𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 ━ five hargreeves

7│A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN

She gave him an irritated look and grumbled "lippy little shit" before she walked away.

"So, do you want to know what's going on?" the boy asked his sister, whose expression turned confused. He began to explain: "when you were a baby, you were—"

"Bought by an eccentric billionaire by the name of Reginald Hargreeves," Vanya finished. "Yes, I know. You can time travel and the vortex you created scattered us throughout the 1960s."

Five stared at her. "How—"

The brunette smiled slightly. "My sister-in-law, Dolores, told me. She found me on the farm where I've been living and explained everything, including you."

The boy's breath caught in his throat at the casual mention of his wife's name. "You've seen her? Is she okay? Do you know where she is? How—"

Vanya appeared bemused. "She's alright," she cut him off gently. "She's adjusted well, at least as far as I can tell."

Five sighed in relief as the pent-up worry lessened slightly. "Did she explain the apocalypse to you?"

"Yes," Vanya replied. "In 2019, the world ended with moonrock crashing to earth and time travelling saved everyone."

The boy relaxed, glad that he and his wife were on the same page about not telling Vanya that she was the one who caused the apocalypse. "You really don't remember anything?" he asked instead.

"No." The woman shook her head. "Nothing before a month ago. Everything I know about the past, Dolores explained to me."

"Then what do you remember?" Five questioned her curiously.

The brunette fixed her eyes on a distant point as she tried to recall her arrival. "I landed in, like, a back alley. Got hit by a car, my head was ringing like crazy. I had no idea how I got there, where I came from. Then a few weeks after I settled in, your wife showed up and filled in the gaps."

"Did she say how she found you?"

"Through the newspaper. I put in ads to find my family and I guess they worked."

Five's expression softened. Of course Dolores would figure that out. She was smarter than all of his siblings combined— which wasn't saying much, but still— and had probably searched for them hoping. . . well, hoping to find him. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Unfortunately, this whole adventure doesn't have a silver lining. The bad news is that the apocalypse followed us here."

"What do you mean, 'followed us?'" the woman asked.

He didn't answer right away but his voice was quiet when he did. "Eight days from now, the world ends in a nuclear doomsday. It's a different disease but the same result."

"That can't be right," Vanya argued. A small smile formed on her face as she thought that he must be joking.

"I saw it," he replied immediately. "With my own eyes." He sighed. "You were there. We all were." Except for one.

"Shit," the brunette breathed. "I need to make a phone call." She stood quickly and made her way over to the payphone across the aisle.

Five relented— against his will— and allowed her to do so. He picked up his coffee mug and took a sip, turning around to keep an eye on his sister as he observed the other patrons of the café.

A young, brown-haired waitress stood a few tables down from where he sat holding her own coffee pot as she poured the drink into the customer's mugs. She was tall and thin, her frame surprisingly boney against the blue service dress uniform she wore. In contrast to the popular hairstyles of the time, the girl's was cut close to her head but strands of hair beginning to curl around her ears and base of her neck as it slowly grew longer.