"So you mean to tell me we brought this apocalypse with us? How is that even possible?" Dusk asked, stunned as Five explained to her and Vanya the situation they had once again found themselves in. "Yes Dusk, it's true. To be honest, I don't know how but eight days from now, the world ends in a nuclear doomsday," Five nodded. Dusk felt her heart race, anxiety filled her body from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. She had spent three years in the past, thinking wherever she and her siblings were, they were safe. But now she realized that was not the case at all.

"Y-you're lying. I got here three years ago, and nothing out of the ordinary has happened," she tried to deny, but she knew he was telling the truth, even if it sounded crazy. "I need to make a phone call," Vanya said, getting up from the counter and rushing to a nearby telephone. "So, how are we going to stop this doomsday?" Dusk questioned, lowering her voice so only Five could hear. "I don't know, but one thing's for sure. We need to find the rest of our siblings. Have you seen any of the others?" He asked.

"No, only you and Vanya. I have been keeping an eye out, though. What about you?" Dusk answered. "I found Diego, Luther, then Vanya, and then you showed up. Now, I need to find Klaus and Allison," He answered, making Dusk's heart sink a little. He could see her look of shriveled hope but spoke nothing of it. He had never really been good with comforting people, only giving her a subtle smile before going back to drinking his coffee and glancing at the clock above the counter.

"We need to go," He said, walking towards Vanya, Dusk following behind him. As Vanya continued talking on the phone, Five took the receiver from her hand and hung it up. "Vanya, we don't have time for this," Five said softly. "That was my friend you just hung up on!" She hissed. Five gently placed both hands on Vanya's shoulders, calmly explaining to her that whoever this person was, they couldn't be more important than saving the world.

Vanya looked back and forth between Five and Dusk, who silently pleaded with her. The seventh Hargreeves bit back a sigh before following them out of the restaurant and into the street.

~~~~~~~

"Alright, so how are we going to get Allison's husband out of jail?" Ben asked as he sat in the back of the car with Klaus in front of the police station. "I'm going to need you to scare that guy at the front desk. I don't care what you do, just as long as it helps get Ray out," Klaus answered as he wiped the lenses of his sunglasses with his striped long-sleeved shirt. "Why do I always have to do everything?" Ben muttered to himself as he and Klaus exited the car, walking into the waiting area.

"Go get 'em," Klaus whispered to Ben as he sat in one of the waiting room chairs, trying to act as normal as possible while his dead brother worked his magic. The lights in the reception area began to flicker on and off, getting the attention of the officer standing at the desk. As the officer looked down both ends of the hall, He looked back at the desk to see a few holes poked into his sandwich. "What in tarnation?" He muttered, stunned to see the sandwich floating from its place on the napkin and thrown to the nearby doors across the hall.

The officer pressed his back against the wall, feeling fear course through his body. Suddenly, tapping noises came from the typewriter, writing out a message in black ink.

Free

Chestnut

Or...

DIE.

After Ben was done, he returned to Klaus, smirking as Raymond trailed behind. "Yeah, yeah, don't gloat," Klaus sighed. "You got me out?" Raymond asked as he put his watch back onto his wrist. "I told you I had friends in high places," Klaus replied as he stood up from his chair. "Wow, I don't know what to say," Ray responded just as Klaus held his arms open and hugged his brother-in-law.

"Anything for family, brother," Klaus smiled. "Well, we are all brothers beneath the skin," Raymond answered, a little confused by the former junkie's words. "No, you're my brother-in-law," Klaus explained, holding Ray's shoulder. "What?" He asked, confused once more as Klaus began to walk off, telling him that family barbecues were about to get weird.

~~~~~~~

"What the hell are we doing here? Some ole DIY?" Ben asked, looking out the window at the nearby hardware store. "You stay in here, pumpkin," Klaus responded, looking at himself for a brief moment in the mirror before shutting the car door. "Don't do anything dumb!" Ben shouted to him, poking his head through the slightly open window. Klaus walked inside, holding the door open for the few customers leaving.

He looked around for a moment, approaching the front desk. "David," A man at the counter said as Klaus approached.  "Yeah, can I help you?" Another man asked, making Klaus turn around to face him. His jaw almost dropped as he stared at the man through his tinted sunglasses. "Dave?" He asked, his jaw slightly hung open in shock. "Yeah, that's what it says on my name tag," Dave responded with a chuckle. Klaus took off his sunglasses as he smiled at his former love, happy to see him alive and well, even though it was five years before his death in 1968.

"Look at you, with your jokes and your name tag," He softly chuckled, his voice trembling the longer he stared at him. "Well, can I help you find anything?" Dave questioned. Unbeknownst to Klaus, Ben had followed him inside the Hardware Store, now understanding why he decided to leave San Francisco. "You know, this might be your dumbest idea yet, and you're pretty dumb," Ben scoffed, leaning up against the wall.

"Just don't!" Klaus snapped, turning to face Ben and confusing Dave. "You alright, sir?" He questioned. Klaus tried to explain that he was fine as Ben continued talking, trying to mess up Klaus's conversation. "Paint," he said, finally shutting Ben up.  "Paint?!" Ben and Dave inquired. "Yeah, I'm remodeling the second bathroom and require some paint," The former junkie explained. "Sure thing. What color paint are you looking for?"

"I-I don't know, eggshell? Like white? Or off-white? Like an eggshell?" Klaus babbled. "We're fresh out of white, but I do have Mamie pink on special, which always goes very nice in the latrine," Dave explained, walking over to the paint shelf and grabbing a few cans. "That sounds perfect," Klaus nodded. Dave gave a slight smile before walking away. "Is this considered stalking? Cause I think your stalking now," Ben rolled his eyes.

"Shut up!" Klaus hissed softly as he walked towards Dave. He turned on a machine that made one of the paint cans rattle and gave Klaus flashbacks from his time in Vietnam, remembering the moment when Dave had died in his arms. The machine turned off, bringing him back to reality, and he walked over to the counter to pay for the paint. "There you go," Dave smiled, setting the cans down. "Thanks," Klaus smiled, taking them and walking back to the car.

"So, this is why you dragged me away from San Francisco? So you could rekindle your little Vietnam fling?" Ben questioned as Klaus shut the car door. "Why don't you stay out of my business, Casper?" Klaus bit back. "Your business is my business!" Ben insisted. "Oh, then congratulations! Because you're fired!" Klaus said sarcastically, looking into the back seat. 

Ben continued to protest, telling Klaus that the whole thing was selfish and that he would confuse Dave. "Damn it, listen to me. When we were on leave in Saigon, Dave told me about the day he enlisted. It was the same day that Kennedy was murdered. And if you would please leave me alone for five goddamn minutes, then maybe I can convince him not to sign up for that stupid war, and maybe I can save his life!"

Klaus turned around in the driver's seat, slamming his hand into the steering wheel, feeling a small amount of pain. "Just promise me that you can handle this. Whatever happens," Ben sighed in defeat. "Yeah, I will," Klaus nodded. His attention was almost immediately called to sirens racing down the street, heading towards the Stadler's restaurant where Allison's protest was taking place.

"Oh shit, Allison!"