"I'm sorry for their rudeness," Astrid whispered, stroking a strand of Sloane's hair and tucking it behind her ear. "It's fine. You can't expect everybody to like you," Sloane sighed. "They'll come around eventually. It just takes time," Viktor stated, though he and Astrid knew Diego would be distrusting no matter how much he claimed he was on board with something. That stayed with him throughout their childhood. Allison too, but Astrid couldn't blame them. Thanks to their old man, they were all bound to have trust issues, some on a higher scale.

"So, what do we do now? Do we just wait for the Sparrows to send a-" Before Luther could finish, a loud caw came from the lobby, and the Hargreeves leaned over the balcony to see what was going on. A raven swooped in through the revolving glass doors with an envelope clutched in its beak. As it hovered above the railing, Astrid pried the letter away before nodding to it and watching as it left the hotel. "What does it say?" Viktor questioned as his sister's eyes scanned the paper.

You have something that belongs to us, we want them back.

No more games, no more surprises,

Meet in the shipyard at midnight.

The Hargreeves knew they were talking about Jayme, Alphonso, and Sloane. Astrid looked away from the paper and to her brothers. "Where did you put Jayme and Alphonso?" She questioned. Luther walked towards the couches surrounding one of the pool tables and lifted one of the black and shiny body bags. Just looking at those and realizing her siblings lay dead inside made tears form in Sloane's eyes. But with the gentle and warm touch of her girlfriend, she felt somewhat at ease.

Viktor looked over to the clock that displayed the time, 11:30 pm. The shipyard had to be about twenty minutes away if he remembered correctly. Without further delay, they piled into one of the Hotel Obsidian cars, carefully placing Jayme and Alphonso in the trunk. They were their enemies, but they still had to treat their bodies with respect so they wouldn't anger the Sparrows. Astrid exhaled a quiet breath as she sat in the backseat, scared of what would happen next, especially when Sloane was back with them.

"I'll be okay," the Gravity girl assured, sensing her fears as she gently squeezed her hand. "I just don't want them to hurt you," Astrid admitted. Sloane side smiled before wrapping an arm around the small of her back. "They're my family. Ben would never hurt me. Say a few hurtful things, yes but not physical violence," If the Sparrows weren't on their tail so much and the grandfather paradox wasn't a problem, Astrid would've gladly taken Sloane out of the city so they could have the life they always wanted.

But even if the Umbrellas knew about their forbidden relationship, God knows Ben would go nuclear when he found they were sleeping with each other's enemy. The vehicle pulled into the shipyard, and as they drove around, looking for a secluded area, they got out and waited for Ben, Fei, and Christopher to arrive. The entire time, Sloane rested her head on the Shadow Girl's shoulder, hoping to feel her loving embrace for what felt like the last time.

Luther and Viktor looked over at them and then back to each other. "Do you think the Sparrows will stop after we give them the bodies?" Viktor questioned. "I hope so. We have enough going on already with a paradox," Luther answered. That response didn't satisfy Number Seven, he could feel his stomach turning in on itself, but he didn't know why. Luther took notice of his posture and asked what was wrong, to which Viktor replied, "I don't know. Something doesn't feel right,"

Just then, another vehicle pulled in, and they watched as the Sparrows exited the black van and stared at them. "I see you brought one of us. Did you bring the other two?" Ben glared. "Yes, we did," Astrid nodded as she and Luther walked to the trunk, pulled out the body bags, and placed them in the back of the van. Ben only smirked as they walked back to their positions. With one final glance at Astrid, Sloane ran toward Fei, feeling the warm embrace of her sister.

"Well, this is it. This puts an end to it," Viktor spoke. "No. We want the old man too," Ben shook his head. Fei cocked her head toward him, still unaware of this part of the plan. "It's a stupid plan!" Fei retorted. Viktor looked at the rest of his siblings, who were just as confused as he was. "He isn't part of the deal," Viktor insisted. "He is now," Ben squinted. "Ben, they aren't working with him. They had nothing to do with the attacks!" Sloane tried to explain. But her brother didn't want to hear the excuses.

"If that's so, they'll have no problem finding him and handing him over. Bring us the man who killed our siblings, and this will all be over," Or what? Astrid felt the temptation to blurt it out. But she kept it in for their sake. But it felt like Ben could read her mind and only chuckled lowly before they retreated into the van. And as they made a U-turn, back down the path they came, Astrid could see Sloane's longing look from the passenger window as she pressed a hand against the glass.

Astrid felt her heart ache to see her lover so sad, but all she could do was watch as they drove out of the shipyard and back to the Academy, hoping to see her again.

~~~~~~~

"Why do you need the old man so much?" Fei hissed from the front seats. "I don't buy what the Umbrellas say for one second. They blindsided us once before. With him around, they'll surely do it again," Ben answered. "With him taken care of, we go our separate ways and justice will be served,"

Fei turned in her seat to look at Christopher and her remaining sister. "We'll get you cleaned up back at the academy, okay?" Fei whispered. "That's fine," Sloane muttered, her gaze focused on the window as she glanced at the passing streetlights and darkened apartment buildings. Something seemed so off. Usually, the city is lit up like a beacon. What's going on? She wondered. They soon pulled back into the parking spot just outside of the Academy entrance and took Jayme and Alphonso's body bags from the back.

"You might want to go get changed. And fix your arm," Fei said as she and Ben walked inside carrying the deceased siblings. Sloane nodded and slowly climbed the stairs to her room, changing into one of her darker outfits. She had been to a few funerals before, but they were usually for important businessmen and women throughout the city who Reginald considered his acquaintances. But this was different. This was a funeral she never thought she'd attend until she was much much older.

The April night air coldly blew past her as she joined her remaining family outside, where two large holes had already been dug. And as she watched Ben and Fei lower their brother and sister into the earth, she held hope wherever their spirits were now, they were okay. And joking and laughing like they did when they watched every movie they could think of.

"As we commit the bodies of Jayme and Alphonso to the earth, let the memories they made and the moments we cherished with them live in our hearts forever. This is not the end, we will see them again one day. It might be weeks from now, it might be forty years from now. But we will honor them every day for the rest of our lives," Fei spoke, fighting back against the lump forming in her throat.

Christopher chattered a few phrases, telling them how the city would remember their names and never be forgotten by the lives of the people they saved and served during their time as Sparrows. "You were true members of our family, Jayme and Alphonso. Our family will not be the same without you in it," Sloane sniffed, wiping away her forming tears. "We'll make that man pay for what he has done to you," Ben vowed.

The tiny funeral procession was met with a moment of silence and then a few cracks of thunder as a drizzle of rain formed above them. "Goodbye brother, goodbye sister," Fei sighed, grabbing the two shovels and handing one to Ben as they refilled the holes, sealing the final resting place. Sloane looked over to Christopher, who glowed with a sad dim, chattering about how empty parts of the Academy would feel with the lack of wild energy. "I know, Chris. I know," Sloane nodded, gently touching the top of his cube to comfort him.

Once the task was complete, they all went back inside just as the rain began to pour down harder. That night, it was hard for them to catch any sleep, Sloane especially. Being away from Astrid was like a piece of her heart was missing. And although she was far away on the other side of the city, the longing emotions she had consumed her every thought and combined with her grief. It was a heartbreaking combo.

Suddenly, a breeze blew through the cracked window in her room, and as the wind whistled and gathered in the corner of her room, she sat up and noticed a black figure with glowing yellow eyes approaching her. At first, she wanted to scream, but she quickly covered her mouth as it shushed her, saying it wasn't a random entity and that it brought a gift. "Wha-what gift?" Sloane asked in a soft tone. "It's from Astrid," The shadow replied, handing her something in a plastic case.

Graciously taking the present, Sloane was shocked to find it was a mixtape. With the title Songs for Sloane written in black Sharpie. And as Sloane read the back of the cassette with the list of songs, all she could do was wonder how in the world Astrid knew her song tastes so well. But before she could ask the shadow that question, it disappeared, and the wind began to howl as the black cloud escaped into the alleyway. Thank you, Triddy. Sloane whispered to herself, plugging the cassette into her Walkman and putting on her headphones.