[ 49 ] 2014

-

"He's your dad and all you have to say is that without the originals we wouldn't have powers? Be a little more grateful. If not for the Boss, we would have no one. Because of him we all have a family."  

-

The room fell silent if not for the fact that the machines Arthur was hooked up to were beeping. But otherwise there was silence in the room as the two teenage girls watched in awe at who stood before them. Michael, accompanied by Hazel and Jack, had arrived. The hunter was the only one to enter the room, the other two staying in the doorway. Despite being unconscious and in a coma, Arthur still had the power to intimidate them. And how could he not? He was the leader of a mass organization whose sole purpose was to kill them. Hazel stood behind her brother, but her hand gripped the back of his jacket tightly, fearing that if she let go she would never see him again. 

Quite honestly she thought it was all a ploy, a ruse to lure her and Jack there so that they would be easy targets for Arthur and the other hunters. But now that she was seeing him in a hospital bed, she was beginning to rethink things. And she would be lying if she said she felt bad for him. Hazel Quimby wanted Arthur Vega dead because it would make one less hunter to worry about.

Then again, she mused bitterly, with him dead someone else would just step up and take his place. As his son, she imagined all eyes would be on Michael.

The hunter cut the distance between himself and the hospital bed, a pale looking Arthur was there motionless. There were needles stuck into various points in his arm and a respirator was connected to his nose and mouth. His eyes were closed, but damp and slightly puffy, almost as though he had been crying. But Michael knew it was all the effects of the medicines and the machines that were hooked up to him. His fingers danced over the thin sheets as he reached the head of the bed, and he pulled them back abruptly when he accidentally touched hands with Arthur.

This was a man he had once deeply admired. A man that took him in, gave him money, a job, and a home when his mother died. Then he became someone he deeply despised when he found out that Arthur was his dad and never been around when he was growing up. Money and presents on his birthdays or Christmas wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to see his father. The last time he remembered spending time with both his parents was when he barely had use of his brain capacity to store memories. It had been so long ago that he didn't even remember what he looked like. Just his voice telling him, "I'll be back soon, Michael. Be good to your mother and take care of her until we see each other again." It echoed in his mind and sent a prick in his chest. Words that had turned into false hope and and empty promises because he never saw him after that time.

His mother always told him that if his father was away, it was for her and Michael's own good. She always repeated that there were bad people who wanted to hurt him and he didn't want them to hurt him too. At the time, Michael didn't understand. Even now, he didn't fully understand. 

Was that really enough to keep him away from his children for eighteen years? Was it worth it in the end?

Maybe for Harley it wasn't so bad because she had Aaron who she thought was her father her whole life. In many ways, he was more her father than Arthur was. For a long time, he knew Harley sure felt that way. Nowadays, she was warming up to her biological father and trying to form a relationship with him. But she also had her mother Harleen and her older brother Billy. Michael only had his mother, and it had been for a short while before she was taken away from him. 

"He looks so...vulnerable just laying there." Michael commented with a grimace. 

He didn't like it at all.

Harley said nothing, glancing at her father for an instant before a thought hit her. It had been sudden, as her brain had made the connections and something dawned on her right then and there. "Jack." She said his name with a gasp falling from her lips. Her words caught the attention of everyone in the room and they all looked towards him--Michael, Dempsey, and Hazel. It had also been enough to make Hazel grip the material of his jacket just a bit tighter, as she felt she wouldn't like what they were about to hear. Harley continued almost immediately, everything happening in the span of mere seconds. "You have healing powers. Maybe you can help Arthur so that he can be cured, and--"

Dempsey was quick to step in, with a firm shake of her head. "The Boss would never accept that. He would first die before letting one of them help him."

Michael shot her a glare, eyes narrowed. "Come off it, Dempsey. If it weren't for them, we wouldn't have our powers."

The other hunter was quick to fight him on it. "Is that all you're worried about?" She challenged, clearly outraged by his words. She couldn't believe that out of all the points he could possibly make, he was going with one that was the least of their concerns. "He's your dad and all you have to say is that without the originals we wouldn't have powers? Be a little more grateful. If not for the Boss, we would have no one. Because of him we all have a family."

"Michael--" Harley tried to get through to him, but he and Dempsey were far too engrossed in their argument.

Just as they were about to continue going back and forth, each of them growing in their anger and frustration at each other, Jack cut in with a clearing of his throat to get their attention. It was just the thing to get them to stop talking and all eyes were on him once again. His words were not what Harley expected to hear. But at the same time, she wasn't entirely surprised. 

"Now why should I help him when he wants me dead? It would be stupid of me to help him." The original member asked.

If they had to get right down to it, killing Hazel would do nothing. She was merely being hunted to get her out of the way. Since shifters got their powers and shifter genes from their fathers, Jack was the only one who needed to die in order to end everything. Jack was the hunters' only real target. With Hazel it was just the thrill of the hunt, since she was known to be extremely elusive. So much that she had been running and evading the hunters for years and still they had yet to catch her.

"Because you're not like that, Jack. You're not the type to let someone die. Please." Harley begged, blue eyes brimming with tears.

Still, he gave a vehement shake of his head. "I'm sorry. But I can't and I won't help him."

-

With Jack's refusal to help Arthur, Harley burst into tears. Michael wanted so badly to embrace her, her tears working their magic to tug at his heart strings. But he restrained himself by balling his hands into first and standing on the sidelines, biting his lip. Hazel, of course, was fully on board with her brother's decision not to help the hunter's leader. But a part of her had been expecting something else. She expected him to agree to help and she expected to have to argue with him about it. Though she understood his decision, this was not at all like her brother. He was a humanitarian and before returning to Canada, he had been in South America, curing people in the rural jungles of the Amazon. 

Michael said goodbye to Harley and Dempsey, informing them that he would be back later to check on Arthur. But he wanted to find a hotel for Hazel and Jack to stay in. They couldn't remain in the hospital much longer, Paul and James would be back any moment. Though there was no problem with Paul, they knew James' hunter instinct would undoubtedly kick in and he would want to finish off and accomplish Arthur's ultimate goal. 

He also couldn't take them back to Paul and Dempsey's place, since the house was crawling with hunters of the late. All of them were concerned for their leader and had been dropping into the house unexpectedly via Naileah's portals. It was dangerous for the Quimby siblings to even set foot in that house.

Calum returned soon after they left and rushed to Harley's side when he saw her crying. "What's wrong, baby?" He asked her, already ready to obliterate whoever made her cry.

Dempsey replied to his question with her arms crossed over her chest. "It seems that the only option to save the Boss is to have your beloved friend Jack heal him with his powers. But one--the Boss would never want that. And two--he doesn't want to help us anyway." Which was just as good because Dempsey didn't want their help, and she was sure Arthur didn't want their help. But what was more important was that as the current leaders in their time of crisis, Paul and James would never give their permission in Arthur's name for Jack to interfere.

Calum shot her a look of confusion. "Michael and the Originals are back in Sydney?"

"They just left." Dempsey responded with a nod, all the while Harley continued to cry into her boyfriend's arms.

The raven haired boy pulled away from the girl in his arms for just a moment. He could swear it was almost painful to leave her side. It was like he was sired to her and had been made to remain by her side at all moments. 

"I'll talk to him." He said, knowing how important it was for Harley for him to even make an attempt to help. And as surprising as even he found it, the feeling came from his own heart. He actually liked Arthur and considered him family. They were not related by blood, but Arthur had taken him in and was his legal guardian. "He has to listen to me since he considers us friends...somewhat." He said the last part with a shrug of his shoulders.

Although he had once thought to kill Jack, the original had helped him when he was dying. Calum had helped him once too. That had to count for something.

Harley looked up at him with hopeful eyes. "Please Calum. I don't want him to go. He's my dad."

He nodded his head and left the hospital room, not before assuring her that he would do his absolute best to convince Jack Quimby. Harley had placed all her hopes in him and watched him go, hoping to hear from him soon, and she hoped to hear good news from him. 

The two girls remained in the room quietly for several minutes until a single thought ventured into Dempsey Johannsson's mind. "How does he plan on finding Jack if he doesn't even know where they went?" The sixteen year old gave a slight roll of her eyes, thinking Calum impulsive as always, trying to do a good deed in order to help Harley, but likely destined to fail.

Harley, on the other hand, knew just how Calum would find Jack.

-

In the next chapter...

"Okay Niall," Calum started with determination as the sun was beginning to set over the horizon in Sydney. At the moment, he was holding up an article of clothing he had found at the hunters' house belonging to Jack when he had broken in earlier that day to rummage. He dangled it over the hound shifter's nose for him to catch a scent off it. "Do your job and I promise, if you find him, I'll buy you every single item on the Nando's menu."

Niall could practically envision it and his mouth watered at the thought. "Deal. Let's do this."

"Okay." Andrea nodded, watching the two boys with disapproval. "But can we not put a leash on him? People will stare at us and think we're weird."

-

how long has it been?

over two years since i left the 5sos fandom and almost two years since i last wrote in this story. where has the time gone? believe me, guys. i truly intended to finish this story before falling deeper into the kpop hole.

but exo snatched my wig real good. over two years and still faithfully stanning exo. 

but anyway, have you all missed this story? i still feel like you all deserve closure. so i will try so hard to finish this story and not make the chapters seem like i've pulled them out of my ass.

as beautiful as that part of my life was, its over. 

thank you to everyone who supported me and this series. i will forever be grateful for your love. and if you stan exo or bts, holla at me. i write stories for them as well, check them out if you want.

-clary