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❛ ᴡᴀsᴛᴇʟᴀɴᴅs ᴏғ ᴛɪᴍᴇ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐒𝐈𝐗 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴍʏ ʜᴀɴᴅ ꒱


❝ I'M PRETTY SURE THAT'S
NOT HOW TIME WORKS ❞

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Words had always been Dolores' weapon of choice. She'd had an affinity for them since the moment she could talk and the connection had only grown stronger once she learned how to read and write. For a girl born without superpowers, she was very lucky to be blessed with two (and a half), though 'normal' superheroes would not consider her talents true superpowers.

Her uncle had understood this kinship and made every effort to encourage it, having some idea of what the girl would go through to know that she would need the comfort of something that never changed. He'd created her favorite word game out of boredom, not knowing then that it would lead to the burgeoning feelings of friendship between the last two survivors of the world (or, perhaps, he had.)

There was a certain power to words that superseded any sort of traditional superhero gift. They created imaginary worlds and fictional characters that one could grow to love. They could make you feel things, both good and bad. They could start wars and make peace. They could connect people all around the globe. Dolores understood this power and used it to her advantage, wielding her words better than any marksman. If she truly tried, she could always, always get her way.

It was this gift that she put to use after several years of working with The Commission. During the entire time she'd been an employee, she'd been a diligent worker and made very few ripples apart from her magic tricks. She was helpful to her coworkers and ingratiated herself into the Case Management office, often helping others on their cases whenever they were stuck. It had taken time for her to get adjusted but now she blended in so well to the community that many people couldn't remember what it was like before she arrived.

Another gift she used was patience. She had what seemed like an infinite amount of it. She'd had enough to 'put up' with Five for thirty years. She had enough to quietly bide her time before she got him to cave after their first year. She had enough to know when to play her cards right and that now was the time to strike.

If Five was impulsive then she was resolute. It was one of the many things that made them a perfect balance.

"Two thousand eight Obama catchword."

"What?"

Dolores looked up from the paper she had spread out in front of her. "Crossword puzzle clue," she explained, "two thousand eight Obama catchword, four letters."

"Obama?" Five asked, his expression puzzled. The woman groaned. 

"I keep forgetting that you were born before me. He was the president in two thousand eight," she explained, "after you time travelled."

"Oh. Well, I wouldn't know the answer if you were asking that."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I know that now," she sighed. "I'll figure it out later. You should get this one. Wedding vow. Five letters," she chuckled slightly.

"You know I'm busy, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Your equations are probably wrong anyway. Just help me finish this— I've only got a few clues left."

"Whatever," the man grumbled as he closed the top of the notebook with a snap. "Fine. Tell me what it is again?"

"Wedding vow, five letters."

"Honor. I can't believe you need my help with that."

She rolled her eyes as she scribbled in the answer. "Next is plant study. Oh, I know that one, Botany. Alright, four down. . ."

They continued to work on the puzzle until she glanced up and saw that it was almost twelve o'clock. "Oh, shoot. I'm going to be late!"

"Late for what?"

"I've got a meeting," the woman answered absentmindedly as she folded her newspaper up.

"A meeting?" Five repeated, "Dolly, what are you talking about?"

She slowed her movements and looked over at him. "I'm going to ask for some time off. According to The Commission's handbook chapter thirty-five, subsection two a: after an employee works for two years they can request a week off in a time and place of their choice. Then in another two years, they can ask again. Even if your equations aren't one hundred percent correct you've been saying that you've got it for a few weeks now. Remember that day when you were so excited—"

"Yeah, I know," he cut her off as his face turned pink at the reminder. "But how are we going to leave? I know we've talked about it but I have a mission in a few days—"

"Which is perfect," she interrupted him now. "I'll request Dallas, Texas, nineteen-sixty-two as my vacation place. We'll pretend to run into each other and leave from there. It'll take longer for The Commission to find us."

His expression hardened. "You know how I feel about you seeing me on the job."

"But there won't be a job since we'll leave before you do it. Look, I've already made up my mind and I'm going to be late. I'll talk to you later, okay?" She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"You're too stubborn for your own good. You know that, right?"

✧✧✧

"This is a terrible idea," Five announced as they pushed open the door to the Irish pub.

Dolores grinned. "If you're saying that, then it really must be. Come on old man, lighten up."

The pair made their way to the bar where they occupied two stools. "If I'm old, you're ancient."

With the weight of The Commission gone and with the promise of everything they'd worked so hard for right at their fingertips, the woman felt almost giddy. She couldn't stop the giggle that slipped out of her mouth. "Is that any way to talk to someone you love? Besides, I'm younger than you."

The man rolled his eyes as they called the bartender over. "At least I'm older and wiser."

"What are you, a Nazi-party supporter from Austria trying to woo me?" Dolores teased him, causing the man's brows to furrow. She sighed. "Sound of Music reference. Never mind. Speaking of things you don't know. . ." she pulled out her newspaper from the shoulder bag she carried.

"You still haven't solved that thing?" Five asked after he'd ordered two beers for them.

"Nope. I'm stuck on that Obama clue, though now I know it starts with an 'H.'"

"Well, no one here can help you with that."

"Really? I had no idea," the woman responded sarcastically, "I was gonna ask JFK the next time I saw him."

"Good luck with that," the man said dryly as he took a sip from his drink.

"Whatever. Can I take a look at those equations?"

"Fine," he huffed, "but I'm pretty sure they're right this time."

"Famous last words," she answered with a grin before she flipped the worn notebook open as she began with the first line to check for any inconsistencies.

She spent the next half-hour methodically looking through the lines of handwriting as the print slowly got more cramped on the page. She periodically scribbled out a negative that had been incorrectly carried or added a decimal point that had been forgotten. As she got to the last few pages, her frown deepened as she saw the number 5.7 reappear frequently.

"Hey, Fives?"

"Yeah?"

"Here, are you sure you meant this number?" She pointed to the figure.

He peered over her shoulder to see what she was pointing at. "Yeah, of course I did."

"Well, it just seems like it's a bit. . . big. You've been using a lot of decimals. I think it's wrong."

"It's right," he insisted, "I think I know how my equations work."

"Right, just like you knew the first time," she sassed, "I'm just making sure we've got the right pattern. You've barely used any whole numbers."

"It's not a whole number," he pointed out obstinately. "It's a decimal fraction."

"The equation is wrong," she insisted, "but fine, it'll just be another thing I can laugh at you for."

They spent another half-hour at the noisy pub talking in short spurts but mostly just enjoying each other's company. They'd come a long way from their first year at The Commission and Dolores had done her best to not worry as much (she'd always worry about the man she loved, though) and they'd recovered from their setback, but both had changed from the people they'd originally been.

With a sigh, Five stood from the bar and offered a hand to the woman next to him who took it with a soft smile, intertwining their fingers together. He waited with nearly bated breath for her tradition, and then— one, two, three. There it was. He still had no idea why she felt compelled to do that but he'd grown to expect it so much that he now worried when she didn't do it right away. It had always felt odd— at least when they'd held hands— to not respond in kind, so he repeated the three squeezes back to her, causing the woman to give him a loving look.

He straightened under the tender expression and bent quickly to pick up his briefcases in an effort to hide the pink that had crept up his face. Even after all these years, he still wasn't used to how she looked at him (even if he looked at her the same exact way.) Together, they walked to the spot where Five had planned to fulfill his mission, though the end goal was now compromised.

Dolores sighed as they walked down the street, watching the excited people bustle past. "Do you ever wonder what it might've been like to have a normal life?"

Then, she and Five answered the question in unison: "no." 

He glanced at her with an amused smile. "I think we've been spending too much time together."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and if you keep bothering me I'm going to ask for a divorce one day."

"Mmm, yes and I was responsible for Princess Diana's death and pigs will fly."

He ducked as she aimed three hits to his arm. "One of those is actually true, you idiot," she huffed, hoping that turning his words into a joke wouldn't ruin the mood.

"Just like we've been spending too much time together," he said, brushing past her comment. "Come on, we're going to be late."

"I am never late and never early. I always arrive exactly when I mean to."

"I'm pretty sure that's not how time works."

Dolores grinned. "Lord of the Rings reference. I'm on a roll today!"

"One day you're going to have to catch me up on everything I've missed," Five remarked.

"I kind of like knowing more than you do about something," she said with a smirk.

"And I don't. After we save the world you're going to show me these movies we're talking about, including that president."

"Oh yeah? And what would make me do that?"

He turned and pulled her closer to press a gentle kiss to her lips that lasted several long moments. When he pulled away again, she couldn't stop the genuine smile that tugged on her lips. "That'll do it," she agreed.

They finally arrived at the fence that separated the parking lot from the road and Five set his briefcases down. Dolores handed him the notebook so he could review his equations one last time and stepped up to the barrier to peer above it, hoping to catch a glimpse of the historic moment before they had to leave.

"Dolly," he called over to her as he shut the notebook. He had Vanya's book with the copied equations stored in his coat pocket and he handed the larger book over to the woman.

"Is it time?" she asked, her grip tightening on the worn, spiral-bound pages. Now that they were actually going to attempt this she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.

"Yeah," Five replied with a nod before he brought his hands up and balled them into fists.

She moved closer to him, though careful not to touch him just yet so she wouldn't disturb his focus. As blue began to glow around his clenched hands, she couldn't help but feel awe at the sight of the power. Even if she had time-traveled before, he'd never created a portal like this. It grew in size in front of them until it was a separate entity of its own.

The glow left his hands as the portal remained intact, wind buffeting them from the power that crackled around them. He took several steps forward before he noticed that Dolores stood stock-still, clutching the notebook tightly in her hands. His heart rate increased at the sight of her worried expression. He couldn't afford to leave her behind.

"Dolly!" he called to her, causing the woman's gaze to snap to his. He reached out his arm. "Take my hand!"

Tentatively, she stepped forward and grasped his fingers with hers, the hold emboldening her so that she straightened. "We'll make it?" she asked above the noise.

"I swear!" he promised with a nod.

Together, they stepped towards the portal until the blue completely surrounded them. The noise dulled similarly to being submerged in water and Dolores closed her eyes as they waded through time.

With the apocalypse right around the corner, they would truly be livin' on a prayer.