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❛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙ. ʙ. ᴇꜰꜰᴇᴄᴛ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴛʜɪs ɪs sᴀᴅ;
ᴀʟᴇxᴀ, ᴘʟᴀʏ ᴅᴇsᴘᴀᴄɪᴛᴏ ꒱　


❝ BEN, I'M SORRY. IT'S
MY FAULT. ALL MINE ❞

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A now nearly sixteen-year-old Alexa sat on the only chair in her room as she faced a small box TV that she'd picked up at a pawn store. The screen showed Back to the Future which was about halfway done. Next to her was a pile of VCRs with various labels of The Butterfly Effect, Time Chasers, 12:01 and Doctor Who, among others. She'd made another run to the local video store to check out the current set of titles after she'd finished with the previous. On her lap was not her usual sketchpad but a book of lined paper where she occasionally wrote notes about how directors had envisioned time travel in their movies.

Other parts of her room had changed as well. She'd taken down her drawings in favor of pinning up notes and charts to decorate the walls. Her books about fairy tales and adventures were replaced with titles such as The Chronicles of Narnia, Quest Beyond Time and Soldier From Tomorrow. Her furniture remained the same basic Umbrella Academy layout but Five's old chalkboard had been moved into her room for convenience.

Pogo stood in the doorway for a moment as he watched the blonde-haired girl, who frowned and scribbled something down as the screen played on. After a moment, he cleared his throat. "Miss Alexandra, your father would like to see you."

Alexa barely glanced away from the screen as she said, "oh, is that all?"

"Miss Alexandra, please. You know your father doesn't like to be kept waiting."

With her eyes stuck firmly on the movie, she replied sharply, "he's not my father."

Pogo sighed, used to her difficultness ever since Five had disappeared. She'd barely left her room except to get more supplies, only to return to it and stay up all hours of the night. He knew that she believed Five was still alive— much like Reginald— but unlike her father, she was trying to do something about it.

Once more, he asked quietly, "please, Miss Alexandra."

It was Alexa's turn to sigh as she paused the movie. She knew Pogo wouldn't let her be so she stood up and stretched before she reluctantly followed him to her father. Sir Reginald Hargreeves was at his desk in his office, like usual and like usual, he was writing away in that damned red leather journal. Pogo gave her a nod before he disappeared. Alexa took two steps towards the man's desk before his voice stopped her. 

"Out of my office, Number Eight," he ordered her without looking up. She stepped back to the line of the door and waited for him to resume speaking. "You are spending far too much time away from the Academy. You still have a duty to your siblings to uphold or have you forgotten?"

Alexa grit her teeth and didn't reply. Her desired response was something that would definitely get her in trouble. Reginald didn't seem to notice, though, and continued: "it is your job as Number Eight to protect your siblings, which you won't be able to do if you are caught up in the past. It is for the best that you move on. I have asked Pogo to take away the time travel nonsense in order for you to concentrate on your work."

Alexa's eyes burned as she forced back tears. "Is that all?" she asked stiffly. She would not let this man see her cry. At his nod, she turned and fled to her room where Pogo was piling her movies and books together in a box.

"Please, Pogo, I promise I'll be more active!" she cried as she finally allowed the tears to fall.

The chimpanzee gave her a sad look. "I'll keep them safe for you, Miss Alexandra, but I can't allow you to have them." Soon her room was cleared except for the furniture; even Five's chalkboard went away. Pogo spoke once more before he left: "ask me for them when you're eighteen."

Alexa sat heavily on her bed and she felt a great sense of loss overcome her. It was almost as if her best friend had died, which— in a way— he had. She was almost ashamed to let the tears keep falling but she couldn't stop them, either. She wasn't sure how long she sat there crying but she startled when a warm body curled up next to her. For a wild moment, she thought it was Five, but no— it was just Ben.

He looked at her sympathetically and wrapped his arms around her without saying anything. While he wasn't the boy she'd lost, he was more than a decent substitute.

☂☂☂

Filing out into the courtyard with her family, Alexa shivered slightly under her umbrella at the chilly rain that fell. The courtyard was still and dreary and the blonde purposely avoided looking at Ben's statue. They formed a haphazard circle as their Mom asked, "did something happen?"

They turned to look at her with confusion as Allison answered, "Dad died, remember?"

"Oh, yes of course."

"Is Mom okay?" Allison asked in concern.

"Yeah, yeah, she's fine. She just needs to rest. Recharge, y'know?" Diego said.

"Whenever you're ready, dear boy," Pogo told Luther.

Alexa watched as her brother turned the urn over and dumped out the ashes as they fell in a pile onto the wet leaves. I can't believe that's Dad, she thought as she looked at the dust that had once been a human.

"Probably would've been better with some wind," Luther commented.

"Does anyone wish to speak?" Pogo asked. When no one said anything, he continued: "very well. In all regards, Sir Reginald Hargreeves made me what I am today. For that alone I shall forever be in his debt. He was my master and my friend, and I shall miss him very much." He paused before he added, "he leaves behind a complicated legacy—"

"He was a monster," Diego interrupted him almost carelessly. "He was a bad person and a worse father. The world's better off without him."

"Diego—"

But he wouldn't stop. "My name is Number Two. You know why? Because our father couldn't be bothered to give us actual names. He had Mom do it."

Grace, perhaps hearing her name, asked, "would anyone like something to eat?"

"No, it's okay, Mom," Vanya reassured her.

"Oh, okay."

"Look, you wanna pay your respects? Go ahead. But at least be honest about the kind of man he was," Diego continued.

"You should stop talking now," Luther interrupted him, but his brother turned on him, too. 

"You know, you of all people should be on my side here, Number One."

"I'm warning you."

"After everything he did to you? He had to ship you a million miles away."

"Diego, stop talking—"

"That's how much he couldn't stand the sight of you!"

Then, predictably, Luther made the first swing and Diego retaliated. Pogo tried to control the situation but it made no difference. Shaking his head in disappointment, he left.

"Come on, big boy!" Diego taunted as he hit him.

"Stop it!" Vanya cried, while Klaus had the opposite reaction as he called: "hit him! Hit him!"

As they continued fighting, Five turned to leave. "We don't have time for this."

"Come here, big boy!" Diego shouted, and then she felt it. The pull of danger— that something was going to harm her siblings (not including the two that were fighting)— caused her to lift her hands up and allow a blue shield to glow in front of. . . Ben's statue? The familiar ache in her chest accompanied her sudden bloom of grief and as it always did, her guilt: Ben, I'm sorry. It's my fault. All mine. 

She was drawn from her potential spiraling thoughts as Luther's fist slammed into the shield, causing it to shudder but not break. Alexa barely had time to sigh in relief— she knew she wouldn't be able to stand watching her brother get blown up again— when the sudden whistle of Diego's knife sounded.

"Diego, no!" Vanya cried, but he didn't listen. Throwing the knife, it sliced the skin on Luther's arm, causing him to grunt in pain.

"You never know when to stop, do you?" Vanya questioned him as Luther stumbled away.

"You got enough material for your sequel yet?" Diego taunted her.

"He was my father, too."

Alexa turned away and decided that she'd had enough of a family reunion for the next ten years. As much as she loved her siblings, she didn't know how to protect them from themselves.