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❛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘ. ᴘᴀʀᴋᴇʀ ᴇғғᴇᴄᴛ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚  ▎❛ 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴡᴇ ɢᴇᴛ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ
ғᴏʀ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴡᴇᴅᴅɪɴɢs
 ᴀɴᴅ ғᴜɴᴇʀᴀʟs ꒱


❝ [ I GOT OUT OF JAIL ] ABOUT
AN HOUR AGO, BUT I'M STRONGLY
CONSIDERING ROBBING A BANK
TO GET BACK IN ❞

▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅

Alexa and Five were bombarded by bright lights and noise as soon as they stepped into the arcade. While the brunet pulled a face at the onslaught, Alexa's lit up as her gaze flicked over the offered games, looking for her favorite ones. A small weight crashed against her and she glanced down to find Grace wrapping her arms around her. She happily gave her niece a hug in return, gushing, "happy birthday, Gracie!"

"Auntie Al!" the newly-turned six-year-old cheered, tilting her head up to pin her aunt with big brown eyes. "What did you get me for my birthday?"

The blonde laughed, shaking her head at her niece's unabashed attitude. As they pulled apart, Five reached over and gave her braid a fond tug. "Is that all you think we're good for? Hell, if you want someone to show up once a year just for presents, why don't you just invite Santa Clause to your party instead of all of us?"

Grace gave him a toothy grin. "I was gonna, but mommy said that he didn't like working 'off hours,' whatever that means." She turned back to the blonde, knowing that Alexa was more likely to cave than her uncle. "Can I open my present now?"

"No, sweetie," her aunt said gently. "Why don't you go put it on the present table and it can be the first one you open when it's time? Then you don't have to wait as long."

The brunette glanced at her uncle hopefully, but Five wasn't to be moved, either. "No way, kid. Your mom would kill me if I let you open your presents early."

She took on an exaggeratedly thoughtful look as she considered this, then allowed: "yeah, I guess so." Unbothered by the rejection, she grabbed her present from Five's hands and skipped over to put it on the indicated pile.

They didn't get much farther into the room as they were waylaid by another one of their niblings, Bradley. He was the same age as Grace, with wiry blond hair and his mother's warm brown eyes. He had all the energy of a usual six-year-old boy, which seemed boundless as he popped up suddenly in front of them with a bright smile. "Hi, Aunt Lexi, Uncle Five!"

"Hey, Brad—" the blonde started, but he was too impatient for the traditional greeting exchange. He grabbed her hand with both of his, causing her to let out an 'oof' of surprise as she bent unexpectedly towards him.

"Now that you're here you can help me with the Skee ball game! You're taller so you can throw better," he declared, insistently tugging on her fingers.

"Okay, okay," Alexa laughed, "I'm coming!"

She shot her boyfriend an apologetic look for leaving him alone so early in the party as Bradley's strength and enthusiasm (and her lack of protest) made her feet move in the direction he wanted her to go. Five caught her arm before she got too far, holding her in place for a second. "Wait— let me take that."

He scooped her purse off her arm and slung it over his shoulder as he released her into the fray. She gave him a grateful smile and shouted 'love you!' over her shoulder as Brad carted her off towards the other kids. Five shook his head with bemused fondness. Alexa had easily endeared herself to the younger generation of Hargreeves due to their closeness in (physical) age and her willingness to play games. She'd quickly become their favorite aunt (not that it was hard with Allison— as absent as she was— as her competition.)

The brunet made his way over to the refreshment table where he looked through the offering of beers (one reason why he didn't like children's parties was the lack of an open bar) before he selected one he could tolerate. He tensed for a moment, his instincts kicking in as he felt another presence approach from behind, but he relaxed when he realized it was only Diego. His brother set down a couple boxes of pizza next to him. "Nice purse."

Five ignored the other man's dry, mocking tone and took a sip of beer before he retorted coolly, "nice mustache. It makes you look like a pedo."

Diego's affronted look was well worth any oncoming retribution. He pointed sternly at the physically-younger man. "Hey. My mustache is cool. This is what all the guys have in the department."

"Just because everyone has one doesn't mean it's suddenly classy."

The brunette scoffed. "You're one to talk, Mr. I-Wear-Suits-Everyday. Having ten of the same outfit doesn't mean you have fashion sense."

He shrugged carelessly. "Lexa likes them."

"Yeah, where is she? You two are usually so attached at the hip it's sickening."

Five thought he should be commended for his effort in not rolling his eyes. "The kids nabbed her right out of the gate. I didn't stand a chance."

"So you got stuck with being a walking coat hanger? You are so whipped, man," Diego said in an attempt at commiserating with him.

The brunet shook his head. "No. Believe it or not, I offered to hold it for her. It doesn't take a lot of extra effort to do something thoughtful. You should try it sometime; I'm sure Lila would appreciate it."

Diego made a face. "I am so not taking marriage advice from a guy whose first romantic thing he said to the girl he liked was 'I loke you.'"

As his brother walked away, Five shouted after him: "hey! I was under a lot of pressure, okay?"

☂︎ ☂︎ ☂︎

When Luther pulled up to Grace's birthday party, he was relieved to see Sarah's car was already there. He wouldn't have to deal with Ben on his own for much longer; if there was anyone who could wear down his assholery-ness, it was Sarah and Alexa. He was pretty sure the combined force of their kindness could bring about world peace or something equally remarkable (like making Ben nice.) Sure enough, his sort-of brother's eyes narrowed with mistrust at the unfamiliar building.

"Where the hell are we?" he demanded.

"Come on," the blonde said, wrapping a forceful arm around his shoulders, "I got a surprise for you. It's a, uh, little welcome-home gift."

"No, no, no!" he predictably objected, his feet making an effort to stumble to a halt as they entered.

Luther kept a firm grip on him so he couldn't run. "Oh, come on. Don't be such a sourpuss. Look, it'll be good for you to reconnect with the family after all these years."

At the mention of the word 'family,' Ben stopped walking altogether and faced him, his expression set in a deadly glare. "Hey, this is not my family. My family's dead. Remember? The Sparrows?"

The blond smiled at him. "Yeah, about that. If you behave yourself, Alexa and I— well, we have some news for you that we think will make you happy. If you're capable of that emotion at all, Mr. Crabby pants."

"What are you, six?"

"No, but my son is. I learned that from him," Luther stated proudly. He put a firm hand on the back of the other man's neck. "Now, you're going to come inside and have fun. We're not leaving before cake. No one leaves before cake, Ben."

☂︎ ☂︎ ☂︎

Ben sought out the only person who didn't give him an immediate migraine: Five. They leaned against the net of the ball pit as they tried their best to ignore the screaming kids around them and have an 'adult' conversation. Five nodded to the brunette's run-down appearance. "What was it? A Ponzi scheme? White-collar fraud?"

"Crypto exchange. Web 3.0, baby," he replied. "Feds only went after me because I'm an outsider. A fucking maverick like Elon."

"Well, that and you bankrupted 100,000 people," the physically-younger man pointed out.

"The whole thing was a witch hunt."

Five brushed off Ben's excuse. "Yeah, well, say what you will. It's still good to have you back. Cheers."

As they clinked their bottles together, Luther popped up from the ball pit, grinning at them. "Ha-ha! Gotcha!" He sighed at their unchanged expressions. "Come on. It's been years since we've been together like this. Some of us never even got the chance!" His eyes fell on his wife, who had gotten roped in to helping Diego set up the pinata (although, to be honest, she probably volunteered.)

"Ever think maybe there's a good reason for that?"

Five glanced around the arcade. "Where's Viktor?"

Luther's smile faltered slightly as he remembered his brother's lackluster agreement. "Oh, uh, he said he was coming."

"What about Allison?"

The smile slipped off his face entirely, but he plastered it back on a second later before either of them could notice. "Oh, well, she's usually a no-show, right? Maybe it's better that way."

☂︎ ☂︎ ☂︎

"Hey," Diego's voice sounded above the noise of the Pac-Man machine Alexa was currently playing on. "You need a break from entertaining the kids?"

He'd noticed that she was finally alone, though she'd stuck nearby and was currently entertaining herself with said game rather than hanging out with her siblings. She startled a bit, not having heard him approach from how hard she was concentrating. "What? Oh, no, I don't mind—"

"I know you don't," he said, his tone taking on an unexpectedly softer note. "But come on; I need someone's help carrying more chip boxes in. You do not want to see what forty hungry kids are like."

She pulled away from the machine just as she died in-game once again. "Yeah, alright. I suck at Pac-Man anyway."

The blonde followed her brother out to the car where the extra food was being kept. As much as she did love kids, the break in constant noise was appreciated. The cool December air was refreshing on her face and reenergized her. She shivered, though, having forgotten to grab a coat before heading outside. Alexa cast the brunet a sidelong glance. "So, did you ask me to come out here for a reason? You've got five other people you could've asked."

"What, I can't just spend some quality time with my sister?"

"You could, but this isn't the first time you've pulled me aside at these family things. You're gonna ask about your resume, aren't you?" she guessed.

He smiled proudly at her and reached over to ruffle her hair. "Look at you; I think the CIA made you smarter! Now, don't you think it would do wonders for me? The police force isn't all terrible, but it's a waste of my God-given talents. When do you think I'll be hearing back from the agency?"

Alexa huffed and fixed the hair that he'd messed up. "I'm doing my best but family relationships in the workplace are tough, okay? I don't want them to think that I support nepotism. But I did put the request in; it's probably heading up the ladder right now." (She hadn't; as much as she hated breaking his trust, with the way things were at the CIA— the infiltration of the Keepers— she didn't want to put her family in any more danger.) They grabbed the boxes and made their way back inside.

Diego cheered happily: "that's what I'm talking about! You told 'em I know multiple disciplines? Hand-to-hand. Karate. Aikido. Hapkido. Krav Maga. Jujitsu. Muay Thai. Kendo. Sambo. . ."

"Go-go," the blonde interrupted him warmly, "I grew up with you, remember? I know what you know, 'cause I know it too. I'm sure once your resume gets to the right people, you'll be a shoo-in."

They set the boxes down on the buffet table and he pulled her into a one-armed hug. "That's why you're my favorite sister. You always stick up for your family."

Alexa did her best to not let her expression change as her stomach twisted guiltily.

☂︎ ☂︎ ☂︎

Luther was the first to notice the arrival of their fourth brother. He'd been half-listening to Five and Ben talk shop, more focused on making sure the kids behaved. However, at the sight of their brother, he threw the plastic ball he'd been playing with back into the pit and approached him with open arms. "Hey, buddy! Good to see ya! Come here!"

Just as the blond was about to come in for a hug, Klaus defensively put his gloved hands up. "Ah, ah— sorry. Don't touch. Spasibo."

"Right, yeah, of course."

"He is a germaphobe and extremely sober," Five explained to Ben, who was out of the loop. "Hi, Klaus."

"Benjamin!"

"Klaus."

Still staring at his sort-of brother in shock, Klaus stammered out, "wha. . . when did you get out?"

"About an hour ago," he answered, "but I'm strongly considering robbing a bank to get back in."

Ben walked off, probably to get another beer. Bradley ran up to Luther with his hands full of tickets. "Dad! Look at how many tickets Aunt Lexi won me! I wanna get a prize!"

"Wow, buddy!" the blonde exclaimed with genuine enthusiasm. "I bet you can get one of the big prizes with all those! Let's go take a look!"

Luther rested a hand on the boy's back and shepherded him towards the ticket counter, leaving Five and Klaus alone. "So. . . how's it going? You and Lexi still doing well?"

"Yeah. . . yeah," the brunet replied. Unbeknownst to him, his expression softened at the mere question of the blonde. "Not much has changed. What about you? How long have you been sober now?"

The other man thought about it for a second. "Oh, coming up on three years on January fifteenth. But who's counting, right?"

Despite his brother's self deprecating tone, Five smiled encouragingly at him. (He would've even patted him on the arm in congratulations but he respected Klaus' 'no touching' rule.) "That's amazing. Really; good for you."

"Thanks, Five," Klaus responded, sounding sincerely touched. "Appreciate it."

"Come on," the physically-younger man said, gesturing to the buffet table with his beer bottle. "What do you drink nowadays? Water? Let's get you some juice."

"Sounds great," Klaus answered rather heavily.

☂︎ ☂︎ ☂︎

They regrouped a little while later after refreshing their drinks. Bradley was now happily hauling around a toy robot, which Luther made a face at after his son had wandered off to show it to his friends. "Sarah's going to kill me for letting him get that thing. We'll have to take the batteries out when he's not looking or all those beeps and boops are gonna drive us crazy."

Diego nodded knowingly. "Get the silent toys. The kids'll give you a headache enough as it is."

"Get them a book," Five suggested, "then they'll at least have a modicum of a chance of turning out smarter than you lot."

The second Hargreeves sneered at him slightly for the insult to his intelligence. "You have no horse in this race, old man, so you don't get an opinion. Unless, of course, you've suddenly come around to the idea of having kids with Al?"

Five choked on his sip of beer (due to the unexpected turn the conversation had taken) and Luther thumped him on the back. The blond looked excited at the prospect. "You should! It would be great to have more kids around here. We could pay you guys back for all the babysitting Lexi's done over the years."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," the brunet protested, having recovered from his coughing fit. "No one said anything about us having kids— don't let her hear you talking like that. I don't want her to get her hopes up."

Diego arched a brow. "Like how you've spent six years dating her and still haven't proposed? It's not cool to keep stringing her along if you don't intend to marry her."

Five opened his mouth to give his brother a retort (along the lines of stay out of my business), but was interrupted by the arrival of one of their missing siblings. Lila had gone out to the car to get more sodas only to see her sister-in-law lingering in the parking lot, smoking her vape. They'd bonded over the years in the form of sharing childcare stories, so it hadn't even crossed her mind that bribing Allison to attend the party would have consequences. But, now as the other Hargreeves (with the exception of Viktor, thankfully) stared at their sister in varying degrees of disbelief and mistrust, she was beginning to see how wrong she was.

"You're right," she muttered to the other woman, "this is incredibly awkward.

The siblings froze as they processed her arrival. Luther was the first to recover, still in host-mode. He smiled brightly as he started forward, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Uh. . . Hey, uh, Allison! Uh. . . Uh. . . Hey! So glad you made it."

Alexa, from all her years of protecting her family, still felt like she had a sixth sense for danger even without her powers. Just as her sister stepped into the arcade, she excused herself from the basketball-throwing-game (which was another one that she was no good at, anyway) to the kids' many objections. She waved them off apologetically and made a beeline over to where her other siblings were just as Luther started to greet their estranged sister.

While no one else knew what had happened between him and Allison, she felt the first tingle of anger rise to the surface. It wasn't fair that he was the one greeting her. He shouldn't have to force himself into such an uncomfortable role because of their siblings' shock. She strode towards him and stood between the two, reaching up to put a gentle hand on her brother's chest. She met his gaze, noting the discomfort that was obvious in his eyes that none of the others seemed to pick up on.

Quietly, Alexa murmured, "you don't have to do this, you know."

"Yeah, but who else will?" he mumbled in response.

Her eyes flashed and she set her jaw determinedly. "Let me protect you for once, okay? I can handle it."

He glanced over at the brunette who, like their other siblings, was watching their whispered conversation with confusion. "Are you sure? The last time you two had words, you didn't stand up for yourself."

"I. . . I know," the blonde muttered sheepishly. "I'm no good when it comes to defending myself; there were bigger things at stake then than my feelings. But you know I'll protect my family. Trust me?"

Luther met the eighth Hargreeves' gaze again, thinking about their complicated relationship over the years. He'd done his best to turn over a new leaf in this timeline and he wanted to keep it that way. He nodded once. "Of course I do."

She smiled warmly at him, a look that disappeared the second she laid eyes on her sister. In the coldest voice she'd ever spoken in, she stated: "Allison, you're not welcome here. You should leave."

Allison blinked, her expression indignant. "What? You can't tell me what to do."

Before Alexa could respond, Lila shrugged, her hands full of soda bottles. "What's the big deal? It's just a party. We're all family, right?"

The blonde shot Lila a sharp look, irritation rising faster underneath her skin. "It's not just a party," she replied sharply. "And she's not just 'family.'"

Lila let out a short bark of laughter. "You can't seriously still be mad about her siding with Reggie! It's been six years, Lexi. I mean, I know you two don't have the best relationship, so if it's just because you two still have some beef to work out—"

Allison scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Of course she does. Alexa never liked me. It's always been like this—"

Alexa's eyes flared with anger but she forced herself to remain composed. "This isn't about us," she replied, voice steady, speaking in a tone that sounded foreign to even her ears. "And it's not about dad, either."

Lila frowned. "Then what is it about? You're being really cryptic and it's honestly kind of annoying."

"If it was just about dad, I could understand it. I'd even go so far as to say I'd do the same if I were in her place. So no, I'm not still mad about that," Alexa replied. "Allison crossed a different line, one that I can't forgive so easily."

The air shifted beside her and a hand brushed hers as Five moved to stand next to her. His fingers caught hers as he leaned over to murmur, "Lexa, what the hell's going on? Not that this isn't really hot, but I've never known you to. . . do this."

She glanced at him, whispering back: "it's not my place to explain. Just. . . trust me, okay? I promise I won't do anything rash. You know how much I love our family; if I'm talking to one of them like this, then—"

"Whatever it was, it was bad," he finished, giving Allison a once-over as he recalled her attitude during the Sparrow timeline. He wouldn't be surprised with whatever it had been; in the state she'd been in, she wouldn't know what 'too far' was. He quieted, letting her anger (which was really hot since she so rarely lost her temper) run its course, but he stayed by her side in silent support.

Her sister-in-law looked between them, clearly sensing the tension but still not understanding its depth. "Okay, okay, I get it. You're mad, but we're here for Gracie's birthday. Can't we just, I don't know, act like adults for a few hours?"

"I am acting like an adult," the blonde retorted. "That's why I'm asking you to leave, Allison."

"Asking?" Allison scoffed again, her eyes flashing with fury. While she hadn't been intending to stay, her 'sister's' words made her change her mind out of pure spite. "This is a family party. I am family. You don't get to kick me out."

Alexa's icy gaze didn't waver as she stared Allison down. "Family doesn't treat each other the way you did."

The brunette stepped closer, bristling with outrage. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

It was Alexa's turn to let out a sharp laugh. "Are you serious? Choosing to pretend that it didn't happen is worse! Don't play dumb Allison; it's not a good look for you."

Ben let out a low whistle of appreciation at the dig, impressed that the normally cheerful blonde would stoop so low. Diego stepped forward, looking like he might want to break the argument up, but the Asian man put his arm out to stop him. "Hold on, man. I think blondie's winning."

At her sister's jibe, the other woman's stubbornness redoubled. She crossed her arms and widened her stance. "I'm not leaving. I have every right to be here. You're not in charge of this family, Alexa."

Luther, who had been uneasy during the whole exchange (although he appreciated the lengths Alexa was going to stay subtle about the situation), bent to speak into his sister's ear: "Lexi, it's okay if she stays. I-I don't want to cause trouble at Gracie's party; I just won't talk to her. I'm fine."

The blonde met her brother's gaze, which remained uncertain, as if he didn't really believe his words. "Fine doesn't mean okay," she shot back, her voice low but fierce. "You shouldn't have to force yourself to be around someone who hurt you. Not now, not ever."

She addressed Allison again, shifting her tactic to try and keep their disagreement for blowing out of proportion: "this isn't the time or place for this. It's Gracie's birthday and I'll be damned if you ruin it. So, for the sake of everyone here, just go."

Allison opened her mouth to argue again, but the look in Alexa's eyes gave her pause. For the first time since arriving, she hesitated, glancing at Luther. He didn't meet her gaze. The silence stretched painfully until finally, the brunette scoffed and turned on her heel. "Fine. But don't think this is over."

Once she was gone, Luther sighed deeply, his shoulders sagging. "Thanks, Lexi," he muttered.

She turned to him, giving a small smile as her eyes took on a weary appearance. She never liked arguing with her siblings even when they deserved it. "You deserve better than what she's done, Luther. Go find Sarah," she added, knowing that he probably wanted to seek out reassurance from his wife.

Ben came over and clapped her on the shoulder, much to her surprise. "Damn, Blondie. Didn't know you had it in you."

She let out a shaky laugh, her façade of composure finally cracking a little. "Yeah, well, don't get used to it."

He snorted. "I wouldn't mind if it happened more often."

The blonde looked stricken at the thought. "I should hope not."

In the face of her confrontation with Allison (which, really, had been a long time coming), Ben being nice to her (or, at least, speaking to her more than he had in the entire time they'd been 'reunited') was a balm that she didn't know she needed. Diego came up to her next, still appearing utterly confused. "Are you gonna share what that was about?"

Alexa, drained from the whole ordeal, couldn't fathom a proper answer that wasn't the truth. Thankfully Five came to her rescue and answered easily, "you know Lexa and Allison have never gotten along; it was bound to come to a head someday. Pretty shitty timing, though."

"Tell me about it. I'm gonna go make sure Gracie didn't pick up on all that tension."

Klaus had wandered off after Ben, leaving them finally alone. Without an audience, he didn't hesitate to pull his girlfriend into a hug. She buried her face in his shoulder and clung to him tightly, letting out a wobbly breath of relief. Five held her close, feeling the tension bleed out of her as she leaned into him. The weight of the confrontation hung in the air but in this moment, all he wanted was to be her anchor. He gently stroked her hair, murmuring softly, "you did great, Lexa. You stood your ground. I know that wasn't easy for you."

"I just wish it didn't have to be like this," she mumbled. "I hate conflict, especially with family."

He let out a soft laugh. "If there wasn't conflict you'd never get to exercise your need to fix everything."

"Yeah, well, I'd prefer to fix things without drama," she replied, pulling back slightly to meet his gaze. "I just wanted today to be perfect for Gracie."

Five knew that the best way to make her feel better was to distract her with lighthearted entertainment so, as much as he would prefer not to, he offered, "it still can be. I bet she'd get a kick out of me crushing you on any of these games. I'll even let you choose which one since I'll beat you anyway."

The blonde's expression became marginally brighter as her eyes flashed at the challenge. "Oh, you're so on."

☂︎ ☂︎ ☂︎

Awhile later, once he'd gained some needed reassurance from his wife, Luther joined Diego by the ball pit. The brunet glanced at him, concern evident in his eyes. "Hey, man; do we need to talk about what happened?"

Luther grimaced. "I'd really rather not." Noting his brother's worry (and touched because of it), he offered, "I talked to Lexi about it and she encouraged me to tell Sarah, so those are the only ones who I'd want to know."

Diego nodded in acceptance. "Well, I'm just glad you got your head out of your ass enough to have a relationship with someone outside of the family. I think I'd go crazy if I have to deal with two pseudo-incest relationships."

"We're not biological siblings," the blond muttered, having the decency to look embarrassed. Wanting to get off of the subject quickly (as he was sure that he was in for a boatload of mocking), he jerked his head towards their physically-younger siblings, who could be seen bantering across the arcade. "How long do you think it'll be until they get married?"

The second Hargreeves groaned. "We've already gone over this, remember? We both lost."

"I know," he said, "but it's been a few months. Maybe things are different?"

"I wouldn't count on it," Diego grunted. "Not with how slowly the old man moves. It took him fifteen years to confess his feelings for her— and that's just on our side. Marriage will probably be double that."

"Yeah?" Luther asked, taking his brother's words at face value. "Well, I think it'll take them three years."

The brunet considered this. "Same stakes as before?" At the other man's nod, he stuck out his hand. "Fine. You're going down, bro."

☂︎ ☂︎ ☂︎

Alexa had decided on a racing game since she actually had a chance at winning at those thanks to spending a few afternoons playing video games with Diego and Gracie (she wasn't embarrassed to admit that a five-year-old-at-the-time dominated her in Mario Kart.) She'd gotten better over time, though, and could certainly hold her own against Five, who didn't have the experience she did. She shot a glance at the brunet, who sat beside her, looking far too casual about the situation. His laid-back posture and bored expression might have fooled someone else, but she knew better.

She grinned at him as the game loaded. "Your Sunday driving is only good on one day, and today's Friday. I'm going to crush you, old man."

Five raised an eyebrow in challenge as he adjusted the steering wheel. "That's bold smack talk from someone who's a passenger princess."

Alexa sniffed, replying haughtily: "how I am as a passenger has nothing to do with my driving skills."

"I suppose not," Five agreed with a shrug. "But it just goes to show that you don't use them often. You might be a little rusty."

The game beeped, the countdown for the race beginning as Alexa tightened her grip on the wheel. The cars on screen shot forward and immediately the blonde found herself grinning. This was going to be so easy, she thought smugly. Sure, Five liked to drive real cars (he used every excuse he could to take his Corvette Stingray (a gift from his siblings as a 'thank you' for saving their family multiple times— an effort spearheaded, of course, by Alexa) out, but video game driving was different.)

Five, however, wasn't going down without a fight. His car zoomed ahead, smoothly navigating through the curves. He was even able to casually glance at her screen (the bastard) to see her aggressive start. "If you don't slow down, you're going to burn your rubber."

"Why don't you focus on your own game?" she shot back, her hands tightening on the wheel. (He felt a burst of smug pride when he noticed that she did, in fact, slow down.)

Alexa didn't like going slowly, though, and her speed crept back up. As the course wore on she got leagues ahead of him, but it became more difficult the further away from the starting line they got. The curves became sharper, the slopes steeper. While the physics in the video game were sub-par at best, they weren't nonexistent. He smirked at the way one side of her car tipped slightly off the ground on one of the turns.

"You're taking that turn too fast," he remarked evenly. "You might flip."

"No one asked for you to be a backseat driver," she grumbled, swerving smoothly around a sharp corner, leaving Five just behind.

"I'm just trying to help you out," the brunet replied, his tone annoyingly smug.

"Oh yeah? Who's behind who right now?" Alexa grinned, her eyes narrowing as she sped through a challenging section of the course, her fingers tapping buttons to give herself another boost of speed.

They were neck and neck, both cars darting in and out of turns, nearly missing obstacles. Alexa could feel her heart racing, her competitive streak coming out in full force. As they neared the final lap, she spotted a shortcut— one of those high-risk, high-reward situations. Without hesitation, she took it, maneuvering through the tight path flawlessly.

"Suck it, grandpa!" she crowed triumphantly as her car rocketed ahead of his.

Five's eyes narrowed. He leaned closer, his voice low. "That's your job."

Her face heated at the remark but she managed a quick retort: "not when you're losing, it's not."

"I guess we'll just have to change that, won't we?" With one final curve and a burst of speed, Five's car surpassed hers, crossing the finish line first. The victory lights flashed across the screen. Alexa let out an exasperated groan.

"Told you," he said arrogantly, leaning back in his seat. "Rusty."

She stared at the screen in disbelief. "How? How is that even possible? You've never played a video game in your entire life!"

"Maybe if you pay up I'll tell you how I did it."

Alexa finally pulled her eyes away from the screen to look at him. "Oh? And what did you have in mind?"

His eyes flicked down to her lips. "Well, for now, I'll content myself with keeping things PG."

☂︎ ☂︎ ☂︎

Outside of the bustling arcade, Viktor got out of his truck with a groan, stretching his legs after a long drive. It was dark out now, the party mostly over. At least he'd made it, even if he hadn't really wanted to come in the first place. Shifting his present for his niece to one hand, he stuffed the other in the pocket of his jean jacket. He made his way over to the entrance but, before he could get very far, bright floodlights from a car behind him illuminated the area. Startled, he dropped the present and turned around, squinting against the light.

The most he could make out was that another person was approaching him. They had long hair— presumably a woman, though he wasn't one to judge— and wore loose, flowy clothing. Even when they were finally close enough to make out details, Viktor couldn't see much against the blinding high beams. But, he did know for certain that it was a feminine voice that came from the figure, her tone apologetic: "I'm sorry about this."

Before he could ask what the hell she meant, he felt the bright, sharp pain of electricity zipping through his bones. His vision went black as he collapsed soundlessly onto the pavement, letting himself be carried away by the unknown person.

A/n: I am so excited to finally get to the canon chapters! I have a lot of stuff planned so there can be an ending where everybody lives/nobody dies. One of the things I really wanted to change was Allison's SA on Luther; I didn't like how it had no impact to the plot whatsoever. I know it's not a show about that, but they could've addressed it at least once so it had some relevance. I can imagine that Luther wouldn't want anyone to know, but I think that if he did have someone who was more compassionate like Alexa in canon (or even Sloane, had they had more time together), he definitely would have talked about it with someone. That's why I included the confrontation with Allison since they basically were all just like 'oh, okay' and accepted her back into the family without much issue, which isn't going to happen in my version. Even if most of the siblings don't know everything, I think they'd be pretty pissed at her for siding with their father.