𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 ~ 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴

~ 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙪𝙚 ~

The cold breeze that blew through Astrid's hair made shivers run down her spine. Even with the protection of her coat, there was no escaping the change in the Texan weather. Her siblings had gathered in a circle outside of Sissy's property, looking up as they were waiting for her to join. After putting an end to the 1963 doomsday and the war against the Commission, they were finally going home.

"Is everybody ready?" Five asked the moment Astrid held hands with Luther and Diego. Everyone looked at each other and nodded. "Wait!" Klaus shouted just as Five was about to flick a switch on the Commission's briefcase. He ran to the porch and came back to the circle, placing a black cowboy hat on his head. After that, the briefcase lit up and with a single zap, the seven Hargreeves had vanished.

A split second later, they landed in an entrance hall, and as they looked around, they were hopeful that this was the Academy they had left behind, put back together and not a pile of rubble and burning fires. "Did we do it? Are we back home?" Astrid questioned. Five picked up the newspaper resting on the table and read the bold headline. "April 2nd, 2019... the day after the apocalypse!" He glanced at them all with eyes full of surprise and relief.

"We did it! We actually did it!" Luther cheered. The siblings all bundled together into a group hug, their cheers continuing as they made their way into the living room to grab some liquor and celebrate. But as they stepped into the room, Astrid couldn't help but notice something was off. The mantel's portrait had been replaced, it was no longer a picture of Five, but instead it was... Ben. How's that even possible?

"Guys, why is Ben's painting hanging here?" she spoke aloud, capturing her sibling's attention. Diego stepped forward, also noticing the difference. "I knew you'd show up eventually," a scruffy voice spoke up, startling the Hargreeves. Reginald, their father stood up from his leather seat, looking alive and well. When Astrid caught glimpse of him, her entire body froze, her face turning into one of shock and fear.

Sure, she had seen him whenever she and her siblings tried to get his help back in the 60s. But seeing him again in the present day brought so many flashbacks she desperately tried to push to the back of her mind. "Why is she looking at me that way?" Reginald inquired. "Oh, it's nothing. We're all just surprised to see you're alive and well," Luther explained, placing a hand on Astrid's left shoulder. "Of course I'm alive. Why wouldn't I be?" the old man squinted.

"Anyway, we're just happy to be home and together as a family again," Allison spoke up. "Home? This isn't your home," the monocle stated. "What are you talking about? This is the Umbrella Academy," Allison said, wondering if their father was forgetting some things. But he insisted that this was someone else's home now. The sound of footsteps came from behind them, and they turned around to see five human figures and a floating cube standing close to the balcony.

"This is the Sparrow Academy."