Golden Leaves

Circle of Idiots

"Right, I'm just going to get straight to it," Five stuffed his hands in his pockets, "I'd like to say I'm sorry first. I'm the one that brought us back, and I'm the one that screwed it all up and got us stuck. You've all been here for varying lengths of time, not knowing if everyone else was alive or dead, and I'm sorry for that."

I gently grabbed his hand and squeezed, giving him a sort of silent support. He glanced at the floor to give me a soft smile as I let go. As he most often did when he didn't want anyone to see him fidgeting with his fingers, he put his hands in his pockets.

It was a wonderful thing, to be all together again. For the first time in ten months, or longer depending on who you ask, we were all in the same room. Luther, Diego, Alison, Klaus, Five, Vanya, and me all together once again discussing the apocalypse yet again.

"The real kick in the pants is we brought the end of the world back with us," Five sighed, "The world ends in six days and we have to stop it."

Klaus, from his spot in front of the door to the kitchen, whipped around, "Oh my God, again?"

Everyone just kind of looked at him. I glanced at Alison, the only other person I thought had no idea about the apocalypse. She simply nodded along like she had known all this time but didn't see any need in bringing it up.

"All of you knew? Why am I always the last one-" Klaus paused, "Oh my God, my cult. Five! I told them we had until 2019!"

"We have until Monday," Five interrupted.

I stood and moved next to Five, "With all of us working together, you might not have to tell your cult doomsday has been rescheduled."

"Do you have any idea how it happens?" Alison asked.

She and Vanya were the only ones sitting on the couch. They were on polar opposite sides and sitting in polar opposite ways. Alison sat on the arm of the couch, her legs tucked neatly beneath her and her hands folded daintily in her lap. Vanya was spread out on the opposite side, slumped down into the cushions manspreading as far as she could.

Luther sat in one of the armchairs while Diego chose to stand behind the other and lean on the back. He was drumming his fingers on the wood in a beat I knew was something but I couldn't quite place where I had heard it before.

"Is it Vanya?" Klaus interrupted.

Alison flung a pillow at him and shouted, "Klaus!"

"What?! It's usually Vanya."

"We don't know what triggers it, but we know how it happens," I interjected, "Five arrived six days from now, he saw it. It's because of him that we know we have to stop it at all."

"H-How does it happen?" Vanya's voice was small, reminding me too much of how she was long before she ended the world the first time.

"Nuclear war," Five couldn't meet her eyes, "Seven nukes all fall on Dallas, plunging the world into a nuclear holocaust."

Klaus sipped his drink, "That's definitely not Vanya."

"We have one lead," Diego held up a file.

Five took it from Diego and passed it to me. I passed it to Alison who opened it. Vanya scooted over to look over Alison's shoulder while Klaus walked up behind her. Alison gasped, "Holy shit, Dad."

"That's our Dad?" Vanya asked.

"Where did you get this?"

"Hazel," Five responded.

"Hazel?" Klaus glanced up at his brother, "The assassin who tortured me and ran off with the donut lady?"

Five nodded as I smiled, "The very same."