Number Eight {The Umbrella Academy} -- [On Hold]

Twelve

"That would be a mistake, Diego. They've killed people far more dangerous than you," Five said, watching as the man stood.

"Yeah, we'll see about that."

Diego took a long look at his sister, then left the room. Luther followed not long after that.

Five got up from the small sofa and sat on the bed beside Vivian, checking her pulse. There was none, as he expected. There was no explanation for why she had died. Of course, it was because of her, well, being shot, but he had found her dead after the apocalypse, legs pinned under a large slab of concrete, but with the others. She had been wearing different clothes, and there was no wound on her chest. She hadn't been dead before the apocalypse had started.

He stood from the bed and walked out of the room, still pondering how she could die twice, when he noticed a trail of water and blood on the tiles leading to Klaus' room. The man was groaning as he stood, picking up a shirt from his bed.

Five knocked at the door, and Klaus turned towards the noise with a delayed reaction. He seemed utterly exhausted.

"You okay?"

"Hey. Yeah, I just...long night." It was obvious to the boy that he was hiding something, and he could tell exactly what.

"More than one, from the looks of it."

"Yeah."

"Don't remember the dog tags."

"Yeah, they belonged to a friend." Klaus grunted as he tugged the shirt down over his chest.

"How about that new tattoo?" He brought his arm up and glanced at it, then let his arm drop.

"You know, I don't totally remember even getting it. Like I said, it was a long night."

"You did it, didn't you?" Five smirked, letting himself ignore the fact that his sister could be dead for good.

"What are you talkin' about?" Klaus stumbled over to the bed and sat on it, massaging his temples.

"You know, I can recognize the symptoms, Klaus."

"Symptoms of what?"

"The jet lag. Full body itch. The headache that feels like someone shoved a box of cotton up into your nose and through your brain." Klaus sighed. "You gonna tell me about it?"

"Your pals, when they broke into the house and they couldn't find you, they took me and Viv instead."

"And in return, you stole their briefcase." Five smirked slightly, proud of his brother for one of the very few times in his life.

"Yeah. I thought there was money in it, or I could pawn it, you know, whatever." He sighed, looking down at his hands. "And then I opened it."

Five began pacing, continuing his stream of questions.

"And the next thing you knew, you were... where? Or should I say when?"

"What difference does it make?" Klaus said.

"What difference does it-" Five inhaled, then dropped the matter. "Okay, how long were you gone?"

"Almost a year."

"A year?" Klaus nodded. "Do you know what this means?"

"Yeah, I'm eleven months older now." The man smiled, looking up at his brother.

"No, this isn't any sort of joke, Klaus. Hazel and Cha-Cha will do whatever they can to get the briefcase. Where is it now?"

Five scanned the room, but all he found was random knick-knacks, clothes and stray papers.

"Gone. I destroyed it. Poof!" Klaus raised a hand and mimed an explosion.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Five's tone grew angered.

"What do you care?"

"What do I care? I need it, you moron. So I could get back! So I could keep Vivian safe!" Five realized his mistake, and moved away from the bed, turning his back to his brother.

"Vivian? What...what happened while I was gone, Five?" The boy grimaced, staying silent. Klaus got up and walked to stand in front of him, not a hint of humor in his expression. "Five."

"Can you see her?"

"What? Did she go invisible or something..." He trailed off, Five's words clicking in his brain.

He spun and ran out of his bedroom, sprinting down the hall.

Five jumped through space, stopping him before he could enter her room.

"Klaus, you don't-"

"Let me through!"

The two struggled for a moment before Klaus got past the boy and burst into the bedroom.

"Klaus..."

He didn't hear what came out of Five's mouth next. He didn't hear anything, didn't see anything but his sister.

"No, no no no."

He stumbled over to the girl, and knelt by her bed, taking in the bullet wound and all the cuts across her. He had no tears left to cry as he took his sister's hand in his own and let his head fall to the bed.

"I was supposed to go first," he mumbled into the blanket. "I just left you... God, I just left you to die!"

Klaus dropped her hand and clenched his fists as he rose, grief tearing through him as he walked and fell onto the loveseat, staring at Vivian all the while.

"Why can't I see her? If she's-why can't I see her?"

"No idea. When I was in the future, I found her with no bullet in her chest. It wasn't part of the original timeline for her to die." Klaus barely took any of what was being said in, continuing to look at his sister as Five walked over to stand by him. "I'm going to fix this. I'll go back and make sure this never happens. Just-stay here, stay safe, okay?"

Five put a hand on Klaus's shoulder in comfort, then warped through space, off to who knows where.

"She's not with me." Klaus glanced at the ghost, who was leaned against a wall, his gaze steady on their sister.

"What do you mean?"

"It's not a problem with your powers. Her spirit hasn't left her body yet... guess it takes a while."

Klaus rubbed his eyes with his palms, turning around the idea in his head that soon he would be able to see Vivian.

"You know, you'd think I'd be at least a little happy that we could talk again. But I'd rather she never knew me than have this happen."