Last Breath - Ben Hargreeves

5 || putting the 'fun' in funeral

When Maggie goes outside again, it's raining. She pauses slightly when she sees Ben's memorial statue. Klaus puts a hand on her arm; he gives her a sad smile when she looks up at him. They walk on, followed by the other members of the Umbrella Academy, their mother, and an ape that was modified to be their butler.

Their mother, Grace, looks at the somber looks on most of the faces around her and asks, "Did something happen?" They all look at her with pity.

Allison's face falls slightly when she says, "Dad died. Remember?"

Grace's face automatically changes into a more somber expression. "Oh. Yes, of course."

Allison turns to those around her and stage whispers, "Is Mom okay?"

Diego dismisses, "Yeah, yeah, she's fine." Klaus slowly grabs a cigarette from his pocket in the hopes that it goes unnoticed. His face falls when Maggie nudges him. He starts to put them away when she holds out her hand instead. "She just needs to rest. You know, recharge."

An ape by the name of Pogo walks up to the small huddle. "Whenever you're ready, dear boy."

Luther slowly opens the urn and tips the jar; the ashes fall in a pathetic clump. Maggie snickers and quickly covers it with her hand.

Luther looks up. "Probably would have been better with some wind. Maggie?"

Maggie gives him an annoyed look. "I'm good." She takes a long drag of her cigarette.

Pogo clears his throat. "Does anyone wish to speak?" It goes deathly quiet. "Very well. In all regards, Sir Reginald Hargreeves made me what I am today. For that alone, I shall forever be in his debt. He was my master and my friend, and I shall miss him very much. He leaves behind a complicated legacy-"

Diego interrupts, "He was a monster." Klaus lets out a laugh. "He was a bad person and a worse father. The world's better off without him."

Allison warns, "Diego."

Diego turns toward her and grumbles, "My name is Number Two. You know why? Because our father couldn't be bothered to give us actual names. He had Mom do it."

Grace perks up at the mention of her. "Would anybody like anything to eat," she asks with a smile.

Vanya says in a small voice, "No, it's okay, Mom."

Grace happily replies, "Oh, okay."

Diego turns back to Luther and Pogo. "Look, you wanna pay your respects? Go ahead. But at least be honest about the kind of man he was."

Luther says, "You should stop talking now." Diego and Luther stare at each other for a moment; the tension so thick you could almost cut it.

Maggie stamps out her cigarette and pulls out a bag of gummy bears out of her pocket. "Here we go." She pulls out a handful then passes the packet to Klaus, who takes it happily.