˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ CHAPTER TWO:
A RARE BREED.

Stella had attended two funerals in her lifetime. One for her grandmother and another for her family's pet dog Oly. According to her mother, Stella shed more tears at Oly's grave site than her grandmother's but in her defence, Grandma Windsor only made an appearance once a year to steal all the good slices of turkey at Christmas while their german shepherd had been attached to Stella's hip from the day the young girl was born.

She and Five had missed Sir Reginald Hargreeves's funeral. Not that either of them would have attended anyway. Reginald had never been a father to Five or his siblings and Stella had gratefully never met the man until he was ashes in an urn.

It was raining. Not the best weather to spread ashes, Stella muttered to Five as she slipped under his umbrella. He had changed out of his old man clothes and was dressed in the same navy uniform he'd worn that fateful day Stella had knocked him over the head with a brick. Stella, having not grown in height since she was thirteen years old, fit quite well into the clothes she'd worn prior to landing in 2019 and made no rush to raid Vanya's or Allison's closet.

In the courtyard a statue of Ben Hargreeves stood, his head dipped as if he was looking down at the plaque that honoured him in his death. 'Ben Hargreeves. May the darkness within you find peace in the light', it read.

The family gathered in front of the statue, umbrellas in hand. Their mother, Grace, was dressed head to toe in black, a set of pearls clasps around her neck and her blonde hair done up beautifully. The others, including Stella in her suit, wore black only by coincidence.

Luther stood before his family holding his father's urn. Grace looked at her children, the heavy rain dripping off the edges of her umbrella. "Did something happen?" She asked.

Confused, Allison said, "Dad died. Remember?" Allison glanced at her siblings, they wore the same expression.

Grace's gaze fell to the floor for a split second before it found Allison again. "Oh. Yes, of course," She spoke softly, a hint of sadness clinging to her words.

"Is Mom okay?" Allison asked Diego.

Diego didn't hesitate to answer, "Yeah, yeah, she's fine," Diego looked from Allison to Grace. Without an umbrella to shield him from the weather, droplets of rain trickled down his face and danced over the thick scar, that stretched across from his cheek and ended behind his ear, to collect upon his already soaked coat. "She just needs to rest. You know, recharge," Diego assured.

Pogo joined the family at Vanya's side. Stella had never truly believed that hidden behind the mansion walls of the Umbrella Academy Sir Reginald Hargreeves's assistant was an advanced chimpanzee but now he stood before her, flesh and blood, dressed in what she could only assume was his nicest suit and a pair of glasses perched upon his nose.

Five glanced at her, his head tipping ever so slightly in a discreet 'I told you so'. Stella wafted his hand away from hers and forced her focus onto the very large Hargreeves and the urn. Five looked down at his shoes, banishing the smirk from his face.

"Whenever you're ready, dear boy," Pogo said.

Luther lifted the lid off the urn and extended his arm out in front of him. He tipped the urn upside down and shook the ashes out. With little to no wind to blow the ashes, the grey remains of their father fell to the wet ground in a heap.

Klaus cringed underneath his clear, pink lined umbrella and Luther looked up, "Probably would have been better with some wind," He said.

"Does anyone wish to speak?" Pogo asked. No one wished to. "Very well," Pogo began. "In all regards, Sir Reginald Hargreeves made me what I am today. For that alone, I shall forever be in his debt. He was my master and my friend and I shall miss him very much. He leaves behind a complicated legacy-".

"He was a monster," Diego said. Klaus laughed and Stella chewed on her bottom lip, refusing to be influenced by his slightly contagious snicker. "He was a bad person and a worse father. The world's better off without him".

"Diego," Allison's tone warned him to stop talking.

"My name is Number Two," Diego said. He looked at Allison as he continued. "You know why? Because our father couldn't be bothered to give us actual names. He had mom do it".

Grace looked up, "Would anyone like something to eat?" She asked.

"No, it's okay, Mom," Vanya said.

"Oh, okay," Grace smiled.

Diego stepped forward, "Look, you wanna pay your respects?" Diego turned to face his family, his back to Luther. "Go ahead. But at least be honest about the kind of man he was," Diego said.

"You should stop talking now," Luther said.

Diego faced Luther, "You know, you of all people should be on my side here, Number One," Diego said.

Luther glared down at Diego, "I am warning you".

"After everything he did to you?" Diego took another step toward Luther, "He had to ship you a million miles away-".

"Diego," Luther gritted his teeth, "Stop talking".

"That's," Diego shouted, "how much he couldn't stand the sight of you!" Diego punched his finger into Luther's chest.

Luther hit Diego's arm away and swung for his head. Diego ducked and stepped back, avoiding his brother's punches.

Vanya grasped their mother's arm and walked her backwards away from the fight as Diego landed a punch on Luther's hard chest. Allison stepped back and Klaus stepped in front of Five and Stella, holding his arm out in front of them.

"Boys, stop this at once!" Pogo scolded.

Five pushed Klaus's hand away and curled his arm around Stella's, pulling her snug against him under the umbrella.

Luther's fist barely hit Diego's arm but, with the super strength he had been born with, it still sent Diego stumbling backwards, groaning in pain.

"Come on, big boy!" Diego shouted over the downpour.

Luther lunged and Diego ducked under his arm, landing punch after punch on Luther's back. Vanya shouted for them to stop and Klaus cheered them on, shouting 'Hit him! Hit him!".

The fight continued with most of Luther's punches just skimming Diego as he ducked and dipped, avoiding Luther's fists.

Pogo sighed. He shook his head and turned to leave, scoffing at their childish ways.

"If I had known there'd be a show I would have brought popcorn," Stella mumbled.

Five's brows furrowed, "You hate popcorn," he said.

"Not to eat. To throw-"

"Very Medieval of you," Five muttered.

"Because this is-" Stella gestured to Luther and Diego as Luther grabbed Diego by the front of his long black coat and threw him to the ground. Diego skidded and stood in time to intercept Luther's punch with a kick. "I have seen playground fights more entertaining".

Diego threw his arm, his fist aiming for Luther's jaw. Luther caught his wrist and held him at arm's length. Diego punched and jabbed Luther's arm, shouting for Luther to get off him. Diego pulled his free arm back and slammed the heel of his hand into Luther's wrist. Luther then swung at Diego, his grip loosening enough for Diego to pull his wrist free and in one quick motion, Diego sidestepped his brother's punch and collided his fist with Luther's face.

Luther spun on his heel, his hand holding his jaw and Diego staggered away from him, breathing heavily as he straightened himself up.

"We don't have time for this," Five said.

Stella chased Five and his umbrella indoors. The only thing she hated more than bread crusts and sweetened styrofoam was the feeling of wet clothes clinging to her skin.

"So," Five began, "Are they everything you imagined?" Five stood before Stella, her gaze fixed upon the large portrait of her husband hung above the mantelpiece.

Five followed Stella's line of sight. He untucked one of his hands from his shorts pockets and combed his hair over to match his portrait. To an unsuspecting eye, the portrait was new and the boy before it had not lived a near full life before a miscalculation struck his body back in time.

He wondered then, if Stella too felt uncomfortable. Five knew she had once longed for her younger hips and often complained about her back hurting especially in the morning.

He didn't ask nor did he repeat his earlier question about his family. The Hargreeves siblings were as estranged as a family could get. Some years ago, there may have been an ounce of understanding between them but all that tied them together now was their surname. Five knew Stella's family was worlds different from his, endless nights of the young girl crying for her mothers when she believed Five to be asleep told him all he needed to know about the Yeun-Windsors.

"So," Stella stood from the couch and Five turned to face her. "What's the plan?" Stella asked.

Five tucked his hand into his pocket and rocked back on his heels. He studied his wife's face for a fleeting moment, his eyes tracing the freckles across her cheeks and nose. Two hundred and fifty three. 253 freckles — and thirty nine tiny white scars.

"Coffee," Five said.

"Coffee?" Stella repeated.

Five nodded with a hum, "Coffee".

Stella shook her head as trailed out of the living room. "Because that's going to save the world," Stella said, her feet carrying her to the basement kitchen with Five on her tail.

Klaus was sitting at the dining table, their bare feet touching the table top — Stella made a mental note to not eat there — and cuddling a guitar as if it was a baby.

"I once met a woman with hair like yours," Klaus picked at the guitar strings, his eyes following Stella as she began searching the cupboards.

Five blinked beside her, earning a gentle slap to his wrist for startling her. Stella had never quite got used to Five's blinks and doubted she ever would.

"We are a rare breed," Stella said, her glare burning a faint smirk onto Five's face.

Klaus chuckled, it was quiet, like he was laughing at the remembrance of a memory. "She truly was," Klaus laughed a little louder and Five glanced over his shoulder to his sibling. "I will not bore you with the details but I will say she was a biter".

Five grimaced and Stella wished she had plugged her fingers into her ears. Klaus picked the strings again, his laughter dying out to a silent chuckle.

"She sounds familiar," Five whispered.

Stella looked up from where she was crouched, she rested her hands on the edge of the counter, one of the bottom cupboards remaining half searched.

"I have never bit you," Stella whispered. Then even quieter, "Well not like that anyways".

Five raised one of his thick black brows. He still had the tiniest and faintest of scars on his left palm. Stella had never felt sorry nor had she ever verbally apologised for it. As she had told Five forty something years ago, he was asking for it when he put his hand over her mouth and kicked her knife a good few feet away from her.

Five located the drip coffee machine. It was empty and seemingly not used in years. He showed Stella, watching the annoyance gloss over her blue eyes, and held out his other hand to her. Stella grasped his hand and stood to her feet, leaning against the counter as Allison entered the basement.

She tossed her coat over the back of a chair, "Where's Vanya?" Allison asked.

"Oh, she's gone," Klaus said.

"That's unfortunate," Five said. He walked to the dining table still holding the empty coffee machine. "An entire square block, Forty-two bedrooms, 19 bathrooms, but no, not a single drop of coffee," Five sat it on the table.

"Dad hated caffeine," Allison said.

"Well," Klaus was hugging the guitar tighter, "he hated children, too, and he had plenty of us," Klaus chuckled dryly.

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

Stella blinked away the resurfacing memory of the first time she'd ever got in a car with Five. He'd got better, much better over the years, Stella reminded herself as she slipped her hand inside her shirt to rub her lowest rib bone through her skin.

Klaus sat up, lowering the guitar and his feet to the floor, "Where are you going?" he asked.

"To get a decent cup of coffee," Five said.

"Do you even know how to drive?" Allison asked.

"I know how to do everything," Five retorted.

Without warning Five turned to Stella, he sat his hand upon her shoulder and blinked them out of the basement and into the alley where the car was parked. Stella braced her hands either side of her head, trying and failing to stabilise her shaking brain.

"Sorry, love," Five glanced around the alleyway, locating the academy's car. The key was in his pocket, having swiped it out of the basement when Stella wasn't looking.

Stella straightened up, pushing away the nausea that bloomed in her belly. "Like riding a bike," Stella mumbled as Five led her to the car, his hand in hers.

Authors note!
Sorry this chapter took a little while to get out. I've been a little caught up in life the last couple of days and reading 'You and Me on Vacation' (It's the British title for People We Meet On Vacation), the book is so good and I'm so excited they're making it into a movie with Emily Bader and Tom Blyth as Poppy and Alex. The casting is perfect.

I also think Stella feels like Inanna in this chapter. In chapter one I don't think she does but that might be because I haven't wrote Divorce in so long and needed to get back into that mindset and now Stella is exactly how I want her to be.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Chapter three will hopefully be published in the next couple of days but if not it will be published sometime next week after my birthday.