𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐌𝐂𝐅𝐋𝐘 𝐄𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 ━ five hargreeves²

22│IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME

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❛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀʀᴛʏ ᴍᴄғʟʏ ᴇғғᴇᴄᴛ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐖𝐎 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ɪғ ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ
ᴛᴜʀɴ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ꒱　


❝ IF YOU SAY SO, DEAR ❞

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Five heard the gunshot but didn't see the darkness. 

No! He knew it hadn't been for him. That the faint whisper had been her last, futile act of protection. He'd been shot before this, of course, and that had been distinctly uncomfortable. He'd been hurt and that had been annoying at best. Even now, with bullets buried somewhere in his torso and fire racing through him with every shift of his muscles, it wasn't the worst pain he'd ever felt.

No, that was when the echo of the shot died away and the blonde next to him gave a last little sigh, the hand stretching towards his falling limp against the hay.

"Yeah, well, you're going to say this is stupid but there was no doubt in my mind back then that I would have felt if you no longer existed. I still think that's true, actually."

"I don't think that's stupid, Lexa." He paused. "I think that would happen for me, too."

He had never wanted to be so wrong.

The pain he'd felt before was nothing compared to this, to the aching loneliness that was almost a replica of what he'd felt when he'd seen her body in the apocalypse all those years ago except far, far worse. There was no going back to 2019 to save her this time.

There were no second chances, no redos, this was it. And he'd never told her he loved her. 

The boy squeezed his eyes shut in an effort to prevent the tears from escaping (he was unsuccessful.) His hands clenched into fits as he tried to fight off the pain that sent sharp shards through his chest that wasn't the work of the bullets. They'd been so, so close and now he was too late.

Alexa was right. It wasn't fair.

This doesn't have to be the end. We use my ability to time travel except this time, I bring you all with me. Five's own voice echoed in his ears, almost taunting.

You're the genius who said we should jump, right? You're the one who got us stuck here! Luther's voice, loud and angry, followed close behind.

His vision of the white-haired man before him blurred. Maybe it didn't matter.

Maybe your appetite is disproportionate to your abilities. His father was next. Start small. Blue filled his sight as he remembered every time-portal he'd ever created, too large and vast for what he could do. Seconds. Not decades. He didn't need to jump back ten days and start over.

Blue glowed around his clenched fists as he brought them together to rest against his chest, the light growing brighter and brighter. The Swede backed up, as if in reverse.

The Handler rose from her spot on the ground and her gun lowered. Lila followed the same path as his own body lifted, the strength of his power pulling him up. He allowed the tiniest spark of hope to light.

Please.

He stood slowly as he pushed against the fabric of time and watched as it reversed around him. The blue glow surrounded him completely now as his siblings rose off the floor. There was no time to focus on just one of them.

Please, please.

He gave a final push, jumping out to the current-time barn. It worked.