The cold afternoon's air blew past Klaus, echoing throughout the crevices of the abandoned alleyway behind him. To Klaus, it felt like he was on cloud 9. Well, he was as he sat crisscross, his hands resting on his kneecaps as he floated in the air. Through his closed eyes, he smiled at this brief moment of peace, something he thought he'd never have again. Not with his constant falling off the wagon, and the darkest moments of his marriage. But now, he never felt happier.

While the drugs had their side effects and made him do reckless things, the one benefit he enjoyed besides his mind going quiet was like he was drifting off into outer space or laying in the middle of the ocean, enjoying the crashing of the waves. But as a motorcycle pulled into the alleyway, stopping ten feet from where Klaus was hovering, his moment of peace came to an abrupt end. A man in his late 30s with slicked-back hair and dark sunglasses jumped off his bike, sliding them onto his head as he walked closer to the junkie, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"Well, I'll be damned," He muttered under his breath before walking closer and snapping his fingers in Klaus's face. "Yo!" Klaus's eyes shot open as he quickly registered who was standing in front of him. "Klaus," he nodded curtly. "Quinn, what a delightful surprise!" Klaus smiled. "I thought you were dead, but it turns out you can float," Quinn looked him up and down. "Oh, you know. The whole death, rebirth, death, rebirth, death... It's a vicious cycle. You look well," Klaus complimented. "The beard, it's very robust,"

"Thank you. You look like the same degenerate smackhead piece of shit that owes me money," Quinn folded his arms across his chest. "Oh yeah? What was it? Like five grand?" Klaus reached into his coat pockets, patting them but was unable to feel for anything that could potentially pay off his debt. "I don't really... I don't really have that much cash on me," Klaus excused. Quinn chuckled, which made Klaus chuckle as well. But this wasn't a 'You're so funny' type of laugh, it was more along the lines of, 'I'm about to screw your life up' laugh.

"Try 40," Quinn's face fell, anger and frustration marking his face. "Forty? No, mon frere, you've got me confused with someone else," Klaus brushed it off. "The vig's been running five years, Klaus. And I know for a fact you have the money. At least that little wife of yours does," Quinn remarked. "Why don't you call and ask her to bring the money? Oh wait, I forgot. She thinks you've been sober for the past few years! It would be a real shame if she knew the truth,"

Klaus's feet touched the ground, and his blood boiled with anxiety. He could never let Dusk know about this, not when he was on his last strike, and certainly not with a child on the way. With his track record, she could have divorce papers drafted in a single day and snatch away full custody in a hot minute. "Please, man. You know she'll never let me hear the end of it if she finds out!" Klaus begged. Quinn grabbed him by his collar, pulling him closer until they were nose to nose. "That's your own fault, should've paid your debts sooner. The math is good," Quinn sneered.

"Look Quinn, you know, we can stand here and debate dollars and cents all day long, but I think you and I both know that I don't have your money," Klaus stated. "And even if you gave me the time, even if you let me talk things out with Dusky, I still wouldn't get it. So, if you could find it in that dark, black pagan heart of yours to forgive the debt..." Klaus's pleas for forgiveness fell deaf on Quinn's ears, as he started laughing at the absurdity, stopping the junkie mid-sentence. "How about I rip one of those pretty eyes out of that head of yours and wear it around my neck?" Quinn fakely grinned.

"You could do that, I suppose," Klaus nodded. "Or you could save us both the stress and the energy and the headache and the time, and kill me right now?" Klaus suggested. "Come on, where's that gun at? Where are you keeping it?" He questioned, as Quinn reached into his biker vest, his fingers found the handgun he always kept attached to his side. "Where is it?" Klaus's hands reached for Quinn's sides, but Quinn was quick enough to shove them away. "Keep your hands to yourself, weirdo!" He warned.

Without warning, as Quinn made eye contact with Klaus, the junkie's hand flew up and cleanly smack the biker across the cheek, sending his sunglasses skittering to the ground, cracking one of the lenses. Upon realizing what he had just done, Klaus slowly sank onto his knees, bracing himself for the pain of the bullet that was about to go between his eyes. "You always were a sick puppy," Quinn spat, cocking back his handgun, and with a single shot, Klaus fell to the ground, blood pouring from the back of his head and onto the wet asphalt. 

"Junkie piece of shit," Quinn muttered under his breath. But as he began to walk back to his motorcycle, something in his head told him to stop and turn around. Realizing he left his glasses on the ground, he walked back to Klaus's body and bent over to pick them up. Staring at Klaus's paling face, Quinn watched closely, Klaus's words about death and rebirth echoing in his mind. Sure enough, as the gunshot wound began to quickly heal, Klaus shuddered back to life, shaking at the sudden adrenaline rush and the relief of being alive again. "Son of a bitch..." Quinn shook his head.

Klaus slowly sat up, remembering where exactly he was before he was shot, but before he could breathe a sigh of relief, his stomach dropped upon realizing Quinn was still there and saw the extent of what his powers could do. And just as he was about to open his mouth again, Quinn raised his fist and punched Klaus back into unconsciousness.

He must've been out cold for a while, how long it had been he didn't know. All that Klaus knew was that he was no longer in the back alley lying in a pool of his own blood. But now, he found himself hanging upside down inside a darkened room. The only light that peered in was from a single barred window, giving no chance of escape, even if he did manage to break free from his chains. The door unlocked and a darkened figure stepped into the room. "That is quite the gift you have," Quinn remarked.

"Well, a gift and a curse, really," Klaus corrected. With a smirk on his face, Quinn bent down, his eyes leveled with the trapped junkie. "I think I've got an idea on how you're gonna repay that debt," He said. "Oh, come on. Don't leave me in suspense," Klaus said out of breath, feeling the blood starting to rush to his head. But rather than answer, Quinn stood back up and walked out of the room chuckling to himself as the door locked behind him. 

"Asshole,"

~~~~~~~~~~

With a steady hand on Vic's shoulder, Five blinked them back into the subway. Their footsteps were the only sounds that echoed throughout the empty station as they walked past the security barrier. The dimming and flickering lights from their last visit to the terminal had strangely stopped, the lights now stayed on and seemed to glow a little brighter. It wouldn't be long until another subway showed up. "Okay, do exactly what we did last time. Just ride one stop eastbound, go up to the apocalypse timeline, avoid getting killed, and warp back to 2006. Stop Ben from ever going on that Moldovan Mission, got that?" Five reminded.

"Relax, it's a rookie time mission. I've done this a thousand times before," Victoria rolled her eyes, silently muttering at how sometimes Five forgot she's not some damsel in distress, needing to constantly rely on a man. She loved him to death, but it was one of those moments that Five needed to remember to stay in his own lane. "But time-travel-wise, I still don't get the whole subway thing, right? I'm more of a DeLorean kind of person, yeah?" The Bonnie and Clyde couple walked down the flight of stairs into the terminal, and just as they reached the final step, the next train pulled in, the warped PA once again speaking backward as it pulled to a stop.

Resting on the edge of one of the benches, Victoria noticed the fluttering pages of a small brochure and picked it up. Just from the quick glimpse of the jumbled lettering, it was a map containing all the other terminals. "Just in case," She looked back to Five, briefly holding it up so he could see. As the doors slid open, Five offered Victoria his hand, the message in his eyes was clear, asking her if she was ready. With a small nod, the redhead took his hand, and they stepped inside the train and took their seats. As the subway began speeding through the metal cave, Victoria gripped a pole with her free hand, keeping her and Five from falling on top of each other.  

After what felt like only a few seconds, when it was actually a few minutes, the subway once again pulled to a stop in the apocalyptic timeline, the broken vending machine and the Australia-shaped puddle were all the confirmation they needed as they walked up the stairs and out of the terminal, preparing for the possibility of being shot at. "Knowing me, I probably set a trap, so be careful," Five warned. The time traveler reached into his blazer pocket, pulling out his binoculars as he looked towards the hideout. Past the mannequin of Delores, and the giant boulders surrounding the fallen library, Five saw no trace of his younger self.

"There's no sign of him," Five noted, slipping them back into his jacket. "Well, let's get going before you start farting," Victoria suggested. "Ready? 2006, here we come," Victoria's hand snaked around his back, and as Five did the same, they silently counted to three before blinking into one of the Academy's halls. "Did it work? Are we here?" Victoria asked, checking behind her to ensure that nobody heard them. Out of the corner of his eye, Five saw the daily newspaper sitting on a nearby table, along with other assorted letters, his eyes scanning the front page.

"October 14th, 2006," Five confirmed. "Great! So, we go in, we snuff Ben out, we get back on the tube, we're back before Christmas Eve," Victoria said, recapping the plan as they cautiously turned the corner. "We're not here to kill him, Vic. We're just diverting him, making sure he doesn't go on the Moldova mission," Five clarified. "Now, I haven't seen him in like five years, so he might be a little jumpy, just play it cool," 

Suddenly the mission alarm started blaring throughout the academy, and quicker than a bunny, Five grabbed Victoria's waist, and pulled her over to the staircase as they took cover. "Step lively, children. We have a mission to do. Number One, round up the children," Reginald's voice boomed throughout the hallway. "Let's go! Get your asses in gear!" Luther clapped, peering into the rooms of his siblings to make sure they were getting ready. "My man, Diego!" He nodded approvingly as Diego was dressed in his uniform, back pressed against the wall.

"My ass is always in gear," the youngster replied. "Come on, guys! Come on!" Luther knocked on the closed bathroom door, opening it to find Klaus giggling and laughing in the bathtub. "Are you kidding me? You just got out rehab!" another young man's voice sighed, a voice that neither Five nor Victoria recognized. "I'm California sober, Alphonso!" Klaus protested. Alphonso? The couple looked at each other, the name finally ringing a bell in their minds. Five hadn't thought about that name since encountering the Sparrows.

Klaus continued to giggle as he took a sip from a mini bottle of whiskey, but Luther pushed him to the side as he continued walking down the hallway. As Victoria got a slightly better glimpse of the members from through the bars, something was very off. The Academy's uniforms had different colors, replacing the dark navy blue blazers and long dark pants, were pale-yellow uniforms with a lighter checkered undershirt peeking out. And while she couldn't see the crest very well, she could tell that it was not the same as the Umbrella Academy's.

It was a different academy entirely.

"Umbrellas, Sparrows," Victoria muttered, as Diego and Klaus followed behind Luther. The bathroom door shut, and walking next to Luther was a girl with straight blonde hair, curled into a bob, her green eyes glowing with determination as Alphonso followed close behind. "Ow! Step on your own feet, Alp!" She turned her head momentarily. "Sorry, Astrid," Alphonso apologized. "Who's that?" Victoria questioned, having never recognized the girl before. She seemed to have the rough exterior of Dahlia but didn't look anything like her. "We're in the wrong timeline, we need to go," Five whispered.

"Hey! Who the hell are you two?" Diego called out; the couple's cover had been blown. Victoria scoffed as Five pulled her to her feet, and they stepped out of hiding. "Rude! I was about to ask you the same thing," The academy squinted as Astrid placed a hand on her hip. "We're the Phoenix Academy," She answered. Suddenly, a burst of thunderbolts and green light ignited in one of the Academy members hands, but it wasn't from Astrid, Alphonso, or the Umbrellas. But rather, a shadowed figure, whose heavy footsteps shook the ground as they walked past. 

"And we're going to fuck you up..." Their deep voice snarled, winding their hands back, readying their aim. "And we're out of here!" Five grabbed Victoria by the shoulders, quickly teleporting them out before the ball of light came hurtling towards them. Once they were safely back in the subway, Five and Victoria's pounding hearts started to return to their regular beat. "Well, that was more than a slight hiccup," Victoria sighed. "You think?" Five scoffed. "Well, look. We're in the wrong timeline, but clearly, we're in the neighborhood," Victoria's mind entered speculation mode as reaching the correct timeline didn't seem too far out of reach.

"Neighborhood of what? Christ, Vic. I knew this would happen, I knew it," Five sighed in defeat. "Chill out, Five! We're going to figure it out, okay?" Victoria reassured, reaching into her pocket. "You know why? Because someone brought a map!" As they sat down on the bench together, Victoria unfolded the map, her eyes scanned the paper with precision, but with the lack of lighting, it became a rather challenging task. "Look, we're here," Victoria pointed to the far left of the map, her index finger slowly moving towards the center. "Take this train three stops to this squiggly line, transfer at the division symbol," Victoria's finger continued moving, but the squiggly line she was following led to the next map behind it. "Oh, fuck! Oh no, wait! We're here, two stops on the ampersand,"

While Victoria was trying to find the correct route, the next train pulled in, and it wouldn't be long before it took off again, leaving the couple in the unsettling silence. "No more winging it!" Five shouted over the screeching. "Is that an umlaut or an ablaut?" Victoria squinted. "Let's get back to where we came from!" Five persisted, but Victoria was still engrossed in navigating the lines and dots. She may not have been the best with maps, but this started to feel like a long and jumbled game of chutes and ladders. The subway doors started to open, but Five couldn't bring himself to get on without her.

"Vic, now!" He grabbed her hand and sprinted back to the train. "Five, wait! I'm not done!" She protested. "Well, I'm not leaving without you!" He stated, stepping back inside. As she looked up from the map to meet his gaze, for a moment she could see a faint glimmer of worry. No matter how many stops, no matter how many trains they had left to board, they had to stick together. "You're such a worrywart," She teased. "When it comes to potentially losing you, I have every right to worry," Five whispered, a small smile at the corner of his lips. Just as they leaned in to kiss, the train started moving, causing the couple to fly backward and land on the floor and on top of each other.

Five and Victoria's faces twinged with a hint of pink, as the redhead crawled off of him and they stood next to the door, gripping onto the poles. The tunnel lights flew by faster than the speed of light, then the brief glimpse of a white wall and another stop. It wouldn't be long before they got back to the others. But with another flash of light and another white wall, their final destination was in their sights. But rather than the train stopping, it blew right past it. "That was our stop," Five looked through the passenger windows, only to be greeted with more darkness.

The PA system chimed, and the distorted voice spoke backward, announcing they'd be reaching their next stop, while they couldn't make out exactly what the operator was saying, they were able to catch a few words, "...The Express," 

"Bollocks,"

"Shit,"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Though Dusk was trying not to show it in front of the others, her mind continued to race as her worry for Klaus's wellbeing only escalated. And now with the taunting of 'an old friend' trying to convince her that Klaus was a terrible person who didn't care about her, she needed to find a way to silence the whispers somehow. As the Hargreeves siblings went their separate ways, Dusk drove through the endless countryside back towards the city. Knowing Klaus, he was probably hiding behind a dumpster or trying to blend in with the crowd.

But throughout the mid-afternoon, she checked every alleyway, every abandoned structure she could sneak into, but there was no sign of him anywhere, almost like he disappeared off the face of the earth. Come on, Klaus. Where are you? She sighed, getting back into her car and stopping on another street. She walked past the tattoo parlors and body shops, glaring sharply at the men who whistled and begged her to come over. "Come on, sweetheart, Don't be shy! You look like a nice girl," A man with a long black beard grabbed her arm, but Dusk quickly retaliated and broke it in right in half.

The man lay on the ground, writhing in pain as he clasped his arm. But Dusk pressed her boot sharply onto his chest, meeting his frightened eyes. "I'm not your sweetheart!" She growled, before walking down the street and into the next alleyway. But something about this one seemed slightly different. Stepping over puddles and past the opened and rotting dumpsters, she spotted a puddle of blood. She bent down to get a closer look. Fresh, likely from an hour or two ago. But it wasn't just the blood that caught her attention, it was a small scrap of fabric that was laying an inch or two away. 

She recognized it, it was the very same fabric as the scarf Klaus always wore during the winter. With widening eyes, she reached for the scrap, the colors indeed matching his. White, orange, brown, and blue. He must've been here! "Klaus? Klaus! Are you here?" She called out, only to be greeted with a stray cat's meow. She couldn't give up now, not when he could be so close. But without a blood trail to follow, or any other evidence of his presence, Dusk was forced to continue her search throughout the city.

After another two hours of searching, Dusk kept running into dead ends, and with the sun beginning to set, she had no other choice but to stop the search and return to the car with another defeated look. She pressed her head against the wheel, suppressing a groan. Why couldn't you just stay with the group? "Because he only cares about himself. He always has. Why can't you see that?" The strange voice returned. Dusk lifted her head, catching a glimpse of someone sitting in the passenger seat. "What the fuck? How the fu- what are you doing here?" The brown-blonde panted.

The dark figure chuckled. "You can't escape me, Dusk. I thought you would've realized that by now," That voice... the more she heard it, the more she started to recognize who it was. And as her eyes shifted back to the mirror, her heart nearly stopped. It was... Dusk? But it wasn't, the real Dusk was sitting in the driver's seat, but this one... a menacing grin was painted on her face, her eyes glowing purple. "Why are you doing this to me?" Dusk whispered. "Because... it's fun! And I'm doing this for your own good," The shadow leaned in closer. "How is this for my own good? To be driven insane by a figment of my imagination?" Dusk clenched her teeth.

"I'm only trying to help you learn the truth, and whether or not you come to accept it, you'll thank me one day," The shadow chuckled. "No, that's it! You're not real! You're just a gnawing voice trying to feed me lies!" Dusk shook her head, getting out of the car. "The only one who's been feeding you lies are the people you call family! You don't need them! I'm the only one you need..." The shadow persisted. "Don't you dare bring my family into this!" Dusk snarled.

The people walking past her, and the ones who were sitting outside the nearby restaurants started staring at her, the more she tried to silence the voice by humming obnoxiously along with muttering, "You're not real! You're not real!" But the nagging voice only grew louder, and Dusk's blood began to boil as fireballs started to form in her hands. "I SAID SHUT UP!" She screamed, the fireballs hitting the ground around her, setting the sidewalk on fire, and car alarms blaring all around her.

Finally, her mind went silent. But as she looked around, she saw the people staring at pointing at her. She ran the rest of the way across the street, dodging and barely missing the incoming cars that were speeding by. Not only was this voice driving her to the thought of murder, but it was now trying to paint her as a lunatic. She kept walking until she recognized where she was. Right across the street was the bar she frequently performed at. And from the babble of voices and laughter, she could already tell it was packed for a Thursday night.

Without a second thought, she walked across, stepping into the lively bar, and the off-key singing coming from the main stage. Karaoke night, no wonder the bar is so packed. "Dusk!" A voice called out. Searching through the crowd of couples, and men sitting at the bar for their after-work drink, she saw Jake smiling and waving at her. "Oh, hey Jake!" Dusk smiled, sitting at one of the empty barstools. "Come to try the weekly cocktails?" Jake inquired. "Actually no, I just needed to come in and clear my head for a bit," Dusk clarified.

"You and everybody else apparently," Jake chuckled as he poured another customer's drink. "What will it be this time?" "Just a regular coke," Dusk requested. With a small nod, Jake reached underneath the counter and came back a few seconds later with a chilled can. The friendship Dusk had with Jake was oddly enough just like the start of hers and Jack's. They'd always talk about the things that were bothering them, whether it was personal or work-related. But one different thing was that Jake didn't talk much about his family. He'd drop hints every now and then, but it wasn't a common occurrence. He seemed more interested in hearing about her family and all its dysfunctional glory.

"You'd think everyone would be at home getting ready for the holidays, especially with Christmas Eve tomorrow," Dusk spoke. "You would think," Jake agreed. The sounds of applause filled the bar as the next singer got off the stage, passing the mic to the next person in line. Dusk thought about it for a moment, she really should be meeting up with the others, but the more she thought about it, a song or two never hurt anyone. She excused herself from the bar, taking the soda with her and sipping the rest of it as she stood in the line.

Normally, the patrons were ruthless when it came to karaoke night. Booing at the people who sounded like dying crows and cheering at the people with voices of angels. But tonight, something was different. Everyone was being nice, cheering and clapping along, screaming the lyrics that constantly played throughout the bar every week. To Dusk, this was paradise. But through the crowd of hyped people, Dusk swore she could see the shadow of herself, staring at her and smirking. If looks could kill, she would be six feet under right now.

But Dusk brushed it off, she was not going to make a scene, not in front of this crowd, not in front of Jake. When it was finally her turn, she grabbed the mic and recommended one of her own songs to the DJ, the first successful single she released that reached a million listeners in two days. And as the music started blasting through the speakers, everyone knew exactly what it was.

https://youtu.be/Fqey8LxQxFU

Hate to give the satisfaction asking how you're doing now
How's the castle built off people you pretend to care about
Just what you wanted
Look at you, cool guy, you got it



I see the parties and the diamonds sometimes when I close my eyes
Six months of torture you sold as some forbidden paradise
I loved you truly
You gotta laugh at the stupidity

'Cause I've made some real big mistakes
But you make the worst one look fine


I should've known it was strange
You only come out at night


I used to think I was smart
But you made me look so naïve


The way you sold me for parts
As you sunk your teeth into me, oh


Bloodsucker, famefucker
Bleeding me dry like a goddamn vampire

But while the crowd was singing their hearts out alongside her, everyone failed to notice that one of the overhead lights that was illuminating the stage had started flickering on and off, thinking it was following the beat of the song, but as a loud creak in the metal caught everybody's attention, they all looked up too late, and the stage light came crashing to the ground, landing a few inches away from Dusk. And while she wasn't crushed by the giant light, some of the broken glass hit her, the shards embedded into her clothes, while some pieces dug into her skin.

The audience started to murmur and question whether or not she was okay, as Dusk was caught in a daze, thinking it was just another hallucination, but then she heard chuckling from inside her head. But before she could protest and fight back, her body began to shudder, like she had been caught in zero-degree weather. "Don't stop, keep playing!" She turned towards the DJ, who continued playing the track.

Every girl I ever talked to told me you were bad, bad news
You called them crazy God I hate the way I called them crazy too
You're so convincing
How do you lie without flinching? (How do you lie, how do you lie, how do you lie?)

Oh, what a mesmerizing, paralyzing, fucked up little thrill
Can't figure out just how you do it and God knows I never will
Went for me and not her
'Cause girls your age know better

I've made some real big mistakes
But you make the worst one look fine


I should've known it was strange
You only come out at night


I used to think I was smart
But you made me look so naïve


The way you sold me for parts
As you sunk your teeth into me, oh


Bloodsucker, famefucker
Bleeding me dry like a goddamn vampire

The rest of the stage lights started flickering on and off as well, shutting off completely before the lights changed to purple and blew out, sending sparks and embers onto the stage, setting it on fire. By this point, the patrons in the bar were freaking out, not just because of the fire, but because of Dusk's transformation. Her wings were glowing a dangerous black and her eyes were engulfed in purple flames. "Run! She's going to kill us!" A woman screamed. The patrons started stampeding to the exit, Dusk's hypnotic voice rang out through the bar, stopping them dead in their tracks, and they turned back to the stage and sat back in their seats.

Jake, who had been watching everything from the bar, his jaw nearly dropped to the floor at what he was watching. And as the performance continued, He pulled out his phone and started recording.

You said it was true love
But wouldn't that be hard?

You can't love anyone
'Cause that would mean you had a heart

I tried to help you out
Now I know that I can't

Cause how you think's the kind of thing
I'll never understand!

Jake quickly typed a message into his phone, sending the fifteen-second clip along with a text that read, I think we've been looking for the wrong person. It took about thirty seconds before the recipient sent a message back, displaying clear instructions.

Bring her to us, by any means necessary.

I've made some real big mistakes
But you make the worst one look fine


I should've known it was strange
You only come out at night


I used to think I was smart
But you made me look so naïve


The way you sold me for parts
As you sunk your teeth into me, oh


Bloodsucker, famefucker
Bleeding me dry like a goddamn vampire

BANG!

The microphone fell from Dusk's hands as the world around her slowly faded, and as the screeching feedback rang out, she fell into darkness.