Control {The Umbrella Academy} *Complete*

Chapter 16

January 27th, 2002

"Lee! Hey Lee!" Number eight stood in her bedroom, looking at herself in the mirror, turning every once and a while to get a better angle.

"I'm in here!" She called, putting her hands up to her head. Klaus came in the door behind her, knitting together his eyebrows as he looked at her.

"What the hell is on your head?" He muttered, walking forward and plopping down on her bed.

She poked the headphones a couple more times and shoved out a heavy sigh. "Regi gave 'em to me. He told me that I'm not supposed to take them off." he tilted his head to the side, getting a better angle.

"What for?"

She pulled her cheek up, setting herself down next to him. "They keep me from using my powers. Something about blocking the active consiouness's that flow through the universe from being accessed by me. That way I'm not constantly being bombarded by peoples thoughts. And I can't look into others minds." He nodded, tapping them with his black painted fingernail.

"That's not cool. He shouldn't get that much power over you." Leta shrugged, twisting her string bracelet around her wrist.

"It's just... I practiced my powers with him once, I invaded his mind. I just couldn't stop myself, seeing the deepest parts of a person. I wanted to know more, even though I knew it was wrong."

"Had you done it before?" He muttered, kicking off his shoes and swinging his legs. She shook her head, the large muffs shifting around her earlobes.

"It was my first time. We haven't done it since. I think he's scared of me."

Klaus placed an arm around her shoulder, giving her arm a squeeze. "Why don't you try it out on me?" A giggle forced its way from between her lips.

"Do you really want me all up in your brain? It's kind of a scary thing. I mean, if there's anything in there you don't want me to see-"

"I don't hide anything from you." She bit her lip, leaning her head down onto his shoulder. The thought of going back inside someone's head was terrifying. What if Reginald was right. What if she never came back out.

Klaus gently turned her towards himself, crossing his legs on the bed. She mimicked his position, looking deep into his green eyes. They had lost their usual mischievous look and now were confident. He believed in her.

"Okay. What should I show you?" He shrugged, leaning forward a bit and smiling. She scrunched up her nose in thought. He grinned at her, he loved when she did that. "Okay, close your eyes. You might feel like a weird tingle, but don't worry about it."

The boy nodded. She closed her own eyes, sucking in a bit of a shake breath before removing her head gear.

The influx of sound was instantaneous, causing her to wince. The sounds were louder, sharper, more focused than they used to be. She shook her head, letting out a grunt of pain.

Never-the-less, she prevailed.

The darkness was just like she remembered, swarmed with the lights of a million billion lives all around the world. Thoughts and memories swirling like dust storms, but held still in their own little bubbles. She ventured forward, being pulled toward the brighter sounds. Ones that were mixed with childish glee and fresh pain.

It wasn't hard to find Klus, with how well she already knew his mind. His mind was wired with green and blue, spontaneous bursts swirling and collapsing at will.

She felt warm as she entered the mind, looking around at the slideshows decorating the walls. Each memory was on its own screen like a movie, spinning around on wheels to swap around.

Leta ventured down the hallway until she reached a door, yanking it open and entering a room. It was dark and cold, with dirt floors and cold stone walls. She glanced around, spotting a boy crowded alone in the corner.

She moved forward, taking a seat next to him and wrapping him in a hug. She took off her bracelet and handed it to him.

"Whenever you feel scared. Whenever you seem alone, remember there is someone out there who would do anything for you. And they have a piece of you. Something so special that whenever they see it it makes their heart filled with joy. Now you have it too. You can both have a piece of each other." The boy looked up at her, tears ran down his round cheeks.

The door flew open, a man's silhouette looking down at the two. He let out a gasp of horror and disgust. "Number Four! Why aren't you suffering!"

"Leta?" She pulled her eyes open, Klaus sat in front of her. Legs crossed on the bed and hand cupping her cheek. He had tears running down the sides of his face, a smile stretched from one ear to the other. "Thank you."

She reached up and held his gentle touch, using her other hand to pull back on her headphones. "No one can know about this." she whispered, staring deep into his sad green eyes. He nodded, front teeth biting his bottom lip.

"Okay."

*~*

March 27th, 2019

Diego stood stock still in the doorway of the motel room. His attention was divided, but the emotion was the same.

Detective Eudora Patch lay dead in the middle of the floor. His best friend to her side.

His jaw tightened as he looked down at the love of his life. He collapsed, sliding his hands under her head, lifting her up, holding her. "Why didn't you wait. I was coming, why did this just wait?" Salty tears left shimmering trails on his cheeks.

He gently put her head down, turning on his knees to the other woman laying in a pool of her own blood. A shudder racked its way through his body as he touched her cheek.

She moved.

"Lee! Oh my God, hold on!" He shoved his hands under her, pulling the lifeless mass up to his chest and turning to the door. There wasn't time to stop. He could save a life tonight.

With lightning speed the man ran down the steps, throwing open the car door and laying her gently on the back seat. The rise and fall of her chest was slow. But she was still going.

He threw himself into the driver's seat, slamming his foot on the gas. His face was stone set as he made record time back to the Academy.

"I swear on my life. I will kill whoever did this to you..." he looked in the mirror at the woman laying nearly lifeless in the back seat. A knot formed in his throat as the image of his beloved Eudora weaved in and out of his mind. But Leta needed him right now, he could still save her. "To both of you."