Grand Theft (The Umbrella Academy)

CHAPTER SEVENTY: Deciding Eternity

It was time to vote now and the family were all gathered in a circle. "Alrighty, let's make this quick please," Connor addressed them. Her and Fleur both were already on edge being this close. Haddock and Five were gently rubbing their lady's arms so that they wouldn't scratch themselves raw.

Allison spoke first. "I think you all can guess which way I'll be voting. We've been through a lot. We've all lost people. Mannequins." Fleur discreetly rolled her eyes. "But their deaths have to mean something. Which is why I'll be voting to go with Dad."

Lila stepped into the circle with a pep in her step. "What she said. Let's go save the bloody universe!"

Diego scoffed. "Alright, well since she votes yes. I vote stay."

Lila's features fell in shock. "You're not being serious."

"It's his voice Lila," Allison lowly spoke. "Klaus?"

"I am with Father."

"Huh," Connor and Fleur both thought then flinched and glanced at each other.

"Okay, that's four then. "Viktor?"

He sighed. "Look, I wanna believe, okay? I really do. I just can't shake the feeling we don't know what we're getting ourselves into."

Connor piped up next. "We never do. Never have in any of the timelines we've had to save. We're like ants under a microscope, just hoping for a cloud. Try, don't try. We are guaranteed to fry if we don't."

"All we know is what we have to lose if we don't," Allison finished. "We have to go into this together. Viktor. A family."

Fleur crossed her arms. "Allison, like you said earlier, that's his vote. Leave it."

"You can't just keep throwing the word "family" around. It isn't enough. I vote stay."

"Connor? Haddock? Your votes?"

"We're siding with the teddy bear here." Connor gestured to Reginald whose face scrunched slightly at the name. "We vote go."

Haddock grit his teeth and shook his head. "No."

Connor turned to him with a shocked expression. "What?"

"I vote stay," he clarified. Connor stammered to find the words. "I'm not going to risk that," he muttered to her. "I would rather take my chances in death where we have more—" Connor looked away and he gently turned her chin back to look at him. "—Where we have more time to figure out how to stay together."

"Damn it, Fish," she quietly hissed, "I'm trying to save you. If I do die then that way I'll at least be able to watch over you."

"Call me selfish. But I need to watch over you too." Her face was red with emotion—anger, love, sadness, all balled up into one.

Once their murmurs stopped, Allison called the next name. "Luther?"

"Um. Sloane and I talked, and, well, we're out. Look, we wanna spend whatever time we have left together, and not fighting a guy with a sword and ringing bells and stuff. So..."

"Well, five in, five out. Fleur? Are you siding with Connor?"

She looked at Five and took a deep breath. "No. We vote stay."

Connor's mouth gaped. That hope she was clinging onto was destroyed by her own self. She exhaled a scoff with a look of disgust. "Fleur? Seriously? You're indestructible. You can't die. You of all people should be voting go." It's easy for them knowing that they'll see each other again.

"Connor, we're not the same person. I may be indestructible, but the others aren't. I'm not prepared to tamper with their lives in an all or none. I want to spend what little time I have left with them in peace." Connor glowered at her. It's one thing that she screwed up her life she believed, but now she's screwing up her afterlife too.