Life as We Know it [Five]

Four

Do you save money or spend it?

After that night, Emery redoubled his efforts in finding everyone. For months, he still looked at the papers but instead of striking headlights, he looked for smaller columns, little ads for jobs that the Hargreeves siblings might be interested in or may be already taking part in.

He found Vanya through a missing person's ad. A frightfully small column towards the back of one of the latest issues and found her to be living happily on a farm just outside of town with a lovely woman named Sissy, her son, and her husband whom Emery did not get the chance to meet.

He stayed for a time and sat down with Vanya, explaining the basics to her but leaving out the part about how she ended the world 60 years into the future. He just couldn't bring himself to do it and seeing the hope on her face when Emery said she had siblings made it just that much harder to walk away. He couldn't gather everyone now. They all had their own lives to live and right now, there was no point in pulling them away from that.

Later down the road, Emery found Klaus by listening to passer buyers conversations as he worked on their trucks or cars, ears picking up mentions of some psycho that had managed to turn their son into a cultist worshipping some weird diety and led by an even weirder man with an affinity for throwing shirts into the closest fire.

Emery found the man trying (and surprisingly successfully) stealing from a bagel shop. The bag was clutched beneath his atrociously long overcoat and true to the stranger's words- he was not wearing a shirt. Klaus then went on to complain to some unseeable figure about how "That was no run, the old wank didn't even give chase."

"Because he didn't see, Klaus. This is the 60s, they don't have as advanced security. Your tactics are how should I sat... futuristic- literally."

"Emerino!" Klaus had thrown the bag up into the air, bagels falling down from the air in delight as Klaus encompassed Emery in a breathtaking hug. Breathtaking as in Emery could not breathe.

They went on to spend the rest of the day together. Klaus gave Emery the whole run down on how he became a worshipped cult leader and how he could conjure Ben so anyone could see him (Ben was very much delighted to have an actual conversation with Emery just as much as Emery was). They ended the day running away from some crazy follower of Klaus' who was eager to know when the next ritual meeting was.

"I'm running away." Klaus said. "They've become too clingy. I need a fresh start."

Klaus did not in fact end up going for a fresh start. He chickened out the minute he neared the town line.

At least this way, Emery knew where he would be for future reference when he failed to influence the man to come help him find the others in Dallas.

He found Allison was working in the same parlor as Marianna. And the night he did, he and the girl held a very interesting conversation that ended up with them laughing until their chests hurt. She still didn't know the full extent of his past but she agreed to let him come into her workplace one day after her shift so he could see Allison.

He found Diego via the paper where sources told Emery the man had been deemed as a crazy knife obsessor and had been successfuly placed in the psych ward. The officials there wouldn't let Emery visit let alone be persuaded to let the man go under his care.

All of the Hargreeves were leading somewhat of an accomplished life and Emery respected the fact that all of them wanted to resume living this way until another apocalypse pulled them from their happiness. So he settled for working at the car shop and visiting the siblings every once in a while.

Old Hank never got drunk again- well not drunk enough that he couldn't walk on his own, and Emery could confidently drive any vehicle now. Marianna was becoming more skilled with the comb and scissors and had become Emery's new personal hair stylist when his hair got so long that it fell into his eyes when he was trying to work. He and Allison regularly sat down for lunches in public parks where baffled walkers stared at them like they were alien. And according to Elliott, they technically were.