▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅

❛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘ. ᴘᴀɴ ᴇғғᴇᴄᴛ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴀɪɴ'ᴛ ɴᴏ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ
ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ɪ'ᴠᴇ ɢᴏᴛ ꒱


❝ A LOVE LIKE THAT IS STRONGER
THAN ANY APOCALYPSE COULD
EVER BE ❞

▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅

After Five helped Alexa, Deianira sought out her brother to help her for a different reason. She found him sulking against the balcony railing as he stared out into space. Music from Viktor's coming out party drifted up to the landing which was the only sound that could be heard until the brunette spoke. She paused next to him to lean against the railing as well. "Hey."

"What do you want?" he asked bitterly without turning to look at her.

"That's a nice way to greet your favorite sister."

Ben scoffed. "I'm not even your— or anyone's— favorite Hargreeves. Why would you think I'd feel that way about you?"

Deianira pursed her lips as her eyes narrowed. "See, this attitude is what makes you unpleasant to be around. Are you really going to be a sourpuss all evening?"

"Your wedding is a stupid idea and Viktor's coming out party is just as lame."

She sighed. "I'll take that as a yes. Look, you can stand out here by yourself and brood over your feelings or. . . you could do a favor for me."

The Asian man eyed her warily. "And what would that entail?"

"Walk Sloane down the aisle."

"Shouldn't that be dad's job?"

She crossed her arms and gave him a disbelieving look. "Did we have the same father? You know dear old dad disapproves of this whole thing anyway. If you don't want to do it for me, do it for Sloane. It'd make her really happy, Ben-er-ino."

"Don't call me that," he responded easily. "Are you sure you even want me at your dumb wedding? No one else seems to want me around."

Deianira let out a deep breath as she prayed for patience. "Your self-deprecating attitude isn't cute, Ben-er-ino, so I'd advise you to get over yourself. Just tell me: are you gonna do it or not?"

Ben rolled his eyes in an exaggerated sort of way. "I think the answer should be obvious, sister-dearest."

"And that is. . .?"

He turned to face her fully as his expression became contemptuous. "I'd rather cut off all of my tentacles than do what you're suggesting."

The brunette let out a final sigh, this time in a disappointed, condescending fashion. "Very well; I can't say I was expecting a different answer. I guess that means that I'll just have to pick one of the other Hargreeves men to be my Best Man. Maybe I'll chose that teenager guy. He'd make a pretty adorable ring bearer, don't you think?"

☂︎ ☂︎ ☂︎

"Ben! Hi!" Alexa stared up at her ex-brother's once-familiar face as he left Sloane's room. Her voice was breathless as she greeted him and her smile was so wide it almost hurt.

He stopped to study her with a disturbed look at her eagerness. "What do you want?"

"Noth-nothing. Um, how are you?"

There was a moment of silence before he shrugged. "I've had better days." Then, he passed by her without another word.

The blonde watched him go with a starry-eyed expression, hardly hearing his response. He'd acknowledged her existence! It was just like talking to her Ben except in a grumpier, asshole-ier form. She took a second to compose herself before she knocked on the door in front of her. Sloane's lighthearted voice greeted her request and Alexa tentatively opened the door. She gave the Sparrow a friendly smile. "Hello."

"Hi," the other woman replied. "How can I help you?"

"Well, it's more how can I help you?"

"Um. . . what do you mean?"

She shrugged modestly. "Well, I have several years' worth of seamstress experience if you'd like help with your dress. I can also probably find some flowers for you or something. Really just anything that might make getting ready for your wedding easier."

Sloane's face broke into a smile of genuine gratitude. "That's so sweet of you to offer. I'd absolutely love it if you'd help me with this." She held up the white satin that lay over her lap.

Alexa happily pulled up another chair as the bride located a needle and thread for her. The blonde was glad to be doing something useful for a change; she didn't feel much different after her meditative session with Five, though she couldn't help but blush as she remembered how. . . thoroughly the boy had kissed her before he'd left for Viktor's coming out party.

"So. . . how long have you been with your girlfriend?" she asked, not wanting to sit in silence for the next hour.

The corners of the woman's lips lifted as her features took on a fond expression. "Since we were sixteen. We had feelings with each other before that, of course, but Nira's always had a hard time acknowledging her emotions."

The girl smiled slightly. "She kind of sounds like my boyfriend. He's been trying to tell me that he loves me but hasn't quite gotten there yet."

"Your boyfriend's the teen, right?"

"Yeah. He's actually Number Five in our family," Alexa told her with amusement. "That's funny how you and your Number Eight are together and so are we."

Sloane giggled at the realization. "Yeah, it is. Do you think that all Number Eights and Number Fives are this close?"

"I hope so," she said. "I couldn't imagine being with anyone else."

"Me either. Gosh, it feels like Nira and I have been together forever. How long have you and your boyfriend been dating?"

Alexa's face took on its own reminiscing smile. "Pretty much our whole lives. I was always his favorite at the Academy but like your Eight, he didn't want to admit that he had feelings for me. We started kissing when we were nine, though." Her expression became more serious. "But then he time travelled to the future and got stuck there for a decade and a half."

"Oh no!" Sloane gasped. Her eyes were wide and earnest as she looked at the girl with sympathy. "That's terrible. I'm so sorry."

The blonde dropped her needle for a moment to reach over and give her hand a grateful squeeze. "Thank you— and it was. While it was only fifteen years for me, he was stuck in the apocalypse for forty-five years. He was all alone at the end of the world. . . and when we were finally reunited, I was thirty and he was a teenager so we couldn't exactly be together." She went on to explain about the last two apocalypses that they tried to prevent. "And we thought we were successful this time but obviously. . . here we are."

Despite her story, the Sparrow's expression was soft rather than saddened. "You know what this means though, don't you?"

She shook her head. "No, what?"

"You two have been through so much but you're still together. You still have each other even against all the odds. Your bond is unbreakable— a force to be reckoned with. A love like that is stronger than any apocalypse could ever be."

"Do you really believe that?" Alexa asked hopefully. After everything she and Five had been through, sometimes it seemed as if they were cursed; she didn't know if obstacles that prevented their happily-ever-after from coming would ever stop.

"With my whole heart," Sloane answered gently. "It's exactly how I feel about Nira: if our stories were reversed, I'd do the same thing that your Number Five did. You two will go far; I know it."

☂︎ ☂︎ ☂︎

Alexa helped Sloane until it was time for the wedding; the bride even helped her pick out an outfit for the event: it was a floor-length, light blue, satin halter-top sheath dress. The fashion was a little out of the blonde's comfort zone, especially with how it clung to her curves and its rather deep V-neck, but the Sparrow woman had giggled and promised that Five's reaction would be worth it.

Alexa had immensely enjoyed the time that she and Sloane had spent together, which included doing their hair. It had been the sisterly bonding time that she'd never gotten to have with Allison. At the end of it, the fifth Hargreeves had asked her to be her Maid of Honor, to which Alexa enthusiastically agreed. The final request was that Lila would be the bridesmaid and she had also accepted.

The rest of the Hargreeves arrived at the banquet hall ahead of the bride and her assistant. As Alexa waited with Sloane in the elevator, she had to fight to keep from fidgeting. In a quiet voice, she said: "I'm so nervous that it's hard to believe it's not my own wedding. How are you feeling?"

The bride gave her a brilliant smile. "Amazing. I've always wanted to get married to the woman I love. What more could I ask for?" (Neither of them mentioned Sloane's missing siblings.)

Finally, the bell chimed and the doors slid open. Alexa quickly gathered up the train of the woman's dress as they stepped into the grand room. Their siblings (and significant others) turned to face them with expressions that varied from disinterested (Allison) to shock (Five and Deianira.) The two blondes met the group's gazes with shy smiles. The moment was broken by Ben's complaint: "let's get this over with before I die of cringe."

☂︎ ☂︎ ☂︎

As much as Alexa wanted to go straight to her boyfriend, she took her Maid of Honor duties very seriously. She stayed by Sloane even as she felt the boy's gaze practically burning a hole through her skin. In the few glances she'd managed to steal in his direction, the look he was giving her made her squirm pleasantly.

But, she couldn't really leave her place at the alter to ask his opinion about how she looked so she focused on the brides as Klaus performed the marriage vows. Where Sloane had gone with a traditional white wedding dress, Deianira had chosen to wear a three-piece red pantsuit. She'd left her curly brown hair exactly as it always was since it would take too much effort to tame it.

Her gaze was focused solely on Sloane as if there were no audience to observe their wedding and her bride's own attention was as centered on her in return. They both wore giddy, elated smiles as they gazed at each other with eyes full of love. If Alexa hadn't been as much of a fan of romance as she was, she would've been dying of cringe, as Ben had put it.

Speaking of the Asian man, he was standing just behind Deianira, albeit reluctantly. He hadn't smiled even once as he'd walked Sloane down the aisle. His presence at the alter was more of a omen of death than one of caring support. Still, it was noteworthy that he was even up there in the first place; Deianira truly did know how to manipulate her siblings into getting what she wanted.

"Dearly beloved," Klaus began— dramatically, as was his fashion. "We're gathered here today for a good time, not a long time, so let's have a good time, huh? 'Cause the sun can't shine every day. Can I get an amen?"

"AMEN!" came the enthusiastic response from most of the party goers.

The Séance turned to the brunette. "Deanira: do you be taking this banging hottie to be your lady?"

"Hell yeah!" the Romani woman exclaimed before she smiled bashfully. "Uh, I mean, I do."

Sloane giggled at her hasty agreement as Klaus turned to her next. His voice took on a teary note as he spoke: "Sloane, do you promise to love and cherish this scary and powerful woman for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours?"

"Give or take a day!" Five called out. His brother shushed him quickly.

She nodded happily. "I'm gonna try."

"Well then. . ." he paused to wipe his eyes. "I'm sorry. I pronounce you married as shit! Viva la apocalypse!"

Sloane wasted no time in leaping into the brunette's arms to press a sound kiss on her lips. Cheers sounded from the watching Hargreeves but neither woman really heard them as they were too wrapped up in each other and the joy of finally being together. With the help of her girl— no, wife's— powers, Sloane lifted herself up so they could be at equal height. Their lips were still pressed together in a passionate kiss that lasted several long moments until the crowd's applause died down.

☂︎ ☂︎ ☂︎

As the couple shared their first dance as. . . well, wife and wife, Alexa was finally relinquished of her duties. She slipped next to her boyfriend as he sighed. "This is officially worse than the apocalypse."

"Really? I think it's romantic."

His gaze turned away from the pair to pin her with the same look from the wedding ceremony. She felt her face warm as she glanced down at her dress. Five studied her outfit as well before he said: "you look beautiful, Lexa."

Her face brightened as a brilliant smile formed on her lips. "Really?"

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it."

"I. . . I know, but you don't usually say things like that."

The boy gave her an amused look. "Just take the compliment, darling."

". . . Thank you. You— um, look handsome too."

"I'm wearing the same thing that I was earlier today," he pointed out.

She shrugged. "I know. My point still stands."

"Oh. Um, thanks."

They stood in silence for a minute as Diego took Lila out to the dance floor. After a moment of hesitation, Alexa turned to her boyfriend and held out her hand. "Dance with me."

His expression became regretful. "Lexa, you know I don't dance."

She nodded. "I know. That's why I'm not asking— I'm telling."

"But—"

"Dance with me or I'll break up with you."

Five let out an even deeper sigh than before as he begrudgingly acquiesced. "Fine, but this better not be recorded."