The soft but comforting sound of Christmas music filled the air as Klaus went on another cleaning binge. Every time a pillow on the couch looked rearranged, or if he saw even a speck of dust flying through the air, it was enough to put him on high alert and clean every inch of the house. He had been at it for what must've been the fourth time that day, and it was only approaching noon. Wearing a cloth mask over his mouth, he finished spraying the air, until the only smell he could identify was that familiar lemony fresh and pine scent.

Just as he finished cleaning, a car pulled into the driveway, and he could hear the car door slamming shut. "Klaus, I'm home!" Dusk called as she entered, setting down her guitar case and hanging up her coat. "Hey, gorgeous!" Klaus waved at her with a gloved hand. "Did you get my flowers?" "I did! And they're lovely!" Dusk smiled as she stepped closer. But as she was about to lean in, Klaus put his hands up, blocking her from getting closer. 

"Ah ah! You know the drill!" He gestured to the sink. "Seriously?" Dusk sighed. "You don't know where those other people have been! You could have thousands of bacteria developing on your hands right now!" Klaus rambled. "Fair point," Dusk nodded. It wasn't always easy having to abide by her husband's safety precautions. She understood some of them to a point, the almost too consistent cleaning, the washing of hands, but she still couldn't get past all the bubble wrap and caution tape covering the windows and glass doors.

"That's better!" Klaus nodded approvingly as Dusk finished drying herself. Outstretching his arms, Dusk wrapped herself in his embrace, only to be greeted with plastic wrap around his torso. It felt like an eternity since they had been so close. Those passionate nights where it was just the two of them felt like a distant dream. Before Oblivion, they were practically inseparable and now, the only obstacle in their way was Klaus's fears. And while they still had those rare moments of connection; it wasn't enough to keep the tension at bay.

"Cleaning the house again?" Dusk questioned as she caught the lingering scent. "Is it that obvious?" Klaus chuckled. "Well, it seems like that's the only thing you do all day," Dusk reasoned. "Hey, that's not true! I did the laundry and dishes; I even plunged the toilets!" "Uh... I think that still counts as cleaning, darling," Dusk smiled. "Whatever, I'd rather have a clean and safe house than one full of hazards!" He shrugged. Even if plastic wrap was the closest she could ever get to truly being with him, Dusk didn't hesitate as she snuggled into his chest as if he were a giant teddy bear.

But the longer they both stood there, the more Dusk could feel her legs start to give out underneath her, and as she was about to fall, Klaus helped her up just in the nick of time. "You feeling alright? You're looking a little pale," His eyes widened with worry. "I'm fine. I think I'm just tired," Dusk assured. "Okay... but if you start feeling woozy, let me know," Klaus cautioned, his gaze shifting to the giant gas mask on the counter. Suddenly the house phone rang loudly, causing Klaus to scream and push Dusk away. "WHAT IS IT?! IS IT A BOMB?!" He shouted, anxiously pacing around the kitchen.

"Relax, Klausy. It's just the phone!" Dusk lifted the landline as proof before answering. "Hello?" She asked. "Dusk, is that you?" A voice on the other end asked. "Uh, it depends on who's asking?" She replied. "It's me, Allison," For a moment, Dusk swore she could feel her heart skip a beat. She hadn't heard that voice in six years. What could she possibly want from me? Doesn't she already have enough? Dusk thought to herself. But rather than snarkily reply or hang up, Dusk took a quiet breath, trying to play the cordial card.

"Hey Allison, what's up?" Dusk replied, the tone of her voice sounding sour to her ears. "I was wondering if you and Klaus could do me a favor. I'm in the middle of shooting another commercial, and I need someone to pick up Claire from the bus stop," Allison explained. Doesn't she have an assistant who could do that? Why is she asking me?  But before Dusk could question her about that, Allison pleaded with her to do it. "Please? I've tried calling the others, but they're all busy. I'll be home as quick as I can, okay?"

As much as Dusk didn't like the possibility of seeing her sister again, there was no way she could say no to spending some time with Claire. Especially since they hadn't seen each other since the last Hargreeves family reunion, one to two hours of watching her niece couldn't possibly go wrong, right? "We'll be there," Dusk answered. As she set the phone down, Klaus glanced at her from across the kitchen with a questioning look. "What was that about?" He asked. "Allison. She asked if we could pick up Claire from the bus stop," Dusk answered. Klaus's expression slowly changed from worry to relief, but as he looked out the window at the melting snow and ice, the worry started to creep in again.

"B-but all that snow, that ice! Someone could surely fall and break their back!" He groaned. Dusk closed her eyes, trying to keep her calm composure, but seeing her husband freak out over the most benign things was working her last nerve. "Fine, I'll do it myself!" She mumbled as she went to grab her coat. "No! No! Wait!" Klaus dashed to the front door, grabbing Dusk's hand. "I'll come with you, just to make sure you and Claire Bear are okay..." He whispered. Bringing a palm to his shaven cheek, Dusk assured him everything would be okay. "It's just a simple walk to the bus stop, and then back to Allison's house. It'll be fine,"

Opening the door, Dusk walked back into the cold afternoon, waiting for Klaus to grab another of his essentials. It wasn't food, it wasn't a bottle of water, it was his trusty safety caps, something he always wore whenever he and Dusk were driving around. While Dusk didn't say it out loud, looking at those caps made her want to dig a deep hole, crawl into it, and die. They looked ridiculous, but after some squabbling between the couple, they agreed to only wear them while driving.

"Here you go!" Klaus handed her the padded cap, and with a quiet groan, she slipped the cap on before starting the car and making the twenty-minute drive to Allison's house.

~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile. on the other side of the city, a large circle of people gathered in the local church, the only light that peered into the room was from the giant windows, showcasing the sky, that seemed to shift between white and gray with every passing minute. To the ordinary individual, this may have seemed like an Alcoholics or Narcotics Anonymous meeting, but if you were to join the circle, this was anything but a regular meeting. "Hi, my name is Gus," a man who appeared to be in his early 30s introduced himself to the group. "Hi Gus," The other members of the circle greeted him.

"I've been searching for the truth my whole life. Then I found this group," Gus began. "And it was like a lightbulb went off. For the first time, I heard people talking about what I was going through. And I realized there's nothing wrong with me. It's this timeline, man. It's screwed up!" The other members nodded in agreement, some of them even spoke up in support of Gus's words. "I know I can come here and say anything. I could say Sir Reginald Hargreeves is actually an alien, who is secretly grooming a cabal of teenage super soldiers, and all you guys know what I'm talking about!" Gus continued. "And now, I have hope. Cause I know a cleanse is coming,"

The group started clapping, their whispers and murmurs of agreement echoing throughout the room. And in that circle, two familiar, but not-so-familiar faces were amongst the crowd, clapping along with the rest of the group. A young man with a thick mustache and green coat with patches was seated alongside a woman with brown hair pulled into an elegant braid and a red headband, and a black dress with white spots dotted around it. "Thank you for sharing, Gus," A middle-aged man, presumably the head of this meeting smiled before turning to the circle's newest members.

"How about you two?" He asked. "Got anything you want to share?" "Yeah, sure," The young man answered, slightly leaning forward in his seat as the young woman straightened her spine. "Hi, my name's Jerome," He introduced himself. "And my name is Morticia," The young woman slightly smiled. "Hi, Jerome and Morticia," The circle greeted them. "We're still new to all of this, but I can tell you folks, what you're thinking about is real," Jerome sighed. "You're not crazy. I know because I've been to other timelines. I don't look it, but I'm 63. I spent 45 years lost in a future apocalypse. And I was involved in the Kennedy assassination,"

Like Gus, other members encouraged Jerome to speak his truth, and as he continued talking Morticia looked at him with silent encouragement. "All that's unraveling now. We don't know what's real and what's not anymore," Jerome shook his head. "We feel like we can barely trust anybody. All I know is that we're glad to have found all of you," Morticia spoke up, her blank expression almost identical to Jerome's. "That's it, that's all we've got," Jerome turned towards the group leader, who assured them it was okay.

The group's chatter and clapping continued, this time louder than after Gus finished speaking his thoughts. As Morticia smoothed out the skirt of her dress, the group leader leaned in closer to Jerome and Morticia. "You want to hear some real shit, kids? I'll take you to a real meeting," The leader offered. And with a silent nod from Jerome and Morticia, the meeting continued for another hour and a half. Later on, as the Keepers dispersed, Jerome and Morticia were pulled to the side by the group leader, and he handed them both pamphlets with information about the 'real' meeting that same night. "Thank you, we'll be there," Jerome nodded.

Staying together, Morticia and Jerome walked through the parking lot and got into their car, locking the doors securely behind them. After glancing out the windows to make sure nobody was watching, Morticia leaned into the driver's seat, her lips colliding with Jerome's. While it caught him off-guard for the briefest of moments, he quickly sank into the kiss, his hand brushing against her cheek. As Morticia pulled away, she couldn't suppress the small giggle escaping her lips.

"What's wrong?" Jerome asked. "Your mustache... it's tickles!" She explained, her cheeks slowly turned pink. With one swift movement, "Jerome" removed his mustache, revealing it to be nothing more than a prop mustache. "You can take off your wig now. No one's watching," Five assured. "Great! These bobby pins are starting to dig into my skull!" Victoria sighed, carefully taking off her wig and setting it in the small box, along with Five's mustache. "We'll change once we get back to headquarters," Victoria said as Five started the car and they drove back to the CIA. "I gotta say, you pulled it off flawlessly 'Jerome," the redhead winked, running a comb through her long locks.

"I'd say you did a great job yourself, 'Morticia," A slight smirk formed on Five's face. The moment they passed all the security checks and entered the building, two of their fellow agents Derek and Marie were waiting for them by the staircase. "You're late," Derek said in a warning tone, handing the couple their uniforms. "I know," Five acknowledged as they paced up the stairs. "He's waiting for you in his office," Marie handed Victoria their files, and she tucked them under her arm and she and Five quickly got changed in the nearby bathrooms.

Finishing getting changed, Five and Victoria followed their fellow agents to the office. Sure enough, their boss, Deputy Director Lance Ribbons was sitting at his desk, awaiting their return. "Ah, Mr. Hargreeves, Ms. Wilson. You're finally here," He gestured to the empty seats. Five and Victoria sat directly across from him, while Derek and Marie sat at their opposite ends, updating Lance about the progress of the Keeper Files. "The Keepers function mainly as a support group but with strong cult-like tendencies," Victoria stated. "Membership is rapidly growing across all metro areas in the US, as well as Europe. It's all there in our reports, sir," Five added, and the couple handed over their folders, watching intently as the director scanned the papers with their research and evidence.

"What's the organizing principle?" Lance inquired with a raised brow. Five and Victoria opened their mouths, and though no words came out at first, Five encouraged Victoria to answer. "They believe we're all somehow stuck in the wrong timeline," the redhead replied. "Well, just a bunch of looney tunes if you ask me," Lance remarked. "Drop this keeper nonsense, move on. I think it's time you both got back to your other cases; Ladybug, Panama, Chicken Wing,"

"Sir, we are making progress with this-" Five spoke up, but Lance was quick to cut him off. "Now, you listen to me. You have the makings of a fantastic spook. Suspicious minds, a love of complexity and detail, a certain maturity that most of my young agents lack. If you play your cards right, you'll be running this place someday," Lance advised. The thought of being in charge of the CIA one day was never a thought that crossed Five's mind. The only reason why he and Victoria worked so hard to get into the CIA was because they needed a distraction. With no end of the world quickly approaching, Five felt he had no purpose. The only one who seemed to keep him rooted in life was Victoria. 

"Thank you for saying that, sir," Five slightly smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~

"How much longer until Claire Bear gets here?" Klaus asked, digging his hands into his coat pockets. "It'll get here when it gets here," Dusk assured. "Maybe they're just finishing their next drop-off," Dusk suggested. As the cold winds started to pick up, Dusk could feel her teeth begin to chatter, quickly catching the attention of her husband. Immediately, Klaus put his hands over her waist, he moved to her side and turned her towards him until they were inches away from making contact. "Wouldn't want you to catch a chill," He declared.

Claire's bus eventually pulled to a stop in front of them and they moved out of the way so the other kids could get off. As the now tweenage Claire was the last person to hop off the bus, she smiled upon seeing her aunt and uncle and went to hug them. "Aunt Dusk! Uncle Klaus! It's been so long!" She smiled. "It's nice to see you too, Claire!" Dusk smiled, patting her back. "Hey Claire Bear!" Klaus gave her a quick side hug. "You grow an inch every time I see you!" Klaus smiled. "Well, I'm not a baby anymore, Uncle Klaus," Claire reasoned.

"Aw, don't say that! You're going to make me cry!" Klaus pretended to get emotional and wiped away a tear. Dusk could see the embarrassment forming on Claire's face, and some of the other parents were taking notice of them.  "Come on, let's get back to the house!" Dusk grabbed their hands and Claire started to walk faster to keep up the pace with her aunt, while Klaus was trailing behind, trying to warn them of impending dangers. "Hey, hey, hey, hold your horses, madams! Not yet!" Klaus grabbed onto their shoulders as they were about to walk across the street.

"Uncle Klaus...," Claire sighed. "Start ignoring the rules of the road, next the whole world goes to anarchy. Trust me on this Claire," Klaus lectured as they watched a car drive past them. "And... quick quick quick, fast!" He grabbed onto Dusk's hand as he led them across. "You are such a pussy!" Claire rolled her eyes. "Claire!" Dusk looked shocked, having rarely heard her speak like that. "Sorry, Aunt Dusk, but it's kinda true!" the young girl shrugged. "Do you have any idea how many pedestrians are killed annually in this country?" Klaus questioned. "Watch the puddle!"

"6,977, Klaus. I know," Dusk sighed. "That's correct, darling! One minute, you're alive and then the next, poof, you're dead! Gone forever! That's not what we want, right?" Klaus rambled on. But Dusk shot him a warning glance, silently telling him he needed to stop otherwise he'd scare the living daylights out of Claire. "I just want to get home before climate change ends the world as we know it," Claire responded. Reluctantly, Klaus nodded, considering it was another problem that was doomed to happen eventually, but that was definitely out of his and Dusk's control, even if they still had their powers.

As they continued walking, Klaus squinted as an older man smoking a cigarette walked past them, and he moved the girls away from the smell. "Secondhand smoke, three o clock! Come over here, stay on the side!" He ushered before loudly fake coughing. The older man gave them a weird glance before continuing on his way and they returned to the house, Klaus made sure the door was securely locked behind them. "Wouldn't want an intruder sneaking in, do you?" He asked. "Nope," Dusk shook her head, figuring it wasn't worth arguing with him. All it did was make feel her like the bad guy every time she tried to stand up and be the voice of reason.

"Who wants some hot cocoa?" Dusk changed the subject. "I do!" Claire's hand immediately shot up with excitement. "What about you, Klausy?" Dusk looked over at him. "Eh, I guess a little won't hurt," He shrugged. "Just please don't add too much whipped cream! Gives me the runs!" "Okay..." Dusk squinted, trying to get the gross image out of her head. Not long after, the three of them settled onto the basement couch, only to be greeted with the fact that while Dusk and Claire were making the hot cocoa, Klaus had laid out the bubble wrap on the basement couch. And as they just started to get into the current movie, the front door opened, and footsteps echoed down the steps.

"You do realize we have a TV upstairs, right?" Allison questioned. But Claire, Dusk, and Klaus ignored her, too engrossed in the movie until Allison grabbed the remote and turned down the volume. "Dusk, Klaus, are you going to that thing today?" "What thing?" Klaus inquired. "It's Grace's birthday party. I was going to tell you earlier, but... things happened," Dusk answered. Klaus briefly took his gaze away from his hands to look at Allison, before claiming there was no chance he'd be attending.

"Please? I need somebody to take Claire, she's sleeping over at her cousin's," Allison pleaded. "I'm not going," Claire spoke up. "Yes, you are," Allison spoke firmly. "Dusk, are you at least going?" The brown blonde reluctantly looked up at her sister, making eye contact for the first time since the Oblivion incident. "I wouldn't miss my niece's birthday for the world. Unlike some people who can't be bothered to show up to certain events!" Dusk gritted her teeth. "You're still mad about the..." Allison trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. "You think?" Dusk scoffed.

"Allison, attending an all-day event with problematic family members and alcoholic beverages? I mean, that's a one-way ticket to Trigger Town USA if you ask me," Klaus cut in. "I was thinking of staying down here and watching some movies with Claire Bear," Wedging herself between the small space separating the couch from the footrest, Allison plopped down, placing a hand on Klaus's leg. "Okay, Klaus? You've been sober for three years now. Give yourself a little credit. You can handle this," She reassured.

"Your faith in me is very undeserved. But hey, why don't you take Claire Bear?" Klaus asked. "I can't. I have a big callback tomorrow, I need to prepare," Allison shook her head. "Oh, which one is it again?" Klaus questioned. "The Wichita PD pilot," Klaus gasped overdramatically and clapped his hands, while Dusk and Claire tried to hold back their laughter. "Sounds gripping!" Dusk nearly choked. "It's a really big part, Dusk! And it's between me and one other woman! This is important! I can't keep doing laundry detergent commercials!" Allison looked offended.

"Oh really? I thought doing laundry detergent commercials was your specialty!" Dusk scoffed, making Allison roll her eyes in annoyance. Even years later, there was still some tension between them, and while the former Rumor wouldn't admit it out loud, she was responsible for certain doses of it. "Fine, Alli. But you owe me, big-time!" Klaus finally caved in. A smile returned to Allison's face as she thanked him and as she stood up, she asked Claire if she was ready for lunch. 

But Claire declined, saying she wasn't hungry. Allison turned around her heel with a look of concern. "You never eat," She noted. "Like you give a shit!" Claire spat before dashing up the stairs to her room, despite her mother's protests to sit back down. "Would it make you feel better to remind you that we were like that at her age?" Klaus said with a slight smirk. But Allison found no humor within the situation. "Wait until you two have a kid, you'll know how it feels," she muttered.

"Pretty bold of you to assume that!" Klaus chuckled as he went back to drawing on his hand.