What's one piece advice you want to give/ a mantra to live by?
"Now what?" Luther asked when they knew for sure their chances were gone, taken by explosion.
"Now nothing, Luther, all right? Make your peace with God."
"What? What about Allison and Vanya?" Luther said.
"Screw them both. They should have been here." Five said, pacing.
"What about Diego? He's a responsible young man, no?"
"Something must have held them back. They all would have been here. They know how important this is." Emery reasoned.
Five just cried out in rage and kicked a cardboard box, the material folding in on itself as Five landed the blow.
"Screw Diego, all right? Screw everybody!" Five raged. Emery just sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. When Five got like this it was easier to let him rant and then talk him back to calm after. "I was better off on my own in the apocalypse."
"Five! Come on." Luther said, trying to dispel the situation. "You can't mean that."
"You know what, Luther? It's every sibling for themself now. How 'bout that?" Five said, stomping away and slamming the door shut behind him as he walked into Elliott's.
"Five." Emery sighed. He cast a glance at Klaus and Luther before taking off. "Five, what the hell was that?" He asked, running up the stairs to catch up with the boy. He caught his sleeve and tugged him back before he could move any further.
"That? That was real life, Emery." Five said. His hit was out of place, blown away by the stress and a strand now fell over his eye. "And real life sucks." Five continued on, lips set in a firm glare. "Life as we know it is fucked and no one seems to give a damn. Seriously, how easy is it to just show up by a certain time? They do it all the time, show up. But not to this! Not to the one thing that can guarantee us an out." Five wrestled out of Emery's grip and stomped to the top of the steps, slamming the door shut in Emery's face.
Emery knew the boy was under a lot of pressure but exploding was not the answer. He knew the answer for himself was not to explode either so he took a deep breath to control his composure and opened the door. "Have some respect." He growled out when he saw the boy parading about carelessly. "This is Elliotts home."
"Wrong." Five snapped his fingers. "It was his house. And he's not alive any more because no one can do their job apparently!"
"There was no way we could have stopped it from happening, Five." Emery said, trying not to let Five get to him but was failing miserably. His voice was quivering he was sure.
"Just like there was no way we could have stopped them from murdering Marianna? You said it yourself. It was your fault."
"Take that back."
"I don't think I will."
"Five, this is ridiculous. You just said-"
"I don't care what I just said." Five snapped. "What I said? Meant nothing. I was vulnerable and you took advantage of that."
"I did not take advantage of you." Emery said, incredulous to accept that Five was even bringing this up. "You're under a lot of pressure and I was trying to help you!"
"You did not help me! We should have been out trying to find a way to stop this but what were we doing? Cuddling in your bed!" He tore his outer jacket off and collapsed onto the couch, head in his hands. "I let myself become distracted. I let myself become too soft and that's dangerous." Five said, voice lowering from his previous shout.
"Dangerous how."
"Dangerous as I'm thinking more about- you know what, it doesn't matter. What matters is we're fucked unless I figure something else out. Can I get five minutes?"
Emery just shook his head, ignoring the boy and running the tap for cold water. He splashed his face with it and tried to drown out Fives lingering jabs. About Elliott, about Marianna, about himself.
Luther came in a moment later, panting as he pushed through the door and into the main room. "Hey! Five, doomsday is still coming. We gotta think of a new plan."
Five just groaned and let his head fall onto the back of the couch.
"Don't you get it, Luther? It's over, all right? We're already dead." He said, anger gone and lacking as it had all been used up on Emery.
"Then what are you doing?" Luther pressed. Five was up now, stepping out into the hallway and entering a different door, locking it behind him.
"I'm going to do the unthinkable." The boys voice sounded from the other side.
"Five? What the hell are you planning." Emery said, pressing up against it and trying the handle though he knew it was locked.
"I was really hoping it wouldn't come to this." Five said.
"Five, I'm coming in." Luther warned.
"Don't you dare!" The boy shouted. "I need time to think just- go away."
Luther glanced at Emery's tired face and shrugged, heading back to the main room and sitting on the couch.
"What are you doing?" Emery asked when the man started making himself comfortable, folding a blanket over himself and fluffing a pillow.
"Five needs time to be alone. He's gonna take a while. Sit down, trust me, it'll be worth it."
Emery didn't have it in him to fight the man. He was tired and his body sagged as he sunk into the chair. He should go back home, figure out what to do with Marianna's body but something in him knew he would never be able to find it within himself to do anything but stare in rageful regret.
"What was she like?" Luther said suddenly. Emery's chest tightened impossibly more. The lack of present tense terms used to refer to his one friend made in this godforsaken place was still fresh.
"She would have thrown me under the nearest bus to get what she wanted." He said simply.
"Oh." Luther said, sounding incredibly confused and unsure as he tried to put the pieces between Emery'a somber voice and the lack of sombreness in his sentence declaring the girl would have murderer him if given the opportunity. "But she was determined in a way that could be compared to no one else. The first time those bastards tried killing me- us, she used an red hot straightening iron to burn the man's cheek nearly clean off. When I found her, she-" his voice broke. "she was more calm than me. Even in death. She was level headed and rational. Always a realist but it just hurts more knowing she knew I could do nothing to help her."
There was a heavy pause in which Luther digested his words.
"But there's nothing I can do now. It's in the past and we have bigger things to worry about." Emery added though it pained him to say his mind was more level headed than his throbbing heart.
"You have every right to mourn her. Look, Emery, I'm sorry I brushed you off before. I'm sorry I've been so harsh to you in general. It's taken me a while to come to terms with the world ending not once but twice and add in a strange kid who somehow won over my stubborn brothers fondness, it was just too much and I grew to resent you because against all odds, you're what this family needs. You're rational and know when to take our side against Five and when to shut us all up. I'm sorry you lost Marianna and I'm sorry you've had to go through everything alone."
Emery blinked slowly, at a loss for words. "It's all right." Luther said. "You don't have to respond. Just when you're ready." He said before shifting and getting comfortable, closing his eyes and suggesting Emery did the same.
Easier said than done. And soon enough, Emery came to quick terms that he would not be held in the embrace of merciful sleep but of unrestful consciousness.
He had thought he had made progress with Five. He could successfully stand in the mans presence for longer without thinking of twenty alternatives to arson and mass murder but that was all down the drain now. Five had exploded and Emery had caught the bait, rising up to meet it and pulling it from the hook before Five could pull the rod up. The realization hung heavy in his chest but he forced it away, standing to move and push away his restless thoughts. He paced the living room twice before moving to the door Five had disappeared behind several long minutes before.
When that yielded no change, Emery took to treading down the steps, hand hovering over the doorknob to grant him access to the outside when he paused.
"God, Emery. How much is it to ask for a simple-"
"Shut up and listen to me. I don't care if you turn me into a cockroach or some shit." Emery interrupted when Five whirled around to find Emery barging through the door without going anywhere near the doorknob. "You said Reignald was the only person who might now enough about this to help us. But what about you?"
"What about me?"
"You. You're past- future you. The older-younger version, the version here in the 60s."
"What-" Fives brows furrowed as he looked at Emery. Suddenly his eyes flew open wide and his snapped his fingers. "Finally someone competent!" He cheered, pushing past Emery and blinking away into Elliott's, rushing into the kitchen and tugging open the fridge. Emery followed behind him, opening the doors this time and stepping through safely.
"Five?" Luther said scrambling out from beneath the blankets in pursuit of Five storming by, Emery at his heels. "Five what- are you okay?" He asked upon seeing the man chugging water.
"I'm gonna need to be hydrated." Five said aloud.
"Hydrated?" Luther echoed, watching incredulously as Five moved next to the counter and picked up a baby powder container, sprinkling it beneath his arms and shirt. "What's with the baby power?"
"It'll help with the itching." Five said, adding more.
"What itching? There's itching? What the hell is going on here?"
Emery just looked at Luther. "What else would he be using baby powder for?" He deadpanned.
Luther blanched, eyes going wide and hope flooding back into his cheeks and eyes. "You do have a plan."
"Well, it's a desperation move, but... since our brain-dead siblings are incapable of meeting a simple deadline. I got no choice." Five said, grabbing his overcoat and moving to the main room.
"No choice about what?" Luther said, walking after the boy.
"I have to find myself." Five said, checking his watch.
"Look, I'm glad but I thought Emery was helping with that... with finding yourself." Luther said, confused.
Five paused, face contorting in time with Emery's. "No." He deadpanned. "Not that 'finding myself'." He said. "I'm taking about finding myself. I just arrived in Dallas 15 minutes ago."
Luther paused. "Should I be worried about you?"
"Luther, if you recall, I was sent to 1963 on a job by the commission to make sure the president was assassinated." Five began, stretching and warming himself up.
"Oh, so wait. You're old self is out there." Luther caught on.
"Precisely." Five said, rolling his neck and shoulders.
"What, just walking around Dallas?"
"Walking around Dallas with a briefcase that can get us home."
"Oh, my God. Five, you're a genius." Luther said, clasping his hands together.
"Thanks." Five said, glancing at Emery who had remained quiet through the whole ordeal. "But it was technically Emery who came up with the idea."
A small smile of grace fell over Emery's lips.
"However." Five began, eager to wipe the smile off in a heartbeat. "There are two significant problems with this plan. Problem number one: I am a trained assassin, arguably the most dangerous assassin in the space-time continuum. If I know me, I'm not going to react kindly to bumping into myself. Problem number two, and this is the result fly in the ointment here: you're not supposed to be this close in proximity to yourself in the same timeline. The side effects can be disastrous. "
"Side effects? What sort of side effects?" Luther asked.
"Are we sending you on a suicide mission?" Emery asked, frowning at the idea.
"Not exactly, no." Five said. "But according to the Commission Handbook chapter 27, subsection 3b, the seven stages in paradox psychosis are... stage one: denial. Two: itching. Three: extreme thirst and urination. Four: excessive gas. Five: acute paranoia. Six: uncontrolled perspiration. And seven: homicidal rage."
"Homicidal rage?"
"Yeah."
"Oh goody." Emery said sarcastically. "If you follow through with this, you are no longer permitted in my home let alone five feet of me." He said.
"I wouldn't dream of if." Five smiled that wide faux smile donned only to piss someone off in the most extreme way possible.
"Jeez, I don't know. This maybe isn't such a good idea." Luther said.
"It's a Hail Mary." Five said, raising his arms as he walked away. "But what choice do we got, Luther?" He let them drop.
"I don't know. You already seem a bit squirrelly if I'm being honest."
"Look, Luther, I'm gonna need you to help me get through this one- I'm gonna need you both to help me through all right? I... I need a spotter."
"A spotter?"
"Yeah."
"What is that? Like, a wingman?"
"In case the paradox psychosis gets too severe, I'm gonna need both of you to help me stay on task, all right? So, whatever happens, whatever I say, we need to get that briefcase. Okay?" He asked Luther.
"Okay."
"Okay. Okay Emery?"
"Okay." Emery responded, heading to the car before Five could call him along like some kind of loyal pet. And the worst part way, Emery wasn't too far from it.