CHAPTER FORTY-ONE: THE PLAN

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Luther and Sloane was in a room sitting in front of each other.

"All right" Luther said as he grabbed a plastic bag with ice before he put it on Sloane's shoulder but she push his hand away before holding the bag on her shoulder.

"I hate your family" Sloane said "That's cool. Not a super fan of yours right now" Luther said.

"Were you part of it?" she asked "Of what?" he asked "Ambushing us with Superman's grandpa" she said "Sloane..." he said with a sigh "My family can't decide whether or not to put mushroom on a pizza. I have no idea who that old guy is. He just showed up" he said and she removed plastic bag from her shoulder "You expect me to believe that?" she asked "Hold on here. You attacked us" he said "I tried to warn you" she said "Yeah, pfft, at the last second. You almost took us out" he said "Yeah, but we didn't. And your stupid family's fine, and half of mine is dead" she said and Luther's face fell.

"Where you just...using me? Getting close to gather information?" she asked with tears in her eyes "Do you really believe that?" he said and she looked down before she let out a sigh and looked back at him.

"Sloane, you need to know something about me. I don't really have any friends. Or...romances. I just have my family, and I would do anything to protect them except betray you, because that's not who I wanna be. So, if you're playing me right now, you win. But if this...if this is for real, we have to trust each other, because we're not our families" he said and she grabbed his hand "Okay" she said "Okay" he said before he lifted his hand and wipe away her tear.

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Stan was cleaning in a room while Klaus was leaning against the door frame drinking.

"Hey, you missed a spot" Klaus said and pointed on the spot "You missed a spot on your face, and I'm not complaining" Stan said, looking at him "Hey, hey, hey. Listen to me, buddy. This is nothing compared to what I endured when I was your age. You know he once gave me six months' laundry duty. Six months! Just for pawning one of his stupid priceless artifacts from Mexico" Klaus said and Stan grabbed something before putting it in his pocket without Klaus saw it.

"Well, it turns out it did have a price, Dad, and that price was $35 for meth, thank you very much" Klaus said "Laundry doesn't seem that bad" Stan said "Well, it is when you know what your brothers do to their socks" Klaus said "Did you get in a lot of trouble at my age?" Stan asked "Oh, tons. Truancy, larceny, arsony. You know, a lot of the stuff I was doing wasn't even illegal at the time. Have you heard of Klaus's Law?" Klaus asked "Nope" Stan said as Klaus lay down on the bed.

"Oh, whatever. It doesn't matter. Half the time, I was just trying to piss off my dad. Luther, Diego, or Ben" Klaus said "Yeah, oppositional defiant disorder" Stan said as he grabbed a watch before putting it in his pocket.

"Huh?" Klaus said.

"At least that's what my shrink calls it" Stan said "Go on" Klaus said "It's typically associated with an argumentative, aggressive..." Stan said "...Irritable mood" the two said at the same time "Exactly" Stan said "Yeah" Klaus said "Antisocial...risk-seeking behavior, and impulsivity" Stan said "Ding-dong, who's at the door? Me. I have the...Wow! You know, and it feels so good to put a name to it, so all the drugs and the manipulation and my cult and..." Klaus said "You had a cult?" Stan asked "Well, it was the '60s, babe. Everybody had one. But the point is that all of that was a reaction to my father and his obscenely high expectations of me" Klaus said.

While he was talking Stan was stealing things in the room "And then, after Dad, I had Ben haunting my every move" Klaus said "Who's Ben?" Stan asked "Ben is your dead uncle. Who's alive in this timeline. But he's dead to me. It doesn't matter. But, I mean, if I set this room on fire..." Klaus said as he sat up and Stan looked at him "Yeah" he said "...would it be fulfilling? I don't know. If I was to act out now, I mean, who would it even be in opposition to?" Klaus said before he let out a laugh.

"Maybe this whole new timeline thingy is a blessing in disguise, except of you, obviously. But maybe now I can have, like, a normal-ish relationship with my cold and emotionless father" Klaus said before he lay back down in bed.

Stan then lifted up some car keys "Stanley" Klaus said before he sat up "Hey! Ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay!" he said as he pointed on Stan that was putting the keys in his pocket "Ch-pff! Ch-pff!" Klaus said "Come on!" Stan said "No, put it back" Klaus said "Okay, you caught me" Stan said as he put the keys back "All of it, please" Klaus said and Stan put the things back "Yes. Yes" Klaus said "I thought you were supposed to be the fun uncle" Stan said "I know, me too" Klaus said before he chuckled "Can I just keep one thing?" Stan asked "All right, you can keep the panties" Klaus said.

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"I really should get home" Sloane said "I can't let you go" Luther said "I don't wanna let you go either, but Jayme and Alphonso, they deserve a proper burial" Sloane said before she lowered her hand "No, I mean, I can't let you leave. You're a hostage" he said "Oh, right. That" she said "My family already thinks I'm a traitor. So, I can't..." he said "No, I totally get it" she said "Good" he said "My family probably is plotting vengeance" she said and they both nodded "So, I guess we just go back to fighting until everybody's dead" he said "We can put an end to this and still be together" she said "How?" he asked.

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Viktor and Harlan was in Harlan's room "I need you to stay in here until I figure some things out" Viktor said as he gave Harlan a glasses of water.

"Your sister called you Viktor. Is that what I should call you?" Harlan asked before he looked at all his tapes that was in his briefcase "I'd like that" Viktor said before he sat down next to him on the bed.

"You know, your mom's a...a big part of who I am. She was the first person to truly see me" Viktor said "It's okay if you wanna ask about her" Harlan said "Did Sissy hate me for what I did to you?" Viktor asked and Harlan looked at him "She said you saved her life" he said "Did she have a good life?" Viktor asked "Wasn't easy. Not with...me there. But she was free in a way she never was on the farm. She never stopped thinking about you, and she never gave up hope that you'd come back to us one day. Why did you leave us? I needed you" Harlan said "We thought you'd be safer away from me" Viktor said and Harlan nodded "But I wish I had stayed. I should have stayed" Viktor said and Harlan grabbed his hand.

Then the door opened and Luther entered "Meeting in the poolroom. Family only" he said before he left "Stay here. I'll be right back" Viktor told Harlan before leaving.

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Lara and Allison was standing on the second floor by the pool ball table waiting for Luther, Diego, Sloane and Viktor to arrive.

"Hey Allison, are you okay?" Lara asked "Ray's dead. I looked him up before I went to see my daughter" Allison replied "I'm sorry" Lara said "Don't be, unless you killed our mothers, you have nothing to apologies for" Allison said.

"I know you are grieving. You grieve your husband, but your grieve your daugther more" Lara said "You don't know shit" Allison said "No, I don't. And even so I have never met Clarie or Ray. I know that your daugther Clarie loves you. I know you chose her over Ray. You must know that he understands. Five and I would also always have chosen our children over each other, any parent would" Lara said and Allison looked down.

"We will figure this out, Allison" Lara said "You can't promise that" Allison said "I'm not" Lara said "Then what are you doing" Allison said "Compromising" Lara said and the two of them looked at each other.

Lara and Allison weren't on the same side or did Allison practical like Lara right now, but they both shared something no one else did.

Motherhood.

Then Diego, Viktor, Luther and Sloane came up to them.

"Okay. Sloane and I have made a plan to put an end to all of this fight" Luther said "What kind of plan?" Lara asked "It better be a pretty good one" Diego said and Luther and Sloane started telling them about the plan. That if they let Sloane go with the bodies of Jayme and Alphonso, she can go back to her siblings convince them that Harlan has nothing to do with the Umbrellas and get them to stand down.

"You can't be serious?" Allison asked as her hands were tucked into her pockets.

"We use Sloane as an olive branch. We let her go as a gesture of peace, along with the bodies of Jayme and Alphonso" Luther said "Once I'm back with my family, I can convince them the old guy had nothing to do with you and get them to stand down" Sloane said.

"You wanna let her go after attacking us and they almost killed Lara? Uh-uh" Diego said as he shook his head while he was holding a pool ball stick "I didn't die okay" Lara said "You almost did" Diego said.

"Me?" Sloane said as she pointed on herself "I lost two of my siblings to you and your murder troll" she said "And again, Harlan not with us" Luther said "Well, he's not not with us" Diego said "He was just trying to protect me" Viktor said.

"This only works if I can convince my family he isn't a part of your team, so is he with you or not?" Sloane asked "Harlan saved our asses. He can stay as long as he wants" Diego said before he looked at Luther "You know what, Luther? He can take your bed. Since you're sleeping with the enemy" Diego said "Watch it" Luther said as he took a step towards him.

"Guys, come on" Viktor said, stopping them from fighting.

"Having an ally on the inside could help us right now" Viktor said "Right?" Luther said with a nod while he extending his arms out to side.

"Yeah, but how do we know we can trust Gravity Barbie?" Allison asked "I trust her" Luther said "Yeah, you trusted emails from a Nigerian prince" Diego said "Tunde was not a prince, he was a king, and he was unjustly deposed" Luther said "Okay" Sloane said before she stepped closer to them "So rumor me again" she said as she looked at Allison "Go on, not hiding anything. Whatever it takes" Sloane said "Do whatever you wanna do, Luther. That's on you. I've got bigger shit to deal with" Allison said before walking away.

"Allison, wait up" Diego called out before walking after her.

Viktor then left after telling Luther that he would go with him to return Sloane to her family and Luther left you by the pool tables with Sloane while he went down to the lobby to make a call to the Sparrows.

"I never got to say thank you" Sloane said making Lara looked at her "For earlier when Allison rumored me. So thank you" she said "You're welcome" Lara said and Sloane let out a small smile.

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"This is just like a bunch of bureaucratic bullshit" Five complained as him, Andy, Mitch and Lila was walking up the stairs to look for the operations bunker.

"There's no clear directives in here about crisis management" he said a little bit annoyed as he closed the book angrily while both Mitch and Andy itched their neck.

 "You know, I shouldn't even be here. I was...I was out. I was done, and yet here I am, swept back into chaos. Why can't I just escape this hellhole?" Five said while the twins itched the back of their head as the four walked up the last step.

"Because you love it" Lila replied.

But then the sound of flatulence was heard causing the four to stop in their tracks before they turned to look at the twins "Sorry, my bad" they said as they were sweating a little.

"Face it, Five, apocalypse problems are the only things that get your heart pumping" Lila said as both Mitch and Andy scratched their neck and cheek "That and then probably shagging your girlfriend and spending times with mini you one and two" Lila said and Andy rolled his eyes.

"Is it just be, or is it warm in here?" Mitch asked his brother "It's warm in here" Andy said as he wipe some sweat off his forehead.

"I don't know why people keep saying that. I don't actually like chaos" Five said a little bit aggressive "I don't want to disorder. I...I want retirement" he said and Lila laughed

 "Yeah, right" she said "No, I want retirement with my girlfriend. I want to live a normal family life with Lara and our kids" Five said causing Mitch and Andy to look at Five.

"A normal life of groceries and taxes? You would die of boredom" Lila said "Yeah, well, you're not exactly out for domestic bliss either" Five said as he opened a door "'Course I'm bloody not. Thank God" Lila said before they entered.

"I mean, maybe it's a tone thing?" Lila said as the four walked down some stairs.

"I don't know, but you could really work on, like, the way you speak" Lila said as Five looked down a dark and empty hallway and he walked to the left before walking over a metal shelf that was laying on the floor "It's very...It's irritating" Lila said as she and the other three followed after him.

"I'm just saying it's something you can work on, you know. For the future" Lila said as Five stopped before he let out a sigh while he smiled as he looked forward.

"Why are you smiling, you little pisspot?" Lila asked as she was looking at him.

Five looked at her still smiling before he looked forward "Cause of that" he said and pointed at a door.

'OPERATIONS BUNKER'

"Is that it?" Mitch asked and Five nodded "That's it" he said.

"Well, you could have led with that" Lila said before the four walked over to the door.

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Luther was standing with his arm around Sloane's shoulder as the two and Viktor was at the meeting place to meet with the Sparrows.

Then they saw a car came driving around a corner before it stopped in front of them.

Ben, Fei and Chris stepped out of the car before they walked closer to the three.

Luther then put Jayme's and Alphonso's body in the Sparrows' car's trunk.

Sloane then walked over to the Sparrows before her and Fei hugged.

"Well, that is it. This puts an end to it" Viktor said "No. We want the old man too and the twins" Ben said "What?" Luther and Viktor said.

"What are you doing?" Fei asked "You wanted a plan. Here it is" Ben said "It's a stupid plan" Fei said "Harlan isn't part of the deal or is Mitch and Andy" Viktor said "He is now and now it have changed, give us the twins" Ben said.

"Ben, they aren't working with him. They had nothing to do with the attacks and why do you need the twins?" Sloane asked "Then they won't mind finding him and handing him over. It's simple. Bring us the man who killed our siblings and give the twins to us and this will all be over. If not..." Ben said "No, we're not gonna give you Mitch and Andy" Viktor said "They are just kids" Luther said.

"Then make a choice, it's either the twins or the old man, you decided. It's best if we get them both, but since I'm a fair person, I will let you choose, the old guy or the twins, you decided" he said before he turned around and walked over to the car with Chris, Fei and Sloane.

"Five and Lara are not gonna like this" Luther said "No. They will kill us" Viktor said "Why do they want the twins?" Luther asked "I have no idea, but Lara and Five are not gonna be happy" Viktor said "No" Luther said.

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