☂

     Nova could smell so much sadness, anger, and hurt in the room, it was overbearing.  She breathed in heavily, trying to ignore it, just waiting for Diego to finish packing his bag up so they could be off into the city.  Not that Nova exactly wanted to leave.

     "Where's Vanya?" Allison walked in, joining Nova, Klaus, and Five in the kitchen.

     "Oh, she's gone."

     "That's unfortunate."

     "Yeah," Allison breathed.

     "An entire square block.  Forty—two bedrooms, 19 bathrooms, but no, not a single drop of coffee," Five complained.

     "Dad hated caffeine," Allison reminded him.

     "Well, he hated children, too, and he had plenty of us," Klaus sent himself into a laughing fit.  Nova chucked quietly, rubbing Klaus's shoulder gently.

     "I'm taking the car," Five decided.

     "Where are you going?"

     "To get a decent cup of coffee."

     "Do you even know how to drive?"

     Five leaned in, bitterly saying, "I know how to do everything," before using his powers to teleport out of the kitchen.

     Klaus stood up from the chair with his hands out.  "I feel like we should try and stop him, but then again, I also just kinda want to see what happens," he said, before the three paused, hearing a car engine turn over.

     "What do you know, he does," Nova said.

     Nova's ride — among other things — stepped into the room.  "All right, I guess I'll see you guys in, what, ten years?  When Pogo dies?"  Diego asked sassily.

     "Not if you die first," Allison said with crossed arms.

     "Yeah, love you too, sis," he shrugged it off.  "Good luck on your next film.  Hope it turns out better than your marriage, huh?"

     Nova scoffed slightly, used to Diego's usual remarks but not liking how he sassed his siblings so often.  "It was nice to meet you, Allison," Nova smiled at the taller woman.  "I hope our paths cross in the future," she stuck her hand out for Allison to shake, but Allison surprised her by going in for a hug and patting her on the shoulder.  Nova hummed quietly in response, holding back tears for a couple of solid seconds before tearing away.

     "Are—Are we leaving?" Klaus clasped his hands together, following Diego out of the room as Nova swung her duffle bag over her shoulder and followed suit.

     "No, I'm leaving, me and myself," Diego said before Nova shot him a glare.  He was already in the doghouse for earlier.  "Well, me and Nova," he said upon seeing her face.

     "Oh, fabulous! I'll get my things," Klaus said, not caring about Diego obviously not wanting him to tag along.  "Hey!" he found the two jumping into Diego's car mere minutes later.  "You know, every time I close my eyes, I see a diarrhetic hippo about to shit on my face.  It's terrifying!"

     "Terrific," Diego mumbled as Nova buckled herself in.  Diego put the keys in.  "Lean back."

     He drove the three near a lake and took time to stand outside alone.  Nova took a deep breath, trying not to watch him too intently because she knew Diego could tell when she had his eyes on him.  Nova sniffed lighter, before turning to the guy in the back seat.  "Klaus, are you... hungry?"

     Klaus whimpered.  "Oh, how'd you know?"

     How do you tell someone they smell hungry?  Nova shrugged.  "I don't know, it's just been such a long day."

     Klaus nodded and opened his car door.  "Yoo—hoo, Diego! I hate to rush you through any kind of brooding moment you might be having, but come on, man, we're starving!" Klaus inhaled and then exhaled harshly.  "I'm craving eggs.  No!   Wait, it's too late for eggs.  Waffles.  Huh? You like waffles, right?"  Nova paused.  "Ah.  Of course you do.  Everyone likes waffles."

     Static from the pocket radio interrupted Nova from saying anything.  "Gunshots reported on the 400 block of Milton Avenue, Griddy's Doughnuts."

     Diego hopped back into the car.  "Diego, thank you for joining us, we have decided on, drum roll, waffles."

     "I'm gonna drop you off at the bus stop," Diego grumbled.  "I gotta get back to work."  Nova turned her head, looking at Diego with an 'are you serious' type of look that he ignored on purpose.

     "What, breaking bones and cracking skulls?" Klaus asked.

     Diego chuckled softly.  "Saving lives, baby," he laid his elbow over the arm holder, loosely tangling his fingers with Nova's.

     "Well, I guess it's frozen waffles again," Klaus mumbled to himself, making Diego look into the rear view mirror out of curiosity.  "Yeah, I could do egg and bacon, but I'm trying to cut down on my pig products."  Diego looked to Nova, who only shrugged in response.

☂

     Not even two weeks after Nova graduated, she was walking down the street, meeting Hannah for coffee.  A three—year—old started screaming, sending chills up Nova's spine.  The toddler made eye contact with Nova and kept screaming.  She had a feeling, though it was crazy, that the toddler was trying to tell her something.  Nova's heart sunk to the floor.

     Bullets were shot through the air.  Everyone on the sidewalk ducked, unsure where they were coming from.  A car came driving by, and the baby went quiet.  Nova ducked behind the metal sign outside and looked through the window of the coffee shop.  Hannah was already inside, but she was now laying on the floor, grabbing her bloody leg.  Nova covered her mouth so she wouldn't cry.

     The woman carrying the toddler was shot down, but not before the baby let out another scream.  A man moved to cover her, and they were poorly being protected by a lamppost.  Nova squinted her eyes, feeling as if her vision was knocked on one of the worst days.  She recognized him easily, even if he was about twenty or so yards away.  It was her brother.  Of course, it was her brother.

     The toddler screeched once more, then it was over.  And the end of the road, Nova could see a man run out and slash the tires of the car with... knives?  He began going to work on the people in the truck as everyone else alive on the sidewalk regained strength.

     "Artemis?" Nova got up and began running.  She felt bad for leaving Hannah in the coffee joint, knowing she was badly hurt, but she couldn't help but notice Artemis's limp figure.  "Artemis?" she rolled his body over to reveal two bullets had been launched into his body.  Nova sobbed loudly, not caring who was around to see.  "Artemis, wait," she desperately placed her hands on his stomach and shoulder where he'd been hit.  The toddler sat next to him, watching the young girl with wide eyes.

     Artemis's eyes flickered.  "Nova?" he asked softly.

     "Stay with me," she squeaked, allowing tears to roll down her eyes and onto him.  They gave him strength, but not enough.

     Then there's the present time.

     "The boys at your work said you left to get coffee for them all.  You couldn't have let that pervert Stacey go?" Nova angrily said before pausing.  "That was actually mean.  I'm sorry.  It's just that you always had to help, huh Artemis?  You were the one who raised me, and the one who saved that little girl, who by the way, is grown into a slightly bigger little girl now," Nova said, tears forming in her eyes as she stared at her brother's tombstone.

☂

     Nova had stayed over at Diego's many times before, so many that she had her own toothbrush and her clothes were mixed in with his own.  As she was fixing her makeup on the walk back to Diego's, she was unaware that someone else was looking for that Hargreeves too.

     "Excuse me.  You're looking to box?  'Cause I may need fighters, too."

     "Oh, no, I'm looking for information on one of the guys that uses your gym," a usual buff looking Luther walked into the boxing arena.  "Diego Hargreeves?"

     "Well, if you see him, you can tell him I'm this far from firing his ass."

     "He works here? 

     "Eh, he, uh, mops the floor in exchange for the back room."

     "Okay.  Thanks."

     "Think about the fight game, eh?  You got the build."

     But Luther had already been snooping around at the gym for a while before Nova or Diego for that matter had shown up.  Nova, always being early to everything, also got to the gym before Diego.  "Hey, Diego," a man greeted Diego as he walked into the gym, making Nova look up from her phone.

     "Yo, what up, Nigel?" he responded.

     "What's up, Diego?" a woman asked, though he didn't respond to her.  Nova smiled as she slid her phone into her back pocket.  She quickly made a mental note to call Hannah later.

     "Doing good, huh?" he asked one of the men watching two girls box.  It was obvious to anyone who knew Diego — and even those who didn't — that the man was indeed very smooth.

     "Diego, hey," Nova walked up to Diego as he began making his way back to the boiler room.

     "Hola, hermosa," he smiled, planting a small kiss on her cheek.  "What are you doing here?" he asked as the two began to walk in sync down the fluorescent light lit hallway.

     "I wanted to apologize for being so tough on you yesterday," Nova said truthfully, letting her fingers fold together like they always did when she was nervous.  "I should've been more considerate and known my boundaries.  What goes on between you and your siblings has nothing to do with me."

     "Tsk tsk," Diego shook his head.  "No, you were right.  I shouldn't let my hot head and temper get the best of me."  Nova smiled at his maturity.

     "Where did you go after you dropped me off here?" Nova asked.  Diego licked his lips.

     "Uh, I kind of went to go check out that doughnut shop, right?" he asked Nova with a tilted head.  "But Eudora kind of caught me on the scene and figured out I was asking the witness some questions."

     Nova laughed.  "Oh ho, Patch arrested you huh?"  Diego nodded, gaze to the floor.  Nova laughed some more.  "Well, glad to know she's still around to watch after you when I'm not here."

     "You're not mad?" Diego asked.

     Nova's eyebrows furrowed slightly.  "Why would I be mad?  You're the dumbass who decided to tamper with the witness," she giggled.  Diego nodded, but then his facials changed, and held his hand up.

     "Do you smell that?"  Nova paused and took in a deep breath.  She nodded.  

     Diego whipped out a knife before opening the door to the room.  Nova winced when it made a high pitched creaking noise, and she still took a step behind him for safety.  Diego taught her to do that a long time ago.  He skillfully threw his knife into the room.  "Ow! What the—"

     "I could smell it was you," Diego said as he opened the door.  Nova shook her head as she followed her boyfriend into the room, trying to hold back a shit eating grin.

     "What the hell?" Luther said as Diego closed the door.  "You could have killed me.

     "If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead," Diego insisted as Nova took off her side purse and hung it over the full—length mirror at the bottom of the staircase.

     Luther sighed.  "It's a nice place."

     "I like it," Diego answered.

     "So why didn't you tell me?"

     "Tell you what?" Diego asked, having a hard time keeping his eyes on the guy in front of him instead of watching Nova tug her jeans up behind him.  When she turned around, her eyes met with Diego's briefly before he looked away in an attempt to make it seem like he wasn't staring.  Nova paused, before giggling ever so quietly. 

     Luther paused for a moment, sensing the tension in the room.  "That you were fighting the night that Dad died.  I checked with the guys out there."

     "Well, I shouldn't have to prove my innocence to you or anyone else in this family."

     "Yeah, you're right.  But, I just thought that—"

     "Yeah.  I know what you thought.  Now you have a nice day, brother."

     Luther paused again before taking that as his cue to leave.  "All right," he left, leaving Nova and Diego in complete silence for almost two minutes as they got situated.

     Nova took her phone out and put it on Diego's nightstand.  "We need to talk about last night," she plopped onto the bed, ignoring the springing noise she heard as she did.

     "I thought you weren't mad at me," Diego said, steadily sitting down next to her, placing a hand on her knee.  She removed it and cupped it into her own two hands like a sandwich.

     Nova shook her head, her gaze on the floor.  She wanted so badly to rest her head on his shoulder and relax, maybe even take a nap or talk about recent news while eating a bag of chips.  Or, as Nova ate most of the chips since he believed his body was a temple or some crap.  "No, this isn't about Eudora.  This is some weird and long story and I'm trying to figure out how to say this so it makes sense and you won't freak out."

     He nodded slowly.  "Okay, sure.  Just try, baby.  Picture the words in your head and then tell me, I'm sure I'll understand."

     Nova smiled sympathetically.  "Okay.  Well, here goes," she took a breath, cocking her head to the left as her gaze went to the ceiling.  "Last night when you dropped me off here, I didn't go to sleep right away.  I went back to Hannah's just so she could sneak me a bag of some clean clothes," she pointed to a bag sitting in the corner of the room.  Diego's gaze shifted and he nodded.  "On the walk back, I met this young girl, okay, but here's where things get tricky."

     "Okay," Diego nodded.  "What happened?"

     "She's not like us, you know, one of the forty—three," Nova said, making Diego even more curious.  "But she does have a gift."

     "How old is she?  I mean, who is she?" Diego asked.

     Nova gulped.  "Remember how my brother died?"  Diego nodded.  "Well, she was there.  She was the toddler he saved, the one who wouldn't stop screaming," Nova said, sniffling, as she was on the verge of tears.  Diego's free hand moved up to her cheek, wiping the first tear before it even fell down her cheek.  "That was such a long time ago.  She's fourteen now.  Anyways, I guess there's a reason why she was screaming so much."

     Diego lowered his neck, trying to even his face with Nova's, which was lowering by every minute as sadness overcame her.  "Hey, hey.  Deep breaths," he took one even though he was starting to freak out at how Nova was starting to freak out.  "Summarize it, babe."

     "Her name is Skye Samuels, and she's a banshee."

☂

does anyone know what luther thought bc i don't