𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 - 𝑓. ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑠

031. QUOTH THE SPARROW "NEVERMORE"

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QUOTH THE SPARROW "NEVERMORE" ☂︎

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THERE WERE TIMES IN ONE'S LIFE, in which they started to question how each quintessential decision made in their life had led them to the point where they stood at present.

It was an existential crisis of sorts that tended to haunt those in the middle stages of their lives but did not exclude: survivors of catastrophes, those with high stress lifestyles, those who have reached a self proclaimed rock bottom, and those who had came across something so incredibly shocking that life almost seemed comical enough to warrant questioning.

Charlotte Beaumont found that all circumstances were applicable to her at the given moment.

There she stood, the Hargreeves' once dead brother staring quite brutally at their frozen figures. An eccentric man, who at one point played the role of an abusive father, firmly stood as he denounced being their father all together in a home he also claimed was not theirs. Above lingered people (and a cube) she had never seen before and this was when the questioning of her life started.

Not only five minutes ago she had been saving the world in 1963 after having only three months before (only a handful of days for Five Hargreeves) having saved it again. Prior to that she had been asleep for over a decade, living out a fake reality in her head due to the traumatic passing of her parents.

Life could not have been more existential crisis inducing.

The only thing that grounded her and perhaps stopped her from going bat shit crazy was the fact that a much steadier hand was intertwined with her own.

But even Five Hargreeves was fighting the intense urge to shake, whether out of fear, anger, or confusion... he wasn't sure. However, he stayed complacent for the girl beside him, someone who could've steadied him on a ship caught in storm or a caravan lodged in the midst of a sandy tornado.

A hurricane crashing on the shore, a freezing cold night in the upper depths of the northern hemisphere. It didn't really matter what catastrophic circumstances happened to grace his life (and boy were there many). As long as she was there, fingers intertwined with his, a feeling he wasn't quite used to yet but enjoyed so profusely, Five Hargreeves would be "steady".

Anything to spare her a moment of peace.

"Ben." Klaus murmured, a delicate smile on his face as he spoke, almost as though he couldn't believe what was standing in front of him.

Luther walked over slowly, eyes wandering over his brother's face. "Is that really you?"

Charlotte glimpsed at Ben, noticing the confused expression across his face. Even from where she stood the cold, standoffish energy could be seen quite openly in his stance. "And who are the weirdos on the balcony?" Diego shouted.

"They are the Sparrows." Reginald replied flatly. "My children."

The Sparrows glanced at each other, eyes meeting in unspoken conversation that Charlotte could already tell would do them any good. Five dropped her hand, turning to face his father. "I'm sorry. What do you mean, your children? That's not possible, old man."