After finishing his conversation with the drunken Ben, Klaus skipped back to Dusk and Five's table, sitting to the right side of his girlfriend. He watched out of the corner of his eyes as Reginald glanced about the room, trying to make eye contact with the guests. But most of them either went back to eating their dinners or continued to glare. Although the monocle was a reasonable distance from their table, Klaus could tell he looked a bit nervous.

"Psst!" He called out to him. The old man turned in his direction, and Klaus gestured for him to smile. Reginald seemed to get the memo as his gray mustache tilted up, his thin lips created an upward curve. But that smile alone made some of the Umbrellas feel uneased. "I thought Luther disinvited him?" the raven whispered to her boyfriend and twin. "I thought so too. But if oldie knows what's good for him, he won't try to bother us..." Five said lowly, gritting his teeth.

"Guys, just give him a chance! He's trying to make things right by being here for Sloane and Luther," Klaus attempted to persuade them. But both the time traveler and phoenix shook their heads in denial. "The only reason why he's here is because he thinks if he acts all 'buddy-buddy' we'll submit to his will, and I'm not falling for that," Dusk took a bite from one of her deviled eggs before she changed the subject, reminding them both of the plan for Five to get Victoria back.

"Are you one hundred thousand percent sure this will work?" Klaus questioned after his girlfriend finished talking. "Hey, if it works in the romance movies, I'm certain it will work in real life," Dusk nodded her head. As the ominous silence lingered for a little too long, Reginald tapped his glass with his spoon, the sound capturing everyone's attention. The monocle stood up and grabbed a nearby microphone, the feedback a little too loud for everyone's liking.

"I know it is customary for the father of the bride to give a speech. And keeping with tradition, I have some words I would like to say," Reginald took a sip from his glass of champagne, the edge of the glass bumping against the microphone and causing more feedback. "Sloane, ever since you were a little girl, I've always known you were exceptionally bright. And though I can't say I know Luther all that well, from the few moments we shared, it seems you found yourself an adequate partner,"

Five snickered at the adequate comment before taking a sip from one of his glasses. "That's the nicest thing Dad's ever said to him. Dusk hardly heard her father give any of them compliments. Most of the things he considered compliments were considered insults to most people. This comment he made towards her adoptive brother made her develop mixed feelings, one side debating 'That's nice,' and the other 'I don't know if he meant that sarcastically.' "I acknowledge that as a father, I was not without my faults. I hope these shortcomings, will be seen as only a rough patch on an otherwise verdant lawn,"

Dusk's face fell the more she thought about her childhood and the fallout between her and her father. And as she felt she would be pulled into another flashback, she felt Klaus's rough and inked palm brush against hers, feeling her dampened mood. She looked towards him, nodding a thank you to him before turning her gaze back to Reginald's speech.

"I'm proud to call you my children. Even those whom I raised in a revenant version of myself. I hope tonight we can create a few special memories in whatever precious little time we have left," Reginald seemingly finished. But when he reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper, it became clear he had one more thing to say. As the monocle read from the sheet of paper, the words he spoke were full of darkness, and although the words he recited were meant to sound uplifting or some other twisted form, it ended up sounding like one of Edgar Allen's poems.

"With shallowed breath and time eclipsed, I pray you miss death's gentle kiss," Reginald lifted his glass in the married couple's direction before he took another sip. "That makes no sense!" Dahlia spoke up, her voice slurred as she took a sip from a fresh glass of champagne. But everyone else stood up and started clapping for Reginald, telling him that the speech was beautiful. "I didn't think the old man had it in him..." Five stared off into the distance.

Reginald placed the microphone back on its stand and walked towards the elevator, taking it back to the floor of the White Buffalo Suite. "Alright! Time to turn those frowns upside down!" Chet announced from the DJ Booth.  It's time! Dusk excitedly stood up from her seat and walked towards the booth, doing her best to keep her excited composure. "The bride requested I sing tonight," Dusk smiled. "Did she now?" Chet questioned. "And was there a specific song she requested?"

Dusk shook her head and whispered her song suggestion into his ear. "Oh, I see," He slightly nodded, flipping through a book containing different CDs and pulled out the one she asked for. She then grabbed the microphone as some of her siblings made their way to the dancefloor. "Sloane, Luther, this song is for you!" the raven smiled, winking to Five and Klaus as that was their hidden signal.

Five, already feeling a little tipsy from his alcohol consumption stumbled towards the dance floor while Klaus walked over to Victoria's table. "Hey there, Vic!" Klaus smiled. The redhead took a sip from her glass, looking confused. "What do you want?" she asked. "Well, almost everybody's on the dance floor, and you're over here by yourself!" Klaus commented. Victoria squinted at his unusually high-pitched tone, her thoughts beginning to grow suspicious.

"Why would you want to dance with me?" Victoria questioned. "Cause it's a wedding, and everyone's having a good time. You should be having fun too!" Klaus answered. Victoria looked towards the dance floor to see everyone dancing to Dusk singing a fast-paced song. "I don't know... I'm not really in the mood," She murmured, for a moment catching glimpse of Five in the dancing crowd. "Come on, it'll be fun!" Klaus begged, hoping that Victoria would eventually cave in.

The redhead took in a sharp breath, pondering whether or not to take Klaus up on his offer. Part of her thought it wouldn't be a such big deal as she would be dancing with him and not Five. She could probably tolerate his dirty humor and dance moves for a little bit before retiring for the night. "Fine," she answered, making Klaus clap his hands with joy. The moment Victoria stood from her seat, Klaus excitedly tried to drag her to the floor, but Victoria pried his hand off.

"I can walk by myself, thank you very much," She insisted. As they started jamming out, Klaus looked over to Dusk who was coming to the end of one of the songs, and nodded his head. Phase one was complete, now it was onto phase two, the phase that could determine if Five would win back her heart or not.  After finishing her second song, she turned towards Chet, whispering the name of another song, a song that was perfect to set the scene.

https://youtu.be/SzX3tLz0pZs

"I'm gonna be honest with you, I don't know how to do formal dancing," Klaus awkwardly chuckled as he watched Diego and Lila, along with Luther and Sloane dancing to the beat. "Here, I'll teach you," Within that perhaps fifteen-second instrumental break, Klaus seemed to be getting the hang of it. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but dancing with someone who wasn't his girlfriend was weird. But in his thought process, he thought perhaps if there was a way to escape their fate, he could pleasantly surprise Dusk one day with this dance style. (Please don't kill me when it comes to writing about tango, I'm really trying.)

Though he was a bit slow on his feet, Victoria secretly enjoyed teaching her best friend's boyfriend a new skill. And as they just practiced baby steps, Klaus seemed to get a little too energetic as he spun her a little too fast. It got so fast to the point where Victoria slipped out of his grasp and disappeared into the crowd. But as she came to a stop, feeling a bit dizzy, she saw the face of the one person she hated more than anything.

"You!" She hissed. Though Five couldn't see it, Victoria had a knife taped to the side of her leg, and right now, that blade was looking really friendly. As Victoria's hand reached for that blade, Five grabbed her hand, interlocking his fingers with hers. "What are you doing?" She snarled. "Please, just listen to me," He whispered before taking her back to memory lane with the oh-so-familiar tango they danced to all those years ago. "There's nothing for you to explain Five. You broke that promise and completely forgot I existed!" She glared. 

Still holding her hands in his, Five and her walked back as their dance continued, almost bumping into Luther and Sloane. But the redhead's gaze on him was as sharp as ever. It was as if she caught her prey and all that was left was to pounce. "That was never the case, I never forgot that promise. I thought about you whenever my mind wasn't on stopping apocalypses and doomsdays. How your cheeks lit up, those Spanish phrases that appear whenever you're angry.  How could I forget someone who encapsulated my heart?"

As Five pulled her a little closer to him, Victoria began debating on the genuineness of his words. Was he just trying to make excuses for his actions, or was he really speaking from his heart? "Even if I did believe that, how could I trust you won't up and leave me again?" She questioned, tilting her head back as Five slightly dipped her. "Mi amour, no matter what happens, no matter what else comes our way, I'll never leave you,"

Victoria could feel herself slip back into the love she once had for him.  But as Five slowly started to lean in, inching closer toward her lips, the angry part of her reached for the knife and brought it dangerously close to his throat. Just before she could dig that blade into his Adam's Apple, his soft lips connected with hers. Victoria's anger struggled to pull away, but the longer he kissed her, the more she remembered the good in him.

Her knife came clattering to the ground as her hand rested on his cheek, kissing him back. Their passion-filled makeout didn't go unnoticed, as both Klaus and Dusk caught glimpse of what was happening. This was the ending that they wanted. Their plan to help Five was a success.

~~~~~~~

As the end of the reception drew near, Dusk started to indulge in a little too much alcohol. Feeling her voice grow tired from all the singing and the worries about the plan eased as she giggled at the memory of Five and Victoria kissing. As she and some of her siblings sat outside, watching the orange and debris-filled sky, she saw Victoria resting her head in Five's lap as he gently stroked her hair. The time traveler looked to Dusk, mouthing the words "Thank you," before turning back to his reunited love.

The sounds of footsteps came walking towards them, and as the siblings all looked up, they all started protesting as Klaus brought Ben over, both drunk out of their minds. "Klaus, why are you bringing Ben here?" Dusk crowed. "Look, hear me out. The brother that you all knew as Ben is gone. And I don't mean our Ben, the nice Ben. I mean, Ben the asshole, he's gone now," Klaus explained.

"Klaus, what are you talking about?" Luther shook his head, trying to decode his explanation. "The man that stands in front of you is the new new Ben. He's one of us, he's a member of the team. And he's part of the family!" the drunk continued, Ben chiming in at the last sentence. "As a welcome gift, I suggest we throw him off the roof!" Dusk smirked. Ben and Klaus chuckled at the raven's reply, and looked over to Luther, hoping he'd understand.

"Alright, you know what? He can stay," Luther sighed, patting a spot on the dark concrete for the Squid boy to sit. Ben walked over to the spot and sat next to Diego and Lila, while Klaus wrapped an arm around his girlfriend, beginning to softly kiss her neck, making her giggle. As they continued to watch the sky, weird sounds once again caught their attention, and Five quickly got up, a hand clutching his stomach. "Whoa dude, are you okay?" Viktor asked him.

Five groaned a reply as he felt both sick and hungry at the same time, and his drunken mind couldn't decide which one it was. "See ya, guys. I'm gonna hit the buffet," Five said as he stumbled back to the banquet hall entrance with Victoria, who felt a little hungry as well. "You want to get out of here, Dusky?" Klaus questioned with a small mischievous smirk at the edge of his lips. "Come on, let's go," she replied, a smirk of her own developing.