CHAPTER THIRTEEN
monkey see, monkey do

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NADINE VIDAL WAS eighteen, and she wasn't afraid of anything. She had a temper like a whip and brutal fists to match it, her chin was always raised high, and she loved her father more than anything. Beau loved her back; even when she came home with split knuckles or a black eye after picking fights with other kids at school, the homophobes that sneered at her sexuality. He'd tend her wounds, wrapping cuts in white bandages and holding up ice to her battered skin. And Nadine thought it would always be like this; picking fights with people that so clearly unmatched her, getting the shit beaten out of her, and running home to her Papa, who'd hold her hand or stroke her hair and tell her that she was a volcano, constantly overflowing with magma.

She was eighteen, and it was dark, and she was walking through the bustling streets when she was cornered in that alleyway. And then the bullet was ricocheting right through her, piercing her flesh and leaving a tidal wave of blood in its wake. She made herself vanish, and she lived, but what woke up in that hospital was not Proud Nadine, picker of fights and defender of the weak, nor was it Seeking Nadine, a weak little girl who desperately yearned for her mother's affection. It was Jaded Nadine, Nadine with an edge, a girl whose fears were buried deep down in the crevices of her own mind. It was a Nadine who snapped, who took her anger out on others, even when they didn't deserve it, who spent years learning how to block an attack and how to properly hit back.

Nadine Vidal had a busted shoulder and a tendency to have nightmares, but she wasn't unmatched anymore. She wasn't something to be underestimated.

Which was what this fucking assassin didn't seem to understand.

Nadine lay there, on the floor, watching the ceiling spin like a top. Her mouth tasted like iron and blood stained her lower lip like lipstick. Her head was home to a colony of bugs clicking their pinchers in her ears and her ears sung like choirs. She ached all over, and she was barely aware of the fact that the blue bear assassin had just lifted Luther Hargreeves up with inhuman strength and hurled him to the floor, brushing off his tuxedo like he did this shit every day. Given her current situation, it would've been completely fair for Nadine Vidal to just stay here, on the floor, her world fuzzy.

Instead, she rose to her feet. Her legs were wobbly and she had to grip onto the wall to do so, but she stood anyway, bile burning at the back of her throat. The masked assassin didn't seem to notice, as he was currently stretching out his legs and cracking his neck, his back to her. Almost immediately, he began to walk out of the room, leaving what he believed to be two unconscious forms behind.

She was about to follow him, but she found herself being captivated by dizziness, the world swooping under her feet, and she shook her head as if she could rid her ears of their waterlog. The bear-masked assassin was gone, but it was possible that he could make his way back here in minutes if he didn't come across Five, who he and his partner, of course, were here for. And if he did, Luther needed to be on his feet.

For once, she didn't find herself irked by the gargantuan man. He'd genuinely helped her and Diego back in the living room, saving them from becoming target practice to Hazel and Cha-Cha, and now he had attempted to rescue Vanya, who was, other than perhaps Klaus (where was he, anyway? Nadine hoped he'd gone out to buy drugs or something, and had not been present during this mess), the most susceptible to attacks. Sure, Vanya was his sister, and therefore he had an obligation to go after her, especially as the leader, but Luther did seem genuinely worried about her safety. Which Nadine definitely appreciated.

She staggered her way over to his prone form, continuing to shake her head as the ringing in her ears quieted. She could feel blood clotting on the side of her head and plastering to her chin, but she didn't spare any time to wipe the muck away, merely knelt beside Luther and shook him. His eyes were closed, and it was apparent to Nadine that he'd taken a more brutal beating than she had. She took a moment to marvel at the fact that the blue bear had enough force to take down someone with super strength before Luther was groaning, his eyes opening halfway.

"Fuck," she hissed. "Are you okay, man?"

Before Luther could respond (and Nadine wasn't even sure he could) a new voice rang across the room. "Luther!"

Allison and Diego sprinted up to Nadine and Luther, attempting to help the latter get to his feet. "Come on, Luther, get up," Allison pleaded, exchanging a worried glance with Nadine. The three of them—Nadine, Diego, and Allison—all dug their hands under Luther's hefty frame, attempting to get him to his feet. Obviously, it was a heavy load, and Nadine's arms strained with the weight.

Diego seemed to be having similar difficulties. "Ah, you gotta cut down on that fast food, soldier," he said, teeth gritted as they finally helped the injured man rise to his feet. Luther swayed a little, and that was when Nadine felt the pressure of eyes boring into her. She looked up.

The pink dog stared back at her, its pitless black eyes lasering holes into her soul. Nadine had barely the time to take a sharp breath before there was a clanging of metal on metal, a collision of sparks. Then, with the force of a freight train, she was being shoved aside. "Get out of the way!" Luther was shouting as Nadine slammed into the ground once more, pain lancing up her body yet again. She had a mere second to wonder what was happening before the chandelier, that had been hanging docilely above them for the entire fight, suddenly collapsed.

"Luther!" Allison yelled, but it was too late. The chandelier collapsed, crashing right into Luther and sending him to the ground yet again. Bulbs burst and Nadine let out a cry of shock, her hands curling into fists. Anger coursed through her, and her eyes flitted up, searching for the pink dog mask, but the assassin had vanished.

Just then, the chandelier began to rattle, and Nadine looked back to it, her eyes widening. Luther was slowly rising to his feet, even as blood spilled from his head and he breathed heavily, clearly in pain. There was a ripping noise as his shirt burst, and as he finally stood up straight, Nadine couldn't help but find her jaw slackening. Obviously, she hadn't seen Luther shirtless before, but subconsciously, she'd pictured a well-built, toned body like a wrestler on steroids.

Instead, Luther's upper body was covered in hair, his skin oddly discoloured and stretching. It wasn't the body of a warrior. Instead, impossibly, it was the body of a monkey. A chimpanzee, maybe. Or an ape. Nadine wasn't really sure, but it didn't matter, anyway, because Luther was half-monkey.

Her lips parted. What the fuck?

Luther was staring at Allison, who stared back, her eyes full of confusion and, Nadine noticed, even in this dim light, a little bit of repulsion. Nadine just shook her head. She'd thought that a fifty-eight-year-old man stuck in the body of a thirteen-year-old would've been the weirdest part of the Hargreeves family, but of course, they kept surprising her. At this point, she wouldn't be shocked if Diego was a vampire or something.

Luther stared around at the others for a moment, picking his way through the shattered glass, and then he was gone, pushing past a bewildered Diego and making his way upstairs. His departure shook everyone out of their reverie, and Nadine turned her head, finding Vanya standing at one of the doors, streaks of dried blood on her forehead.

Allison was there first, but she didn't throw her arms around her sister, as Nadine might've expected. She just stood there, evidently in shock, as Vanya asked, "Did you know?"

She shook her head. "No."

Nadine was there next, and she really did hug Vanya, because Number Seven could've died. Vanya hugged her back, at first tentatively, and then she leaned into the embrace. It was only then that Nadine felt the woman trembling.

Vanya brought a shaking hand up to Nadine's head. "You're hurt," she said, her voice quivering. Her fingers dipped in the blood, and Nadine inhaled without meaning to.

"I'm not so hurt I can't beat the shit out of those people," she said, although in reality, she would've liked a good nap. She was humiliated, humiliated to have gotten hurt and not shown Hazel and Cha-Cha who she really was, embarrassed to have gone down without a proper fight. "I'm going to fucking kill them for hurting you."

"They're gone, Nadine," Allison said softly. "We scared them off."

No. That didn't make sense. Five had told her these were two extremely dangerous assassins, who would undoubtedly kill anyone who got in their way of their pursuit of their mark. So why had they run? Sure, they'd dealt grievous blows, but it seemed far-fetched that they wouldn't stay and finish the job.

She was still quivering with anger. It bubbled up inside of her. She was no longer afraid, she was furious.

"Come on," said Allison. Nadine noticed she had a split lip, though it wasn't leaking blood as much as her own swollen one was. "Let's all cleaned up."

It didn't make sense.

THE ICE PACK soothed her inflamed lip. Nadine sat on the couch beside Vanya, having already sponged out the blood from the side of her head (there was a slight knot there from the masked bear's blow) and bandaged the wound. Now Allison prepared a wet cloth for Vanya to use. Nadine was just glad her friend hadn't been more seriously injured.

"Who were those people?" Vanya asked, bringing the cloth to her bloody head. Allison sat down, her voice quivering just a touch.

"I don't know. But we are lucky to be alive."

"They were after Five," said Nadine. She wasn't sure how much she should reveal, but she thought that Allison and Vanya should at least know something. Maybe not about Hazel and Cha-Cha's connection to her (which they obviously hadn't put together yet, otherwise she definitely wouldn't have made it out there alive), but at least about who they were. "Apparently he brought some enemies with him from the future."

"How do you know that?" Allison asked, a hint of suspicion tinting her tone. Nadine shrugged.

"Your bastard brother told me."

Allison sighed. "Figures. He won't talk to his actual brothers and sisters, but he'll spill his life story to a stranger. Is that all he told you?"

No. "Yes."

Allison just shook her head before her gaze slid over to Vanya, who continued to dab at the blood that had congealed on her forehead. "You sure you're okay?" she asked gently.

Vanya put the cloth down and nodded just as Diego came into the room. His breathing was uneven and he seemed shaken up, which Nadine found a little peculiar, given what she knew about the man and his vigilant tendencies. But perhaps he wasn't used to being attacked in his own home.

"Diego?" Vanya questioned, watching the man pace back and forth, his posture rigid and defended. Diego halted in his tracks, bringing his eyes over to the three women.

"What are you still doing here?" he spat, and Nadine's mouth immediately dropped open. Was he serious? They just survived a brutal attack, and now he was back to being surly? But before she could answer, Diego shook his head at her. "Not you. Her." He jerked his chin at Vanya.

Nadine's mouth opened wider. His own sister?

Vanya's eyes lowered, evidently used to this kind of snark from him. "I'm just trying to help."

"No, you could've been killed!" Diego snarled, stepping towards her. "Or gotten any of us killed. Nadine risked her goddamn life for you, and she's not even in this family." He looked to Allison, eyes ablaze with anger, and gestured at Vanya as he spoke. "She is a liability."

"First of all, don't fucking bring me into this," Nadine snapped. There went the volcano again, constantly overflowing, even if her anger was slightly misdirected. Yes, she was mad at Diego for insinuating that his own sister was a liability (a word that Nadine had to take a moment to translate in her head), but her anger was mostly focused on Hazel and Cha-Cha. She supposed, though, that perhaps Diego's was as well. But it wasn't an excuse. "Second of all, Vanya is allowed to stay here as much as the rest of you. This is her house too, Diego. It's not her fault we got fucking attacked, it's those masked freaks. So you can shut your goddamn mouth and leave her alone."

Diego tensed visibly at this. "Look, I saved you once, French Girl, but I might not save you again next time. I don't know where you learned how to fight, but even so, you're lucky you're not dead, too, after you froze up back there."

"Fuck off," Nadine spat, and then Diego was dissolving away, melting back into the living room and leaving the three women behind.

Vanya, who appeared shaken yet again, looked to her sister, who hadn't spoken a word during this entire argument. "Allison?"

Allison's head dipped. "I know he didn't... articulate everything the way he should've," she began with a look to Nadine, who was fuming, "but I think what he's trying to say is that this kind of stuff is dangerous. You're just—"

"Not like you," Vanya finished. When Allison didn't respond to that, Vanya got to her feet, beginning to leave the room. It was only then that Allison began to chase her.

"No, that's not what I— Vanya, wait."

"Let her go," said Diego, who was sitting on the couch across from Nadine now. "It's for the best."

Nadine shot him an icy glare. "Diego, tu es un putain de blaireau."

"Yeah, I don't know what that means, but I assume you called me an asshole or something." Diego's voice was infuriatingly calm. Nadine rose to her feet, the desire to pound him into the ground pulsing through her. Fuck the life debt she probably owed him now.

"Nadine—" Allison began, but that was only a surefire way to ricochet the anger to her. Nadine whirled around, eyes blazing. The woman immediately shrank back.

"Get off your high-horse, Allison," Nadine spat, her words venom curling off her tongue. "Vanya isn't inferior to you just because she doesn't have any powers."

"That's not what I—"

"Va te faire voir." Nadine knew Allison didn't understand the meaning of the insult, but it felt good to get it off her tongue, to revert back into French in her anger. To admonish Allison to be seen somewhere else. To basically tell her to fuck right off.

She stomped out of the room, deciding to look for Klaus, to make sure he hadn't been caught up in the scuffle. She didn't think about the way she was always leaping to defend Vanya. She didn't think about how Vanya was the only one she was defending. She didn't think about the warmth that had started to blossom in her chest around her, either.

She just left the room, hot as a fire on high.

"DID YOU NOTICE anything familiar? About that woman we fought back at the house?"

"Which one? You'll have to be more specific."

"The blonde one," Hazel tried, biting into a jelly donut. His undershirt was seeping through slightly with blood, and he lay back on the bed. "She could... do things. Mess with your mind. She made it seem like the floor had crumbled in on me."

"Come to think of it," Cha-Cha mused, "there was something about her. It was like we've seen her before. But she definitely doesn't work at the Commission. I'd have known about a freak like that."

"Yeah, me too." Hazel licked jelly off his fingers. "Someone who could make it dark all of a sudden? She'd be famous there."

Cha-Cha got to her feet. "Did you just say make it dark?" she asked.

"Well, yeah. She also made it feel like there was this darkness all around me. But it didn't affect the other guy, so I know it was just me."

"Shit," Cha-Cha swore. "Shit! I knew there was something familiar about her!" She turned to Hazel, eyes narrowed. "Remember that mission we took a year ago, where we went back to France in 2007? We took out that girl in an alleyway?"

"Yeah," said Hazel. "But she's dead. We killed her."

Cha-Cha shook her head. "What if we didn't? You said she could mess with your mind, right? What if she did that to us? What if she made us think she was dead?"

Hazel's eyes widened, and he stopped licking jelly off his fingers abruptly. "Oh shit. The boss is gonna be pissed when she hears about this."

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HAVEN: hazel and cha-cha, after breaking into a mansion, fighting against superheroes, and kidnapping klaus: time for some donuts!!!

okay, for real though, some more shit went down this chapter!!! not as much physical fighting, but diego is an asshole, nadine jumps into a conflict she probably should've stayed out of again (though, to be fair, diego brought her into it this time), allison is well-meaning but doesn't know how to articulate things, and hazel and cha-cha now know who nadine is!! yeah, sorry, it was going to happen eventually, because five is an idiot :/// but also because nadine decided to literally use the same move she used on them before. she's really not the sharpest knife in the drawer. 

on a brighter note, nora arnezeder literally looks SO pretty in this chapter's gif... nadine really is stunning. i love her so much :))

thanks for reading <3