Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
THE ACHE IN ANGEL'S HEART took the wind out of her lungs, a sudden pain in her chest, a knife to the heart. she pulled out the paper pad she kept with her, the little pink gel pen to go alongside it, and scribbled down one singular word. vanya. that name could've caused a lifetime of hurt for the hargreeves family. she pressed the paper solemnly into five's palm, leaning up to give him a soft kiss on the cheek, before letting him watch her walk away.
the blue car door opened with a deafening screech, the silhouette of a small girl coming into view. she took a silent seat in the back of the car, a small palm resting comfortingly on vanya's shoulder. she gave a small smile to the older woman, before smiling at klaus in the passenger seat. "hey, angel."
"i'm coming with. i assume angel's coming too." the girl nodded, smiling and crossing her legs. the car doors opened again, two more members of the hargreeves placing themselves either side of angelica. klaus jumped as his door opened, the face of angel's boy popping into view. "five—you don't have to."
"i know. you owe me one, sis. and you know i don't go anywhere without my angel." he grinned at the girl in the backseat, who clambered over allison's knee to reach him, placing a soft kiss on his cheek. "children ride in the back. angel's with me." klaus climbed over the backseat, settling between his siblings, as angel took a comfortable seat on five's lap.
the trunk opened, a large man fighting his way into the back with a grin on his lips. "anyone makes a fat joke and i'm outta here." angelica beamed at luther, glad that he was redeeming himself for the things he'd caused. and so they were off, the family plus one.
the group pulled up at the farm, a shotgun aimed in their faces. it almost reminded angelica of elliot. oh how she missed that man. "sissy, i found my family. these are my brothers, and my sister. and that's angel." sissy's eyes trained on the small girl, the blood on the front of her pink dress being too unusual for a girl with her disposition. "who are you?"
"the only one who can help harlan." angelica followed behind the group as they made their way to the barn, her hand never leaving five's as he kept her body pushed behind his own. the energy waves caused angelica's mind to go numb, pushing against everything she knew. she watched as vanya's silhouette walked into the whirlwind as though it was nothing, her hands reaching for the young boy.
"guys ... who are they?" angelica could barely see the outlines of the people on the field, trusting five to let her know exactly who they were. "ones the handler, the other is diego's girlfriend."
"lila. she's my ex girlfriend."
"i'm going to find out what they want. you guys stay here with vanya and the kid. come on, angel." angelica followed behind five, a knot making itself known deep in her stomach. diego followed suit, latching onto angel's hand as five dropped off, pulling the small girl along with him.
as the three came closer to the two, something strange erupted in angelica's stomach. she looked towards the blonde woman, who simply beamed at the girl. "mama?" five did not expect this. his head turned towards the girl, who's eyes began to fill with tears as she looked towards her mother. "mother?" the handler sighed slightly, before moving to reach out to the girl.
five pushed angelica behind him, her arms coming to wrap around his bicep with a frown. "hello, darling." tears began to stream down the young girl's face, her mind numbing and her heart empty. "five." the boy looked down at his girl, who's hands were shaking as she held him. she stepped towards the woman, who simply held her arms open for the girl.
but no embrace followed. only the silent sobs of angelica moore. her mother, her dead mother, stood before her. "what did you do to her?" five's voice held malice in it, each word dripping like venom from his tongue. "i raised her. made it possible for her to be here. made it possible for you to fall in love."
"oh, how easy it was to distract you with her around. i knew your cold little heart couldn't resist her. she was a pawn, friend." angelica took a step back, her body turning to meet five's pine eyes. she shook her head violently, willing her voice to work. she didn't know. she would never hurt five. he knew that right?
"the point is, all of you are going to die today. including my sweet little angel, hm?" angel took another step back. her whole world was crumbling around her and neither her nor five knew how to keep the pieces together. "you didn't think angelica was actually sixteen, did you?" the handler seemed to take great pride in taunting five, something that angel did not take kindly to.
"i picked this little one up back in nineteen eighty nine. your father wasn't the only one to want those special kids." everything seemed to come together now. angelica had never been sixteen in her mind. she'd just stayed there physically. angelica was thirty years old and somewhere along the line her growth had been stunted.
"angel's one of us?" her eyes darted towards diego, looking between him and five as his arm flew out to grab the boy.
