The Tale of Six Jumps

By: Maygin

Summary: Five had never attempted a jump like this; it was insane to try but what'd he have to lose? This is the tale of the first six jumps the Hargreeves children made as a family. Some jumps were better than others, and one would only be remembered as 'the bad jump'. [some Klaus whump and good ole sibling love]

Alpha Jump

The first jump was difficult; like newborn foals attempting to take their first steps, they stumbled out of the jump in new limbs, new muscles, new organs, new brain chemistry...it was no wonder they spewed out of the vortex like vomit from a newborn.

All except Five, of course. The only reason he'd stumbled at all was from the momentum of his siblings grips being ripped from his hands as they fell to the ground, every last one of them. Though their bodies were not necessarily new, they hadn't had them in ten years or more. All things said, it was a miracle they hadn't pissed themselves...thirteen year old bladders.

Luther, Diego, Alison and Ben were all vomiting in different directions. Five cringed, his nose twitching at the smell that would no doubt follow while Krause, his body more acclimated to 'trips' so to speak and having already done two jumps previously with the ill-fated briefcase, simply remained lying flat on the ground, hands pressed to his face.

Vanya was the only one to not notice any of the after-effects of the unstable jump as she lay beneath the hunched over Luther, still passed out and oblivious to the vomit splatters that speckled against her navy academy uniform and pale cheek.

Five smirked at the lot of them, hands slipping into his pockets. "Good to see you, Ben," he nodded to the newly-alive member who was quickly bowled over by Four.

Klaus tackled Ben to the ground in what Six assumed was a hug but with their newly-acclimated younger bodies, ended up in a tangle of limbs. "I'm so happy to see you," Four gushed, refusing to let go as the others started sitting up. "Look everyone, Ben's a real boy!"

Alison checked on Vanya, cleaning her up a bit as Luther and Diego both attempted to hug Ben, made difficult by Klaus who was still wrapped around his middle. Five rotated in a circle, taking in their surroundings. They'd landed in a parking lot at night.

"Where are we?" Luther's voice had lost all the deepness of his adult body and was fairly high pitched and squeaky.

"When," Five corrected.

Luther rolled his eyes. "Fine, when are we?"

Five scowled at him. "Look at yourselves," he gestured. "You're what, six or seven?"

Luther looked down at himself then back up to Five, ending with a shrug.

Five signed loudly. "It's 1995 give or take a year." Idiot was mumbled but clearly heard by all as Five walked over and shook Ben's hand, ignoring the human fanny pack that was number Four. Ben seemed completely comfortable with it so who was he to judge?

Except he was number Five which meant brusque and critical were totally his thing and he'd earned the right to it. He cuffed Klaus' head with a frown. "Give him some room to breath Klaus before you smother him back into the grave."

Klaus let Ben go but stood close by, rubbing the back of his head. His brain said to be offended, but his heart was just so happy it overruled per usual.

Five started absently circling them, muttering out loud something about equations and I can do better.

"Vanya?" Allison softly called and then looked up surprised.

"You got your voice back," Diego crouched next to the girls.

"Of course she did, she's in her younger body," Five helpfully supplied in his usual abrupt, judgmental manner.

"How does that work?" Luther asked.

Five paused in his pacing, "Don't ask me questions you're not intelligent enough to understand the answers to." Pacing resumed.

Allison huffed with a smile, shaking her head at Diego as they both returned their attention to number Seven who was starting to come around.

"She's waking up," Diego announced, uncertain if he should be ready for battle or for compassion. They all crowded around, looking down on her, as Allison just calmly ran her fingers through Seven's hair, confident.

Seven's eyes slowly blinked open...brown eyes that bounced back and forth between her siblings worryingly self-conscious.

"Hey sis," Klaus waved his fingers at down at her, "Any homicidal plans to institute the fiery apocalypse that ends all life on earth?"

Luther frowned and shoved at Klaus, but as he was Luther and known for his brute strength, Klaus disappeared from view with a yelp.

That seemed to trigger her memory though as Seven suddenly drew in a sharp breath, her wide eyes welling with tears as she covered her face with both hands. Somewhere amidst the heavy sobbing was a repetitive stream of I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.

Allison held her tight, whispering comforting words and love. The others almost sighed as one with relief; the reassurance that their sister was back to normal and not a murdering psychopath loosening a weight they'd unknowingly carried with them into the past.

"So what now?" Diego looked to Five.

"We fix our mistakes," Luther interjected. "We go back to the Academy and carry on as usual, only this time Vanya trains with us. Even if we have to train her ourselves."

"What about dear old daddy?" Klaus leaned casually on Ben's shoulder.

"We'll tell him the truth. You said it yourself, Klaus - Dad knew all about the apocalypse. We'll convince him his way didn't work."

"I can do better," Five announced with an enthusiastic nod. Mind made up, he pulled his hands out of his pocket and held them out.

The others stared at him. Even Vanya, tears wiped away by Allison, had calmed enough to join in the dumbfounded gaping.

Five wagged his hands impatiently which at least got Luther and Diego shuffling toward him uncertainty placing their hands in his.

"What are you doing exactly?" Diego spoke the question on everyone's mind.

"Fixing this," he supplied unhelpfully. When the others didn't move, Five sighed loudly, clearly put out. "Look you try doing quantum physics in your head times seven and see if you get it right the first time."

Allison sighed, "Five-"

"I can do better than this. I can move us forward a few years...just enough to avoid Ben's death but still put us in more sensible bodies."

Allison helped Vanya to her feet. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, you didn't even know if you could jump anyone other than yourself until a few minutes ago."

"Yeah, but I did." Five wasn't smug, just purely listing facts. And maybe a little smug. "Look, every time I jump, I learn a little more of the equation. Now this last jump?" He snorted loudly. "Total mind-fuck." Klaus nodded along with the sentiment. "I mean, Dolores would've lost her mind if she knew I was going to attempt jumping another person let alone seven."

"Kind of the point we're trying to make," Klaus scrunched his face.

"No one is going to take us seriously in these bodies at this age," Five said sternly, looking at each of them in turn. "Do you really want to go through the bullshit training dad had us doing at this age? It was bush league."

"He's got a point," Diego tilted his head.

"Guys," Five looked around at them, "I got us this far, trust me...I can do better."