The Flood // the umbrella academy [Klaus]

t w e n t y . n i n e

The drive would be long; it would take an hour or so for the five of them to arrive at the small town of Jackpine Cove - where Diego had explained Jenkins would be. Since picking up Luther from the dingy bar the group had remained silent, the gravity of the situation finally settling in. This man was dangerous, not to mention the reality that he had Vanya wrapped around his finger and she was none the wiser to his true nature. Allison knew, but his unpredictability meant she wouldn't be safe in going it alone. 

Bea once again found herself in the back of the car, now squashed between Luther to her left and Diego to her right. Klaus retook his position in the front seat - claiming that 'shotgun' still ruled even if you had stepped out of the vehicle - and no one had the heart, or the care, to fight him on it. Bea wished that she could sit next to Klaus; holding his hand in that moment would have helped calm her erratically beating heart. She had noticed that he wasn't quite himself lately - when they had been hanging out in his bedroom earlier in the day he'd been quiet and she'd been content to just sit and paint him. They had talked, but not as much as she would have liked. Deciding that she would pull him aside for a chat the minute she could, Bea lay her head back on her headrest, breathing in and sighing deeply. Klaus heard this, turning around briefly to offer her a loving smile. Bea returned it in kind, satisfied that he was still with her.

Klaus wasn't the only one to hear her sigh. Noticing the sombre attitude of his sister, Diego, who had been staring out of the window to his right, turned his head towards her. "Hey," he said, almost inaudibly, "what were you trying to say? You know, earlier in the car."

Bea looked up, almost shocked that he was speaking so softly to her after days of harsh tones and cruel comments. "U-um, what?" she asked, not having paid attention quickly enough to his words.

Diego sniffed, shuffling slightly in his seat. "You said, 'I just wanted to-', and then Five cut you off. What were you going to say?" 

The redhead cleared her throat, glancing briefly around the vehicle to make sure that no-one was listening in to their conversation. Keeping her voice and her eyes low, she answered his question. "I was just going to say...I don't think we should fight anymore." She drew her eyes upwards, looking directly into his. "I don't want us to fight anymore. It hurts."

"I never meant-"

"No, you did," Bea interrupted, knowing that Diego was going to play off that he didn't mean any of what he had said to her. She knew he meant it; equally she had meant the things she'd said. Emotions were high, the future was unpredictable and none of them really knew what they were doing. "And that's okay. We're all feeling..." She paused, once again surveying the rest of the group, "Lost, scared..." She moved to place her hand over his, where it sat on his knee. "Heartbroken."

Diego frowned, rotating his hand to grasp his sister's. She clutched it back, conveying her love and support for him through the simple gesture. His eyes began to well as he fought tooth and nail to keep the tears at bay. He didn't want to cry now - not in front of the others. Managing to stop the tears from falling, he whispered, "I'm sorry."

Bea smiled, genuine joy lighting up her face. "I'm sorry too." He nodded in response, giving her hand a final squeeze before letting go. With that conversation over and done with, Bea felt a huge weight being lifted from her heart. They would have a much better chance at stopping Harold Jenkins and rescuing both Allison and Vanya if they could work together as a single unit.

Luther, who up until that point had been too preoccupied thinking about Allison to pay any attention to the conversation happening next to him, perked up suddenly. He leant forward over the centre console between the two front seats, crushing Bea marginally as he did so. She cried out, feeling her body involuntarily being pressed into Diego's. "Can you go any faster?" he asked Five.