TWENTY. time casts a spell on you but you won't forget me

There are many sides to grief. One is anger, another is denial, then there's guilt, and the last is usually accepted. McKenna balanced on a high wire on all of them. Diego was all anger. He stormed into room. "Piece of shit. Do you have any idea what you just did?" He shouted Five and lunged at him, but Luther held him back.

McKenna ran into the room. "Diego, stop!" She let out a cry.

"Get your ape hands off of me!"

He lifted him off the ground. "I can do this as long as it takes you to calm down."

"Fine."

Luther put him down. "Now, wanna tell us what you're talking about?"

"McKenna, you're bleeding." Five said out loud and stood from the bed.

She raised her shaking hand to her head and felt wet blood coat her fingers. "It's not mine." Her voice cracked.

"Our brother's been pretty busy since he got back. He was in the middle of that shootout at Griddy's and then at Gimble Brothers after the guys in masks attacked the Academy, looking for him—" he pointed at Five. "And nearly killing her in the process." Diego rambled and pointed at McKenna.

"What?" Said Five immediately and looked at her.

"Oh yeah, she didn't tell you? Took a knife wound to the side."

"I'm fine!" She squeaked out, her emotions as high his anger was.

"It's none of your concern." Five butted in.

"It is now. They just killed my friend."

McKenna choked on a breath and turned away. She ran her shaky hands through her hair. She'd been silent the entire way back home. Diego didn't speak to her. She always knew once he found out the truth that he would turn on her.

"Okay guys, who are they?" Asked Luther.

Five's eyes cut to McKenna again, her back still turned to them. He saw her shaking. "Ken?" He spoke.

She turned and faced him. The tears on her face streaked the blood. She looked at others again who were waiting for their explanation. "Oh, what the hell. Just tell them." She muttered and sat beside him on the bed.

"They work for mine and Kenna's former employer." Five began to explain. "A woman called The Handler. She sent them. . ." He paused and glanced at her. He silently asked with his eyes if she wanted to speak.

McKenna gulped and sniffled again. "She's been after me for a long time. I thought I got away from all of it but then she sent them to. . . kill us."

"Then, soon as Diego's friend got in their way, well, fair game."

She instantly looked at him. "She was my friend, too. I found her body." She pointed to her face. "This is her blood. She wasn't involved in any of this so it's not fair game."

"You knew what was going to happen." He told her.

"Now they're my fair game. And I'm gonna see if they pay." Diego said darkly and turned around to leave.

"Diego—"

"That would be a mistake, Diego. They've killed people far more dangerous than you." Five told him.

"Yeah, we'll see about that."

"Diego, don't go!" McKenna tried to stop him.

He swung the door open and sent her a dark look. "Don't follow me." He ordered and left the room.

Letting out a shaky breath, she covered her face with her hands, feeling a hundred emotions at one time.

"McKenna, what happened?" Luther asked her.

"We got there too late. W-W-We walked in and f-found her there." She stuttered and dropped her hands, revealing her teary eyes.

"Hey, it's okay." Five said and touched her shoulder.

She tore his hand off. "It's not okay." She said through her teeth. "They're here for us and my friend got hurt because of it. We have to stop this."

"Former employer?" Luther repeated what Five told him. "What's this really about? And don't give me any of this "it's none of your business" crap."

"It's a long story." The two of them said in unison.

Luther pointed at her. "I'm getting tired of hearing that, too." He sat in front of them. "Who wants to go first?"

McKenna almost rolled her eyes. She glanced at Five. "Only if you want to talk about it." He assured her.

She looked at Luther and he looked at her. "You already don't trust me." She stated. His eyes flickered downward. "The Handler took me in when I was three. My parents were killed in a home invasion. She was like a mother to me," she began to tell her story. "I started training to be an assassin when I was thirteen. Went on my first mission when I was sixteen, the first time I killed someone, too. By the time I was twenty, I was one of the greatest assassins the Commission had."

"And then I showed up," started Five. "She was watching me for a long time while I was in the apocalypse. I didn't know there were others like me until I met McKenna. But nobody was as good as us."

"I always went on missions alone until Five came. The Handler made sure we worked as a team." McKenna lead.

When both of them paused, Luther looked between them. "Then what happened?"

She wiped her eyes again. "One of my missions was unsuccessful. The punishment for a failed mission is death. Electricity to the brain. They were going to kill me. So. . ." She didn't dare look at Five as she explained it, for she was sure she'd break down completely. When she felt another tear fall from her eye, she wiped it away on the back of her hand. "I stole one of the many time traveling briefcases and I left. I didn't know where I was going, but, I landed here. In this body. That's when Diego found me."

A deep frown settled on Five's face. She was shaking so bad that it vibrated the bed and he could feel it. He knew how hard it was for her to talk about what happened. He felt incredibly guilty that she had to explain it.

"You were just trying to get away." Uttered Luther who was finally starting to get it. Then he felt bad.

McKenna nodded. Five took over. "I was there for a long time after she left. They turned me into the perfect instrument for rehabilitation of the time continuum. Or "corrections" as they called them. I realized there was nobody as good as me. But it didn't feel right."

He glanced at her again and that time, McKenna did look at him. For the first time, they were able to understand how the other person was feeling without becoming angry or hostile. "They didn't realize it, but I was biding my time, trying to figure out the right equation so I could leave."

"And go where?" Asked his brother.

"I. . ." Five paused. It was something he never admitted to anyone, not even her. "I—I was trying to find McKenna."

All the air left her lungs.

Luther looked between them again.

"But when I realized how hard that was, I started looking for the equation to get back. If I could just get back, I knew I could stop the apocalypse. Save the world. So I broke my contract."

He broke his contract to try and find her is what formed in McKenna's head. She laid her head in her hands. She didn't know what she was supposed to be feeling.

"So, you were a hit man? And, uh. . . an assassin?" Asked Luther and handed Five a mug of coffee. "You had a code, didn't you? You didn't just kill anybody."

"No code. We took out anyone who messed with the time line." Five told him.

"And. . . What mission did you fail?" He asked McKenna.

She tucked her legs underneath her. "I was assigned to stop a man from interfering with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theater. I almost got him, but, there were other men there trying to kill Boothe. Everything ended up all twisted."

"Whoa." Luther let out. "But what about innocent people."

"It was the only way I could get back here." Said Five.

"But that's murder."

The way he said it almost made McKenna laugh. In fact, she chuckled. "Jesus, Luther, grow up. We're not kids anymore. There's no such thing as good guys or bad guys. There's just people, going about their lives." Five lectured.

"And when the world ends, those people die. Including us." McKenna added.

"Time changes everything."

"Casts a spell on everyone."

They looked at each other. "So now you know truth." McKenna started again and looked at Luther. It now occurred to her how tired she was. "If you'll excuse me."

She stood from the bed. "What? You're just gonna leave after that?" He said and stood as well.

"I have had one of the worst night of my life. So yes, I'm going to leave."

She walked past him and headed to the door. "McKenna, don't go." Said Five and he stood up as well.

"Did you not get the part where the world is ending?" Inquired Luther. "We don't have time to do whatever."

McKenna spun around and glared at him. "My friend was just killed by people who are here to kill me. I found her dead body. And Klaus is still out there somewhere and nobody seems to give a shit. At this point, I don't care if the world ends. I hope it takes me with it. So please leave me alone!" She cried and teleported out of the room.

There was silence. Five sighed and plopped down on the bed again. "Nice going." He grumbled.

Luther threw his hands up. "Well, how was I supposed to know?" He sat back down. "What's up with the two of you, anyway?"

"Now that's a longer story."

"After what you just told me, I don't mind." Luther insisted.

"I really don't—" Five stopped himself. He confessed his entire life story to his brother. He knew the whole truth now. Telling him about McKenna should've been easy. But it was the hardest part. "Ken and I met at the Commission. The Handler told me she was the best assassin they had. I thought it was a joke at first. But then I went on a mission with her and damn, she knew what she was doing." He laughed slightly while his mind took him back to the days. "We went to a bar after and drank. Then we danced."

"You danced?" Luther repeated, completely shocked.

"You'd be amazed what you'll do when you're in love with somebody."

His eyes widened more. "I-In love?"

"Yes, Luther, I know that's hard to believe. But I am. I love her a lot." Five admitted and his throat and chest tightened. "The time I spent with her was the greatest of my life. I wasn't a killer with her. Not the kid from the Academy. I was just Five."

"Well, w-what changed? What happened?" Luther asked, fully invested at that point.

"What we just told you. She had to leave." Five continued and looked at his shoes. "We had one last night to together and when I woke up, she was gone. I never saw her again." He swiftly rubbed his eyes to keep from crying. He refused to cry, especially in front of Luther. "But I tried getting back to her so many times. I didn't know where she was. I started to hate her at some point because it was easier than loving her, but it's actually the hardest thing in the whole freaking world."

Luther wasn't good a relationship talk. It was also the first time he ever saw Five emotional about anything. The last time was when they were getting their tattoos. "If you love her, don't let her slip away. It'll be the biggest mistake of your life." He gave to him.

Five already knew that. It's what he'd been telling himself the entire time. He just couldn't get past his own pride to fix it.

McKenna was scared to talk to Diego. His emotions were sky rocketed and she was afraid to set him off even more. But they didn't keep secrets from each other and she had a huge one. When she got to the academy, she went upstairs to his room. She saw him on the floor and his box of knives was pulled out from under the bed. "What are you doing?"

Diego looked up at her and immediately looked away. "Why are you here?" He asked monotoned.

"Why do you have your knives out?" She questioned.

"What do you think?"

She knew exactly what he was doing. "I'm not letting you leave." She stated.

Diego latched the box shut. "I'd love to see you try and stop me." He said darkly.

"Don't do this. Don't go cold on me."

"What do you expect from me, McKenna?" He raised his voice. "You've been lying to me the whole time."

"I haven't lied!" She emphasized.

"You've been running around with Five getting shot at and destroying stuff and leaving Eudora to pick up the pieces. Those psychos are here to kill you—"

"Yes, yes, I know, Diego! I'm sorry! But you don't understand!" She yelled.

"Then enlightened me!" He practically screamed.

Both of them were just hurt. Neither meant to yell the way they were. "I came here to get away. So that I wouldn't be killed. I've done terrible things and I screwed up but I-I-I—" she stuttered uncontrollably. "I never meant for anybody to get hurt!"

When she stuttered, he went quiet.

"A-A-And I know Patch—" her eyes watered again. "I-I saw her before I left with Five. I was looking for Klaus. She thought I was looking for Five. I-I-If I had told her then she wouldn't have—" she let out a sob. "She wouldn't have went to that fucking motel."

Diego dropped the case and pulled her into him. Her cries muffled against his abdomen. "It's not your fault, Mac. Don't blame — I don't blame you, okay? It's okay." He assured her.

"I could've stopped her."

"We just got there too late." Said Diego and his eyes glossed over again. He held the back of her head with his hand. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't understand before but I do now. I'm not mad."

"Then don't do anything stupid like I know you're going to. Please." She begged.

He pulled away from her. "I have to, Ken."

She wiped her face. "Then I'm going with you."

He immediately shook his head. "No, no—"

"She meant a lot to me too, Diego. I loved her too." She interrupted him. "Please let me help you."

Diego forgot how close McKenna and Eudora actually were. "I don't want you getting hurt too." He stated.

"I've killed a lot of people, Diego. I don't go down without a fight."