Grand Theft (The Umbrella Academy)

CHAPTER THREE: Close Your Eyes

Five teleported outside the Louvre. "Hey beautiful." She scoffed a laugh.

"Hello handsome." Five didn't seem right. Not as chipper maybe? "So how's things at your end? Family still against me?"

The Boy couldn't meet her eyes. "Yeah, a little bit. Once they meet you they'll fall in love with you though. Same as I have." He finally looked up to cup her cheek but then dropped it and looked away again.

Five chewed on his cheek, his usual steel face filled with worry. Connie furrowed her brows and turned his face to hers. "I was gonna ask where you wanted to go on our date tonight but something's wrong I can tell. What's wrong, Five?"

He sighed and tapped his foot. "Do you wanna go dancing?"

She grinned. "Sure—" He didn't let her finish her sentence before he spatial jumped them onto the ledge of the artificial pond of water. Connie shoved his shoulder. "Five! You gotta give me a warning or at least let me finish my sent—"

"No can do." He spun her away to the faint music in the background then back into his arms. "Fleur... I gotta tell you something." Connie stopped swaying with the boy to look him in the eye properly. Five winced. "My family thinks there's a chance that Connie left Paris since there's been no activity. We're waiting one more day and then we're leaving."

She went bug-eyed and her heart sunk. "What?"

"I want you to come with me. I know we just met but somehow it feels like I've known you for an eternity, and maybe it's just because we're in the city of love but, Fleur, I love you. Stay with me. We can be your family." She didn't say a word with her mouth agape. "Think about it. The jet leaves the next morning. No daydreams." He kissed her cheek then left.

She sighed. I gotta go to work. Just a few more days with him here. Life's been so perfect. Connie looked back to see that he really was gone then morphed into him and blinked away to a taxi. She gave the driver the first museum she could think of. "Petit Palais..." Connie leaned her head back on the seat and watched as the raindrops raced to the bottom of the window. I can't keep this up forever. Why'd I have to fall in love with him?

She reached the golden, tangled metal of the large gate and closed her eyes. "Time to go to work." She put on her red lipstick. Silly she knew but it'd become Connie's signature trademark. After all, that's the alter ego she was now. No, Fleur was the alter. This is who she's always been. It simply separated the two. She switched forms from red hair to sleek brown. She wasn't taking any chances this time.

She blipped through the gates then took account of her surroundings. "I really picked a poor one to steal from. Most of these are authentic," she murmured then quickly started with the ones she knew. One by one she carefully carried them outside... Then she heard a familiar voice from downstairs.

•••

"Five, thank God you're okay," Vanya said when the saw him get out of a car at the front door of their hotel.

"Why wouldn't I be?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Where's Fleur?" Diego asked.

"Why do you care? Is someone gonna tell me what the fuss is about?"

"Because Fleur is Connie," Allison told him.

"We don't know that," Klaus defended.

Diego put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "We know enough to know that she's her. Think about it, Five. She has you wrapped around her finger—"

He shrugged him off. "No! Fleur is not a thief. I see her every night because I love her, Diego. Not that your dimwitted brains could ever comprehend that. And Ben, I can't believe that you of all people would convince them of this. That's low."