TOUCH | F. Hargreeves

19

Emptiness was seemingly a common thing for Beau to feel and endure. Other's emotions often filled that hole inside of him, the one reserved for his own inner turmoils and feelings so of course, it wasn't very difficult to endure the leaving of Five Hargreeves once again, even if his heart did clench painfully. Rosie could see it in his eyes when everything returned, when those bullets didn't hit her and when Five had mysteriously disappeared in the span of half a second. Beau was unsure how to process.

The others had obviously questioned him about their brother's whereabouts, two of them unsurprisingly accusatory towards him. But Beau could only sit in silence as they drove back to the Hargreeves home in tense silence. Klaus wouldn't stop talking after a while, however, and they only tried zoning him out the best they could.

Beau had told his wife everything.

'I told him not to come back if he went missing for another seventeen years. I told him not to find me.'

Rosie squeezed his hand comfortingly, 'I'm sure he understands, honey, but I don't think he'll be gone for that long again.'

'Why?'

'Because things are different and you two are closer. If he wanted to come back to you before, even after what happened, he will definitely do everything in his power to come back now.'

Beau sighed and stared beyond the window and at the blurry surroundings, 'Maybe.'

It wasn't known for sure, it wasn't concrete and it sure as hell didn't feel like a possibility in Beau's eyes so he tried not to act like Five would show up at any moment, that wasn't what he wanted. He didn't want to wait for the boy and even if it had only been an hour since he left, it felt a lot longer than that.

Maybe he was being too dramatic about the whole situation but the first time he waited for someone to return, he was eight and spent hours curled up in his mother's bed waiting for her to return so she could cry and rant to him about all of her worries and fears. She left him and she never came back. Beau was the one to find her and he was the one blamed for her death when, in fact, it never was. He still carries that guilt with him wherever he goes and having a similar possibility with Five? He wouldn't be able to live with himself.

Beau was frightened of the thought.

But, who knows? Maybe Five would return fine and just in time to complete his mission. Maybe he would finally tell him all that he wanted to say without feeling like he couldn't or that it wasn't the right time. Maybe they could talk about the kiss they shared. But, of course, Beau was never an optimist.

They arrived back at the Hargreeves home completely silent, not willing to speak and Klaus even shuffled up to his room and slammed the door behind him. Beau and Rosie looked to one another with concern for the man but decided to leave him be for the moment.

"He's sober or at least trying to be, I can see his hands shaking and his body sweating excessively," Beau muttered to his wife who nodded in understanding and the two left it at that. Something had obviously impacted Klaus' decision to change himself, to not poison his body with drugs and possibly alcohol. Maybe he wanted to see someone, someone gone, or maybe he had tasted death for himself one too many times and didn't like what he saw. It was only speculation before Klaus was willing to tell them what had happened.

There was a knock at their closed-door, one that was loud and sudden, almost as if the person on the other wanted to frighten them or that they didn't want to get them in the first place. Rosie stood and opened the door to find Luther towering over her, that frown taking over his features as it usually did when faced with the couple.