Partners-Five Hargreeves

I have to be the perfect worker.

Hello everyone! How have you guys been? I, myself, am doing pretty good and I'm hoping to get a good bit of writing done so I might try to put out another chapter after this. If you feel like you've missed a chapter go back and read because sometimes I do post more than one chapter in a day and they can easily be skipped over. I love you guys! Thank you for all the support and wow! 17K! It really does mean the world to me so thank you so much for reading! (Also I'm going to put my new watercolor at the bottom of the chapter again if anyone wants to see it.)

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So now we are in 1955, aka. the base time-zone for Commission headquarters. We walk from the dome-shaped teleportation center to the main office of the headquarters. Mum walks tall and proud, holding herself high and with a great air of importance. I, being raised by her, hold myself in the same manner when walking these grounds. I have to be the perfect worker. The perfect role model. I have to hold myself high because I'm the best of the best. I have to show my superiority because I have a high rank here. Those words had been drilled into my head since I was little.

"I must admit, Number Five, in all the time that I've been here, I've never met anyone quite like you. And of course, I've never had a better team than you and my Ava."

"Hello, Handler. Hello, Miss Gray. You look...youthful today." I smile and give a terse nod at the passing man. Five picks up on my tense behavior and rubs the back of my hand with his thumb to get me to calm down. I squeeze his hand lightly in response saying 'don't worry about me'. He gives me a quick unbelieving glance then looks back in front of him. That's something I like about Five and I's relationship, we know without even saying anything. That's one of the best things for a team is to be able to read each other.

"Hazel and Cha-cha for example," Mum continues, "are talented, certainly, but...they can't see the big picture. Your spunk, your enterprising spirits, well, it reminds me a great deal of myself, if...I may be so vainglorious. If things work out for you here, you and my daughter could potentially make fine successors, Five." Mum takes off her jacket, revealing her beautiful black dress with her usual red accents, and hands it to one of the passing workers. They are practically her minions. She begins to lead us up the stairs to the working floors, people passing by us on their way to do their jobs.

"I'd like to discuss the logistics of my family's safety at your earliest convenience." Five looks over at me quickly, not looking me in the eye, then looks away again, "As well as this body replacement." Oh. So that is what he wants.

"Such chutzpah. It's refreshing, I'll admit. Slow down, Five. All in good time. In fact, now that you've finally agreed to work with us, we've got all the time in the world."

Five looks past me to watch someone roll a cart by us, still not looking at me in the eye. Seeing his odd behavior, I try to slip my hand out of his to give him his space. But, notice that I used the word try insinuating that I did not succeed. Well, using try would be correct because Five would not have me let go of his hand and just held mine tighter in his grasp.

I snapped my head back up when Mum started talking, "The Commission works in support of a delicate balance between the timeline of events and mankind's free will." As we walk past the briefcase room she motions to it. "The briefcase is no longer part of your kit, Five. Free your mind. You're management now. One of us."

"Mum?" I ask, getting her attention as we continue to walk. "Will I be in management as well?"

She smiles at me, "Oh, darling. Haven't you always been a little bit of everything here?"

"Yes, ma'am. I was just wondering if I had an official position now." I can see Five move ever so slightly closer to me in my peripheral vision.

"No my love, you will continue to do whatever you please. But," she looks over at Five, then back to me, "I imagine you will want to stick with your partner for the most part."

I smile a little, "You are probably correct there, Mum."

"Continuing on," she says, loudly. "All the people on this floor are case managers, each one responsible for one major event in time." She stops at a door where inside contains rows of desks and people who sit at them, typing away on typewriters. We both look inside, me already being familiar with what is inside while Five looks upon the scene, impressed.

"So many of them."

"Impressive, isn't it?" Mum asks, proudly. "Being part of something...so grand."

I swallow the forming lump in my throat. You're here again. Stuck. "Indeed it is, Mum."

"Come along kiddies."

Five looks over at me warily asking if I'm okay. I begin to shake my head but nod instead. You're fine. Your problems don't matter right now. There are bigger problems. A bigger picture. I quickly turn to catch up to Mum, who has begun to talk again. Five, being connected to me, quickly falls into step with me.

"Whenever someone chooses the wrong path and the timeline is changed, the Commission gets a report from field agents on the ground. These field reports are sorted and assigned to a case manager. They determine if anyone needs to be...removed from the equation to assure that their event happens as it should," Mum explains, walking us into the Tuberoom. "Based on that determination, the case manager sends instructions via pneumatic tube to...temporal assassins like you formally were, Number Five. Any queries so far?"

Five shifts on his legs, "Yeah. Who was the case manager handling me?"

"Ah," she lifts her hand and drags her finger down the side of his cheek. "You mean the apocalypse." We all turn our heads to watch Gloria send a message cartridge down one of the many tubes in the room. Mum looks upon one of her favorite workers fondly while Five looks at her in a more calculating way. I don't know if I like that look.

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Yes, this is Louis Tomlinson. Yes, I might have a slight 1D obsession that has come back to haunt me 10 years later. (Also, vote Lou for the Fan Army Face-Off!! He deserves it!)