Grand Theft (The Umbrella Academy)

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE: The Birdies

April 2, 2019
11:59

Haddock and Connor stood hand in hand in front of the metal gate, this time with a sparrow detailed on it rather than an umbrella. Connor ran her fingers over the engraving. "Huh, a bird."

"Think the old fart had a spiritual awakenin'?" They snickered. "Ready to go see the crew?"

Connor exhaled as her heart jittered with a mix of coffee, nervousness, and joy. "Very." They stepped through the gates with unease, eyeing the black sparrow that watched their every move like death itself.

Connor took in the sight of the mansion with creased brows. It looked different but she'd been gone a long time. It would make sense that things had changed.

"Wow... I can't believe you guys lived here. This place is huge." Haddock gawked.

"It's definitely somethin' else." Connor exhaled a halfhearted laugh. "Something seems... off." Then her eyes landed on her family who had just arrived and everything else didn't matter.

"Wh... What day is it?" Luther asked.

"April 2, 2019. 12:00 on the dot." Connor smugly turned her grin up. Seeing them standing there, she wanted to run up to them and put them in a hug, but the last they saw of her she was a traitor. She'd chosen Lila's side. Connor didn't think that she could kill them. If anything in a weird way she was grateful for Haddock killing her and making that decision for her.

Vanya opened her arms for a hug and Connor's eyes watered. She jogged to go hug her small figure with a sheeny smile.

"Hey, Connor. You're sticking around this time, yeah?" Diego asked, taking her aback.

She breathed out a laugh and nodded. "I think so."

"Aw group hug!" Klaus skipped over to join their hug. Connor and Vanya giggled.

Connor let out a short laugh of joy at feeling accepted by them then broke free from their grasp and went back to her husband's side. Connor moved her glossy eyes and unwavering smile up to him as they held each other side to side. "I can't believe they're back."

Haddock grinned at her and rubbed her back. "I know." During their retirement, she'd talked about her old life often. She hated the cold that was left without them but now she could finally warm up a bit.

"So we stopped the apocalypse?" Vanya asked for clarification. So much had happened in such a short period of time.

"Did we actually succeed at something?" Klaus stretched like he was finally free from all of the tension that had been building up since the first doomsday. "I don't know about you guys, but I need a drink."

"Sounds fantabulous. Make it multiple," Fleur exhaled.

"I'm in," they agreed and they started their trek to the kitchen.

Fleur's focus flashed up to the bits of banner that had been hanging throughout the mansion... The navy was absent. She stepped over to Five and tugged on his shirt sleeve. "Somethings off. I know it."

"Well we saved the world. If everything went as planned then it should all be back to normal. Why, what seems off?"

Fleur sighed and scratched her wrist from Connor's close proximity talking with Klaus. "I dunno. It's probably nothing." She glanced back at Connor in unwarranted irritation. "Paranoid maybe."

Klaus softly punched the patch of Haddock's jacket that stood for his time in the Vietnam war. "So, um, military man."

He crossed his arms. "Haddock."

Klaus waved a hand. "Yeah yeah, whatever." He stared at the patch with his antsy fingers tapping on his own folded arms at a loss of what to say for once. "You served?"