13. Welcome On Board

The ground underneath Elisa's feet is shaking. The buildings fall down one by one. Horrifying screams are heard everywhere. It doesn't stop. People are running, trying to flee whatever is happening. They don't know what's going on.

Elisa knows. She knows what this is.

The apocalypse.

The end of the world.

As a child, Elisa grew up fearing being killed. But that wasn't what scared her the most. Her powers did.

Elisa turns around and around. She doesn't pay attention to the running persons. No, others are handling that. Five and his siblings, actually. They're getting everyone to safety-wherever that is.

Sweat drips down from her forehead as Elisa starts to walk. Just now she realizes that she's shaking. And not only her hands. Her whole body is.

Then she looks up again, now noticing a figure standing just a few steps ahead of her. The evil smile on her lips and with her soft brown hair in a ponytail, Morgana stands there, watching Elisa.

"Continue." she orders Elisa with a triumphant smirk on her face.

A frown comes onto Elisa's forehead. Continue?

Elisa looks around, not wanting to see Morgana. Not after what just has happened at the commission. She doesn't want to remember Morgana as this evil version. She wants to remember the kind Morgana. The one that she fell in love with.

Her eyes fall on Vanya who's pushing a young boy forward, away from Elisa and Morgana.

Five is there, too. But he isn't helping anyone. No. His eyes are on Elisa herself. And they don't plan to leave anytime soon.

"It was you all along," he says, and even though he's standing so, so far away, Elisa can hear him very well.

"What?" Elisa tries to ask him, but he disappears. Everything around her disappears. It's all darkness now. It reminds her of her trainings at the commission. The times she was locked up to learn how it feels. The handler wanted her to get used to it; used to being locked up.

A scream leaves Elisa's lips. She wants to go. She doesn't want to be locked up. Not here. Not now.

"You were always meant for great things, my Elisa," the handler's voice sounds, but it leaves afterwards.

Elisa is alone in the darkness. No voices are heard, no other sounds except for her own sobs. But they become quieter with every breath she takes. Next to that, Elisa starts to fade, too. Just like everything else.

She fades just like the world faded away.

She disappears just like Five disappeared in front of her eyes.

Then there's only darkness. No sound. Not one figure. Only darkness.

That's when Elisa's eyes open.

"Elisa!" A voice fills her ears, making her let out another sob out out of relief.

"Five!" She cries, just now realizing that her cheeks were already wet. He's there, standing next to her. His eyes are on her and they're full of worry. His hair is even messier than it was when they were at the commission.

There's no sign that shows that he's an assassin. He looks normal. And Elisa forgets that he once was an enemy of hers. She lets him throw his arms around her. She allows him to comfort her.

He places himself next to her shaking body on the couch, and she's happy he does so. She's happy that she isn't alone.

"What was that?" There's still clear worry in his voice. His hands softly touches Elisa's upper-back while his other arm is now curling around her waist.

"A nightmare," Elisa tells him in a whisper.

"Do you have them often?"

"Every time I close my eyes," she admits, not even feeling awful to do so. It isn't a lie. Elisa really has a nightmare like this one every night. Even when she was with Morgana. It never mattered if someone had their arm around her or not.

"Was it about Morgana?" he asks her in one of the softest manner she has ever heard him talk.

"Partly." She shrugs. "It were several persons. . .events combined. It was all in one." Her hands are still shaking, but the rest of her body seems to have calmed down a little.

After Elisa sat up even more and pressed her knees against her chest while controlling her breathing-a habit that she's doing more and more lately, Five leans against the back pillows. He doesn't ask her to tell him about the nightmare, he didn't need to.

Elisa tells him about the apocalypse that she has dreamt of. She doesn't forget to mention what he said to her, either, in the dream. She even tells him about the darkness. But she doesn't tell him that she appeared to be the cause.

He listens. He stays quiet while rubbing her back softly.

"I'm so scared," she cries as she leans her head against Five's chest.

"I know," Is all he says.

"I don't belong anywhere," Elisa whispers. "The handler made sure of that. I don't have anywhere to go." Tears stream down her cheeks, ruining Five's blue costume.

"That's not true." Five's hand grabs her chin in a soft way. Then he forces the girl to look up at him. "You're welcome in the umbrella academy. We're all outcasts with powers. You'll fit in just fine. You can stay with them while I stop the apocalypse."

A very sad smile comes upon Elisa's lips, and she attempts to wipe away the tears that haven't fallen on Five's costume yet.

"I'm not sure if your siblings would accept me," Elisa mumbles shyly.

"They haven't even accepted each other yet."

"That really doesn't help." Elisa chuckles.

"It will be okay." Five chuckles with her. "I think Klaus would like you."

"Klaus?"

"The addict."

"Wow!" Elisa starts to laugh, and Five joins her once again.

"But really, he's a nice guy." Five smiles widely. "Now try not to have a nightmare again."

Elisa looks up at him, glaring-duh. "I can't just tell myself not to have a nightmare, Five Hargreeves." She narrows her eyes at him, making his wide smile grow even more. "Plus, I don't think I'll be able to fall asleep again."

He nods, as if replying to a question of hers. This action confuses her-a lot. When Five stretches himself out to grab the remote laying on the coffee tabel next to the couch that they're sitting on, she watches him.

"Binge watching it is," he says finally, noticing Elisa's eyes on him.

Elisa's eyes flicker to the door Vanya walked through just a few hours ago.

"She won't mind us using her Netflix account," Five chuckles. "Plus, I'm pretty sure even Klaus uses her subscription."

The screen of the television lights up, and it doesn't take long until Five's scrolling through possible series.

"Do you prefer a movie?" he asks Elisa as crawls underneath the blanket once again. But while she does so, Elisa leans her exhausted body on Five's. He doesn't move, allowing her to lay her head upon his shoulder.

"I don't mind," she shrugs. "Anything, really. I just want the nightmare out of my head."

Five puts on a romantic comedy-not something Elisa would have expected him to put on. That's why a quiet laugh of hers sounds and fills his ears.

"Five?"

"Mhm?"

"How do you even know about Netflix? You just came back to this time."

"I'm a fast learner," he chuckles, amused by her question.

"Apparently," she smiles weakly, too tired to fully smile.

The two continue to watch the movie, not saying another word. But they listen to each other; each other's breathing. Especially Elisa focuses herself on Five's breathing. It calms her down, makes her forget the images she saw just a little earlier. Five listens to her breathing because. . . well, because it reminds him he's not completely a monster. It reminds him that not everyone is afraid of him while knowing his history. Because Elisa Brookle is still there, even while knowing that he has caused so much death.

"Five?" Elisa speaks up again somewhere half through the movie.

"Yes?"

"Do you think that I. . ."

"What?" Five frowns at the girl, not knowing what she's attempting to ask him.

"Let me think how to put it in a proper question," she tells him, pointing her finger at him while her head still rests on his shoulder.

"Okay," he replies in a whisper.

"Do you think you'd accept a companion on your whole saving the world trip?"

Five's lips part a little in shock. He doesn't answer. Well, not immediately at least. A frown comes onto his forehead when he closes his mouth again.

"As in the companion being. . ." His face tilts a little so he can get a better look at the girl that's leaning on him. "You."

Elisa's too tired to give much more response, but she does succeed in putting a weak smile on her lips. And Five takes this as her answer.

"You'll get hurt," he tells her while his eyes fall on the television again. He needs to think clearly. No smile can put clouds in his mind.

Does he want her as his companion on a mission that might kill them both?

"I'll survive," she whispers, completely drained. "After all these years I found out that I always do, Five. I'm still here."

"You might not be afterwards," he says, telling her the truth. It's a possibility. Neither one of the two knows what's ahead of them. They don't know what dangers are around the corner. It's a dangerous world out there.

"I accept the risk," Elisa tells him.

"Of course you do," Five mumbles to himself, but since Elisa's so close to him, she hears him very well.

"I suppose a companion can be handy," he admits. "But I won't be the one arranging your funeral."

Elisa chuckles-but very, very quietly this time.

No one will, she thinks. No one is waiting for her to come home.

"Maybe I'll lay some flowers next to your grave."

"That's kind," Elisa whispers.

She's that exhausted that even Five can hear it. A soft smile comes upon his lips, and he lays the blanket over himself, too. "Close your eyes, Elisa."

Elisa does as she's been told immediately. Her eyes close, and her head falls down slowly until it sinks into Five's chest. She uses her last strength to whisper: "And so the assassins became the heroes."

"Welcome on board of the Umbrella Academy, Elisa," Five whispers when her breathing slows down drastically, telling him that she has fallen asleep.

This is the first time after closing her eyes that Elisa Brookle doesn't have a single nightmare.