"I can't believe that idiot!" snapped Five, as he paced in the den of Elliot's loft. "I specifically asked him if he knew where the others were, and he blatantly lied to me!" vented the boy as Elliot watched on from his couch. "Especially about her!" he hissed.
Elliot sipped on his mug of coffee quietly, he has been watching Five since he suddenly jumped back into his place. Apparently his visit with arrival number five didn't go well and he has been ranting ever since. The man watched as the boy paced back and forth and was beginning to get dizzy.
"Ten days is all I have, and he decides to withhold information! Now I have nothing until I get his dumbass out of the nuthouse." exclaimed Five as he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.
"I take it that this girl is vital," finally spoke Elliot, gaining Five's gaze. "To saving the world, I mean." it was the only logical reason Elliot came up with as to why the strange boy would be so upset over the girl's whereabouts.
Five hesitated. "Well, yes. All of them are."
Elliot noticed and quirked a brow to the boy. Or maybe it was just personal. "So... she's just vital to you, then?" an understanding smirk playing on his lips.
Five narrowed his eyes at the man. "Don't make me hurt you."
The man put his hands up defensively. "I'm sorry, I'll stay quiet," quickly apologized the man as he averted his eyes, but paused when he remembered something concerning the girl in question. "Hold on," Elliot furrowed his brow as he quickly stood up and spun around, looking around the room.
"What is it?" asked a curious Five as he watched Elliot scramble behind the board that contained the pictures of his siblings.
"Man, I'm such a scatterbrain!" murmured Elliot as he moved around papers in search of something. "The girl, last time she was in the alley, she--she dropped something as she left," explained Elliot as Five slowly approached behind him. "I went down and got it. At first I didn't think twice about it, but maybe... Aha!" exclaimed the man, making Five jump slightly as Elliot held up a folded piece of red paper. "But maybe it may mean something to you." he said, handing over the paper to the boy.
Five quickly unfolded it as his eyes skimmed over its contents. "It's a menu," said Five in a questioning tone. "The Bird's Nest." he read out loud.
"Turns out is a well-known bar in Little Mexico, not too far from here. I haven't been there, but supposedly the food and drinks are good," shrugged Elliot. "It slipped from her book, I think."
Five mulled over the paper and its connection to Elaina. "She must've been there before. If anything, it's a lead." he rationalized before looking back at an apprehensive Elliot. "You've been quite useful. Keep up the good work." nodded Five in approval to the man before turning away in a flash of blue.
Elliot let out a sigh of relief, feeling very proud of himself. "That's two-for-two, baby!" he cheered, pumping his fist in the air before looking around awkwardly, making sure he was truly alone.
~.~
♪ Take me on a date
I deserve a break
And don't forget the flowers every anniversary
'Cause if you'll treat me right
I'll be the perfect wife
Buying groceries
Buy-buying what you need ♪
Elaina stood on stage, now changed into a flowy green dress with sheer sleeves, her hair still tied up in the half-up do as she rocked her hips slightly to beat the men behind her provided with their instruments. The bar was in full swing as patrons laughed at their private conversations with their companions in surrounding tables, others snapped their fingers, rocking along with the music that filled the air.
♪ You gotta know how to treat me like a lady
Even when I'm acting crazy
Tell me everything's alright ♪
Elaina spun around, her dress flowing as she turned to smile at the band as they returned it back as they swayed with her. Mr. Rudy was an older black man, sporting dark shades. He stood beside her and played the saxophone as she danced.
♪ Dear future husband
Here's a few things you'll need to know if you wanna be
My one and only all my life
Dear future husband
If you wanna get that special lovin'
Tell me I'm beautiful each and every night ♪
Tony stood behind the bar absent mindlessly wiping down a glass, a soft smile crossed his face as he watched the girl in her element. She always seemed so lively once she got on stage and her presence brought more life into the bar. And her smile... he loved it when she smiled. She looked so radiant tonight. So happy. It made his own smile grow slightly to see her without a care in the world, even if it was for a few minutes while she sang.
"Doesn't she look beautiful?" came a voice from beside him as his mother walked up to him, a knowing smile on her face. "I knew that dress was the right choice."
Tony cleared his throat and turned away, placing the glass on the shelf behind him. "She looks nice, I guess."
Birdie lifted her brow, a smile still on her face as she shrugged. "Everyone else thinks so. I love it when everyone is in high spirits."
"Yeah, she certainly knows how to work a crowd." he observed as there were a few customers that danced along to the beat.
"It's a gift," smiled Birdie brightly.
"Paloma! Mija, how you've been?" called over a woman in a red dress, surrounded by men and beer bottles at a nearby table.
"Magdalene!" greeted Birdie cheerfully as she saw her old friend. "How are the kids?" asked the woman as she walked over to the table.
♪ Future husband, better love me right ♪ Elaina finished off with a twirl.
The crowd clapped and cheered as she did a small curtsy, looking back to the band, holding out her arms for their acknowledgement as well.
Mr. Rudy patted her shoulder as he went up to the mic. "Now, y'all, we'll be taking a small break before debuting an original, courtesy of our little songbird here, little Ms. Elaina and myself. Until then, boys," he looked back to the three men behind them as they held their instruments. "Let's give them a jig they can sway too." he said smoothly, earning another round of cheers from the patrons.
Elaina smiled up to the man before jumping off stage, blinking her eyes a few times. It wasn't a large stage, but the lights above certainly were bright, obscuring her vision of the audiences past the first row of tables. It helped sometimes because she could just imagine it was just her singing by herself in her room. Once she stopped seeing little flickers of stars in her vision, she ran up to the bar counter and spun around on the stool once before looking up to Tony.
"One scotch on the rocks, please, bartender," she said as she dinged the bell in front of her for emphasis.
Tony crossed his arms as he leaned against the counter to her. "You know better than to ask for that."
Elaina rolled her eyes. "Come on, we both know I can hold my drink, Tony. I need some go-go juice before this next song. I'm feeling a little anxious about it." she admitted.
He twisted his lip and hummed at her.
"Pretty please? You know you're my favorite guy in all of Little Mexico." she batted her lashes at him until he sighed in defeat.
"Fine," he said, taking out a glass. "But you better chug it before my mom sees it." he poured a shot of her favorite bottle of scotch and slid it to her.
Without a second of hesitation, she threw it back and slammed the empty cup down. "What drink?" she smiled slyly at him.
"You know, sometimes I worry about where you came from if you can drink brown like it's nothing." eyed Tony, amusement dancing in his eyes.
Elaina shrugged. "Daddy issues are one hell of a thing, mi amigo. I'll tell you the story one day. So," she spun in the stool once again. "How do I look? Your mom insisted I wore this." she asked with her arms outstretched and a playful smile on her face.
Tony looked at her for a moment, taking in the sight of her, before he leaned into her, pushing back a strand of hair behind her ear. "Como una princesa." he said softly, his eyes landing on hers with a yearning expression.
Elaina's eyes widened slightly as she leaned back, sensing the emotion in the tone of his voice. "Tony..." she sighed. "I've told you..." she started off gently, her hand subconsciously touching her bracelet.
Tony leaned back and shook his head, a sheepish smile breaking out on his face. "What? Thought I was serious?" he gave a chuckle.
Elaina looked at him with pinched brows, an unconvinced look reflected her face. "Um, no. Of course not." she played along, not wanting to make him feel embarrassed or uncomfortable.
"Ms. Elaina!" called out Mr. Rudy from the stage. "It's time!"
Elaina nodded over to the man. "I'm coming!" she looked over to Tony and gave him a small smile. "See you in a bit, Ton." she said as she hopped off the stool and walked over to the stage.
Tony's sheepish smile dropped as she walked away, he turned his head to the side and cursed at himself. "Pendejo!" he sighed, shaking his head, feeling like a fool for letting himself slip up like this.
~.~
Five landed in front of the bar as he looked up at the sign.
"This is the place," he said as he brought his gaze down at the red paper in his hand before folding it and putting it in his blazer's pocket before walking in.
The place was a buzz, people sat in groups of 3 and 4 as they talked loudly over each other, laughter rang throughout the establishment. The smell of menudos and tacos floated in the air as Five's eyes scanned the bar, yellow flyers with red sombreros scattered the walls, the more he looked the more he noticed the looks of bewilderment he got from the customers around him. It seemed like he might be the lightest person in the bar, making him stand out like a sore thumb.
"Who's the little güero?" asked Magdalene as her slightly intoxicated eyes landed on the uniformed boy that entered the bar, earning Birdie's attention.
She narrowed her eyes curiously. "Hmm. I'm not sure, I'm going to check on him." her motherly instincts kicked in at seeing the young boy by himself inside her bar. Birdie excused herself as she got up from the table and walked over to the boy.
"Can I help you, chiquito? Are you lost?" she asked with a concerned expression as he continued looking around before his eyes landed on her.
"No. Actually, I'm looking for someone and I'm hoping that maybe you could help me." he said seriously, his hands in his pocket.
Birdie raised a brow at him. She's never seen such a stern expression on a child before.
"Sure, who are you looking for? Your parents?"
Five's jaw jumped at the question as he forced a smile to keep himself from snapping. "No, not my parents. A girl. She's about this tall," he motioned his flat hand under his chin. "Brown hair, brown eyes, about 16 years old?"
Birdie's eyes widened slightly as she looked at the boy, instantly recognizing the description. "Would her name happen to be... Elaina?" she asked softly.
The stern expression on Five's face broke as his eyes automatically lit up with hope. "You know her." he stated with relief.
"You're part of her family, aren't you?" she asked, knowing the answer as her eyes watered. Five barely let his head nod once before she grabbed his face and looked at him, pure happiness radiating from her watery eyes. "Dios mio, she's going to be so thrilled! She's been searching so hard." her voice cracked as she kissed him on the cheek, getting a stunned look from the boy.
Five was caught off guard from the sudden affection and touchinness from the woman. It was completely unanticipated and made him squirm as she let go and turned her head towards the left side of them. Birdie smiled in that direction before looking back at him, nudging her head for him to look.
Five gave her a warily look before he turned his head to see a modest stage with a group of men with a variety of instruments talking to a girl with long hair in a green dress. As soon as she turned her face, Five felt that time had slowed down around him at the sight of her.
He finally found her.
He stared as Elaina talked to an older black man, her eyes narrowed as she concentrated on what he was saying to her before nodding and giving him a breathtaking smile. Her hair was no longer at her chin and now flowed down her mid-back, reminding him of how it was when they were children, especially with the hairstyle it was in. She wore a green dress that complimented her complexion, making her sun-kissed skin glow. God, she was so beautiful, and thankfully, she looked like she was doing okay.
"Elaina..." he breathed out as he tried to take a step towards her before Birdie held out her arm and stopped him, making his head snap to her.
Birdie gave the boy an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, it's just, she's worked really hard on this. If you don't mind waiting until she finishes?" asked the woman gently.
"Finishes what?" he asked.
"Her and Mr. Rudy wrote a song together. They're about to perform it." she explained.
Five looked back to Elaina, she smiled while looking down at a piece of paper and pointing to a spot before showing the older man, the boy sighed. "Yeah, it's fine." he nodded, earning a warm smile from the woman.
"Thank you, chiquito." she cupped his cheek briefly, before letting go and motioning her hand around her. "Take a seat anywhere, she should be starting soon. Hope you enjoy it." she winked as she walked away from him to talk to someone at a table behind him.
"Strange woman," he murmured as he adjusted his tie, taking her word and walking over to the bar counter to sit at one of the stools. Five looked and saw that the bartender was missing. "So much for a drink." he muttered under his breath just as the lights dimmed slightly.
He turned around in the stool to see Elaina adjusting the mic, Five felt the corners of his lip turn upward as he looked at her before it dropped slightly at the sight of a teenager creeping up behind her. He slowly walked behind her before quickly covering her eyes with his hands, a smirk on his face as he said something to her. She shook her head with a small smile, taking his hands off her eyes and facing him. The teenage boy spoke back to her, that smirk still on his face as he brought a hand up and touched her cheek. Five's eyes narrowed dangerously at the action.
Who. The hell. Was. That.
Elaina shoved him playfully before motioning him to leave, turning her attention back to the mic. Five focused intently on the male, seeing that the guy's eyes lingered on Elaina's back, his smirk turning to a soft smile, before getting off the stage. He walked off to the right to the nearby wall, taking his place beside the strange woman that Five met just a moment earlier. He could see the woman touch the teen's arm as she beamed something eagerly at him, his smile fading as the woman poked her head up in search of something before her eyes landed on Five. She grinned as she waved to the boy while the teenager only watched with an unreadable expression.
The sound of microphone feedback was heard, drawing all three of their attention to the girl on stage.
"Hello inhabitants of The Bird's Nest y bienvenidos," she greeted as a man from the band placed a stool behind her. "Mr. Rudy and I have been working on this for a little while, so we're going to slow it down a bit for this one. Enjoy." and with that being said, the music started as she took her seat on the stool and closed her eyes.
♪ I found myself dreaming
In silver and gold
Like a scene from a movie
That every broken heart knows
We were walking on moonlight
And you pulled me close
Split second and you disappeared
And then I was all alone ♪
Elaina's eyes remained closed as she poured her emotions into the words that flowed out of her mouth. She held the mic like a lifeline as the song continued. The last time he heard her sing was 42 years ago in their music studies, her voice was always nice but he could hear the maturity and ease in her tone that the years must've molded. She sounded lovely. Five could feel her sorrow with each word and felt his heartache as he listened on.
♪ So I'm gonna love you like I'm gonna lose you
And I'm gonna hold you like I'm saying goodbye
Wherever we're standing
I won't take you for granted
'Cause we'll never know when, when we'll run out of time ♪
Five stayed mesmerized, his eyes stuck on the vision in front of him. His eyes softened as he saw her hand reach for the star bracelet he gave her before 2019 ended. It still adorned her wrist, after God knows how long she's been stuck in the '60s. Her eyes opened as she slowly got off the stool with a sad smile on her face as she swayed softly to the music.
♪ So I'm gonna love you like I'm gonna lose you
I'm gonna love you like I'm gonna lose you ♪
Mr. Rudy took over and started to sing his part, but words didn't register to Five at all as all he could do was look at Elaina. She smiled up to her older singing partner and spun around as he held her hand, causing her to giggle while the song continued. Before Five knew it, it was over. The bar was roaring with applause and cheers as Elaina bowed her head and mouthed a 'thank you'. The room's lights started to brighten as she looked over to the wall where Birdie and Tony stood before flashing them a grin. Birdie blew her a kiss as Tony just smiled at her softly, putting two thumbs up.
Elaina's eyes started to scan the room as the lights above her faded, nodding to the patrons before her as her eyes made their way to the bar, where they froze and started to widen slightly. She blinked a few times to make sure that after singing a song she wrote with him in mind, that her brain wasn't playing tricks on her. She could feel her breath catch in her throat as the boy in sight smiled back at her, standing slowly as he clapped, a soft smile grazed his face. The microphone in her hand started to slip as she continued to stare like a deer in the headlights, realizing that he wasn't disappearing. He was here. Five was actually here.
A sob escaped her mouth as she threw her free hand over her mouth to contain it, her eyes watering instantly. "Five..." her voice cracked over the mic as she hastingly attached the microphone to its stand and jumped off the stage, her eyes fixed on the boy she's missed everyday for nearly a year. All 326 of them.
Birdie and Tony watched from the sidelines as Elaina practically ran to Five. Birdie sighed with happiness, knowing that the girl in her care had finally found what she was searching for, while her son beside her felt a gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach as he watched on.
Elaina couldn't get to Five fast enough before practically jumping him, her arms wrapping around his neck almost desperately. Five grabbed her and lifted her up, a content sigh escaping his lips.
"Please tell me I'm not dreaming and you're really here." he could hear her muffled voice in the crook of his neck. "Please." she begged him for reassurance. There were so many nights that she would dream of his arrival, moments just like this, and she was terrified that this was just another dream.
"I'm here, hon, I'm here." Five assured her as he caressed her hair, earning a joyful sob from her as she held him closer. "If I would've known I would've brought flowers," this earned a tearful chuckle from the girl. "I'm so sorry I took so long." he apologized softly.
She shook her head feverishly. "It's okay. You're here now."
Elaina pulled away slightly as Five gently brought her down so her feet touched the floor. Her eyes frantically looked over his face as she cupped his cheek, feeling herself leaning into him before stopping suddenly, looking around to notice all the eyes on them. She didn't realize they'd gained the attention of the bar.
Elaina unhooked her arms as she grabbed his hand. "Follow me," she said as she quickly tugged him along.
Tony looked at the pair from the wall and frowned. "I guess that's starboy, huh?" he murmured to himself.
Elaina pulled Five through the swinging doors, passed the kitchen, as they climbed up the stairs that led to her room. Once they were in, she let go of his hand and closed the door behind them.
"Elaina I--"
Five couldn't finish his sentence as the girl spun around and automatically pressed her lips to his, savoring the taste of coffee that always seemed to linger. She poured all her emotions into that one kiss; the longing, the pain, the love-- she wanted him to feel it all as she desperately worked her lips against his, her fingers lost in his hair as the tears kept flowing down her cheeks.
"You have no idea how much I've missed you." she said in between kisses, feeling his hands trail from her lower back to the back of her neck.
The kiss was wet and messier than all their previous ones, but Five didn't care as he returned her sentiments, wanting her to feel his guilt, his apology and his love as well. All his training and all his years as an assassin, learning how to remain composed were out the window when he was with her. Elaina took a couple of steps forward, making him back up as he could feel the mattress hit the back of his knees, forcing him to sit down on the girl's bed. Elaina towered him as she stood before him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She got on top of him, straddling him, not once separating their lips.
Air was becoming high in demand as they slowly pulled away, their chests heaving up and down as they leaned their foreheads against each other, staring into one another's eyes. Elaina's tear filled eyes settled on his and Five felt something primal in him threaten to break out. So much sorrow, so much longing. He never wanted her to look at him like that again.
He kept one hand on her hip while he brought the other up, wiping the tears off her cheek. "I've missed you too, my love." he whispered to her, making her shiver at the words 'my love'. "Please don't cry anymore."
Elaina hummed as she leaned her cheek against his hand and looked at him lovingly. "I can't promise that."
They finally found each other, together at last.
~.~
*squeals* Reunited at last! Plus we got a little bit of a jealous Five and Tony. Future rivalry, maybe? We'll see.
Yes, I know, I used Megan Trainor songs for this chapter, but I felt like these two specific songs kinda fit with the time period. By the way, the songs were Dear Future Husband and Like I'm gonna loose you.
I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and we can finally continue with the story line of the show. Boy, do I have some ideas in store for this story.
I've listed below the spanish words used in this chapter.
Mija: Dear/Girl (widely used as a familiar form of direct address)
Mi amigo: My friend
Como una princesa: Like a princess
Pendejo: Stupid
Güero: informal way of saying "whitey" / refers to a lighter-skinned person
Chiquito: Little boy
Dios Mio: My God
Y Bienvenidos: And welcome
Here's a reference to the dress and how Elaina looks with her long hair.