Grand Theft (The Umbrella Academy)

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN: Warehouse

Fleur and Five reappeared behind Lila. She turned around to the sound with an evil grin. She'd drawn them here no doubt.

"What're you doing here, Lila?" Fleur asked. She wasn't after the fight Lila and Five sought out.

"What's your game, crazy lady?"

"Who cares? You said if you saw me again, you'd kill me."

"Oh, I remember." Five grinned.

Fleur held out a soothing hand, knowing that it was futile. "No. This isn't happening." They both ignored her as expected.

"Well, come on, big talker. Let's get this done." She smiled back and shifted her weight from foot to foot at the ready.

"Alright." Five dropped Fleur's hand and spatial jumped in a whoosh behind Lila but she spatial jumped away before he could hit her. Then, like a game of cat and mouse, she bolted further into the warehouse and he chased after her.

"Jeez, maybe I'm still dead after all." Fleur huffed at how invisible she seemed then chased after them. Fleur rounded the corner and halted to see Five with his foot on his opponent's throat.

"You're better than I thought," Lila wheezed from under his boot.

"And you're entirely average," Five retorted back. She squirmed to get away.

"The Handler's here. Am I correct? You lead us here for a reason and, Lila, you surely could've put up more of a fight than that. He is an old man after all." Fleur smirked at Five who rolled his eyes.

Lila rasped, "Nice to see you too, Connor impersonator."

"Hmm." Fleur grinned. "Red, you wanna come out now?"

"Well done. You figured it out," the Handler purred. She stepped out from her hiding place behind the next wall over.

"Well, it wasn't hard to figure out," Five input.

"No matter. Here we are. All together again. I gotta ask, did you miss me, you little shits."

"Funny. Wouldn't necessarily call this a case of Stockholm Syndrome." Fleur scoffed a chuckle.

The Handler rolled her eyes. "Always one for the dramatics." Fleur looked to Five who seemed frozen in thought. She furrowed her eyebrows at Five's pause for an answer. In reality, he had missed the Commission.

Lila struggled under Five's foot to laugh as he slowly cut off her air. "So much for your sweetheart." Five stepped down harder and she vigorously tried escaping.

The more Fleur saw her writhing under his footing, the more she realized that Lila wasn't her friend, she was Connor's. Maybe in ten years she'd see her in a different light, but right then all she needed were answers from a stranger. She'd given Lila a chance and now Five's boot was pressing on her throat.

"You know, planting her in a psych ward, taking advantage of my simpleton brother, that was smart," Five told the Handler.

"Well, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." The Handler's red lips lifted in a sly smile.

Five looked between the two with big eyes. "She's her daughter?"

"Yes. And she's my only one, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't crush her windpipe. Not to mention your girl's friend."

Fleur's cold expression didn't change. "Correction: Connor's friend." The Handler turned a pointed eyebrow her way. Five huffed then reluctantly took his foot off of her throat. Lila rolled away and grabbed her throat, coughing as air flowed freely into her lungs again.