Silence rustled through the van as the siblings were officially back on the road. As Lila looked into the back passenger seats, she saw that Luther, Allison, Five, and Viktor sat slumped in their seats, the wave of drowsiness washing over them. Trailing just behind them through the side mirror, she could see Dusk's car a length away. Turning back to her husband, Lila could see the anger and the small hint of betrayal etched onto his face. Even if he wasn't driving, he couldn't look at her, fearing she habored much more sinister secrets.

"Look, the reason they called me Nancy is-" Lila spoke but Diego quickly interrupted. "I already know," He claimed. "Know what?" Diego sucked in a breath, trying to choose his next words very carefully so as not to piss her off. "I've been following you. You and Vic," He admitted. "Well, that's a bit stalkerish," Lila cracked a smile, trying to lighten the mood, but Diego didn't find it funny. "You've been lying to me about book club. I don't know why you're involved in this Gene and Jean business, but you could've at least told me what you were getting into,"

"And why the hell would I do that?" Lila raised a brow. "Because I'm your husband, and we shouldn't be keeping secrets from one another," "You don't know these people like I do, Diego. And knowing you, you're gonna do some deep investigation or something that blows my cover," Lila scoffed. "Since when have I ever done something that almost blew our cover?" Diego questioned. "Remember the consulate in Dallas? Not to mention, you nearly spilled the beans back in Oblivion that I was pregnant with Gracie!" She pointed out.

"First of all, we were being attacked, so I wasn't gonna stand around and get murdered by a bunch of Swedes, and second of all, you're still going to hold that over my head?" The hushed argument between the two continued, but upon hearing the tiniest creak or shift of one of their siblings, they went quiet, hoping they weren't disturbing them. "I know you care about me, but believe me, I'm not some damsel in distress in need of rescuing. I can handle things by myself," Lila insisted. Diego sighed as his focus shifted back to the road. She was right, he may not have agreed with some of her decisions, but she had proven she could handle herself before. It was still one of the things he loved about her.

"I heard what you told Five last night. About Victoria cheating on him. Why were you following her too?" Lila brought it up, remembering his earlier mention. "It wasn't intentional. I had another package drop-off on that road, and I saw her in the cafe with... him," Diego explained, his growing softer with a hint of protectiveness. "With who?" Lila asked for clarification. "Some little Greek guy with a mustache," He answered. Upon remembering Victoria's reaction to the cheating accusation and the shifting look on her face when questioned, laughter erupted from Lila's mouth as she struggled to regain her composure and clarify the misunderstanding. "Is that funny to you?" Diego looked at her incredulously.

Lila coughed, patting her chest as her laughter quickly died down. But as Victoria's contorted look lingered in her mind, she erupted in laughter again. "Yeah, trust me! That is absolutely hilarious!" She sputtered. "Your sister is cheating on my brother, and you're laughing?" Diego questioned her again, hoping to get a serious answer. "Half-sister! Same adopted mother, different birth parents! But still my sister!" Lila corrected. "Diego, the guy, that little Greek guy is Five," Diego's eyes blinked with confusion, how Five could easily look like somebody else was beyond him. Back then, he stuck out like a sore thumb wearing schoolboy shorts, and now he could easily blend in and change like a chameleon.

As Diego looked back into the passenger seat, Lila nodded her head, her grin wider than the Cheshire Cat's. "We've been undercover investigating the Keepers. All three of us," She confirmed. "So, you're working undercover with the CIA too?" Diego asked, still struggling to grasp the reality of the situation. "This is why I didn't tell you, because I knew you'd have some bizarre reaction," Lila sighed. "I'm not having a bizarre reaction!" Diego insisted. "You're acting like I had an affair!" "This is worse than an affair!" 

"Okay, as much as I would like to unpack whatever this is, we have much more important things to think about," Lila's voice grew quieter, her gaze briefly turning to the back of the van. "It's because they're in the CIA, huh?" Diego whispered. "I'm just a dumb delivery driver," "No, Diego," Lila shook her head. "Then why not tell me? I know you said can handle yourself, but that's not the only reason, is it?" Diego crowed. "Because I needed something for myself, okay? Something other than changing diapers and wine moms and ballet class. At least you get outside the house every day. I'm just trapped in this unending suburban hellscape,"

"I mean, that's good to know. That the life we built is so bad," Diego's voice dripped with sarcasm. Lila's face fell, knowing Diego was more hurt on the inside than he chose to reveal on the outside. "That's not what I meant..." She trailed off, realizing there was no point in trying to elaborate further. "You think I like delivering packages day in and day out? Busting my ass? Trust me, I'd rather be out there cracking skulls, but I mean somebody's got to show up for this marriage, because... it sure as hell ain't you,"

Diego slammed a fist on the radio, reactivating the annoying repetitiveness of the Baby Shark song, waking up everyone in the van. But nearly five seconds into the song, Diego immediately regretted his decision, knowing they'd be in for more hours of endless mental torture.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, this is book club, huh? Nancy?" Diego teased as they drove through the city, in the direction of the Keepers Headquarters. "Oh, shut up, Diego," Lila muttered as the siblings piled out of the van, and as Dusk pulled into the empty parking spot behind them, the trio and Klaus piled out as well, wanting to stretch their legs after the long drive. As the redhead, time traveler, and Lila started walking inside and climbing the steps, Diego turned around, handing Viktor the van's keys. "Here, you drive," Diego slipped them into his brother's hand. "You sure? Me driving Wanda?" Viktor double-checked, surprised that one of his siblings was trusting him not to accidentally destroy something.

"Yeah, I don't give a shit anymore," Diego insisted. "She's pulling to the right a little bit. And don't go over 40, or the muffler's gonna fall off," he added. "Got it," Viktor nodded before Diego followed behind his group. Looking over his shoulder, Viktor didn't need to ask them if they wanted to ride in the van. Even with the lack of arguments and the smell of vomit dying down, there was no way any of them were willing to carsick again. "I'll ride along with you," Luther smiled. "I guess I will too," Allison sighed, looking over to where Dusk leaned against her car, glaring momentarily before turning back to her husband.

Reaching the top of the steps, Diego, Lila, Victoria, and Five reached the fourth floor, approaching the wooden double doors. "Welcome to The Keepers HQ, courtesy of Gene and Jean," Five and Victoria pushed open the doors as the four of them walked into the large room. But as the doors shut behind them, and they looked around, something seemed off. The last time they were there, the place was brimming with evidence and information the senile couple had accumulated over the years explaining the Umbrella Effect. But now, it felt strangely empty.

"Jean and Gene didn't give us much to go on," Diego noted as they searched through the drawers and filing cabinets, only finding a dead end. "Stay focused for once, darling," Lila said with a hint of annoyance. "All the files are gone," She leaned against the towering shelf. "Yeah, it certainly looks that way," Victoria groaned with frustration, pulling open the tiny drawer underneath the desk. "While you three stand around twiddling your dinks, I've got some recon to do," Diego stepped out into the hallway, refusing to accept defeat. "There's nothing here, Diego," Lila reminded him.

"Our targets left in a hurry, correct?" Diego asked. "Yeah, so?" Lila answered. "So... haste makes waste, mami," Lila could only roll her eyes as her husband carried on, knowing that of course, he had to scrape the whole building top to bottom looking for clues. "Maybe you should go along with him," Victoria suggested. "Really? We're gonna be scouring this place for hours if we don't get a move on!" Lila whined. "Well, it doesn't hurt to check, usually the people that leave in a hurry leave some piece of evidence behind," Five reasoned.

"Okay, Sherlock Holmes," Lila rolled her eyes, reluctantly following Diego through the halls. And as the doors once again shut behind them, Victoria turned back to Five. "Out with it. Why can't you blink?" She inquired. "I can blink, Vic. I just..." Five answered, scouring a small stack of books for any hidden papers. "Just won't? You haven't used them at all since we got them back, why's that?" Five sighed, turning back to his girlfriend, but was unable to explain himself. "You gotta get back on that horse. If I'm still grasping having my powers back, so do you," As she grabbed Five's arm, he sharply turned around yelling "Don't!" But with a flash of purple light, the couple no longer found themselves in Gene and Jean's headquarters.

"Whoa! Where are we?" the redhead glanced around them, noticing the tiled white walls and dimming, flickering lights above them. "A subway station," Five answered. "Yeah, I can see that, numbnuts. But why did you blink us here?" She questioned. "Believe me, V. It was not on purpose. Ever since Ben spiked us with that janky Marigold, when I blink, this is where I end up," Five explained as they walked past the security barrier into the terminal. "What's down here?" The redhead questioned, following him down the flight of stairs. The terminal's lack of lights sent a few shivers down her spine, looking like anything could pop out of the darkness and attack them at any moment. 

"Okay, this is not the MTA, not the Tube," She murmured, breaking the silence to make herself feel a bit more at ease. "Trust me, this is unlike any subway you've been to," Five spoke. "Well, where do the trains go?" Victoria asked. "That's the weird part. I took a westbound train and went one station over. When I came up, it was the exact same day and the same time, but a completely different timeline," Victoria's eyebrows quirked up with intrigue as she glanced around, the sounds of screeching metal filling the air with the passing subways. "So, this is a time-traveling subway?" She inquired. "It would appear that way," Five nodded.

Off in the distance, a glowing block of zigzagged lines and multicolored pinpoints caught Victoria's eye as she ran towards it. "You figured out how to read this map?" She pointed. "I'm still trying to understand it," Five admitted as Victoria's finger brushed against one of the pinpoints, trying to follow the connected trail. "Shouldn't be too difficult. Lila and I once navigated the Tokyo subway with a bullet wound in her thigh and on our periods," Victoria reasoned. "North to South, this connects around here," she followed the trail to the narrow side of the map but quickly lost her place with all the intertwining paths.

Fuck me, this is confusing. Coming to a screeching halt, the next train pulled into the station, the voice of the PA seemingly speaking backward. "Heading eastbound, shall we?" Victoria looked over at him, a small smile growing on her lips. "We really should be getting back to Diego and Lila," Five insisted. "Come on, one ride wouldn't hurt!" Victoria grabbed his hand as the subway doors opened. "Vic, I don't want to be hopping on trains until we understand this!" Five dragged his feet, but it was no use as his girlfriend's grip was a lot stronger than his. As they stepped onto the subway, Five breathed out a quiet sigh, the PA intercom crackling to life as the train doors slid closed.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Damn, it smells like ass," Diego gagged as he dove headfirst into the dumpster. "Well, what else did you think it'd smell like? Flowers?" Lila stood with her arms crossed, not bothering to dig deep and get her hands dirty. "I just didn't think it'd smell this bad, okay?" Diego popped his head out of the pile and glared at her before grabbing one of the garbage bags and ripping into it. "Jesus, that's nasty," He plugged his nose, as the smell of rotting meat and ammonia filled his nostrils. But while plugging the stench, Lila saw something hanging right above them, a stash of garbage bags that looked like they had either been stashed there or got caught in the chute.

Grabbing the broom that was leaning against the wall, Lila jammed it into the shoot. "Mind your head!" She warned as the two bags came unloose, nearly hitting the side of her husband's head. "Jackpot!" Lila jumped into the dumpster, tearing into one of the bags as Diego ripped into the other. His was full of crumpled up papers, and folders that had been bent in two. Fishing one of them from the bag, he squinted as he read the small body of text, Golden Mesa Community College; Dr. Jean Thibedeau. "Diego, you might want to see this," Lila reached into her bag of trash, fishing out a moldy beige folder.

Opening the folder, the couple scrolled past the redacted bodies of texts crossed out in black Sharpie, but as they read on, the more confused they became. "What could this mean?" Lila asked. "The Cleanse... Come to Papi," Diego whispered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The subway chimed as Five and Victoria reached their final destination, gripping the metal poles as the subway pulled to a stop. "Yucko," Victoria gagged, noticing the scattered bags of garbage and the black mold growing in every corner of the terminal. Five reached into his blazer, pulling out the small notebook and pen he always carried with him, marking down the strange objects. "Dear diary, why do I always wear suits?" Victoria teased, whispering over his shoulder. "I'm leaving breadcrumbs. It's a broken vending machine, stain on the floor in the shape of Australia, three burnt-out lightbulbs," Five noted.

"Very poetic," The redhead smirked. "Where do you think we ended up?" The Bonnie and Clyde couple walked towards the stairs back to the entrance of the terminal. "My guess is back in Gene and Jean's apartment. Same day, same time, different timeline," Five speculated. But as they reached the surface, Five was sorely mistaken. Smoke and embers filled the air as they stepped over rubble and looked out into the destroyed city. "What the hell?" Victoria coughed. "We must've jumped forward, ahead of time to the end of the world,"

"No, no, no. We haven't jumped anywhere. We're not moving forward or backward through time. We're just going to alternate versions of now," Five clarified. "This is Gene and Jean's apartment," As he continued to look around, Five's eyes blinked with realization. Something about this area brought him back to a time in his life that he had fought for years to suppress that memory. "I've been here before..." His voice echoed through the smoldering fires. "This is my apocalypse,"

"This exact apocalypse?" Victoria questioned, stepping over another small pile of rubble. "Mhmm, the original timeline; the one where Viktor blew up the moon, and we didn't stop it," Five's voice grew quiet as more of the memories haunted him. From a distance, Victoria could sense the inner demons within him brewing, threatening to consume him. She'd seen it before, especially during the night, remembering his screams and whimpers of terrors as they filled their bedroom, pleading for them to leave him alone. 

"Hey..." She walked back to him, her hand slipping around the small of his back. "I'm here with you," She whispered. Her gentle touch was enough to subdue the demons temporarily, and his emerald eyes locked onto hers, his hands wrapped around her waist. "Don't let go," He whispered, trying to mask the pain in his voice. "I won't, I promise..." She vowed. But as her lips were about to brush against his, something made them pause, it felt like someone was watching them from a distance. Reaching into his blazer, Five grabbed his binoculars, a protective arm still wrapped around her waist.

"What is it?" Victoria asked, squinting as she tried to follow his gaze. Five grew silent, as a familiar figure off in the distance hid behind a pile of concrete, and slowly pointed a long rifle in their direction. And as that fourth all too familiar sign of Paradox Psychosis snuck up behind him, Five realized who was watching them. "Did you just fart?" Victoria squinted. "Get down!" Five yelled, grabbing her hand as they ducked and scrambled for cover behind a dust-covered police car. As the bullets ricocheted through the air, bouncing off the metal, Five tucked his binoculars back into his blazer, keeping an eye out for an opening amid the gunfire.

"Who the hell is shooting at us?" Victoria shouted over the piercing noise. "I am!" Five answered, sneaking a glance at his younger self as he reloaded his rifle, giving them a small window to escape. "We need to get out of here, go!" Grabbing her hand, again, Five and Victoria sprinted back towards the subway, just as the younger Five continued to fire at them. As they slid down the metal banister back into the terminal, to their luck, a subway was already waiting for them, and they made it just as the doors were beginning to close.

"That was too close," Victoria panted, sitting next to Five in one of the metal seats. "Way too close..." Five nodded in agreement. As the subway started moving again, Five slipped a hand around his girlfriend's waist. A split second afterward, the flash of purple light teleported them out of the subway, and back into Gene and Jean's apartment. Diego and Lila looked at them both with confusion as the Bonnie and Clyde couple sat next to each other on one of the couches. "The hell are you doing?" Diego squinted.

"Did you guys find anything?" Victoria asked, changing the subject. "Oh, we found something alright," Lila answered, gesturing for them to come over. "Something that's gonna blow this case wide open," Diego added, handing Five the stack of papers. His eyes scanned the paper, reading through an incident report, some of the information had been crossed out, but there was one sliver of info that caught his eye. 

Subject of Incident: Jennifer (Redacted) 

Date of Incident: 10/14/2006 

Incident: Jennifer. Casualties: 2 Umbrella Academy 10/14/2006

"Umbrella Academy?" Five blinked with confusion. "That's impossible, there was no Umbrella Academy in 2006," He pointed out. "Not in this timeline," Diego corrected. "It must be one of Gene and Jean's artifacts," Lila suggested. "Keep reading," The Kraken urged. "October 14th, 2006. What's so special about it?" Victoria questioned. "That's the day Ben died, our Ben," Diego answered. "Well, that's a coincidence," Five closed the folder. "Let me break it down for you. A random dry cleaner shows up out of the blue and hires us to go to New Grumpson, Maine, to rescue a girl named Jennifer. The whole town goes to shit, we get T-boned, and the girl gets kidnapped by two vigilantes in a station wagon," Diego recapped.

"Now, in their trash, we find a foreign document that has something to do with Ben's death. Hence... whatever is going on with Jennifer, it's got something to do with Ben. Ipso facto, mofos," Diego finished, sitting down at the desk, propping his feet up. "I bet you regret not sending in that resume, huh?" He squinted at Five and Victoria. "The hell is The Jennifer Incident? I feel like I heard of it before, but what is it?" Lila inquired. "It was a tragic accident," Five answered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The giant metal gates swung open as the rest of the Hargreeves siblings approached the entrance of the Hargreeves Mansion. Even in this timeline, their father still kept up with his old-timey yet somewhat modern design. The building looked like it had been carved with only the brightest white stone, and as the sun peeked through the grey skies, it shimmered like a new pearl. Leading up the stairs of the mansion, men dressed in black suits and sunglasses stood perfectly still. How they were able to so easily get past security, Dusk didn't know. But it shouldn't have been that way.

"Are we really doing this?" Luther gulped, having never thought he'd be face-to-face with 'him' again. "I guess so..." Dusk slightly adjusted her jeans, hoping it'd be enough to conceal any evidence of her pregnancy. The only ones who knew were her siblings and husband, and she hoped to keep it that way. "It'll be fine. The sooner we get this talk with him out of the way, the better," Viktor assured, sensing his sister's worries. "Hold on, you skip the family reunions, you barely call, you never submit anything to the family newsletter. And yet, here you are, first in line to see Dad? What's with that?" Luther questioned.

"We had a family newsletter?" Klaus whispered to Dusk. "I dunno, never knew about it," Dusk shrugged. "I'm stuck, okay? I'm... I'm stuck in an endless argument with him in my head. And I feel like... like the only way I can move forward is if I can finally say my piece to him. Do you know what I mean?" Viktor answered. "I understand that," Luther nodded. "Just a friendly reminder to the group that the last time you spoke your piece with Dad, he murdered you," Allison pointed out to Luther.

Luther's hand went to his chest, remembering the exact moment that hug of reconciliation between them swiftly turned into one of betrayal. "I'm sure it won't happen again, right? We probably won't be able to make it past the front door," Luther awkwardly chuckled, looking to Dusk and Dahlia for reassurance. "Knowing the old man, who knows what else he's capable of above murder?" Dahlia sighed. "Well, if civility doesn't work, I'll just rumor their brains all over the wall," Allison smirked.

Of course you will, always wanting to resort to violence... Dusk rolled her eyes as they approached the stairs. "Six people approaching," One guard spoke into his walkie-talkie. "Copy. We gotta help," The guard on the other end responded. The bodyguard closest to the front door approached the ground, and while they couldn't see his expression through his thick glasses, he was ready to drag them off the property if push came to shove. "May I help you?" He asked. "Yeah, you can run inside and tell Reggie that we're coming in whether he likes it or not," Allison commanded.

The man removed his glasses, his expression softening as he tucked them into his pocket. "Of course, Ms. Hargreeves, welcome. We've been expecting you," He spoke, nodding to the rest of the siblings. "Dusk, Klaus, Luther, Viktor, Dahlia. I'll escort you inside the house. This way, please," The man opened the front door, but the Hargreeves didn't move an inch. "What the hell is going on here?" Dahlia whispered. "This better not be another daddy-daughter ambush!" Dusk warned. "Did you tell him we were coming?" Viktor questioned.

"No. I haven't talked to the man in five years," Allison replied. Following the bodyguard into the home, the siblings were led to the entrance hall, the sunlight beaming through the transparent dome, the dim light of the sconces providing a cozy atmosphere. Out in the living room, they could see the silhouettes of two women, both dressed in white and facing the window as their combined violins filled the mansion with a melancholy tune. Upon hearing the six pairs of footsteps, the violinists abruptly stopped playing, turning around to meet the group.

"What a pleasure to finally put faces to names," The older woman smiled, taking the younger one's violin and setting them to the side. "You must be Allison, I've heard so much about you," Allison's face shifted between flattery and being weirded out, unsure of how to respond. "You have?" She asked. "Yes," The older woman smiled before turning to Luther. "And Luther... my little space boy. We finally get a chance to thank you properly for watching over us on the moon,"

"Oh, it was nothing," Luther stammered. "It was far more than nothing. You protected us when we were at our most vulnerable," The younger woman smiled, shaking his hand. "Dusk and Dahlia, my fiery and icy spirits. You've grown much stronger since I last heard of you," The older woman praised. "Have we met before?" Dahlia asked. "I'm sorry, who are you?" Dusk tried digging into the deepest part of her brain, trying to recall her face. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm Abigail, and this is my daughter, Rosalie,"

"Pleasure to meet you all," Rosalie smiled, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear. "Nice to meet you too," Viktor nodded in acknowledgment. "So, we've got another sibling?" Klaus asked, rather intrigued and excited. "You must be Klaus!" Rosalie reached her hand out. "It's nice to meet someone with an unfiltered sense of humor," "Well, where's the fun in having a filtered sense of humor, that's just boring!" Klaus joked. "And dear Viktor, I understand we share a passion for the violin," Abigail's voice softer than silk. 

"It's more of a love-hate thing for me, but..." Viktor trailed off. But Abigail nodded, the look of understanding silently telling him there was no need to further explain. "Come, come sit," Abigail gestured to the living room. Hesitatingly, the Hargreeves slowly walked over, caution fueling every step. "It's okay, I promise we don't bite!" Rosalie assured. With that final reassurance, the siblings took their seats and as the blonde women put the violins back in their cases, Rosalie grabbed a large platter and set it on the table. "Fancy a cucumber sandwich?" She offered.

"Um, sure?" Dusk and Luther reached over, each taking one of the triangular pieces. "Is Reggie home?" Viktor looked at Rosalie. "He's home, I'm sure he's just puttering around somewhere," Rosalie smiled, a spark of kindness in her blueish-green eyes. "Let us get to know each other a bit first," Abigail spoke up, gesturing to the rest of the small snacks on the table. "Go ahead, don't be shy. The chef will be cross if you don't,"

Dusk's stomach grumbled with hunger as she eyed the mini donut holes and cupcakes laid out. And she figured one little cupcake never hurt anyone. Normally, she wouldn't be so easily swayed by anything involving her father, but after making sure none of her siblings were choking to death on poison, she reached over and indulged in her small craving. "Tea?" Rosalie held up a white teapot. Half of the group nodded, and as Rosalie poured them, their cups, the scent of cinnamon and lemon perfumed the air as she handed them their hot drinks.

"So Viktor, I hear you own a bar in Nova Scotia. Must get quite cold in Canada," Abigail sat in her seat, glancing over at him. "I mean, yeah. It can be. The summers are quite pleasant," Viktor commented. "What are the Christmases like there?" Rosalie inquired, sipping from her cup of tea. "I guess like the Christmases here? But it's much colder," Viktor answered. "I'd really like to visit one day," A gentle smile formed on Abigail's face as she watched her daughter and Viktor's conversation.

"You and your sister, always eager to go on another vacation the second we get home," She shook her head. "We recently took a holiday to London," Sister? Dusk blinked with curiosity, wondering if there was another Hargreeves they had yet to meet. Dahlia shared the same look, as did Luther, but his eyes had grown wider than the saucer holding his teacup. "She should be back any second, right Mother?" Rosalie queried. Abigail slightly nodded before turning to Luther, inquiring about what he did for a living.

"Oh! Um... I'm a professional dancer," Luther sputtered. " A dancer? How wonderful!" Abigail nodded approvingly. Suddenly, the humming of a voice softer than the coo of a dove echoed through the entrance hall, heels clacking against the tiled floor as the person walked toward the living room. As the Hargreeves all looked up, Luther's teacup slipped from his grasp, thankfully falling onto the carpet rather than the tiles. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" A familiar voice punctured the air. "It's quite alright, Sloane. Come, take a seat,"

"S-Sloane?"