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❛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀʀᴛʏ ᴍᴄғʟʏ ᴇғғᴇᴄᴛ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐎𝐍𝐄 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴛᴏ ᴅɪᴇ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ, sᴏ
ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴍᴀʏ ʟɪᴠᴇ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ꒱　


❝ YOU'RE MY FAVORITE PERSON ❞

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Black crowded her vision and it sucked out all light. Alexa gasped as she felt fear run rampant through her mind. She had never liked the dark. How was she supposed to sense danger, protect her family if she couldn't see? Their deaths would be on her.

Almost as if she were running but not quite, she tried to find the light. Then, her foot caught on something and she stumbled. Her eyes squeezed shut on instinct in anticipation of the fall.

It never came.

When she opened them again, they widened. She was looking at a memory.

The scene spread out before her in brilliant detail. A young version of her, age six, was standing at an easel set up with a canvas. Taped up next to it was a still picture of a field from some foreign country— a painting request from her father. It was the first one she'd done for their new mother.

Alexa lifted her brush for the first stroke but a knock sounded at the door. Frowning in confusion, she set her equipment down and went to answer it. It was probably Dad or Pogo since her only other visitor ignored doors entirely.

When she opened it, though, she blinked in surprise. "Five? What are you doing?"

The boy shifted uncomfortably on the other side of the threshold. "Well, the robot said you were painting, so I came up here because I— well, I usually watch, but then I realized Dad knows and you don't really need a lookout anymore, so—"

She stared at him, amused by his uncharacteristic rambling. Leaping forward, she seized his wrist and dragged him into the room. "Of course you can still watch, silly! I don't keep you around for being a Dad Spotter, you know."

As he sat on her bed, he gave her a disbelieving look. "Really?"

Alexa rolled her eyes. "Of course not. You're my favorite person. I just like having you around."

Pink colored the tips of his ears and he was glad she had turned back to her painting. "You're my favorite person, too," he offered hesitantly. "I mean, aside from myself, of course." This was said with his usual cockiness, causing her to laugh.

As the girl began to recreate the picture, her mind drifted to ideas of what to talk about before she decided on one. "Fi?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you believe in love?"

He frowned. "The emotion love or what love can accomplish according to some people?"

"Emotion love, I think."

"Then absolutely not," he said firmly.

The blonde twisted around and gave him a curious look. "Why not?"

He shrugged. "I's a chemical makeup in your brain. All emotions are, really. They can be made up and controlled so if one were to ever feel love, you would never know if it was real or not. It's easily explained by science so there's no reason to believe in it."

Alexa turned back to her painting. "Well, I do. I hope I can find someone who loves me even though I'm weird because I do believe that love can conquer all."

Five rolled his eyes. "You're reading too many fantasy books, Lexa."

She shook her head. "I'm just more optimistic than you, you grumpy old man."

☂☂☂

The scene changed.

Celebrating a birthday with seven other kids was hectic in a normal household. The Hargreeves family was not a normal household. On October first, Reginald Hargreeves allowed the children to sleep in an extra half-hour later and that was it. When Grace was welcomed to the family, cake followed dinner much to the man's disgruntlement. Still, there were no birthday parties or gift-givings and the day went largely unobserved by the adult members of the household.

Out of sight, the children's story was much different. While they couldn't buy presents, they did their best to filch things the others might like or tried to be nicer for that one day. Still, there wasn't much one could do with an eagle-eyed father.

As bad as it sounded, Alexa didn't much care about what her siblings would want from her. There was only one person she needed to celebrate with. She'd been thinking about what to do for weeks, wanting it to be special for their first year as teens, and she'd finally thought of it during one of Five's long-winded rants about one of his newer interests, Astronomy.

"Pogo?" the blonde asked tentatively as she poked her head inside his office.

Unlike her father, he welcomed interruptions and looked up from his work to smile at her. "Hello, Miss Alexandra. Can I help you?"

She grinned. Pogo always called her 'Miss Alexandra' no matter what. "Yes, I think. I need help researching something."

"Of course, come in," the chimpanzee said. He gestured her forward. "What are you researching?"

She stepped quickly into the neat space and stopped in front of his desk. "I, um, wanted to know when the next meteor shower was going to be."

He gave her a stern look. "This is purely for research, yes?"

The blonde hesitated and then gave a firm nod. "Yes, of course."

Pogo sighed. He knew that Miss Alexandra always hesitated when she lied. At least he'd be able to plead ignorance when— if— Reginald found out. "Very well, just a moment." There was a clacking of keys as he typed into the square box-computer and it was a moment before he had an answer. "There is predicted to be a massive meteor shower on November 19th."

The blonde frowned, having wanted a closer date. And it would be cold. "Are there any others?"

"I'm afraid not. Apologies, Miss Alexandra."

"It's not your fault, Pogo. Thank you!" She reached over and gently squeezed his arm in gratitude before she backed out quickly.

--

The night of November 19th found Alexa in Five's room as she shook the boy awake.

He gave an irritated groan. "Leavemealone," he mumbled in one breath.

"C'mon, there's something I want to show you!"

Her insistent shaking and constant vocal proddings roused him into irritability. "What?" he snapped as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"I have your birthday present."

"My birthday's the same day as yours, dingus."

She wasn't hurt by the insult. "Yeah, but I wanted to make it special and it can only be today." The blonde pouted and the boy quickly shut his eyes. "Please, Fi?"

He resolutely shook his head. "Fine," she huffed. "Then I'm going to have to tickle you."

The boy's eyes shot open. "Okay, okay, I give!" he exclaimed immediately, causing her to grin.

"Wonderful! Let's go!" She pulled on his arm and together, they made their way to the rooftop.

"If you told me, I could've just blinked us up here," he grumbled.

"Where's the fun in that?" The blonde gently pushed him towards the blankets she'd managed to sneak up. "Now, lie down. We don't have much time."

"Time for what?"

"You'll see."

They lay there for several moments in the chilly darkness and she could hear Five grumble audibly as he shifted in his blankets. The stars twinkled above them, still and silent. Alexa held her breath for long moments in anticipation.

It started off slowly as one streak of light across the sky. Several more followed, causing the boy's complaints to cease. The sky grew brighter as silver tails flashed across the dark expanse, one suddenly coming after the other in a rain of fire and they disappeared closer to the horizon as they burned out.

The girl gave a little smile at Five's gasp of amazement. There was precious little that could shock him.

The lights fell from the sky for many long minutes until they stretched into an hour filled with bright, burning space particles. As they died down, Alexa turned on her elbow to face the boy. Five's mouth was slightly open, his green eyes wide as they fixated on the sky above and starlight reflected in them, turning the vibrant green color silver. His head turned away suddenly to face her, the starry look still showing in his gaze.

Her heart caught and she swallowed. 

She was in love.

☂☂☂

Why had she seen those memories? 

Alexa's vision blurred until it whitened and she blinked rapidly. A room formed around her, bleached of color.

"Hello?" she called out tentatively.

"Alexa?"

Her heart caught somewhere between her throat and the floor. That voice. One she thought she'd never hear again. The blonde turned slowly and stared.

In front of her, clad in all black, was the one member of her family she'd let down the most.

"Ben?" her voice sounded choked.

The boy— not really a boy but a teen— gave her a small smile. "Yep," his expression softened. "It's good to see you."

She gave him a disbelieving look. "R-really?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be? I miss you."

Her heart twisted in her chest and she suddenly sobbed. "I'm sorry. Ben, I'm so sorry. It was my fault. I was supposed to protect you and I didn't and I failed—"

Alexa's voice stuttered to a halt as arms wrapped around her, strong and real. "Hey," her brother murmured. "It's not your fault, Alexa. I never blamed you for my death. Klaus was supposed to tell you but—" 

She gave another broken sob. "—he was a stubborn bastard about it."

Ben chuckled slightly. "I suppose he finally told you then, huh?"

Her arms tightened around him and her hands gripped at his leather jacket as she buried her face in his chest. "I'm still sorry, Ben. I did fail you—"

"You were never supposed to stand up to Luther. I get it, Lexi." He pulled away and made sure to directly meet her eyes. "I never blamed you," he told her sternly.

The blonde stared up into his dark eyes as she searched for a hint of lie. She didn't find one.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to tell you sooner," he admitted softly. "I never wanted you to live with all that grief." Her eyes darted away, uncertain of how to respond. Ben gave her a soft look. "Hey." Alexa met his gaze again. "It's not so bad, being dead. I mean, it sucked watching the world change when I couldn't, to have no impact on the living when I had the ability to help, but death itself isn't something to be afraid of."

Her expression turned confused,. "Is-is that what I am now? Dead?"

"Not yet," her brother assured her. "This is more of a. . . waiting place."

"Is heaven real?"

He gave her a small smile. "That's for you to experience when you die. I can say that you don't have to be afraid. I'll be right here, waiting for you."

Alexa blinked and wetness slid down her cheek. "W-what about everyone else?"

How could she survive if they were dead?

"They'll make it," Ben promised. Then he hesitated, looking worried. "It's almost time for you to go."

Her eyes widened. "I can't— I don't want to leave you!"

"I don't want you to leave either," he admitted quietly, "but you have to go back. They still need you." She gave a more stifled sob. Did they really? When she'd failed them? Alexa threw her arms around him again, unwilling to let go. Ben hugged her back tightly and whispered against her golden hair, "Lexi?"

"Mmm?"

"Promise me something?" When she nodded against his chest, he continued: "tell them that I miss them."

"Okay." 

Unfortunately, he knew it was a promise she wouldn't remember.