"No! No! No! No!" Dusk spat out the mouthguard, struggling to break free from her restraints. "Oh my god..." Luther gaped, disconnecting the headrest from the sides of his head. With shaking hands, Dusk finally broke free from the machine, trying to suppress the urge to throw up. All after these years, after all the time we've spent blaming each other for what happened to Ben, it was Dad who caused his death?! "Benerino..." Klaus's voice filled with sorrow. "How could he do that?" Dusk sniffed. Sensing her distress, Klaus tightly embraced her, feeling the desperate rise and fall of her chest as she remembered the blood and tears from that awful night.

"I'm right here, babe," Klaus stroked her hair, wiping away the tears forming in the corner of her eyes. Dusk nestled her head deeper in his chest, hoping to escape the dreaded nightmare. But Dusk wasn't the only one growing emotional from her past trauma. Victoria sat up in her seat, hot and salty tears streaming down her face, her heavy breathing becoming short and ragged. "You MURDERED our brother!" Allison's voice trembled with anger. "And Jennifer!" Viktor added, shaking his head in disbelief. "You son a bitch..." Diego stared at Reginald, remembering just how evil and demented he truly was.

"Children, whatever anger you may feel towards me is misdirected. May I remind you that it was the other Sir Reginald Hargreeves who committed this horrible act?" Reginald said, his gaze shifting amongst the grief-stricken siblings. "What are you going on about?" Dahlia questioned. "When we were kids, the 'other' Hargreeves killed Ben and Jennifer," Luther answered. "And he had a perfectly valid reason for doing so!" The old man justified. "They were two innocent kids!" Dusk sobbed. "Who would've set off a cataclysmic chain of events, leading to the extinction of all humanity!"

The siblings couldn't believe what they were hearing, even this version of their father was still just as heartless about their brother's life, even six years later. "You are no different than the other Hargreeves!" Luther spat. "You're both FUCKING PSYCHOPATHS!" Diego yelled. While the siblings' voices grew louder and louder with shock and anger. Victoria's body shook with anger, as she slowly rose out of her chair. The occasional sparks flowing through her veins started to make a recurring appearance, the faint green lights ran down into the palms of her hands.

"Children, it's not his fault," Abigail spoke, breaking the tension for the briefest moment. "Reg is not responsible for what happened to your brother and that poor girl. I am..." All eyes fell on her, a wave of confusion crashing over everyone in the room. How could Abigail be responsible when she wasn't a part of their lives up until this point? "Years ago, I synthesized a new element, the very essence of the universe," "The particle we know as Marigold," Reginald added. 

"At the same moment, unbeknownst to me, a second particle was created. Durango. When Marigold and Durango interact, they cause a reaction, a physical reaction. Unstoppable, irrevocable. The extinction of everything we know," Abigail explained. "The Cleanse," Five realized, and Abigail nodded. "By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late for our world," she continued. "Not only did it consume our world, but the aftereffects of the Durango poisoned the both of us," Rosalie spoke up, her voice trailing off at the distant memory. Abigail put a hand on her daughter's shoulder, her face full of remorse. "I never intended to put you in harm's way," She sighed. "You couldn't have known, darling," Reginald replied.

"I... don't mean to be a dick and all, but why the fuck does any of this have to do with us?" Lila squinted. "The other particle is inside of Jennifer. That's why it is imperative that none of you come into contact with her!" Reginald answered. "And what happens if we do?" Dusk inquired. "We end the world," Five spoke bluntly. "Again? Man, we can never settle down, can we?" Klaus whined. "That's a side effect of being a Hargreeves..." Dahlia shook her head. "Uh... guys?" Luther slowly raised his hand, the uneasiness in his voice forming a tight knot within their stomachs. "We... may have a problem,"

~~~~~~~~~

As the siblings sat together back in the living room, Luther's explanation as to the latest in their series of predicaments caused quite a few eye rolls. During their long wait at the body shop for Diego's van to finish with the repairs, Luther caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a rash forming on Ben's arm. Why he waited to tell them until Ben was off who knows where doing who knows what looking for Jennifer, they didn't know. But the further Ben was, the more in danger they all were. "I don't understand. What? You just let him go?" Lila blinked.

"Well, how was I supposed to know Ben was infected with this... whatever this thing is," Luther spoke, stress-eating through the mini tower of cookies and fudge sitting on the table next to him. "Durango," Rosalie corrected. "That's right! Dur...ango," The Ape-man muffled. "Great work, Luther. Really great," Five said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "The rash on his arm, what did it look like?" Abigail inquired. "I dunno, it was just kind of... You know it kinda looked like that thing that Klaus caught when he came home from Ibiza," Luther described.

"Oh god, don't remind me! That thing stung for a whole month!" Klaus shuddered. "I can confirm, Vik and I had to rub him in lots of aloe," Dusk nodded. "I still can't look at it the same way. Too sticky," Viktor blinked, desperately to remove the memory from his brain. "Are you a doctor, Luther? Or do you just play one at bachelorette parties?" Diego scoffed. "Hey! I'm a professional dancer!" Luther bit back. "Luther, was there anything usual about this rash?" Abigail questioned, drawing them all back to the task at hand.

"No, it was just, you know, red and glowing, and pulsating," Luther slowly remembered. "You didn't think maybe that was worth bringing up?" Five rolled his eyes, running his fingers through his hair. "I just thought it had to do with our powers coming back! I mean, we've all been having issues. I know I have," Luther reasoned. "Great job, Luther. Now, you put the whole world in jeopardy!" Allison slowly clapped her hands. "Do you ever shut up?" Lila glared. "Well, she kinda did after Viktor slit her throat..." Diego muttered. "Whoa, what?! When did that happen?" Dahlia looked intrigued.

"This was before you came along," Viktor answered. "And I thought we were gonna stop bringing that up. I didn't mean to do it!" As the tension in the room only grew, so did Victoria's anger, and while she was able to mask her emotions temporarily, the growing fire within her soul threatened to release the demons she had locked away for decades. The loud cocking of a gun got the sibling's attention as they all looked behind Luther and their jaws nearly dropped to the floor as Reginald pulled out a long black hunting rifle.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! What are you doing?" Lila put her hands up, thinking the gun was aimed at her and her in-laws. "It's time to hunt!" Reginald answered coldly. "He's gonna kill Ben all over again!" Viktor's voice rose with panic. "One of the hosts must be eliminated before the reaction is complete," The old man explained. "Reaction? You do realize you're talking about human beings and not lab rats, correct?" Dusk scoffed. "Reggie, please listen to your children, you can't just murder him!" Abigail persuaded. "Isn't there another way we can stop him that doesn't involve killing?" Rosalie questioned.

"They're right, there has to be another way," Luther nodded in agreement. "I understand, you've grown attached to your brother. But you don't seem to appreciate what is at stake here! We must act before it's too late!" Reginald insisted. As the monocle turned on his heel, Dahlia's hand twisted and contorted as a spiked snowball formed, and with a perfectly skilled throw, it collided with the center of Reginald's skull, knocking him to the floor and the rifle out of his hand.

The siblings looked around surprised, watching as Reginald slowly turned onto his back, still in shock by the hit. "How about you shut your damn mouth for once, old man?" Dahlia said very chilling. "Ho-How dare you!" Reginald stammered. "You could've killed me!" "Well, you rightfully deserve it, you good-for-nothing murdering piece of SHIT!" Victoria snarled, finally letting her mask fall as she joined Dahlia and Dusk as they towered above him, their anger also having reached their peaks.

"I think it's high time you realize you're not running the show anymore. We are!" Dusk boomed, her voice rattling the mansion walls as if it were in the midst of an earthquake. Reginald's hand touched the ground beside him, searching for his rifle, but with a swipe of orange flickering flames and wind, the rifle was out of his reach. "Don't even think about it!" Viktor warned. The quivering and burning rage between the four siblings, and just a small dosage of each of their powers was enough to pin Reginald to the floor, unable to free himself from his invisible shackles.

"Do you really think these childish theatrics will stop me?" Reginald glared. "Well, we can certainly step it up a notch if you'd like," Dahlia smirked. And with a nod to Dusk, the phoenix's clenched fists started glowing a dark purple, a twinge of black smoke swirling around it. The ground surrounding Reginald began to crack under the pressure, and as she looked past the monocle into the dark and shameless eyes of the man who had "raised" them, she only saw a broken man with an insatiable need to keep himself at the top. No matter who he had to hurt, no matter who he had to kill, no matter how much blood would have to spill.

"Please, stop! Don't hurt him!" Abigail pleaded as Rosalie held her mother back, not wanting her to be in harm's way as well. "Why not? Why shouldn't we? All he does is hurt everybody else! Ben, Jennifer, Viktor, Dusk, ME!" Victoria spat. "What is she talking about?" Diego whispered to Five, to which Five kept shifting back and forth between his sister and girlfriend. How could Reginald hurt her when he barely even knew her? Through the increasing pain, Reginald was just as confused.

"I saw what you did on the machine! What you did to my family!" Victoria quivered. "Vic, what's going on?" Lila stepped towards her cautiously. "You... you MURDERED THEM! You were already sour when my parents refused to hand me over, and you couldn't take no for an answer!" The redhead's heart pounded against her ribcage, threatening to burst out. "They had to threaten you to make you leave... And then when..." Victoria choked up; the rest of the memory too painful to escape her lips.

Hearing the pain in Victoria's voice only added fuel to the fire, as Dusk lifted Reginald into the air, the gusting winds and cracking foundation threatened to crumble on top of him. "Spare me the waterworks, girl! I do not care what happened in your past, whatever your parents did to provoke their own demise is their mistake!" Reginald sneered. "And one life isn't more important than the entire planet. "SILENCE!" Dusk screamed; her voice combined with the sounds of a screeching bird. "Oh, but your wife's is!" Viktor scoffed. "You stuck your nose in where it didn't belong, and you allowed Jennifer to escape! This is YOUR fault!" Reginald shook his head.

"Oh, no, no, no! This is your fault!" Viktor corrected. "My whole life, all I wanted was for you to see me, to make me a part of the team! Instead, you treated me like I was broken, and I believed you! I thought you knew me better than I knew myself. But now I know, you don't know shit!" Every word hurtled the old man's way, hit him like a bullet striking him in every part of his body, but even as his physicality betrayed him, his mind still refused to accept he was in the wrong. "YOU'RE THE FAILURE!" Dusk chimed in. "YOU'RE THE REASON THIS HAPPENED!" Victoria joined. "And we are not gonna let you kill Ben! NOT NOW, NOT EVER!" Dahlia's icy blue eyes started glowing white, frost snipped at the corners of her eyes, her flesh growing colder and turning a deadly blue.

"ARE WE CLEAR?!" Viktor shrieked. As the four sibling's powers began to wind down, and Reginald fell onto the ground, still in shock by what the four had done to him, Dusk stumbled back to feel the warmth of her husband's chest against her back. Not long after, Lila and Five stood by Victoria's side, Abigail at Dahlia's, and Rosalie at Viktor's. "That's enough..." Rosalie's gentle voice caressed their ears, and while it couldn't extinguish the flames of anger entirely, it was enough to prevent the manor's further destruction.

"You and your father, all so headstrong," Abigail soothingly rubbed the icy blonde's back. "Well, he's no father to me. He can go straight to hell for all I care!" Victoria attempted to lunge at him, but Lila and Five held her back. Slowly, Reginald stood up, adjusting his blazer and fixing his shirt collar. He exhaled sharply, trying to regain his cold and calculated composure. Catching a glimpse of the rifle that was now bumped up against one of the staircases, Rosalie snuck off to retrieve it and return it to its rightful place before her father, or any of the other Hargreeves for that matter, could get any bright ideas.

But the moment Rosalie set the rifle back in the gun cabinet, a loud noise erupted from outside. Almost like someone had crashed through the main gate into the driveway. "What was that?" Diego looked around, his hand reaching for one of his knives just in case. One of Reginald's bodyguards who had been walking down the hallway heard the noise as well and went to investigate. The moment he stepped one foot outside, three gunshots rang through the air. Rosalie screamed as he fell onto the ground, blood spilling onto the white marble floor.

Through the slight crack in the door, Five could see people piling out of cars and trucks, all armed with guns and some even wore combat helmets to hide their identities. As they continued firing at the swarming bodyguards, there was no doubt in Five's mind who was attacking them. "Get down!" Luther yelled as the gunshots were now aimed at them, piercing through windows and pillars. They quickly scrambled behind cover, their backs pressed against the wall as they slightly peered out into the hallway, hearing the echoing footsteps. They knew they couldn't stay here forever unless they too wanted to suffer the fates of the bodyguards.

"What do we do now?" Viktor yelled over the noise. "Well, the way I see it, we either fight back or die," Five answered. "You forgot option three!" Klaus pointed out. Without warning, he darted out from behind cover and ran down the hallway, narrowly missing the bullets zooming past his head. "Klaus, what are you doing?!" Victoria called after him. "Get back here, boy!" Reginald ordered. But as Klaus turned the corner, more glass shattered, and everyone's eyes grew wide. Did he just...? More gunfire interrupted Dusk's question, and as she looked across the entrance hall to Dahlia and Victoria, the three of them shared the same idea to create a diversion.

 Slightly poking her head out, Dusk exhaled as she tried to calm her beating heart, her hands once again starting to glow a deep purple. Carefully timing it, the three women jumped out of hiding, powers at the ready. Dusk's fireball grew larger and more powerful with every fireball she threw, the satisfaction of watching flames engulf the gunmen and they stumbled around, trying to put out the blaze, only to fail miserably, their screams sending shivers down the rest of the group's spines. 

A dozen or so bullets came hurtling towards the women, but with a swift swipe of her hands, Victoria stopped them in their tracks, and as she focused her gaze on the bits of metal, they slowly turned around, back in the gunmen's direction. Behind the anonymity of their masks, the gunmen's eyes grew wide as some attempted to flee, while others stood their ground. Those who fled didn't get very far, the bullets striking them to the ground. But even that semblance of warning wasn't enough to deter them.

Dusk could feel her powers growing weaker, taking cover once more as she tried to regain her strength. Absorbing the cold air surrounding her, Dahlia thrust her hands towards the mansion's entrance, and thick layers of ice blocked the doors and busted windows, giving them just a small window of escape. "We don't have much time, there could be more of them on the way. We need to get out of here now!" Dahlia instructed.

"I am not leaving my equipment and experiments in the hands of these mongrels," Reginald scoffed. "You seriously care about your shitty equipment more than your wife and daughter?" Lila squinted. Reginald caught the gaze of his family, both women wore mixed faces of surprise and persuasion. "That's not what I meant," Reginald's voice grew quiet. "Well, it sure sounds like you did..." Diego muttered. "Rose, is there another way out of here?" Viktor inquired as he stood up and brushed himself off. "There's a secret passageway leading to the underground garage through the wine cellar. If we can make it there without further conflict, we can go after Ben," Rosalie answered.

"Sounds like a plan, let's get there before more of them show up," Five nodded. "Wait! I feel like we're forgetting somebody," Dusk paused them, counting up all the Hargreeves with the exception of her husband's escape through the window. "Shit, we forgot Sloane!" She gasped. "Rose, didn't you say she's in her room?" Abigail questioned. "She should be! Unless she ducked for cover elsewhere!" Rosalie recalled. "I'll go look for her!" But as she was about to climb the steps, Viktor grabbed her hand. "I'll come with and watch your back," he volunteered. 

"Well, make it quick! We don't have all day!" Reginald persisted. As Rosalie and Viktor darted up the stairs, Abigail led the rest of the family through the expansive corridors and into the combined library and wine cellar. And though Dusk was relieved to know there was indeed a way out that didn't involve fighting their way through armed mercenaries, Dusk couldn't bring herself to follow the group. Not when Viktor and Rosalie were still searching for Sloane. What felt like an eternity turned out to be only one or two minutes as she heard hurried footsteps running down the stairs and the three of them dashed into the room.

"Everything okay?" Dusk asked, ushering them to follow her down the darkened tunnel. "We're fine," Viktor assured. As they navigated the narrow dusty path, echoes of chaos from above grew louder and louder as tires came to a screeching halt. Shit, here they come... As the passage grew narrower and narrower, the siblings had their backs pressed against the wall, taking step after step deeper into the endless passage. "How far does this passage run?" Sloane strained, looking over to Rosalie. "We should be near the end soon," Rosalie responded. "Runs about half a mile,"

The group finally reached the hidden door leading to the underground garage. Pushing open the slightly cracked door, Dusk, Rosalie, Viktor, and Sloane stepped into the dimly lit structure, and were instantly greeted by the relieved sighs of the Hargreeves. "Thank god," Five slightly smiled.  The lights flickered on and off as the siblings gathered near the collection of sleek black bulletproof vehicles. Reginald did a quick headcount before handing over two sets of keys to Dusk and Allison. "Abigail, Viktor, Rosalie, you're with me," Reginald unlocked the car doors and got into the driver's seat.

"What about the rest of us?" Luther questioned. "Figure it out yourselves! You're old enough to decide who calls shotgun!" the old man answered. "Should anything go wrong, use these!" Abigail gestured to the walkie-talkies hooked to the back passenger seats. "Five, Vic, Dahlia. You're with me," Dusk pointed to them, each nodding before taking their seats. "Guess that leaves me with you guys," Allison sighed, gesturing to Luther, Diego, Sloane, and Lila. "What about Wanda?" Diego questioned.

"What about her?" Allison's brow quirked up at the mention of Diego's van. "We can't leave her! I didn't spend nearly $300 on repairs just to leave her behind!" Diego answered. "Calm your tits, Diego. It's just a minor separation," Lila assured. "You can get her back after we find Ben, and if these asshats leave," Dusk added. Diego rolled his eyes, before he two, piled into the backseat of Allison's van. And as the garage door opened and the siblings trailed behind their father...

...the search for Ben had just begun.

A/n: Hey everyone, sorry for the on-and-off writing schedule. College has been kicking me in the shins recently, and with the amount of studying I've had to for these classes, writing for From the Ashes has been put on the back burner. But luckily with Thanksgiving break for me starting up this Wednesday, hopefully, I'll be able to get a decent chunk of writing time in. Thank you all so much for your continued support on FTA, and I'll see you all in the next chapter!

With love,

Dusk Marie ☔💖