(chapter thirty-three.) poet's death
❝ I ALMOST LOST YOU, SWEETS.
I'M NOT LOSING YOU AGAIN. ❞

☂

"HOLD THE PHONE. WE ALL DIED FIGHTING THIS THING THE FIRST TIME around. Remember?"

"Klaus, shockingly, has a point," Diego agreed. "What gives us a win this time?"

There was a sort of light flickering above them all, and while playing with his knife, Diego turned around and wrapped his arms around the Capulets, feeling Poet sticking out her hands and protecting Diego, too. They all jumped when a loud thump was heard and a figure appeared, a young boy as a matter of fact.

"Je...Jesus!"

"You guys," Klaus started, "am I still high, or do you see him, too?"

"Five where have you been?" Luther asked. Poet rolled her eyes before she felt a gush of wind and saw Paris help up Five, who managed to fall off the counter. Poet looked at Five and saw a huge amount of memories in her own head just by looking intensely at him and grabbed the counter in front of her and steadied her swaying body.

"Are you alright?" Allison asked Five.

"Who did this?"

"Irrelevant."

Five grabbed Allison's coffee as he stood up, downing a large amount of coffee. All of the siblings stared at him with shock, each eager to know what happened to him. Panting, due to how fast he drank the coffee in a matter of seconds, he turned to look at his siblings and the Capulets. "So, the apocalypse is in three days. The only chance to save our world is, well, us. Mostly Poet because of her immense powers, too."

"The Umbrella Academy."

"Yeah, but with me, obviously," Five said before sticking his hand out and motioned the two Capulets standing next to Diego awkwardly. "So if y'all don't get your sideshow acts together and get over yourselves, we're screwed. Who cares if Dad messed us up? Are we gonna let that define us? No. And to give us a fighting chance to see next week, I've come back with a lead." He took out a piece of paper. "I know who's responsible for the apocalypse."

Allison stepped in and took the paper, unfolding as everyone huddled up to get a better look on who's responsible for the apocalypse.

"This is who we need to stop."

Opening the paper better, Paris was the first one to break the tense silence. "What kind of name is Harold Jenkins?"

"Who the hell is Harold Jenkins?"

They all looked at Five, waiting for him to finish sipping the coffee.

"I don't know... yet," Five said. "But I know he's responsible for the apocalypse. And..." He looked at Poet, watching her with a worried look, "he's responsible for Poet's death."

Everybody turned to look at Poet worriedly, well except Luther.

Diego shook his head. "No. Mmm. Nope. Not happening. I almost lost you, sweets, I'm not losing you again."

Poet gulped and turned to look at Allison and looked to her left at Paris, who sighed and grabbed her hand tightly. Allison grabbed her hand as well, worried as heck about what's gonna happen to the friend that she trusted the most.

"So we have to find him. And we have to do it now."

"How is he connected to what's gonna happen?"

"I don't know," Five replied.

"So you just know his name?" Poet asked, feeling Diego get closer to her. She was hearing his panicked thoughts and they were loud. Really loud. She turned to look at him over her shoulder, tapping her index finger on her temple and he took the hint. "That's it?"

"That's enough."

"There's probably dozens of Harold Jenkinses in the city," Diego stepped in, standing in front of the Capulets and Poet rubbed her forehead, hearing the thoughts from Allison, Paris, Klaus, and Five. They were all about her, asking worried questions about her death.

"Well, we just better start looking, then."

There was silence again and Poet rubbed her temples, groaning quietly at the immense rushed thoughts coming from the Hargreeves and the Capulet.

"I'm sorry," Allison spoke. "Am I the only one that's skeptical here? I mean, how exactly do you know all of this about what's his name?

"Harold Jenkins. You know those lunatics in masks who attacked the house?"

Klaus and Poet stared at each other. "Oh, yeah. I think we remember those guys. The ones that almost killed Poet, right?"

"Yeah, the ones that attacked us while you were getting drunk," Diego retorted, staring at the girl that he was finding so beautiful each day. So sarcastic each hour. So perfect each minute. And so irresistible each second. And damn was he falling hard. But he perfectly hid all those feelings because he was an expert at hiding feelings. But he wasn't an expert at hiding his angry feelings headed towards the two people that almost killed her.

"Yeah. Them. They were sent by the Temps Commission to stop me from coming back and preventing the end of life on Earth."

"The Temps what?"

"My former employer," Five continued. "They monitor all of time and space to make sure that whatever is supposed to happen... happens. They believe the apocalypse is coming in three days. So I went to Commission headquarters and intercepted a message that was meant for said lunatics. "Protect Harold Jenkins." So he must be responsible for the apocalypse and, yet again, Poet's death.

"What do you mean, protect time and space?"

"Where is this Hazel, Five?"

"My skin is on fire."

"Do you have any idea how insane this sounds?"

"I think we should all stop bombarding him with questions and let him tell us in his own time when he's less, I don't know, annoyed and tired," Poet said, getting annoyed herself at the number of questions.

"You're not even part of this family what are you doing here? Mind your own business and go home," Luther snapped, walking closer to Poet. Paris sped in front of his aunt at the same time Diego did and as much as Poet tried to push them away, they stayed in their place.

"You don't talk to her like that, okay?"

"You know what else is insane?" Five asked in a snappy tone. "I look like a 13-year-old boy. Klaus talks to the dead, and Luther thinks he's fooling everybody with that overcoat. Everything about us is insane. It always has been."

"He has a point there."

"We didn't choose this life, we're just living it. For the next three days, anyway."

"But the last time we tried to stop it, we all died," Allison said. "And now I found out that my friend got killed by this person. Why is this time any different? Why shouldn't I go home to my daughter?"

"Because this time, I'm here," Five answered. "And now Poet knows her faith and will use her powers even more to kill her killer. We have the name of the man responsible. Guys, we actually have the chance of saving the lives of billions of people. Including Claire."

Each sibling and each Capulet stared at the ground.

"You know her name?"

"I do, and I'd like to live long enough to meet her."

That seemed to get to Allison. "All right. Let's get this bastard."

"You had me at Gerald Jenkins."

"Harold Jenkins."

"Whatever. I already lost a person and I almost lost another one this week. I'm not losing anyone else. I'm not losing the same person again, either."

Allison held out her hand for Poet to grab and both Capulets headed towards her. Poet grabbed her hand and she smiled at Five. Five smiled back in a shy matter, nodding curtly at the girl and doing the same to Paris, who did the same.

"And Luther?"

"Yeah, you go. I'm gonna stay and go through Dad's files. I think this has something to do with why he sent me to the moon," Luther said.

"Seriously?" Diego said. "Now you wanna make the end of the world about you and Dad?"

"No," Luther glared, ""Watch for threats." That's what he told me. You think that's a coincidence? This all has to be connected somehow."

"No, we should all stick together," Allison said, staring up at Luther.

"We don't have time for this," Five snapped.

"Let's roll," Klaus said, looking at the two Capulets who were with crossed arms and Five. "I know where we can find this asshole. Klaus, you're with me."

Klaus, from his place on the couch, perked up at the sound of his name. "Yeah. I... I'm good. I think I'll, uh..." He stood up. "I think I'll pass, I'm...  feeling under the weather, so, uh..."

Paris stopped Klaus and placed his hand on his arm, feeling nauseous and such sadness. The 14-year-old boy focused on Klaus' arm and Klaus felt himself feel a little better and not so sad and sick. Poet then came up and placed her hand on the man's head, a number of happy memories of him and Dave popping in his mind instead of the sad ones.

Klaus smiled gratefully at the two and walked away, causing them and the two brothers to follow after him.

Diego grabbed Poet's arm and held her back as the others walked in front of them.  But they turned around when they noticed the two not following after them. But what surprised them the most was when Diego's lips placed themselves on Poet's, kissing her. Kissing her passionately that caused her stomach to burn from happiness and her heart to speed up. Wow... A 30-year-old's first kiss. How funny it was. Paris smirked and so did Five, clearly waiting for this moment to happen. Klaus was silently cheering, smiling widely at the two as they parted, panting heavily with Diego's hand on her cheek, arm wrapped around her waist as he brought her closer to him.

"I'll do anything to protect you."

☂

AUTHOR'S NOTE!

fucking finally.