet were well hidden. "You seem kind of weirdly self-actualized, as far as I can tell," He waved her off. "Anyway, I'm just so done living, cowering in your little bubble of superiority! Now I can see why Dusk and Claire Bear don't like being around you!" Klaus turned back to Allison. "So, this is the thanks I get for helping Dusk take care of you after getting out of rehab?" Allison scoffed.

"You didn't do jack squat to help him!" Dusk rolled her eyes. "Calm down, I got this," Victoria whispered. "All you've ever done, Allison, is smile in your cheesy and cringy commercials while we did the hard work! Who was there through the withdrawals? Who stayed up with Dusk until four AM to make sure Klaus didn't sneak out and buy more drugs? I DID! ME AND FIVE HELPED HIM! NOT YOU!" Victoria snapped. "So, you can stop trying to play the good Samaritan card, because you're the furthest thing from one!"

"I think you've got it all twisted, Allison!" Klaus shook his head in denial. "Who took care of you since Ray walked out? None of these guys gave a shit! Who took care of little Claire while you bombed every shitty audition in town?" Klaus questioned. "You really think I like having a grown man come over to my house every weekend and cover my entire basement in bubble wrap? Do you think I like listening to your rants about cleaning and the percentage of people who die every year from the flu? And do you really think I like picking your sorry ass up every time you hit rock bottom?" Allison spoke through clenched teeth.

"Bottom? Moi? There's no bottom here, missy. No bottom at all, I'm the goddamn Mariana Trench!" Klaus spat. "You know what? Jump off the deep end, because that is clearly what you want to do," Allison raised her hands in defeat. "I give it at least two weeks before you overdose again. You'd be lucky you're not in rehab when Dusk has that baby!" "Finally, a grain of honesty. It feels good! Feels refreshing!" Klaus inhaled sharply. "You wanted the old Klaus, you got him!"

With one last glare, Klaus turned on his heel down the sidewalk, narrowly missing the passing car and trunk that sped passed him. "Klaus, come back!" Dusk called out to him, running across the road, trying to catch up with him. "Please, wait up!" She grabbed his arm and turned him around. "Dusky, I just need to be alone right now," Klaus sighed. "But I'm worried about you! About us," the brown blonde persuaded. "Don't listen to her, she's just bitter 'cause she can't handle the truth," She cupped his face in her hands stroking his freshly shaved cheek, their foreheads gently pressing together, creating a small barrier of warmth.

"Stay strong for me, please? Promise me, you won't let this change who you are," Dusk pleaded. "You know I don't have the best track record when it comes to keeping promises, Dusky," Klaus reminded her. "But Allison's right about one thing, if you go back down that road, you're not going to make it," Dusk embraced him tightly, hoping that her presence would be enough to save him from his demons. "If I can't save you this time, maybe someone else can," She whispered. They briefly pulled apart, Klaus's gaze shifting to her stomach. Sinking onto his knees, he pulled back her coat and rolled up her shirt.

His breath hitched in his throat upon seeing their future for himself, rather than just feeling it. "Wow... we did this. We made this," He chuckled. "I know perfectly well how it happened," Dusk smiled teasingly. "It's just hard to believe. All this time, I thought it was you and me against the world, and now it's gonna be the three of us!" Klaus hugged her waist. "Hopefully they get their dad's dark sense of humor," Dusk smiled. "And your smarts! This kid will be screwed for life, otherwise!"

Dusk playfully smacked his head before running her fingers through his hair. "Hey, you're pretty smart. Sometimes you just make the wrong decisions," Dusk reassured. "I guess so," Klaus agreed, looking up at her for the briefest moment. "I never thought I could be a father, but I'm glad I get to experience it with you," He smiled warmly. "Me too. It'll take a while to get the swing of it, but we'll give them a better life. One we never had," Dusk vowed. Klaus nodded slowly, the mere thought of their child going through the same pain and trauma they did broke his heart. He may not have been able to save himself from childhood trauma, but he'd do everything in his power to make sure their baby only felt joy, not pain.

"If you want to say something to them, you can," Dusk nodded, sensing the curiosity in her husband's eyes. Klaus looked up to her and then back to her stomach, unsure of what to say. "Just pretend like you're talking to me, only smaller," Dusk smiled. "H-hey there, bubs. I don't know if you can hear me yet, but... I'm your daddy," his lips brushed against her stomach as he planted a soft kiss. "We may not be a perfect example of parenting, especially me, but we're gonna try to be one for you. Just you wait! Mommy and I, we're lucky to have you,"

Klaus planted another kiss on her stomach as the cold breeze blew past them, the chill against Dusk's skin sent shivers through her body. And as he stood up, his lips inches away from hers, Dusk closed the gap between them, her kiss softer than the wings of a butterfly. "I love you so goddamn much," Klaus muffled. "I love you too," Dusk whispered, pulling him into another kiss. "Does that mean you're gonna rejoin the group?"

"Maybe, I just don't want to be around her," Klaus sighed, looking back to silhouettes of the group as their combined voices filled the air. "Well, there's an extra seat in the car if you want it," Dusk offered. "Oh thank god! Anything to get away from them and their negative energy!" He sighed with relief. "Come on, let's go," Taking his gloved hand, the couple walked back to the battered van and Dusk's car, hearing just the tail end of their sibling's bickering.

"Leave it to this clown car of a family to botch a simple search and rescue!" Ben muttered, pressing his back against the chain-link fence. "For a second there, we had her!" Luther reminded. "Who were those weirdos in fanny packs?" Viktor asked, literally sitting on the edge of his seat. "Was it me, or did they smell like wet sheep?" Lila questioned. "Goats, I thought. Maybe Llamas?" Luther speculated. "Who cares? And why did they call you Nancy?" Diego asked, directing his question towards Lila.

Five and Victoria looked over to her, knowing that there was no point in withholding information anymore. Especially when everyone's gaze was slowly turning toward them. "Their names are Gene and Jean, they run an underground organization called The Keepers," Five explained. "Sex cult?" Diego inquired. "No, it's not a sex cult," Victoria raised a brow. "Once you get to the top, it's always a sex cult," Diego insisted. "Whatever floats your boat, I guess," Victoria rolled her eyes. "Yeah, the man's got a point," Luther agreed. "Come on, my cult wasn't all about sex! It was spiritual too!" Klaus whined.

"Anyway, they're an extremist group who believe they have memories from an alternate timeline," Five continued. "Some of their memories are pretty much bang-on," Lila commented "They're calling this phenomenon 'The Umbrella Effect," the redhead added. "How is this even possible?" Dahlia questioned, digging her hands deeper into her coat pockets. "Well, you know what. We're still working on that," Lila could only shrug. "What do they want with Jennifer?" Ben inquired. But as Five, Victoria, and Lila's silence provided an unsatisfactory answer, Ben scoffed. "Great, you don't know that either!"

"Well, excuse me for not having the answers to every single one of your questions! Do I look like Google to you?" The redhead snarled. "No, but you're both part of the CIA, surely you've gathered enough info on these assholes!" Ben answered. "Well, you can only gather a certain amount of info without appearing suspicious, Squid Dick!" the redhead retorted. Choked laughter erupted among the siblings, out of all the insults Victoria had thrown at somebody, that comment was one that none of them ever expected. Even Dahlia was trying to hold back her laughter but stopped as Ben shot her a dirty look.

"Guys, we can't keep standing around bickering like this. We need to find Jennifer, the sooner the better," Viktor slid out of his seat, seemingly the only one who was growing tired of the constant back and forth. "Well, we're not going anywhere in this piece of shit," Five sighed.

As Dusk, Dahlia, and Victoria snuck off back to Dusk's car, Klaus trailed right behind her, and after the unlock button on her set of keys, Klaus opened the passenger door for them. "Whoa, when did he-" Dahlia asked before being interrupted by Dusk. "He needs to get away from Allison, I told him he could join us," Dusk answered, sitting down in the driver's seat. "I call shotgun!" Victoria opened the front passenger door. "Hey, I wanted shotgun!" Klaus protested.

~~~~~~~~~~

It felt like hours had passed until the siblings were finally able to get the attention of a passing mechanic. As the van was towed back to his repair shop, Dusk's car followed right behind them as they regained the cozy atmosphere from before their journey through New Grumpson. And while the van was undergoing the repairs, Diego hovered over the mechanic's shoulder, making sure he was doing his job correctly.

"Careful," He warned as the metal lift creaked, placing his hand on the mechanic's shoulder. "Yeah, sure," The mechanic said quietly before returning to his work. Watching the slow yet progressive work was like watching paint dry for the rest of the family. They sat in the mechanical yard, staring up at the sky into nothingness, waiting for the torture to be over and get back on the road.

"I need a run on a Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country, '80, '81," Five spoke into the black wall phone to his and Victoria's superiors. "Brown, stimulated woodgrain sides, New Mexico plates. Look for matches with an owner, first name Gene. That's Gulf-Echo-November-Echo. Or Jean, that's Juliet-Echo-Alpha-November," He explained. "Hey, you know what's strange? All those people back in New Grumpson, they were wearing Hargreeves-branded military gear," Luther revealed.

"Luther, the entire goddamn place was a Hargreeves town," Allison replied, not at all surprised by this revelation. "It's like it was designed to keep Jennifer hostage," Ben remarked. "What's so important about her anyway?" Lila questioned. "Isn't it obvious? She's one of us," Dahlia answered. "There's no way!" The Squid Boy insisted. "I mean, it would make sense," Five said, hanging the receiver back on the hook. "Why would Dad build a Truman Show around her?" "The guy played us, alright? Nothing Jennifer said jibed with Sy's story?" Ben recalled. "So, you're saying that Sy might be a Keeper too? But then why would he send us on a mission to rescue her?" Dusk asked.

"Yeah, this isn't making any sense!" Dahlia rubbed her temples as she tried to solve this conundrum of a situation. "Well, they're gone now, so that leaves us with two shitty options," Viktor spoke. "We either go after the Keepers, or worse, talk to Dad," Groans erupted from the group, remembering what happened the last time they met up with their father. There was no way Dusk wanted to be anywhere near him. Knowing him, he'd try to rope them into another one of his schemes.

"We should split up. Me and Victoria will follow up with the Keepers, the rest of you will go talk to Dad," Five decided. "Nope! I'm coming with you guys!" Diego gestured to the couple. "And I'm going after Jennifer," Ben said. Viktor's eyes fluttered closed as he sucked in a breath. "It's better if we stick together," He reasoned. "No, it's not. And this little field trip proved it," Ben scoffed. "You're awfully gung ho for someone who didn't want to go in the first place," Diego noted. "You're all a bunch of clowns! I'm going on my own!" Ben started walking out of the yard. "Ben! Don't you walk away from me!" Luther shouted to him, but Dahlia put a hand on his chest.

"Let him go. We've got bigger issues to worry about," She glanced among the siblings. "Everyone get the plan?" Everyone looked a bit surprised to see her taking charge, but they slowly nodded.  "Are you sure I can't come with you?" Dusk whispered to Five and Victoria, desperately wanting to avoid any contact with the old man. "Sorry, Dusk. You don't know these Keepers like we do. And given your delicate condition, we don't want you to get hurt," her twin advised. "Oh, come on! Even if I wasn't pregnant, I can still watch your backs!" Dusk protested. "Vic, back me up on this!" But the redhead's face fell, having to agree with Five and for the first time, standing against her best friend.

"Dusk, you know I admire your strength, truly I do. But you're not just looking out for yourself anymore. I know you care about me and Five, but we can handle this on our own," Victoria's voice grew unusually soft. The brown blonde's face fell, taking in Victoria's words. "But-" Victoria pressed a finger to her lips, her eyes full of determination and assurance. "No 'buts,' we'll be fine. It's only for a few hours,"

"Okay, fine. But if dear old dad tries to pull another stunt, I'm leaving!" Dusk vowed.