Dahlia's eyes slowly fluttered open, her eyelids immediately closing again after being greeted with the harsh light peering into the bedroom. She hissed in pain as she slowly sat up in the bed, grimacing as the harsh reality of a hangover sank in. She couldn't remember the last time she got so hammered, maybe it was hers and the Sparrow's 21st birthday, but who could be so sure? A deep snore pulled her out of her thoughts, and with widened eyes, she looked over her shoulder, finding Ben with his face buried in the pillow, the crumpled sheets barely covering his naked body. 

Fuck... fuck, fuck, fuck! What did we do last night? The question sounded so stupid the moment it exited her mind. They had sex; no further explanation was required. She tried to recall the rest of the night as best she could, but aside from entering the elevator, and feeling Ben's rough hand running up her thigh, her mind went blank. Did he really mean what he said? That he loves me? Or was it just the alcohol making him sputter nonsense? Ben groaned as he slowly flipped over, staring up at the ceiling.

"God, my head..." He winced, his voice causing Dahlia's headache to become even more unbearable. "Not so loud," she squinted. Upon hearing her voice, Ben sat up, catching a glimpse of her messy blonde hair as she wrapped the sheets around her torso. "Holy shit, it wasn't a dream, we actually..." Ben blinked slowly. "Don't say it, I know what we did," Dahlia grumbled. "Well, you don't seem quite happy about it," Ben noted. There were a lot of emotions going through Dahlia's head, and happiness wasn't one of them. Mainly a concoction of shock, anger for allowing herself to get so drunk and reckless, but the one thing that kept gnawing at her, was guilt.

Their late-night rendezvous never should've happened. Aside from being a part of the Sparrow Academy, she knew they were never meant to be anything more. And now, with I love you echoing throughout her mind, how were they supposed to go on acting like they hated each other? Surely, sober Ben would never admit he said those three little words, he kept his secrets locked away tightly in the vault that was his heart.

Finding her dress lying on the floor next to the pieces of Ben's suit, she scurried over to the dresser, trying to find more suitable clothes. "Don't look at me like that," Dahlia caught his gaze as she briefly saw him watching her through the mirror. "You can't just act like nothing happened, D," Ben stated. "We had sex, so what? I'm sure everyone else did!" She wanted to deny everything, that the little slip-up in their rivalry meant nothing. But her throat tightened every time she tried to speak.

"Come on, babe. You have to admit, it was fun," Ben slightly smirked. "I mean, I've had my share of women, but none were quite as fun as you," "I really don't want to hear about you screwing other people first thing in the morning," Dahlia grumbled. "Well, excuse me..." Ben rolled his eyes. Dahlia changed into a simple pair of blue jeans and a white sweatshirt. She tied her hair back into a messy ponytail, just trying to forget the feeling of Ben's piercing gaze on her. "So, what now? Are you gonna ignore me?" Ben questioned.

"What do you want me to say, Ben?" Dahlia retorted. She'd never been in this situation before; she made it a point to come across as unfriendly and uninterested as possible to anyone who even tried hitting on her, let alone sleep with her. "I want to know..." Ben's voice quickly trailed off as he slipped on his boxers. "...Never mind," He walked out of the room and down the hall towards the showers. She only saw it briefly, but Ben's face was a mixture of confusion and a hint of sadness. It was never easy to read Ben, out of all the books in the library, he was the hardest to decipher.

Maybe last night wasn't just drunken words, maybe it was the drunken truth. The icy blonde didn't know who or what to believe. Her brain kept reminding her of their unspoken rivalry, while her heart pounded as she remembered the feeling of Ben's lips pressed against hers, trying to breathe life back into her body back at the academy, the feeling of his arms wrapped around her waist as her head sunk into the pillows, his gentle whispers that sent shivers down her spine. 

A knock came from the door, pulling Dahlia out of her thoughts and as she opened it, she saw Reginald with a bright smile, holding a tray of food with both hands. "Good morning, Dahlia," He greeted. "Morning," Dahlia replied, looking from the tray back to his unusually happy face. "Well, aren't you going to let me in, child?" the old man asked. Without another word, Dahlia opened the door the rest of the way, silently inviting him into the room.

"I'm sure after last night's festivities, a hearty breakfast should bring you a bright start to your day," The monocle stated his business, lifting the metal cover off the plate containing Dahlia's breakfast. Scrambled eggs, bacon, toast with a few different kinds of jelly, and a cup of orange juice. It seemed normal enough. A second covered plate sat next to it, presumably for Ben whenever, if he ever returned. "Where's Ben? I could've sworn I saw him a minute ago," Reginald inquired.

"He's taking a shower," Dahlia answered before grabbing her fork and taking a small bite of her eggs. "Oh, I see. Well, I was hoping to talk to the both of you," Reginald looked a bit disappointed. "What's going on?" Dahlia questioned, secretly wanting to get this conversation over with so she could enjoy her breakfast in peace. "Well, what I'm here to discuss... is deadly serious. Once you finish your breakfast, meet me downstairs in the lobby," He answered, leaving Dahlia with an endless number of questions and theories. No, of course, he couldn't tell her right then and there, it was never simple to get information from him.

With a small nod from Dahlia, Reginald exited the room, leaving Dahlia to finish the rest of her food, while the floating debris outside continued to break apart, the kugelblitz slowly but surely continuing its final destination towards the hotel.

~~~~~~~~~

The lobby was full of silence as everyone waited for Reginald to make an appearance. But as the minutes ticked by, he still hadn't shown up. Surely, if this matter was so urgent, he'd be eager to share what the hell was going on sooner rather than later. Dahlia walked towards the farthest corner of the lobby, where the Hargreeves were lounging about. Dusk and Klaus sat together in the circular chair, the raven's head resting on his shoulder, while Lila lay across Diego's lap. Sloane caught a glimpse of her sister and slightly waved to her. Dahlia nodded in acknowledgment before taking her seat, her back pressed against the thin wall covering the staircase. Ben joined them not long after, taking a seat on the circular sofa, a foot or two from where Dusk and Klaus were.

Eventually, the sounds of the hotel's revolving doors spun, and Reginald stepped in, Five following close behind. "Here he is!" Luther smiled. Almost everyone immediately started clapping, telling him that his speech last night was amazing. "I especially liked how you referred to us as a family bound by destiny and love," Viktor commented. "Okay, enough. That was the booze talking. In the light of day, you're all deplorable," Five shushed as he sat next to Victoria, who was softly stroking Pennycrumb's back. 

"And your day's about to get worse," Reginald stated. Everyone turned back to the monocle, watching as he flipped through the pages of an old leather notebook. "The Norse had eight sleepers. The Blackfoot, eight stars. As a boy, I heard the legend of the eight bells. All these stories are the same. The village is under threat by flood, by fire, by a night that never ends. A shaman brings his disciples to a sacred cave. He tells them if they can ring the eight magic bells, the village will be saved, and all will be restored just as it was,"

What in the fucked-up fairytale is this dude talking about?  Dahlia raised a brow. Lila raised her hand and Reginald looked in her direction, gesturing for her to speak. "Can we get a little less Brother's Grimm and more 'What the hell does this have to do with us?" She asked. The old man then explained there was a truth to the myths. He claimed there was a portal in the universe, and that he built the hotel around it. "The other side is the answer," Reginald said.

"And... what are we supposed to do? Just stroll in, ring some bells, and fix this mess?" Dusk inquired. "Sarcasm aside, you are mostly right. Except for the Guardian," The monocle nodded. "It is a force to be reckoned with," "Why would the builders of this 'back door' need to have a guardian?" Viktor asked. Sloane gasped as she knew the answer to his question. "To protect it from people who want to use it for nefarious means!" she piped up. 

"So, it's gonna take all of us to defeat the thing protecting the bells?" Allison stated. "You're actually buying this bs?" Five squinted. "How is a guardian and bells any crazier than time-traveling briefcases and assassins with cartoon masks?" Five fell silent as Allison did have a point there. But he just rolled his eyes and continued looking forward. Ben stood up and walked to the side of Reginald, claiming he was in on the plan. Dahlia usually didn't believe in fairytales, but there was a small part of her that wanted to believe her father, that maybe all hope wasn't lost after all. Maybe a reset was what they needed.

Dahlia stood up as well, standing right next to the Squid Boy, but she made it a point to not look at him and only focus on her father's words. Diego stood up, declaring he would go as well, "But I think some of us should stay behind. Like Lila," he added. "Or... you can stay and I can go," the woman grinned. "No. This is much bigger than all of us. Nobody can stay back," Allison shook her head. Reginald took in a quiet breath, keeping a calm composure while his patience was wearing thin. 

"You, my children, are all that stands between us and oblivion. Are we ready to go?" "I say we vote. And whichever scenario has the most votes, that's what we'll do," Dusk suggested. "This isn't a democracy, dragon lady. Dad's calling the shots," Ben hissed. Dusk slightly twisted her head, giving him a look that said, 'I'm not in the mood for a fight with you,' and the longer she held her gaze, Ben looked down at the ground in intimidation. "I agree with Dusk. We vote," Victoria nodded, along with Five. "The world is ending, and you want to count hands?" Reginald glanced at them in disbelief and hidden anger.

Luther stood up and said that since he was asking them to risk their lives, it was only fair they had time to think about it privately. "How about we meet back here in an hour?" the Ape-man suggested. The Umbrellas all nodded in agreement, before they walked off in their own directions, feeling the giant weight of the decision come onto their shoulders.