1999:

With another stroke of the pencil, Riley finished the drawing.

It was a rainy Sunday afternoon and their father allowed Riley and the others a day off (mostly because he had other appointments).

But the children didn't care. They were happy to take time some for their hobbies. Even if it was just a few hours.

Like Luther, who was busy with his action figures.

Allison, who was holding a concert in her room as part of her world tour. Which was the best concert ever, if you aks Riley.

Klaus and Ben playing a video game together.

Five, who was sitting in his room reading his favorite book about trains.

Or Vanya, who sat outside in the garden to meditate.

Riley had been sitting on the drawing for the last hour and was finally done.

It wasn't a particularly complex drawing, but Riley was happy with it– they were a kid after all.

They sat on the floor and leaned their back against the end of the bed.

"Already done?", a voice ripped Riley out of their concentration.

Riley signed the drawing in the bottom left corner and then looked at Diego.

The boy stood in front of his mirror and did the exercises his language coach had shown him.

But it didn't work the way he wanted.

That wasn't surprising since he had been working on it for over an hour and, well, was a pretty impatient person.

Diego sighed and sat down on the carpet next to Riley.

"I give up. It will never work," said Diego.

At this point he no longer even tried to suppress his stuttering.

His sibling placed the sketchbook next to them and nodded.

"Maybe you're right," Riley agreed.

"What?"

"I said you're right. Just give up. It's not working. So why keep trying when you have better things to do?" Riley asked.

Their brother turned his upper body towards Riley and gave them a confused look.

What they said was simply out of character. Riley never told anyone to give up and always had motivational words for everyone.

And to be honest, Diego was hoping for those words. Because he finally wanted to get rid of that annoying stutter.

Until that moment, Diego also suspected that Riley didn't even know the words 'giving up'.

But exactly the opposite happened.

"You will always stutter. I mean, it doesn’t have to be bad, but… maybe it is time to accept the fact that there is nothing anyone can do about it."

Riley's words felt like a knife in Diego's chest.

It hurt that, of all people, Riley 'I know you could do it' Hargreeves said something like that to him.

"How can you say something like that. I'm trying, you know. I'm trying. And you know that. And I really thought you would understand me. That's why I asked you for help because– Oh, forget it. I– I'm going to show you, all of you, that I– why are you laughing now?"

Diego stood up during his monologue and started pacing around his room.

Riley, in turn, smiled wider and wider with every word that Diego spoke freely and without stuttering.

"Oh," Riley's brother said, understanding.

"I knew you could do it."

Riley stood up.

"There's still a lot of work ahead of us, but we'll get there," said the child confidently.

"We?" asked Diego.

"Of course. You're not alone Diego. I'll always have your back," Riley promised.

They tore the picture from the sketchbook and handed it to the boy.

Riley then left the room to look for candy in the kitchen.

Diego stayed back and looked at the drawing.

It was him standing in front of the mirror.

He looked like his normal self and it seemed like he was talking, while his mirror self looked like a superhero– the hero Riley knew he could and would be.

~~~~

"Harold Jenkins?"

"Who the hell is Harold Jenkins?"

Everyone's attention was on Riley and Five.

"We don't know," Five replied.

"Yet," Riley added. "But I do know that he's responsible for the apocalypse."

"So we have to find him," Five summarized. "And we have to do it now."

"How is he connected to what’s going to happen?" Luther wanted to know.

"We don't know."

"Wait, so you just know his name? That's it?" Diego asked, not sounding enthusiastic at all.

"That's enough," replied Five.

"There's probably dozens of Jenkinses," Diego pointed out.

"Well, we just better start looking, then."

There was a moment of silence before Allison decided to interrupt it.

"I'm sorry. Am I the only one that's skeptical here? I mean, how exactly do you know all of this about what's his name?"

"Harold Jenkins," Riley said.

Even they were starting to get frustrated that the siblings didn't seem to understand what they and Five were telling them.

"You know those lunatics in masks who attacked the house?"

"Oh, yeah, I think I remember those guys," Klaus murmured.

Riley looked at him with a sad expression, remembering what Klaus told them.

"Yeah, the ones that attacked us while you two were getting drunk."

"Yeah. Them. They were sent by the Temps Commission to stop Riley and me from coming back and preventing the end of life on Earth."

"The Temps what?"

"Our former employer," Riley explained. "They monitor all of time and space to make sure that whatever is supposed to happen... happens."

"They believe the apocalypse is coming in three days. So Riley and I went to Commission headquarters and intercepted a message that was meant for said lunatics. 'Protect Harold Jenkins'. So he must be responsible for the apocalypse."

"What do you mean, protect time and space?"

"Where is this Hazel, Five?"

"Do you have any idea how insane this sounds?"

Everyone spoke at once and Riley rolled their eyes.

"You know what else is insane?" Five replied. "Riley and I look like a 13-year-old kids. Klaus talks to the dead, and Luther thinks he's fooling everyone with that overcoat. Everything about us is insane. It always has been."

"He's got a point there," Klaus muttered.

By now he laid down on the bench and didn't look well.

Riley furrowed their eyebrows and walked up to check on him.

"We didn't choose this life, we're just living it. For the next three days, anyway. But the last time we tried to stop it, we all died," Five added.

"Why is this time any different? Why shouldn't I go home to my daughter?" Allison wanted to know.

"Because this time, Riley and I are here," Five explained. "We have the name of the man responsible. Guys, we actually have the chance of saving the lives of billions of people. Including Claire."

"You know her name?"

"I do, and we'd like to live long enough to meet her."

"All right. Let's get this bastard," Allison agreed.

"You had me at Gerald Jenkins."

"Harold Jenkins," Riley corrected Diego.

"Whatever. I've already lost two people this week, I'm not losing anyone else."

"And Luther?"

"Yeah, you go. I'm gonna stay and go through Dad's files. I still think this has something to do with why he sent me to the Moon."

"Seriously? Now you wanna make the end of the world about you and Dad?"

"No. 'Watch for threats'. That's what he told me. You think that's a coincidence? This all has to be connected somehow."

"No, we should all stick together," said Allison.

"We don't have time for this."

"Let’s roll," agreed Diego with Five. "I know where we can find this asshole. Klaus, you're with me."

"Yeah. I... I'm good. I think I'll, uh... I think I'll pass," Klaus refused.

He stood up and padded across the room to the door.

"– I'm… feeling a little under the weather, so, uh..."

Riley, Five and Diego also left the room.

~~~~

Diego parked the car in front of the police station.

Riley sat in the backseat with Allison while Five sat in the passenger seat.

"I know this Jenkins dude has to have a record. We gotta get our hands on this file," Diego muttered.

"And your plan is to what? Waltz in there and just ask for it?" Allison asked.

"I know the station like the back of my hand, sis," assured Diego. "I've spent a lot of time inside."

"Handcuffed, I suppose," scoffed Riley.

Diego glanced at them through the rearview mirror.

"Whatever. Here's the plan."

"Plan?" Five repeated. "I'm just gonna blink in and get the file."

"No, that's not… You don't know the ins and outs of this place, okay?"

"I literally just did this yesterday," reported Five.

"What?"

"My yesterday, not your yesterday. It'll take me two seconds. Why don't I just–"

"Listen to me," Diego interrupted his brother. "You are not going in there. I made a call. That's what a leader does. He leads."

Riley raised an eyebrow.

Had they missed something? When was Diego elected leader?

They didn't vote for him.

~~~~

While they waited for Diego to come back with the file, Allison decided to reach out to Vanya.

But apparently only the mailbox was answered.

"You okay?" Riley wanted to know from Five.

"Everything is fine," he said, trying to sound surprised. "Why do you ask?"

"You are uncharacteristically quiet," Riley replied, crossing their arms over their chest.

Five chuckled and asked: "What?"

"Well, normally you would have argued with Diego, until he agreed with you."

"That’s not–," Five wanted to contradict.

He stopped the sentence as Diego came around the corner.

"So?"

"You're welcome," said Diego and held the file in the air.

Allison took the file from his hand and opened it.

"Holy shit."

"What?"

"Harold Jenkins is Leonard Peabody."

"And who is Leonard Peabody?" Riley wanted to know.