•13-Patch's murder•
Five and Allison walked ahead as they made their way towards Diego's car. Margot walked a bit behind them and Diego walked a step behind her. Diego watched Margot, noticing the frown on her lips.
He reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop. She turned to face him with furrowed eyebrows. "Hey, you good?" he asked softly as his hand left her arm and moved up to cup her cheek.
She silently stared at him for a second before her eyes darted around and her lips parted. She slowly shook her head before shrugging her shoulders. "Yeah...yeah. I mean, I did just find out the world is ending in three days," she muttered softly.
"Hey, we're gonna stop it," Diego replied softly as he stepped closer to her, his thumb brushing across her cheek. "I will stop it one-handed, I swear," he told her, and Margot looked down at his arm in the sling before letting out a small and soft scoff of amusement. "Don't laugh, I'm serious." he scolded her playfully as he shook his head. "I'm not letting the end of the world get between getting you back. I'll be damned if these few days are all we'll have," he told her softly.
Margot reached up her hand and placed it over Diego's as he still cradled her cheek. "It's news like the world ending that makes you think...about how much time we wasted," she whispered, and Diego let out a soft sigh before leaning forward, placing a lingering kiss on her forehead.
Inside Diego's car, Five honked the horn at them and Diego and Margot pulled away from each other before heading to the car. Five and Diego sat in the front while Margot joined Allison in the back.
Diego drove them down to the police station and parked out front. "I know this Jenkins dude has to have a record. We gotta get our hands on his file," he told them as he eyed the police station.
Allison looked at Diego and raised her eyebrows. "And your plan is to what? Waltz in there and just ask for it?" She questioned him as her head tilted to the side.
"I know the station like the back of my hand, sis," Diego informed as he gave Allison a sideways glance over his shoulder. "I've spent a lot of time inside," he added.
Margot raised her eyebrows and Allison shared a look with her. Margot scoffed softly as she shook her head. "Handcuffed." She added as she quirked an eyebrow at him and Allison snorted in amusement.
Diego shot both women in the backseat a scowl. "Whatever," he mumbled as he shifted in his seat. "Here's the plan." he began.
"Plan?" Five questioned as he looked at Diego with furrowed eyebrows. "I'm just gonna blink in and get the file." he insisted as he waved his hand in the direction of the police building.
"No, that's not..." Diego began to argue as he shook his head, eyebrows furrowing deeply. "You don't know the ins and outs of this place, okay?" he insisted.
"I literally just did this yesterday." Five replied and everyone's eyes turned to them as their eyebrows furrowed.
"What?" Diego questioned as he shook his head in confusion.
"My yesterday, not your yesterday." Five clarified as he slowly shook his head. "It'll take me two seconds." He argued with Diego. "Why don't I just go?" he questioned as he wrapped one arm around his waist.
"Listen to me. You are not going in there." Diego replied firmly, putting his foot down as he looked at Five. "I made a call. That's what a leader does. He leads." he told them before climbing out of the car and rounding the police building to the side alley.
Allison cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. She silently observed Margot for a second before speaking up. "So are you and Diego...?" She questioned in a slow drawl of her voice as her head tilted to the side.
Margot raised her eyebrows as she looked at Allison. Her lips parted and she took a deep breath. "Ummm...I guess?" She replied as her eyes squinted and her eyebrows furrowed a little bit.
Allison nodded in understanding. "Where did you meet?" she asked curiously as she raised her eyebrows.
Margot pursed her lips as she let out a soft sigh. She was silent for a moment before looking down at her lap. "Jail..." she admitted softly as she scratched the side of her head. Allison's eyes widened and her mouth fell open, Five slowly turned around and looked at Margot with furrowed eyebrows. "The charges against me were dropped." "She told them as she shrugged her shoulders.
Allison didn't question Margot any further. As they waited for Diego, they got out of the car and Allison went over to a payphone, calling her sister. Five leaned against a wall, one arm wrapped around his waist and he grimaced.
"Hey, are you okay?" Margot asked Five softly as her eyebrows furrowed, and he gave her a side-eyed look before slowly nodding his head.
"Hey, Vanya, it's me. I just wanted to..." Allison spoke on the phone. "Things have gotten so messed up. And... all I ever wanted was to be a good sister to you. Guess I pretty much failed at that. But you need to call me. Okay? I love you, sis." She continued before hanging up the phone with a sigh.
She turned to Five and Margot just as Diego came around the corner, approaching them with a file in hand. "So?" Five questioned as he pushed off the wall.
"You're welcome," Diego said as he held the file towards Five but pulled away when Five tried to take it.
Allison reached out and took the file from Diego. She flipped it open and looked through it. Her eyes widened when she saw a picture of Harold Jenkins. "Holy shit." She gasped softly and everyone turned to her with furrowed eyebrows.
"What?" Diego questioned her as he looked between her and the file in her hand.
Allison huffed as she turned the file around and showed everyone the picture of Harold Jenkins. The exact same guy that was with Vanya at the house earlier that day. "Harold Jenkins is Leonard Peabody." She told them.
"Vanya's boyfriend?" Diego questioned as he reached out and grabbed the picture clipped to the file, inspecting it closely.
"Yeah..." Allison confirmed as she slowly nodded her head, closing the file. "Come on, I know where he lives," she told them as she turned towards the car.
"How do you know?" Five questioned, eyebrows furrowing as he followed after Allison.
"Don't ask," Allison replied with a shake of her head before she glanced at Five over her shoulder for a brief second.
Before Margot could follow after Five and Allison, Diego grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. "Guys, give us a second," he called out after his brother and sister. Five and Allison came to a stop and turned toward Diego and Margot. Margot looked up at Diego with furrowed eyebrows.
"We don't have a second." Five argued, eyebrows furrowing as he shook his head at his brother.
"Yes, you do." Diego snapped roughly and that got Five to back off. Five and Allison returned to the car and Margot turned to Diego with a questioning look. He looked around first, making sure no one was in earshot on the quiet street, before turning to Margot. "Mars. They're looking at us for Patch's murder," he informed her softly.
Margot's eyes widened and her lips parted in shock. Dread filled her while her heart slowly sank down to the pit of her stomach. "What?" She asked softly as her eyebrows furrowed.
"Our prints are all over that motel room." He informed Margot softly as he slowly shook his head.
Margot frantically shook her head as she let out a soft breath. "Well, so are hundreds of other people too, probably," she replied as she looked at him with her wide eyes.
"Yeah but we knew Patch." he reminded her softly as he slowly shook his head. "She was always my arresting officer," he added as he pursed his lips.
Margot sighed deeply, running a hand over her face. "Shit..." she whispered as she lowered her head, placing a hand on her stomach that ached as her nerves twisted.
Diego reached out and cupped Margot's cheek, pulling her closer to him. "Look. They're gonna be coming. When they do, you let me go down alone." he told her softly as he leaned his face closer down to hers.
Margot's eyes widened in horror as she frantically shook her head. "No!" She argued with him.
"Yes!" he argued back as he gave her a firm stare. "Because if shit does go down...you're not dying in a jail cell because of me," he told her as he slowly shook his head.
Margot scoffed softly as she shook her head again. "Diego-" She began to argue with him once again.
"When they come, you run," he spoke over her as he lifted his hand from her cheek and pointed his finger at her. "Do you understand me?" he questioned her in a firm voice as he stared at her with an intensity in his dark eyes.
Margot took a small step backward as she shook her head, a hurt expression crossing her face. "No...I don't understand. I don't understand why you're doing this." She told him as she let out a shaky breath, shaking her head again.
"I'm doing it for you, Mars," he told her as he slowly shook his head. He clenched his jaw when he saw that stubborn look in her eyes. "Doesn't matter if you run or not. I'll take the blame. I won't let them hold you." he informed her as he slowly shook his head.
Margot silently stared at him as her eyes squinted. She shook her head and Diego pushed past her, walking towards the car. "Diego, please...Diego." she pleaded as she turned to him but he continued walking.
She let out a soft sigh, looking down at the ground for a second before following after him. When they got in the car it was tense and silent. Five didn't comment as his mind was preoccupied with other things and Allison could sense now wasn't the time to be nosy.
Allison gave Diego directions to Harold Jenkins's house, and within a few minutes, they were parked outside. When they established it looked like no one was home, they climbed out of the car.
"Be careful, okay? We don't know what Peabody's capable of." Allison told everyone as they slowly walked across the grass lawn, approaching the double-story house.
"Yeah, he didn't seem dangerous when I first saw him," Diego replied as he walked ahead of everyone else. "Looked kinda scrawny," he added.
"Yeah, well, so are most serial killers and mass murderers," Margot replied as she glanced over at Diego with furrowed eyebrows. "Jeffery Dhamar, the night stalker," she added an example, and Allison nodded in agreement. Margot glanced over at Five and then turned to Diego. "Your brother's kind of scrawny," she added.
Five looked at her and nodded his head. "Thanks," he replied like it was one of the best damn compliments he had ever gotten.
Diego looked at Five over his shoulder, eyebrows furrowing as he eyed his brother up and down before nodding. "Good point," he told Margot as he went up the steps of the front porch with Five right behind him.
Allison tapped Margot's shoulder and nodded for her to follow. Margot followed Allison as they walked around the house. "You and Diego good?" Allison asked softly while her eyes scanned around for any sign of someone being home.
Margot pursed her lips as her eyebrows furrowed. "Yeah." She muttered softly. "He's just a stubborn asshole." She huffed softly as they came up to the back porch and Allison chuckled in agreement. She didn't really know Margot, but the girl saved her life once and agreed Diego was an ass, so already she liked her.
They reached the backdoor and Allison grabbed the handle, testing it. They shared a look when they noticed the door was unlocked and Allison pushed it open. Just as they entered through the backdoor into the kitchen, there was a crash coming from the front door.
Margot and Allison entered the hallway and saw Diego lying on the floor, surrounded by glass and a few pieces of wood. There was a big hole left where the window in the door used to be. As they got closer, Five appeared and eyed Diego while walking towards the broken door.
"Subtle," Allison commented as she looked down at Diego with raised eyebrows.
Five reached for the door handle and pulled open the door and everyone turned to look at Diego. "You know, the door was unlocked." Five informed Diego.
"Yeah, well, my way works just fine," Diego grumbled, groaning as Margot reached out and helped him back onto his feet, fixing his sling for him while sending his a sharp scowl as she shook her head in disappointment. "Spread out," he told everyone. "Yell if you, uh...you know, you're in trouble." He mumbled as he went into the living room.
"Ah, inspiring leadership," Allison muttered as she slowly shook her head.
"One of the greats," Margot commented sarcastically, and Diego shot both women a scowl over his shoulder. Margot turned around and slowly headed up the stairs with Allison following behind her while Five and Diego searched downstairs.
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