Word count: 2845

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐙𝐀𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐇'𝐒 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 opened, Five and Diego were in the same position as when she had passed out, leading her to wonder if it had only been a few minutes.

Though what led her to believe otherwise, was the fact that the pain had reduced. It was there, for sure, and the burning in her stomach didn't let her forget it, but much, much better.

Oh, the miracles of sleep.

"Elle," Five breathed out as he saw that she had regained consciousness. "Are you okay?"

"I'm better," she mumbled, glancing down to her stomach to see that it was now cleaned of any blood—probably from Five or Diego wiping it with a wet cloth—and that the bullet wounds were slowly, but surely closing. "I know I won't die, so that's a positive."

Slowly, she sat up, despite Five and Diego's protest, wincing slightly the pain shot up for a brief moment.

As Five released her hand to use his index finger to tilt up her chin, she noticed that her hands were now also blood-free, and she used them to quickly button up her shirt and carefully pull her dress back over her top half.

"You feelin' okay enough to tell us what happened?" questioned Five, who seemed a little more relieved than before as she gave him a small smile.

"Yeah," she sighed. "So . . . long story short, I time-travelled."

"What?" both Five and Diego questioned simultaneously, their eyes widening.

"The Handler came in, killed" —she swallowed, licking her dry lips for a moment— "all of you, and then was killed by the Swede. I had only been shot once, and I was fine, so I made a portal and time-travelled back a few seconds."

A look of recognition came over Five's face at the last few words, but he seemed to have decided to keep that part to himself for the moment as he asked, "And the three other shots in your stomach?"

"Right," she nodded before continuing, "the Swede was going to kill you, but when he saw that I was making a portal, he shot me, which wasn't too fun."

Five cupped her cheek, his thumb gently grazing against her skin as he gazed at her and murmured, "Well, thanks for saving us, then."

She let out a small chuckle, then winced. She had forgotten how debilitating a stomach wound could be.

She then turned to Diego, who was sitting on her other side and staring at the ground, his fingers curled. She quickly clasped his hand with her free hand, drawing his attention to her, and murmured, "See, Eggo, it wasn't your fault. You were dead."

This seemed to have reassured him slightly, but he still shook his head.

Elizabeth sighed, her lips settling into a frown before she leaned towards Five and murmured for him to return in a few minutes.

Once he had gone (though he had left rather unwillingly), Elizabeth put her hands on Diego's shoulders. "Diego, you have always tried your best to protect me. You can't be successful every time."

"I'm more unsuccessful th-than I am successful," he scoffed.

"But I'm not dead, right?" she pointed out with a small smile. "You can't always act like a hero, Diego, but that doesn't mean you aren't one."

Diego was quiet for a moment, and she took that time to rest her head on his shoulder.

He gave a low chuckle as he glanced down at her stomach and said, "This feels a lot like old times."

"You say that like it was a regular occurrence," she giggled softly and then winced in pain once more. She should really stop laughing.

"It shouldn't've even happened once," Diego muttered.

"Hey," she chided, "at least it was someone else that almost killed me this time."

He gave her a small glare, though the corners of his lips tugged upwards. "Not funny, Goldie."

She gave him a smile as she shrugged. "It's a little funny."

Diego only shook his head in response, a small chuckle escaping his lips. He leaned back in his seat, carefully so that her head remained on his shoulder, and sighed, "I can't believe Dad got away with killing JFK."

"You know," Elizabeth scoffed slightly as she turned her head to look up at him, "with how obsessed you are with the man, I would've thought you would've paid attention during the lesson about him."

"Ah, you know," Diego said dismissively as he waved a lazy hand, "Pogo always finds a way to make things boring."

"All right," interrupted a voice from behind, "it's been long enough."

Diego rolled his eyes as Five shooed him away, and he quickly kissed the top of Elizabeth's head before getting off the couch and leaving the room.

Five took the spot that Diego had previously been in, and he interlaced his fingers with Elizabeth's as he shifted closer to her.

"Feelin' any better?" he asked softly as he glanced down towards her stomach.

"Much," she reassured him. "I'm seventy-six percent healed."

Five let out a small sigh of relief, the corners of his lips turning upwards as he looked towards her. "Good. I was worried . . ."

"You can't get rid of me that easily," she teased.

"Trust me, beautiful, I wouldn't want to," he murmured as he leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

Before he could draw away, Elizabeth cupped his cheeks and pulled him back in for a much longer, much-needed kiss.

Five settled his hands around her waist, making sure to be careful as he pulled her closer to him, and he tilted his head to deepen the kiss, their noses brushing against each other in the process.

Elizabeth suddenly pulled away, her eyes now fixated on something that she could see through the window—or at least, what used to be the window.

"Already?" complained Five, adjusting his grip on her waist as he kept his gaze concentrated on her lips.

"Someone's here," she murmured, her eyebrows furrowed as she squinted her eyes to make out the faint outlines. "Two people."

"What?" Five released her as he turned around to see, and his eyes widened. "Oh. Diego!"

Diego came rushing into the room, his eyes wide, but he stopped in his tracks and gave a sigh of relief when he saw that nothing was wrong.

He followed the other two's gaze and he breathed out, "Oh. Let's go."

"Who are they?" questioned Elizabeth as she slowly got off the couch with the help of Five, who then clutched her hand tightly.

"Herb and Dot," Five told her as the three of them left the home. "They work for the Commission—they're good, don't worry," he added once he saw her worried expression.

She nodded, and, as they began their trek to meet the pair, her eyes roamed over the sky that was settling into a nice pink as clouds drifted lazily overhead. 

It was practically impossible to tell that there had been a snowstorm only a couple of hours previous, though the small patches of snow that was slowly melting were a little bit of a giveaway.

Elizabeth squinted her eyes as they neared the other pair, and she finally got a good look.

Herb was a man of shorter stature, wearing a fedora over his thinning hair, and held a briefcase in his hand.

Dot was a taller and slimmer woman, who wore a pale blue coat and beret, and a gentle smile of greeting graced her friendly face.

"Herb," Five addressed as they came to a stop, "Dot."

"Hey," Herb responded.

Dot's smile broadened. "Hi."

"Sup, Herbie?" Diego greeted with a grin, then performing an elaborate handshake with the shorter man.

"Hey!" Herb replied with a chuckle as their handshake continued. "My man."

Diego raised his eyebrows. "All good?"

"Good to see you guys." Herb grinned as their handshake came to an end, the two men blowing air out of their mouths to finish it off. He sighed, his expression growing much grimmer as he asked, "I can't believe it. Is she . . . ?" He trailed off, then dragging his hand over his throat to finish his question.

An amused smile grew onto Five's face as he raised his eyebrows and guessed, "Really dead this time?"

"Oh, yeah," Diego confirmed.

The other two gave a nod, and sorrow didn't seem to cross their face once.

Five's grip on Elizabeth's hand tightened as he glanced between the two faces and worriedly questioned, "Now that the Handler's gone, what happens at Commission?"

At this, Herb began to stammer, his mouth not letting one word finish before moving to the next as he made small shrugs.

Dot nudged his side, a smile coming onto her face as she murmured, "Just tell them."

"Eh . . . Well . . . we need to elect a new board of directors. But, until then, I, um . . ." A nervous grin came onto his face as he shrugged and informed them, "I've been voted in as acting chairperson."

Dot let out a small squeal of excitement, clapping her hands together as she and Herb looked to the three to gauge their reactions.

"No shit." Diego grinned. "Congrats, Herbie. That's huge."

"I'm so goddamn nervous," Herb mumbled, his apprehension clear as day through his quivering voice and shifting smile.

"You'll do fine," Five reassured him with a small nod.

Herb gave a small chuckle, "Oh, thank you!"

Five nodded before letting out a small exhale and saying, "Herb, we need a favour."

"Oh, sure, anything!" Herb encouraged with a quick nod.

"A briefcase," Five informed him. "Get back home, where we belong."

Herb gave them a finger gun before both he and Dot turned to gesture towards the hundreds of dead Commission workers, who all had free briefcases lying next to them.

"Take your pick."

—☆—

Elizabeth sat on the front steps of the wooden porch, gazing up at the dark sky whose millions of stars twinkled and winked at her.

She let out a small sigh of happiness as she basked in the starlight; they were finally going home.

It had been a couple of hours since Herb and Dot had left, and the family was saying their goodbyes to the year 1963 as they prepared to go home, and Elizabeth could hardly wait another second.

Thankfully, her wounds had fully healed about half an hour before, and she was now rid of any pain, much to her and the rest of the family's relief. Still, she caught Five and Diego making the occasional glance towards her stomach as if they were worried the bullet wounds would suddenly appear, though she was quick to send them a reassuring smile.

She shut her eyes, letting the cool breeze wash over her as she thought of the warm bed that waited for her; the room that she had missed so dearly and all its contents . . .

She felt a presence come to her side a few moments later and turned her head to see Five taking a seat next to her, a smile on his face.

"Hey," he greeted softly, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Hi," she replied, kissing his cheek before resting her head on his shoulder.

He gazed up at the sky for a brief moment, taking in the same Moon and stars that she was before he asked, "You know what I wanna do when we go home?"

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "What?"

Five kissed the top of her head before he murmured, "Go on the balcony with you."

Elizabeth's lips widened into a smile as she raised her head and gave a small nod. "I'd love that."

Five smiled before he placed a warm hand on her cheek and led her face closer to his before pressing his lips against hers.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, shifting herself closer as he tilted his head. He traced his tongue along her bottom lip before she opened her mouth to grant him access, and she let out a small giggle as his tongue slipped inside.

Their lips moved in synchrony for a few more moments as they enjoyed each other's warmth before the two of them drew away.

Five rested his forehead against hers as he whispered, "I love you, Elle."

She planted a brief kiss on his lips before whispering back, "I love you too."

Their attention then shifted to the front door as it opened, and the family spilled out.

"Enough of this cute shit," Diego said as he gestured to the two, "let's go home."

Elizabeth giggled, kissing Five's cheek before getting to her feet, and she joined the family in heading down the steps and onto the wet grass.

As soon as everyone had come into a circle, Five clutched the briefcase tightly and looked around at them as he questioned, "Everyone ready?"

"Let's do it," Luther confirmed, "yeah."

"Okay," Five breathed out, adjusting his grip on the briefcase as everyone made sure to clasp each other's hands tightly.

Her eyes glued to the briefcase, Elizabeth put a hand on Five's shoulder while clutching Diego's hand tightly with the other.

Before anything could happen, however, Klaus suddenly called out, "Wait!"

Everyone's posture stiffened as they turned to him, their expressions becoming baffled.

A quick smile was given to them before Klaus dashed past them and seized a black cowboy hat that rested on the porch's railing. He came back to his spot next to Luther while he fitted the hat to his head and slid his hand over the brim for extra effect.

As annoyed as Five, who was glaring at Klaus, Diego muttered, "Fifty bucks if we leave him here."

As soon as everyone had given a nod to signify that they were ready, Five quickly unfastened the latches of the briefcase, and blue lightning appeared as it cracked open. The familiar vortex burst out, and began to envelop them as it shrouded their view and crackled loudly.

And suddenly, they were in the main foyer of the Academy.

The family groaned and moaned from the uncomfortable twists that their stomachs had endured during their trip, and they all leaned forward on the circular table they surrounded.

"Oh, good God," Luther groaned, his eyes squinted. As Five grasped the newspaper that had been resting on the table, Luther pointed at him and hurriedly questioned, "Wh-what day is it?"

"April 2nd, 2019," Five told them as he shifted his gaze up, his eyes a little wide. "Day after the apocalypse."

"Wait, so we stopped it," Allison realized.

Vanya let out a small gasp of surprise, "My God, it's over?"

"Did we . . . actually succeed at something?" Klaus questioned incredulously, a grin growing onto his face. "That's incredible!"

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed, and she walked forward, ignoring the sounds of the siblings cheering and high-fiving behind her.

Something in her brain told her that something was wrong, and, as much as she didn't want to believe that to be true, she knew it was stupid to not trust her brain—it was the smartest one in the world, after all.

Her eyes flickered over every object as she walked inside the living room—the couches, the lamps, the fireplace—in an attempt to find out what was wrong, what was out of place.

And when her eyes roamed above the fireplace and to the one oil painting she had never seen before, she let out a small gasp.

"Guys," she called, her eyes unmoving from the painting that had replaced her and Five's. "Why is there a painting of Ben over the mantelpiece?"

She heard the footsteps as they came up from behind her, and their celebratory cheers died down as they saw the same thing she did.

"I knew you'd show up eventually."

Their attentions immediately turned to their right, and their eyes widened upon seeing Reginald, who had just gotten up from a chair he had been hidden behind.

"Dad," Diego breathed out.

"You're alive," Luther whispered, his eyes wide.

A look of puzzlement came over Reginald's face as he questioned, "Why shouldn't I be?"

"Yeah," Luther said quickly, shaking his head as a nervous smile came on. "Y-Yeah, you're right. I'm . . . I'm just happy that we're home and . . . together again."

"'Home'?" Reginald echoed, his eyebrows raising. He shook his head before he told them, "This isn't your home."

"What are you talking about?" Allison questioned, her eyebrows furrowing. "This is the Umbrella Academy."

"Wrong again," Reginald chided as he clasped his hands behind his back. To answer the baffled expressions they were giving him, he elaborated, "This is the Sparrow Academy."

They turned around as the sound of footsteps rang through the air, and at the far end on the second floor, to their surprise, were the silhouettes of five people, and a glowing green cube hovered just next to them.

Then, another person came out of the shadows in front of them, and their eyes widened further upon recognizing the person.

Ben.

He wasn't the exact replica of the Ben they knew, however; this one had a bit of facial hair, a thin scar running along his face, and his hair was much longer and messier than his usual groomed cut.

And, oh yeah, he was alive.

"Dad," Ben questioned, a look of revulsion upon his face as his eyes shifted over them, "who the hell are these assholes?"

With the same feeling of dread coursing through each sibling, the Umbrella Academy spoke simultaneously, "Shit."