Chapter 8

The next morning Allison and Sabrina showed up at Vanya's apartment with coffee.

"Hey," Vanya greeted as she opened the door.

"Hey," Sabrina greeted.

"Nice scarf," Allison complimented as she closed the door. " Are you wearing makeup?"

"Just a little," Vanya answered, she looked up from her fridge in frustration. " Damn."

" What's wrong?" Sabrina asked as Vanya turned around.

" I ran out of my meds yesterday," Vanya informed. " I usually keep a refill in my butter container." She grabbed her jacket. " But all I seem to have is butter so..."

" Well, we brought you a surprise," Allison informed as she held up a coffee and a paper bag. " Bomboloni, from Petrola's bakery. Just like when we were kids."

"That is so sweet," Vanya said. " But...I'm going to have save it for later. Cause I'm meeting Leonard for breakfast." She took the coffee

"Flowers yesterday, brunch this morning,' Sabrina noted. " You're really jumpin' in with both feet." 

"What's wrong with that?" Vanya scoffed.

"Well, how well do you know him?" Sabrina asked as Vanya went to the door.

" Well, enough to get breakfast, if that's what you're asking," Vanya answered.

" It's just, after yesterday, I don't...." Allison began, she let out a sigh. " I have a bad feeling."

" Allison, Sabrina," Vanya groaned. " I haven't seen either of you in 12 years, and all of a sudden you're giving me dating advice?"

" We're still your sister, and we are concerned about you," Allison informed as she sat down. " And him."

" What are you concerned about?" Vanya demanded.

" Leonard seems perfectly charming, perfectly thoughtful," Sabrina said. " Perfect, really." Vanya was blushing a little.

" But I've been around long enough to know that when something seems too perfect, it's usually anything but," Allison said.

" Like a woman who multiplies and a woman who's based her whole life on rumors," Vanya said. " Some people don't multiple to be with numerous, and some people actually mean what they say." She opened the door and left.

"Um...Vanya!" Allison called out as the door closed. She looked at Sabrina.

"You mean everything you say, I know you do," Sabrina told her.

"Do you multiple to be with more than one?" Allison asked.

"When I'm drunk," Sabrina shrugged. " Come on." She stood up.

"Researching Leonard Peabody?" Allison asked.

" One hundred percent," Sabrina nodded.

Soon the two girls were at Argyle Public Library, researching Vanya's boyfriend. Sabrina sat at two computers.

" Peabody accepts Civic Pride Award," Sabrina read silently as Allison flipped through the pages on her screen. It showed a picture of a man celebrating his 100th birthday. Allison scoffed as someone sneezed.

" Bless you," Allison told the person before looking back at the screen.

"Allison!" Sabrina whispered, she looked over, Sabrina became one and Allison moved her chair and looked at the screen. 

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And in the middle of the picture was Leonard Peabody.

Allison then grabbed the mouse, and clicked it a bit, soon coming across 147 Murillo Street, the place Leonard lived. She then wrote the address down on a notepad. They grabbed their stuff, logged out of their computers, turned them off, and left.

They got back to Vanya's apartment she was playing the violin. The door opened after Allison knocked.

"Oh, hey," Vanya greeted.

" Hey," Sabrina greeted. " Can we come in?"

" Well--Sorry, I really need to rehearse," Vanya informed as she let the two girls in.

" Uh...Look, I know you're not gonna want to hear this," Allison said as Sabrina closed the door behind her. " But we just pulled in the library looking up Leonard."

"What?" Vanya demanded.

"And--" Allison stopped short.

"Why would you do that?" Vanya demanded.

"Vanya, there are records of literally everything," Sabrina informed. " I mean, you look up Allison, there are miles--"

" She's one of the most famous people in the world," Vanya recalled.

" Okay. Bad example," Allison breathed. " Our point is that there should be some kind of record of him, but all we could find is a photo and his name in the phone book. It's like he didn't exist-"

"You two are unbelievable," Vanya argued. " You two are trying to dig up dirt on a guy that I like. Who does that?"

"Diego," Sabrina answered. " Diego does it quite a lot."

"How do you know?" Vanya asked.

" I kept in touch with him over the past 12 years," Sabrina answered as she crossed her arms. 

"Look, I've had my fair share of stalkers and creeps. I don't trust him," Allison informed.

"You mean you don't trust me," Vanya argued,

"What?" Sabrina demanded. 

"No," Allison demanded. " That's--"

"This is not about you," Vanya argued more. " Either of you. And for the first time, someone thinks I'm special." 

"We're just worried about you," Allison said.

"Well, neither of you are my mother," Vanya said. " Worry about yourselves and your own daughter." Allison sighed; looked down sadly before looking back at Vanya.

"That's not fair," Allison breathed.

" I want you both to leave," Vanya ordered. The two silently left the apartment without another word. Soon they left; Sabrina spotted Diego at some motel, down putting something under a car.

"Drop me off here," Sabrina requested.

"Okay," Allison said looking at her oddly.

"Will you be okay?" Sabrina asked as the car slowed to a stop.

"Yeah," Allison nodded. "I might head over to that address."

" Be careful," Sabrina ordered. She got out, and Allison drove away. Sabrina then crept around before opening Diego's car door and slipping inside.

" Sabrina!" Klaus jumped.

"What are you doing here!" Diego ordered.

" I want to know the same thing," Sabrina stated. " What did you put under that car?"

"It's the car belonging to the masks people," Diego informed. " They killed my friend."

"Oh Diego," Sabrina breathed as she rubbed his arm comforting. " I'm so sorry." She then looked at Klaus, he looked different, he had a tattoo and looked sad. "What happened to you?"

"War," Klaus answered as he held himself.   

"Stay in the car," Diego ordered when they saw a guy come out with an ice bucket.

" What are you talkin' about?" Klaus demanded. " This guy tortured me." 

" I have a plan," Diego assured before getting out. Once he got on the steps, Klaus got out of the car.

" Diego said to stay here!" Sabrina reminded him.

"I'm going to help, " Klaus said. " Are you going to help or not?" He started to walk towards the building, Sabrina got out, closed all the doors silently, and followed. They saw Diego ready to make a move at the top of the stairs, then Klaus opened his mouth " So, what exactly is the plan here, big guy?"

" I told you to wait in the car," Diego brought up.

" Yeah, but you also told me that licking a nine-volt battery would give me pubes," Klaus recalled before taking a swig.

" We were eight," Diego reminded him. Klaus shrugged and started walking, Sabrina grabbed him by the jacket and pulled him back.

" What?" Klaus asked as Diego and Sabrina brought him down the steps. " Come on."

" For once, I need you to listen to me, okay?" Diego ordered, a little irritated. " Now, go back to the car. If I don't come out in two minutes, that means I'm probably dead."

"So..." Sabrina trailed.

" That happens, go get help," Diego ordered. " Okay?"

" Yeah, okay, okay, okay, okay," Klaus gave in. Sabrina turned around as Diego went up the stairs. " Okay." The two started to walk back to the car.

"Are you alright?" Sabrina asked. 

" I am not losing another person," Klaus grunted as he turned back around. He ran back up the stairs, Sabrina quickly fired as gunshots went off. Klaus managed to pull Diego away from the gunshots in time.

" Oh, man. See? " Klaus said as tires squealed and drove away. " You used to think I was an idiot."

" I still think you're an idiot," Diego acknowledge as the car sped away. " They're getting away!"

"You're welcome," Klaus said. Diego groaned as they ran back towards the car.

" Shit," Sabrina breathed when she saw the popped wheel.

" Get in the car," Diego ordered, he then looked at the wheel and walked away as Klaus kicked it.

"Was this all part of your master plan?" Klaus asked as he leaned against an ice cream truck.

"Shut up," Diego ordered.

"Hm?" Klaus breathed as Diego looked around.

"The truck," Sabrina breathed as she looked at the cone.

"Shut up," Diego ordered.

"Diego, we can hijack the ice cream truck," Sabrina told him. " Got your knives?"

"Always do," Diego nodded as he walked to the door.

" I'm driving!" Klaus called as Diego unlocked the door. They all climbed in and started to drive off, following the car through the tracker. "Let's make it sing." He pressed a button and the tune of an ice truck chimed while playing Ride of The Valkyries.

" Really?" Diego groaned.

"It'll be an ultimate surprise," Klaus said. " Instead of ice cream, they get us." Both Sabrina and Digeo glanced at each other before looking forward. Soon they drove down a narrow, two-way road. In the distance, they saw the Hermes, Luther, and Five, along with Cha Cha and Hazel. They drove passed Luther and Five, Klaus let out a cheerful smile and wave.

"What is he going here?" Five demanded.

" Go faster!" Diego yelled as held his knives ready as Sabrina threw a cone out the window, getting it stuck on the tall guy.

" It's a setup!" Cha Cha shouted as she and Hazel started shooting at them. The bullets bounced off the truck as they hit them, a gunshot stopped and then time stopped for everyone but Five. He looked out from behind where Luther stood blocking him from the bullet. He walked forward to see everyone frozen.

" Neat trick, isn't it?" the Handler asked. Five turned and looked at her as she took off her sunglasses. " Hello, Five. You look good, all things considered."

" It's good to see you again," Five stated.

" Feels like we met just yesterday," the Handler said. " Course, you were a little bit older then. Congratulations, on the age regression, by the way. Very clever. Threw us all off the scent."

" Ah, well, I wish I could take the credit," Five said. " I just miscalculated the time dilation projections, and...Well, you know. Here I am."

" You realize your efforts are futile," the Handler brought up. "So why don't you really tell me what you really want?"

" I want you to put a stop to it," Five requested.

" You realize what you're asking for is next to impossible, even for me," the Handler said. " What's meant to be is meant to be. That's our raison d^etre." Five took out a gun and pointed it at her.

"Yeah?" Five asked. " Well how about survival as a raison?"

" I'll just be replaced," the Handler informed. " I'm but a...cog in a machine." She took a step forward. This fantasy you've been nurturing about summoning up your family to stop the apocalypse...is just that. A fantasy. I must say though, we're all quite impressed with your initiative, your...stick-to-itiveness, really quite...quite something. Which is why we want to offer you a new position back at the Commission, in management. " She raised a hand.

" Sorry, what's that now?" Five chuckled.

" Come back to work for us again," the Handler requested. " You know it's where you belong."

" Well, it didn't work out too well the last time, " Five recalled.

" But you wouldn't be in the correction division any longer," the Handler informed. " I'm talking about...the home office. You'd have the best health and pension, and an end to this ceaseless travel. You're distinguished professional in...schoolboy shorts. We have the technology to reverse the process. I mean, you...you can't be happy like this." She pointed the gun down and away from her.

" I'm not looking for happy," Five said.

" We're all looking for happy," the handler said as she touched his face. " We can make that happen. We can make you...yourself again."

"And what about my family?" Five asked.

"What about them?" the Handler asked.

" I want them to survive," Five ordered. The Handler looked at Luther, then at the ice cream truck, and then back at Five. " All of them?"

" Yes, all of them," Five confirmed.

" Well..." the Handler said as she put her sunglasses back on. " I'll see what I can do." She stuck out her hand. " Do we have a deal?" He looked at her hand.

" Two things," Five said. He walked over to the gun that flew out; he picked it up, took apart the gun; threw it in separate directions, he then walked over to the truck and saw Sabrina inside, ducking from the gunshots. " See you soon." He then walked back over. " Hmm..." He then moved the bullet away so it would not hit Luther. He then grabbed the handler's hand and disappeared. Everything went back to normal. Chimes continued to play as Hazel screamed. The truck reared ended the blue car. All three of them grunted as the chimes distorted.

" Good God!" Klaus screamed. " Oh! Ow!"

"Five!" Luther shouted. The three of them then got out of the car, Klaus was the first one out.

"Come on," Klaus said as he helped Diego out. " Come on." Luther ran up to them and helped Sabrina out.

" Wait. My shoes hurt," Diego protested.

" Luther," Sabrina breathed. 

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" Klaus asked. They ran to the Hermes.

"Get in the car," Luther ordered as he opened it. The four of them squished into the vehicle. All three of them squished into the back.

" Luther, go! Go!" Sabrina pleaded. Only from Klaus' eyes; Ben sitting in the shotgun.

" Let's go!" Ben smiled as he tapped the car.

"Woo!" Klaus cheered, he looked out the back window giving Hazel the middle finger.

"What are you three doing here!" Luther demanded.

"I put a tracker on their car, they killed Eudora," Digeo grunted.

"We tagged along," Klaus answered. "All though Sabrina showed up late."

"I was with Allison," Sabrina answered. " We were just visiting Vanya. Why are you here? And where's Five?"

"We were trying to trick Hazel and Cha Cha," Luther answered. " Things got a little out of hand with an ice song was heard." Diego, Klaus, and Sabrina all glanced at each other and looked out the window as Luther drove them back to the academy. 

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