Prime strode down the halls, her footsteps quick as the bell rang, signalling lunch. She met up with her siblings halfway, knowing this was going to be the first time they would face their father since arriving to this timeline.

"Ugh, I can't believe we have to do this. I hate this so much," Diego complained, sounding more dramatic than usual.

Prime snorted in agreement, but added under her breath, "We all do, well, except Luther."

Luther glared at her. "Watch it," he warned.

Prime rolled her eyes, unfazed. "Ooh, you absolutely terrify me," she shot back bitterly. She wasn't the biggest fan of him, but Vanya, ever the forgiving one, just let it slide.

"I still can't believe you forgave him so easily," Prime muttered to Vanya, who snickered softly beside her.

"I've been told, P," Vanya replied with a teasing grin.

They reached the stairs and saw Grace standing at the bottom, smiling warmly at them. The usual greeting exchanged, they walked to their seats, standing behind them. Prime glanced over at Five, who rolled his eyes in response to her glance.

"Relax, I won't," he muttered in a low voice, though he couldn't completely hide his irritation.

Prime's smile quickly faded as the sound of Herr Carlson's record started playing in the background. She grimaced. She despised those records.

She could still remember the day she had burned one on purpose when their father was out, only for him to return furious and lecture her for hours. It had been worth it, though, if only for the satisfaction.

They all straightened up as footsteps echoed through the hall, signalling the arrival of their father. Reginald entered the room with his usual air of authority, heading straight for his chair.

He cleared his throat. "Sit."

Everyone did as he instructed, and the tension in the room was palpable. For the first time in what felt like forever, Five ate his food instead of glaring holes into their father, though some of them still couldn't help sneaking glances at him, trying not to burst into laughter at his glares.

Reginald's voice cut through the quiet as he set his utensils down. "It has come to my attention that you all seem to be hiding something from me."

Prime immediately choked on her drink, and the others shot her a knowing look. She wasn't exactly good at keeping her mouth shut.

"W-What do you mean?" Prime asked, trying to sound casual as she cleared her throat, but the others groaned inwardly at her inability to keep quiet.

"The statement speaks for itself, No Number," Reginald replied curtly, and the others exchanged discreet looks, trying to silently signal to Prime not to run her mouth any further.

"Fine," Prime sighed, though she knew she was about to dig herself into a hole. "I was the one who accidentally destroyed the training dummies last night. I burnt them and then threw them in the dumpster." She looked at her siblings, silently telling them to let her handle it.

Reginald raised an eyebrow but said nothing as Prime's siblings shot her glares. She shrugged, unbothered.

"Extra training tomorrow afternoon without any breaks," Reginald muttered, standing up and leaving the room with Grace.

Prime let out a frustrated huff. "I told you, I've got this handled," she said, crossing her arms as she leaned back in her chair.

Vanya chuckled softly. "You're something else, P."

Luther, glancing between the others, asked, "Do you think he knows more and wants us to tell him?"

Five, still looking unimpressed, groaned, "Honestly, I think he knows something, and he's just waiting for us to confess. He thrives on secrets."

"I wouldn't put that past him," Klaus added with a knowing smile.

Prime stretched her arms over her head, thinking. "Well, if he does, let's make the old man be the one to falter. I want to see him begging," she declared with a mischievous grin.

"Of course, you would," Diego said with amusement.

Prime rolled her eyes. "After everything he's done to us, I'm not going through it again. This is our second chance to make things right, and we don't need him mistreating us again."

Allison nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'm on that board already."

"We've got a mission in a week, right?" Prime continued, shifting the topic. "Last time, it didn't go so well without you, Five. We almost failed, but thankfully, the law enforcement stepped in."

Klaus snorted. "Your brain must really hate you, Primey."

"Oh, you have no idea," Prime muttered under her breath.

Klaus grinned mischievously. "Why don't we just go to Dad and say, 'Hey, we know Vanya has powers. Why don't you make her join us?'"

Five immediately shot him a glare. "That's like asking for Dad to lock you in the mausoleum," he said dryly.

Prime grimaced. "Wow, okay, Five. That was really low, even for you."

Vanya looked at Five, concerned. "Are you okay?"

"No," Five snapped, rubbing his temples. "It's like none of you is taking what I'm saying seriously. Do you think this is a joke?"

"No, but we're all still trying to process this, Five. It's barely been a full day since we came back," Ben said, his tone calm and understanding.

Prime nodded in agreement. "We know what we need to do. We're just... not used to being in this situation yet."

Allison spoke up then. "Exactly. But before anything, we need to focus on Vanya. As you've said, Five, she'll always be the cost unless we help her."

Prime turned to Five. "How long do you think it'll take for the Handler to find us?"

Five sighed, rubbing his face. "Last time, at the bowling alley, she found me because I had a tracker. But I destroyed that. Hazel and Cha-Cha are out of the picture, so we've got a fighting chance of avoiding her, at least for now. When I destroyed the Commission's headquarters, all her best agents fell with it. She might be the one to come for us herself."

Luther nodded, impressed. "That's the best news I've heard in a while."

Five shrugged. "It's the only good news I've got for now. From here on out, we're on our own."

Prime stood up from the table. "Well, I need to break into Dad's study. I have to find that serum, or else I'm going to be a problem."

"Wait, you're not going to ask for help, P?" Allison asked, raising an eyebrow.

Prime smirked, crossing her arms. "It's like you don't even know me, sis. I don't go in without a plan."

Ben raised his hand. "Okay, so what do you have in mind?"

Prime's grin widened, "Five, I need you to distract Dad. Vanya, distract Pogo. Diego, distract Mom. Allison and Luther, you'll be on the lookout in case we get caught. Klaus and Ben will be with me."

Luther frowned. "Wait, why do you need Klaus and Ben with you?"

"Because some compartments are small, and only Ben can fit in them," Prime explained with a wink. Ben narrowed his eyes at her.

Prime continued, "Klaus is good at picking locks, right?" she said, raising an eyebrow at him.

Klaus shrugged. "Hey, if I had known it was important—"

"What was?" Five interrupted, his eyes narrowing at Prime.

Ben groaned. "Klaus was the reason Harold Jenkins got a hold of Dad's notebook."

Everyone shouted in unison, "WHAT?!"

Prime glared at them. "Yeah, but if you patronize him, you'll have to go through me. It's in the past, and I get that it was a disaster, but we're here now. End of story."

Luther cut her off, his voice stern. "No, Prime, that's not something we can just let go."

Prime rolled her eyes. "Do you realize that if that timeline never happened, we wouldn't be here right now? All of us? Everything happened for a reason, even if it could've been different. But we're here. Together."

Five stood up, looking determined. "She's right. We don't need to point fingers. We need to work together."

"Yeah, so when do you want to start, P?" Allison asked, getting up from her chair, and the others followed suit.

Prime nodded. "We can't do it at night, though. Dad monitors our powers. He'll be in his office, so we have to do it in the morning, before breakfast."

"Yeah, so we'll have to get a good night's sleep. The mission starts right at dawn," Prime said, glancing at them all. "And maybe, just maybe, I'll destroy all of Herr Carlson's records again."

Luther raised an eyebrow. "Do you really want to get lectured again?"

Prime rolled her eyes. "Look, Dad lectured me for hours. Halfway through, I slept, but it was worth it. Not having to hear Herr Carlson's voice ever again? Totally worth it."

They left the table and walked into the living room. Ben patted her on the back. "Let's try and avoid destroying them this time, Prime."

Prime gave him a side-eye. "Traitor," she muttered.

He smiled, humming as he teased, "I love you too."

Klaus raised an eyebrow. "You realize I'm not the only one who can see you both now, right?"

Prime and Ben looked at him, and the others all rolled their eyes.

Prime scowled. "Excuse me, but I take payment. This isn't a free show."

Her siblings laughed, and she whispered to Ben, "The nerve of these eavesdroppers."

Ben chuckled and patted her shoulder. "Tell me about it."