▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅

❛ ᴡᴀsᴛᴇʟᴀɴᴅs ᴏғ ᴛɪᴍᴇ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ғᴀsʜɪᴏɴ ᴅɪsᴀsᴛᴇʀ ꒱


❝ WHY DON'T YOU TRY
MENTIONING SOME OF
MY GOOD QUALITIES? ❞

▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅

The pair returned to the Umbrella Academy a short while later and found themselves in Five's room as they waited for Vanya to make her appearance. Now that her embarrassment about their new ages had subsided, Dolores was able to take in more details about her husband's bedroom. It was quite obvious it hadn't been used since he'd left, with the childish wallpaper and single, small bed. There were also a surprising amount of toys strewn around the room, as if he'd just finished playing with them. A train sitting on the boy's desk caught her eye and the brunette made her way over to it. She placed her hand on the top as she wheeled it back and forth. "I never knew you were into trains," she teased him.

Five rolled his eyes. "Please, Dolly, that's from when I was four."

"Still, it's cute. You don't exactly strike me as the toys type if you know what I mean."

The boy turned away from her and looked out the window. He stuffed his hands into his pockets to hide his embarrassment. "Shut up," he mumbled, though it was no where near as harsh as when he said the same words to his siblings.

Dolores couldn't help the small smile that flickered across her face as she pictured her husband as the little boy he'd truly been once upon a time. It was easy to picture a younger version of the Five she knew spending time hiding out in his room, sequestered away from his noisy siblings. She almost 'awwed' as she imagined the familiar scowl on her Five's face copied onto the child-version of him. There wasn't much she knew about his early years— only things she'd learned from brief snippets into his past— but it wasn't hard to imagine him as a grumpy child, the only difference between then and now being his age.

"It's nothing to be ashamed about," she told him lightly, though her voice was clearly amused. "Like I said, it's cute."

Vanya's voice sounded from the lower floors before he had a chance to respond. "Five? Five— oh, thank god." This last part was said when she entered the boy's room. "I was worried sick about you."

As the boy turned to face his sister, he caught the brunette's smug I-told-you-so look. He rolled his eyes as he said, "sorry I left without saying goodbye."

"No, look, I'm the one that should be sorry" Vanya apologized, "yeah, I was dismissive and I-I guess I didn't know how to process what you were saying, and I still can't, to be honest."

"Maybe you were right to be dismissive," the boy sighed, "maybe it wasn't real after all." He turned and glanced at the brunette, who was watching them from the bed. "I still don't know how that explains Dolly, though. She is real. Maybe some parts were and others were. . . imagined. Like you said, the old man did say time travel could contaminate the mind."

"Then maybe I'm not the right person for you to be talking to," his sister suggested, "look, I used to see someone. A therapist. I could give you her information—"

Dolores' warning rang in his ears: be nice. "Thanks, but I think I'm just gonna get some rest. It's been a long time since I've had a good sleep."

"Okay," the dark-haired woman agreed before she walked out of the room.

As soon as his sister left, Five turned to Dolores expectantly, causing the brunette to roll her eyes in amusement. Pushing herself up from the bed, she closed the space between them and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "That was extremely passable."

"Only passable? I thought I did an outstanding job."

"You got a little tense at the therapist mention and you were a bit cold when you were talking about me."

"Well, can you blame me?" the boy asked with a huff. "It's not exactly easy when someone claims that the person you love isn't real."

Dolores' expression softened and she caught his hand in hers which was quickly followed by three consecutive squeezes. "Well, in that case that was an A-plus performance. Coffee?"

"Please."

"Unfortunately Griddy's is now a crime scene but I think I have a decent substitute in mind," the brunette said with a faint smile. As she led him out of the room, she added, "and for the record, I love you too."

✧✧✧

The coffee shop they next stopped at was a more modern version of the one they had frequented as kids. It had a very cramped— but somehow still roomy— feel with couches and low tables instead of booths and chairs. It had a very brown aesthetic with similarly colored metropolitan paintings on the walls and brown-colored books on the bookshelves. Instead of being dark and dingy, however, the large, glass windows that looked out onto the street and adjacent outdoor seating area let in plenty of light.

There was a college-aged barista working at the counter and she hardly batted an eye at their seemingly unorthodox order of black coffee and everything-but-the-kitchen sink. After paying with money Five had leftover from the sixties— Dolores hoped no one would notice— they found one of the comfortable couches by the window and sat down.

"I'm assuming there's a story behind this place, too?" Five asked as he took in the décor. "It looks more like a shithole than Griddy's does and that's saying something."

The brunette tried to be mad at him— she really did— but she couldn't fight the amused smile that crept on to her face. "This is where Sam, Brittany and Eric would come after their shifts," she explained, "they were all older than me and liked pretending they were mature for their age so they hung out with the college crowd, or tried to. Everyone here's too tired and stressed to care that people who look like high schoolers are ordering odd beverages."

The boy eyed a few of the college students diligently typing away on some of the nearby tables. "Why didn't we come here first?"

"It closes around seven," she answered promptly, "besides, I didn't want it to be shot up. When we do save the world, I'm not going to be the one dealing with a grumpy Brittany." She paused, looking thoughtful. "You know, now that I think about it, Brittany was my first version of you."

He turned back the girl and gave her and gave her an amused look. "You had practice?"

"I never thought of it before now, but yeah, I did. Brittany's very snarky, sarcastic and short-tempered— and she loves coffee. I would not want her coming to work without it."

"Why don't you try mentioning some of my good qualities?"

The brunette laughed. "Which are. . .?" she teased him, causing the boy to huff.

"My quick wit and amazing charm. I am a genius, after all."

"Right," she answered dryly, though her expression grew thoughtful again. "Brittany did act as though she hated her brother but I know she loved him." She left the like how you treat your siblings unsaid, though Five still unusually fast sips of his coffee to hide his discomfort. 

With his mouth still burning slightly, the boy set down the ceramic mug and quickly changed the subject: "so, what's our plan for the hospital?"

Rolling her eyes at his tactlessness, Dolores drank some of her own coffee before she answered, "well, I was thinking we could pretend to be interns from Meritech delivering an order. They'd probably let us see the files. I'm sure they work with the prosthetics company. I mean, it is a hospital."

"And what if they ask for proof?" Five asked.

The brunette frowned slightly. "I guess we'll cross that bridge if we come to it. I don't think it will be an issue, though. We are technically minors, after all. We're too young to even have a drivers' license. I could maybe find my school one if we made a trip to my house, though."

"We'd run the risk of bumping in to your other self," the boy pointed out, "we've done fine so far and you've even stopped sweating, mostly. I don't want to increase the odds unless we have to."

"You could blink in and get it," Dolores suggested after a moment. "I know exactly where it is."

"But what if your other self sees me? Or your parents do?"

She gave him a sidelong glance. "Are you trying to be difficult?"

"I'm just trying to think of all the possibilities," the boy retorted.

"We'll drive ourselves nuts if we try to think of all the possibilities. Besides, with The Commission still probably on our trail, I'd like to not get my family— or past me— involved. If we need proof, we'll figure it out from there. The important thing, though, is timing. We were too early for Meritech directly—"

"So we should plan to go to the hospital later in the week," Five agreed, "but we're not just going to wait around until then, are we?"

"We could watch the building— Meritech, I mean— to see when the prosthetic is made, and then once we somehow get our answer—"

"We go to the hospital to see who ordered it," the boy finished, "we could trail that guy you talked to."

"He seems gullible enough."

They spent several more hours at the café planning their stakeout. As the angles of sunlight shifted across the room, Dolores herself moved to follow in their path. Some time later, she was mostly sprawled over into her husband's space as she positioned herself farther away from the windows. They'd been sitting in their comfortable, familiar silence for several minutes as the girl stared up at the dark ceiling. The smells and sounds of the past world brought old memories of a long-forgotten life to the surface. Five was staring out into space as well, putting the finishing touches to the details of their plan. His hands absentmindedly rubbed his wife's shins as they rested in his lap.

Her legs had only shifted slightly, and yet he already knew she had been about to speak as the brunette finally broke their silence: "I'd like you to meet them, you know."

Her words were so soft he'd almost missed them, and he turned to try and catch her gaze, though her eyes remained focused upwards. "Meet who?"

"My parents," came her simple reply as she tilted her head back down to look at him. "And my uncle. Y'know, once all of this is over. I've met your siblings, obviously. My family isn't as big or special as yours is—"

"That doesn't matter," the boy interrupted her firmly. "They're your family. Of course I'll meet them." He hesitated before he asked, "d'you think they'll like me?"

Dolores' response had equal decisiveness: "of course they will." Her expression became rueful. "I can't introduce you as my husband, though. At least, not yet. My mom would have a coronary."

Five made a face. "Boyfriend, then?" he asked, which was followed by a disgusted grimace.

"Definitely not," the brunette said emphatically. "We'll think of another title. That's way too juvenile for us."

✧✧✧

As the sky darkened, the two were finally forced from their resting spot and out onto the rainy streets as the café closed for the day. They stood under the awning of the shop and Dolores frowned at the drizzle. "Well, this isn't going to be fun."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Are you forgetting who you're with?" he asked, gripping her hand firmly before they disappeared in a flash of blue.

They blinked into existence in the back of a taxi cab with a very startled driver, though the boy did nothing but encourage him to keep going. The brunette gave him an unimpressed look, causing the boy to huff. "What? At least you didn't have to get wet."

"That's very self-serving of you. You startled the poor man!"

"My powers are self-serving and he's fine."

"Whatever," the brunette said in a very teenager fashion, though she looked out the window to hide her amused expression.

The cab stopped a short while later at the boy's prompting and he gave the driver the last of the sixties money he had on him, mostly to appease his wife. He quickly took her hand again to blink them under the cover of the store he'd chosen for their "shopping spree" to avoid getting more wet than strictly necessary. Dolores, of course, recognized the store front instantly and paled considerably. "Fives, why—"

"I thought you might like to see it," the boy offered, shifting slightly. "Y'know, in case we don't save the world? And besides," his tone grew more confident, "all of the other shops are closed and you know the layout by heart. It's not like we're even stealing, anyway."

The brunette swallowed thickly past the lump in her throat. She hadn't been expecting to see the store so soon, especially with her past-self hanging out there so often. It had been decades since she'd been inside but the funny thing was, she knew it would be exactly the same. Time was odd like that. Even though it had been years for her, the store itself hadn't had any time to get a new look, to change at all. Things were supposed to be different when you returned home after years away. They were supposed to smell different, look different, sound different, but in her entire second experience in 2019 so far, the only thing that had changed was. . . her.

Dolores was certain that stepping (or blinking) inside the shop was almost more daunting than surviving another year of the apocalypse. At least with the second option, she was on familiar ground. The world had changed and adapted with her. Here, she was also on recognizable territory, but she was the stranger. Would it be everything she remembered it as? Had her memory dulled over the years? (Of course it had because that's what happened to memories.)

Next to her, Five stood still as he frowned. "I thought you would've liked coming back," he said as a slight note of disappointment appeared in his voice. "We can go—"

"It's fine," the brunette interrupted him, though her words got caught in her throat. She coughed. "It's fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," she answered as she tried to smile brightly at him (she was a few degrees off the mark.) "I'd have to go inside sometime. At least it'll be easier without the lights on."

"We can—" the boy tried again, but Dolores reached down for his hand and gave it three firm squeezes, cutting him off as he sighed. "Alright."

In a second, they were inside the shop. The entire store was dark as even the computer monitors and security cameras had been turned off. Racks of clothes stood neatly along the isles, waiting for customers to purchase them. Non-clothing items that were stored upfront for last-minute grabs were stacked smartly on the shelves. Dolores' breath caught in her throat.

It was exactly how she remembered it.

"This is it, then?" the boy asked quietly, not wanting to disturb the silence. (A rather stupid question, really. Of course this was it.)

"Yeah," Dolores murmured. Her body was completely still though her eyes never stopped taking in the slightly obscured settings.

Five left her side for a moment to grab a flashlight before he returned. He flicked it on. "So, where to?"

"I'll be fast, so I think the woman's section," the brunette answered, her voice still a hushed whisper. "It should be four hundred fifty-three steps from the door."

He blinked at the number. He hadn't realized how long it had been since Dolores had used this peculiar gift of hers and it surprised him when she easily spouted it out. Of course she'd counted the distance of the entire store. The last time he'd heard her count had been. . . 2030? Five was certain she hadn't even thought of it while they were in The Commission. (She had, though it had been seemingly inconsequential at the time.)

The boy took her hand and led her down the aisle. As they walked, she turned her head this way and that trying to take in everything she remembered. The girl brushed her fingers against the once-familiar feel of different fabrics that hung from the racks they passed. She could remember spending time counting the number of items each rack held, the amount of boxes waiting to be unpacked, the remaining items in their supply. She'd been an amazing help with inventory and her ability to keep everything straight. To this day, she still didn't know why Brittany always complained about that certain aspect of the job. She had found it quite enjoyable.

They were approaching the expected junction of several aisles now, which was almost to their destination at three hundred nineteen steps. A group of mannequins stood (or sat) proudly on the display, each wearing a different outfit. One of the models off to the side with dull red hair was wearing the exact same outfit that past-Dolores would be wearing in a few days' time: a long-sleeved, v-necked white shirt with large, black polka dots, fit jeans and a beret.

There was a blank, white space at the very front of the display that might fit a fifteen-year-old girl. With a fond smile of remembrance, Dolores made a flashy turn on her heel before she sat with exaggerated grace. Five watched her with a bemused expression until she explained: "this is the exact position I would have when I pretended to be a mannequin. Then I'd jump up and scare customers."

A huff of laughter escaped from the boy. "You're ridiculous."

"I'm amusing," she countered, earning a look of fond exasperation from her husband.

He lowered the flashlight slightly so it wasn't shining into her eyes at her new level and his expression softened as he took in her teasing one. "Dolly," he said, his voice quieting as he stepped towards her.

The boy placed the flashlight down next to the girl and gently nudged her legs apart so her could stand between them. His hands lightly curved around her face as he tilted her head up, his thumbs gently brushed against her face. "Yeah?" the brunette asked, breathless. (She almost had to thank her newly-acquired teenage hormones, really.)

"Dolly, I—" Movement caught his attention and his tender expression turned into one of wide-eyed horror as he quickly released her face. A terrified "no!" escaped his mouth as he wrapped his arms around the girl, blinking them out of line of sudden fire.

Startled by their sudden change, Dolores clung to her husband as he ducked them behind one of their clothing racks, making sure to tuck her form underneath his just in case. He peered out between the clothes as the brunette tried to get her bearings again. The two gunmen made steady progress down the aisle they had come up, unaware that their targets were out of sight.

"Shit, it's them," Five breathed to the girl huddled underneath him. She immediately understood what he meant.

As Dolores recovered from her shock of almost being blown to pieces, she grabbed the boy's arms and wrapped them more tightly around her. She felt his lips brush against her ear as he whispered, "Dolly, I have to go."

"But—"

"I'll be right back for you. I promise."

Reluctantly, she released her grip on his arms and allowed Five to gently lower her to the ground. He quickly repositioned her limbs to his liking in a similar style she'd used to huddle under the counter at Griddy's. After placing a brief kiss to the top of her head, he took off down the aisle.

Dolores wasn't sure how much time had passed until she next saw him again, but every light flare from the guns sent her heart pounding in her chest and any flash of color that could possibly be blue made her squeeze her eyes shut. What she wouldn't give for a extremely dirty room to clean right now. Five reappeared then, but not with the telltale feel of his power— he ran up to her and grabbed her wrist, tugging the girl to her feet as they ducked beneath the racks.

The gunfire was still sounding frequently over their heads but the brunette knew better than to question whatever plan the boy had come up with. While words and PR situations were her strength, it was an unspoken agreement that she would never question Five during one of these situations. This knowledge helped him keep peace of mind and to stay focused on their escape.

They rounded the corner to one of the rows. She felt the air particles ionize around them as Five tried to jump, but something resisted against his powers and they stayed in the same place. Dolores turned anxiously to watch as the gunmen steadily approached them while the boy tried to blink again, to no use. Glancing up towards the front, they came to a mutual decision to run towards the barrier, the boy making sure to help the girl up first before he quickly followed her over the edge.

An explosion followed their path and caused the brunette to lurch against the boy's side as his arm went instinctively around her waist. The bright beams from the flashlights shown into their eyes as police sirens sounded from outside, causing everyone's attention to be distracted. Using the opportunity to their advantage, Five quickly ushered the girl to one of the check-out lanes to pretend to "blink."

The girl collapsed on the boy's la and curled up against her husband's chest as she clung to him tightly, unable to stop her hands from shaking. She could feel the heat radiating off of him from the amount of energy he'd exerted but it didn't stop her from curling up against him. Her mind reeled with the fact that her family's store— the one place she'd always thought would be safe— no longer was.

✧✧✧

Somehow, they'd managed to avoid the police and they made their way back to the Academy in a tense, worried silence. Her husband had refused to let go of her hand and Dolores had no complaints, still shaken from the events at the store.

As they made their way up the academy stairs, two of Five's siblings— Dolores was in no state to remember which ones they were— were at the top and turned to look at the disheveled pair in concern. "Five? Are you okay?"

"Can we help?" the man asked as he reached towards the pale-faced brunette.

Five's hand immediately shot out to capture his brother's arm in a firm grip. "There's nothing you can do. There's nothing any of you can do."