A Cabin Outside of Town | Night

[defenderofdesmoines]

You know, it wasn't every day that your boyfriend's sister called -- with a cell phone that she probably barely knew how to use -- to tell you that he had been arrested and that she now needed your help to track down their other sister, who was in the custody of some obsessive stalker dude.

But of course Annie had booked a portal as soon as Allison had phoned, and while she was understandably pretty concerned about Diego's arrest, she had suppressed every urge to ask about that in the name of instead getting to Vanya and this clearly unstable guy before anyone got hurt.

It made Annie sick to think how this asshole had picked out their weakest link and exploited her. She just hoped they weren't too late to prevent him from -- whatever the hell he had planned for Vanya.

"This is it, right?" Annie asked, as they came upon the cabin. "Jackpine Road?" She didn't see any other buildings, so it must be this one. (Just what you wanted when confronting a potentially unhinged person: a nice, remote location. Great.)

The violin music she could hear from within seemed like a bit of a giveaway, too.

Allison	"This is the address," Allison agreed, attempting a smile, but mostly just managing to look stressed and worried as she peered over at the house and noted how the lights seemed to be flickering within.
Annie	"Shit, that doesn't look good," Annie noted softly, not bothering to hide the worry in her voice. Honestly, that flickering kind of resembled what Annie was used to seeing from the ambient electronics when she used her powers, except that the exterior lights were swinging in addition to flickering. "Vanya?" she called, cupping her hands around her mouth as they approached the cabin.
Allison	The closer they drew to the cabin, the more obvious it became that something was happening there. A vortex of wind seemed to be ebbing and flowing around the sound of the violin being played. Not a tornado, but something still unnerving enough that Allison was shooting Annie another one of those worried looks as she went for the door. "Vanya? Are you in there?" Of course she was, who else would be playing the violin?
Vanya	Vanya was indeed in the cabin, playing her violin. She was very engrossed in her playing, and seemingly didn't notice there seemed to be a bit of a wind storm happening indoors right now.
Annie	"Vanya!" Annie called, stepping in the door after Allison and raising her voice even louder to hopefully be heard over the violin -- and the...wind storm? What? God, it was almost like -- nah. "Are you okay?" She looked okay. And when they were out of here and safely away from Vanya's psycho boyfriend, Annie would make sure to tell her how beautifully she played the violin, too.
Allison	"What's going on here?" Allison asked, getting a sinking feeling in her stomach as she looked at what was happening there. It felt familiar in a way her mind shied away from identifying.
Vanya	Vanya stopped playing to look at her guests. Weirdly enough, the wind died down some as well. "What are you guys doing here?"
Annie	"We're looking for you," Annie replied, trying to sound reassuring even as her mind was reluctantly connecting the dots on how the wind seemed to kind of...follow what Vanya was doing. Maybe this stalker guy had powers and was somewhere in the cabin, though? Annie was subtly trying to glance around and get a feel for her surroundings, though it didn't exactly seem like there were a lot of places to hide in here.
Allison	"Are you okay?" Allison asked, taking a step toward her.
Vanya	Vanya smiled. "Yeah, of course." She was playing violin in a sweet cabin, what could she complain about?
Annie	Okay, well, that was a little weird. Did Vanya not get how weird this was? Annie lingered back, not wanting to intrude on the sisters -- Allison was probably better equipped to handle the very delicate emotions in play here, while Annie could instead busy herself with quietly moving over towards a window to peek behind the curtains. Casually. Like you do.
Allison	"There's something weird going on," Allison said, still glancing around at the objects in the room that were still swaying slightly. "Do you know what's causing it?" Did she really want the answer to that question?
Vanya	"Me," Vanya replied, like that didn't need an explanation at all.
Allison	It actually did need an explanation and also to stop giving Allison this sick sense of dread! That'd be great, really. "What do you mean 'me'?"
Vanya	"I mean, I made those things happen. With my powers," Vanya said, looking proud of herself. "Turns out I've had them this whole time. It's weird, huh?" Understatement.
Annie	"Wow," Annie murmured, unable to stay quiet in response to that information. She was now looking over at Vanya in confused amazement from where she had been checking behind a chair for the Leonard-Harold boogeyman, though her tone definitely trended more towards confused. "I mean -- Vanya, that's...amazing." But how had Vanya herself not known? Whatever, there were more pressing concerns here. "I want to hear all about it in the car." Just getting the idea of getting themselves into a car and the hell out of this cabin out there. Don't mind her.
Allison	Thank god Annie said it because that sick feeling was almost all Allison had going for her right now as old memories surfaced with new context. Less like a dream and more like the reality of their messed up childhood. "Please?" Allison asked, going to reach for Vanya's arm to help guide her out of this place.
Vanya	"Why?" Vanya asked, moving her arm out of Allison's reach.
Allison	"You're not going to want to hear it," Allison said, trying not to feel upset that Vanya was pulling away from her.
Vanya	"Well that's never stopped you before." Her or anybody else in this family, really.
Allison	Okay, ouch. But fine, Allison could power through that. "Leonard Peabody?" she said, taking a breath to control her emotions. "His real name is Harold Jenkins. Remember when I couldn't find anything in the library on Leonard? It's because Leonard Peabody doesn't exist. Harold Jenkins does. He was in prison for 12 years for murdering his father when he was 13."
Vanya	Vanya shook her head. "No, that's--that's insane. His father was an engineer at the--"
Annie	"We have a police report in the car that we can show you, Vanya," Annie interjected gently, shaking her head. "I'm so sorry. He's been lying to you." Her heart was kind of breaking for Vanya, but they didn't really have time for this. They needed to get out of here before Harold...came back? Showed up? Whatever, Annie was just getting more uneasy by the second, the longer they lingered in that man's space.
Vanya	Vanya gave Annie a look, because of course she got to be integrated with the family business when Leonard got shunned. "I don't...I don't understand." This had to be some sort of sick play to get her to ditch Leonard for them.
Allison	"Leonard--Harold." Whatever his name was. "I know it doesn't make any sense, and I know it sounds crazy but we were in his house. He has pictures of all of us with our eyes gouged out." Try to explain that one away, Vanya. Just try.
Vanya	"What?" Vanya said, sounding slightly hysterical. How could she be expected to believe something like that?
Annie	"We can talk about it in the car," Annie contributed, anxiously glancing out the window to watch for Leonard-Harold's approach and trying to inject her voice with a little bit of authority. Like Vanya was a civilian in the middle of a dangerous crime scene and needed to evacuate. Which. Not exactly inaccurate.
Allison	"It's not safe here," Allison said, gentling her voice almost in a contrast to Annie's. "I can't imagine how hard it is for you to hear this, how you feel right now, but I love you...and I just want to be here for you, as your sister." Please believe her. Please.
Vanya	"There's just no way," Vanya said, sure about this now. "I love him. This doesn't make any sense. And--and this power, I don't know what's going on. I don't know what to do." Everyone else had their father helping them train and she had, well, she had Leonard. Which was useful, but not the same.
Annie	"We can help you," Annie said, softening again. "I know this must be...so disorienting, Vanya, but you don't have to do it alone. We want to help. Please let us help." Being authoritative wasn't working, but maybe being sympathetic would? It helped that Annie was genuinely very sympathetic. She was just also so, so worried.
Allison	"I think I understand now," Allison admitted quietly. She let out a deep breath and lowered her eyes to look at the floor as she tried to work through what she remembered. "When we were four... Dad told us you were sick. You had to be isolated. And we... we were so young. None of us knew to question it. But then he asked me to do something I never understood. Until now. I told you I had heard a rumor... that you were ordinary. He made me an accomplice."
Vanya	Vanya looked like she had been slapped in the face. "You did this to me?"
Annie	"Oh my God." Annie's hand had flown to her mouth in absolute horror, lest she say anything else. Her immediate, gut reaction, though, was that she had never been more glad of someone's death than she was of Sir Reginald's, and she didn't even care what that thought did to her soul. Those kids.
Allison	"I didn't--I didn't realize," Allison said, glancing from Vanya to Annie and then back again, already feeling so guilty for it all.
Vanya	"You knew that I had powers this whole time?" Vanya asked, looking more hurt than angry about it. For now.
Allison	"No! No, I didn't really understand until I came today," Allison said, trying desperately to lessen the pain in Vanya's eyes. "Until I saw it."
Vanya	"Now it makes sense," she realized. "Why you never wanted me around."
Allison	"What? No!" Vanya, how could you think that of her?
Vanya	"You couldn't risk me threatening your place in the house, your dominance." Allison loved being the only girl in the family that counted. She always loved attention--she was a movie star now, for god's sake.
Allison	"That's not true," Allison insisted. They did not have time for Vanya's self worth spiral right now, okay? Did not have time for it.
Vanya	"You couldn't handle the fact that Dad might find me special." Oh, yikes. Bringing the daddy's girl accusation into it, a very Diego move of her.
Allison	"You were special with or without powers," Allison insisted. Now with distance and motherhood to inform her decisions, it was easier to say these things.
Vanya	"Don't!" Vanya shouted. "Don't say that!" She was so sick of people being condescending to her. Vanya's hands clenched at her sides and the wind in the cabin started picking up again.
Allison	Yeah, that was getting a little worrisome, but Allison wasn't going to stop trying to reach her. "We have a chance to start over."
Vanya	Well that was easy for her to say. "You destroyed my life!" She earned the right to be a little dramatic right now, okay?
Allison	"Oh please, Vanya. Everything is out in the open, we can move on!" Yeah, it really was easy for her to say, huh?
Vanya	"Oh I am moving on," Vanya assured her. "Not with you, with Leonard." The totally cool guy who hadn't murdered anyone ever.
Allison	Correction: the sweaty creeper who was stalking them all. "With Harold, you mean."
Vanya	"With Leonard!" she shouted. "The only person who has loved me for me!" Everyone just...ignore the wind getting worse and the lights flickering.
Allison	Allison couldn't help her unimpressed huff at how willfully blind Vanya was acting for this guy.
Vanya	You know what? Probably not the wisest thing to do right now. Vanya started to let go of any hesitation she had about using her powers, causing the wind to pick up more as she focused the sound around them. Outside the furniture on the porch started crashing around. "Look me in the eye and tell me you're not threatened now."
Annie	"Hey." Annie had been standing back near the door, not wanting to get into the middle of what had turned into a very personal argument. But it seemed pretty clear to Annie that whatever was happening here was escalating in response to how upset Vanya was getting, and so she was slowly, carefully stepping closer. "Hey, Vanya, listen -- you're so right to be angry, but maybe let's take a step back and cool off," she offered, though she was trying to insinuate herself between the sisters. This was getting -- violent. In a different way than the guys had, and honestly, Annie would have almost preferred that.
Allison	Well, it was hard to break out of thinking your sibling would never actually harm you for real. She didn't even think Five would actually go that far. "I'm not going to argue with you," Allison said, trying and failing to not look nervous despite all that.
Vanya	"Then go," Vanya gritted out. "The both of you." She didn't want to calm down and she didn't want people placating her. She just wanted to be left alone, with Leonard.
Allison	"We're only trying to help you!"
Vanya	"I don't want your help!" When had she asked for any of this?
Allison	Family shouldn't have to ask. "Vanya, I love you."
Vanya	"Stop saying that!" And that's when the windows started blowing out.
Annie	"Vanya, stop!" Annie yelled, no longer being cautious as she put herself directly in front of Allison to protect her. This approach wasn't going to work -- Vanya wasn't being rational. "You need to calm down." Annie had a hand up out in front of her, and the lights overhead surged again -- but not because of Vanya, this time. No, it was because Annie's hand and eyes were glowing in a clear and obvious threat, and she hated that she had to do this, but it was apparently going to be necessary.
Vanya	It was just never good to tell an upset person to calm down. Vanya hadn't known Diego's girlfriend had powers, but she wasn't about to give her the chance to use them on her. She was not about to be a victim anymore. Vanya's eyes glowed white and she threw a hand out, using the sound around her to throw Annie across the cabin. Through the cabin, actually.
Allison	"Vanya!" Allison shouted, horrified by what she'd done. "Please don't make me do this..." She took a deep, steadying breath before putting her power into her voice. "I heard a rumor--"
Vanya	Those words never ended well for Vanya. She had been so angry that she reacted without thinking--white light lashing out from her violin bow across Allison's throat. And you thought her throwing Diego's girlfriend through a wall was a show of her temper.
Allison	Allison froze in place for a moment before the blood began to pour from her throat where Vanya's powers had sliced deeply. She clutched at it to try and stop the bleeding, but crumbled a bit as though she was struggling to stay on her feet.
Vanya	"Oh!" The wind and noise stopped immediately as Vanya rushed forward to try to help her sister. "Allison! Oh no, no--please--"
Harold	A little late for that now as Vanya sure as hell wouldn't be able to keep her from falling to the floor, blood starting to pool around her now. Hey, when had creepy, creepy Harold Jenkins shown up to see the chaos? Because he was positively gleeful over the scene he arrived to.
Vanya	You know who wasn't gleeful right now? Vanya. She was on the verge of a full on panic attack now. "I'm sorry--I didn't--" Vanya looked over at Leonard with tears in her eyes. "I didn't mean to. We have to help her!"
Harold	If she thought he was going to actually help her beyond his own goals, well... Harold grabbed her arm to pull Vanya away from her sister. "We have to go." But this was glorious, honestly.
Vanya	"I can't leave her!" Vanya knew if she had really tried she could have stopped Leonard somehow, but look at the damage she had already done with her powers. So she let herself be dragged away, convinced she had just killed two people.
Annie	Annie hadn't been hurt like that since Black Noir had gotten ahold of her, and while she hadn't been fully knocked unconscious, she'd been definitely hurt badly enough to have stayed on the ground outside the cabin for a good few minutes. She had a vague awareness that there was some passage of time and a male voice -- the guy, the one they'd come here to warn Vanya about -- but by the time she managed to start to get to her feet, he was yanking her out the door. And Annie would have tried to follow them if it weren't for Allison. "Oh my God, Allison!" Adrenaline was a hell of a thing, and Annie's injuries were completely forgotten as she staggered back through the hole her body had created in the cabin wall, limping over to Allison's side and the -- fuck, the pool of blood. "Allison, Allison -- can you hear me?" And when she got no response, she snapped into action -- a pair of fingers found a pulse in Allison's wrist, Annie breathed out a sigh of relief, and held her hand out over the other woman's slashed throat. "I'm so sorry," she murmured as her eyes illuminated and the remaining working lights in the cabin buzzed in response. "This is going to hurt." And with that, she set to work carefully fusing Allison's skin back together, her mind racing with prayers that this would work as well as it had in the past.

Five	"Well, that doesn't look good," Five said, noting the person-sized hole in the side of the cottage.
Luther	"No body though." Which was either a goodish sign or a horrible sign. Luther started towards the front door, moving as fast as his giant body would take him. "Five and Diego, with me. Klaus, keep to the back." Always with the bossing around...
Annie	Annie, who was just finishing up with Allison's neck -- she kept pausing to make sure Allison was still breathing -- stopped still when she heard movement outside. She stayed quiet for a moment, one hand lifting from where it was hovering over Allison's neck -- but she was pretty sure she recognized that voice. Whatever, she'd risk it. It wasn't like Vanya didn't know where she'd left them. "We're in here!" she yelled.
Klaus	"Is that your girlfriend?" Klaus asked, letting the big, burly men lead the way. And Five. He was delicate, okay? In case there was a psycho killer in there or something.
Diego	Yeah, that had Diego pushing past Luther to be the first one into the cabin. "Annie!" He stopped dead in his tracks when he came in to see his sister lying on the ground, his girlfriend hovering over her and blood everywhere. "Oh my god."
Annie	"Thank God you're here -- we need to get her to a hospital," Annie said, looking unbelievably relieved to see him as she rocked back on her heels away from Allison. "I cauterized the wound, but she's lost a lot of blood and--and I don't know how long she was -- I didn't see it happen." She'd just done the best she could. And now she was doing her best to stay calm, but she was clearly pretty shaken. What if Vanya came back before they could get Allison to safety?
Five	"Where's Vanya?" Five asked, holding himself back from going to check on Allison. Luther would do that. Because he had to look around for any other threats.
Luther	Luther would indeed do that. He crouched down next to Allison, pulling her into his arms. He had heard Annie saying something about the hospital and cauterizing but he needed to check for a pulse himself. "What the hell happened?"
Annie	"Vanya happened." Okay, no, she needed to get a grip and actually explain. She was trained for this, no matter how rarely emergencies actually occurred at her job. "Apparently...um, Vanya has powers. She always has. And she and Allison got into an argument, and Vanya got angry and -- lashed out at both of us, and then she left with that guy. With the one eye." He had multiple names and she couldn't remember either of them right now. Gerald?
Five	"Harold Jenkins," Five said, frowning at what she'd said about Vanya having powers. "What do you mean Vanya has powers?"
Klaus	"Guys, I'm not an expert here or anything, but can this conversation happen with a doctor around maybe?" Klaus asked, feeling a good ol' fashioned family argument coming on.
Diego	"Klaus is right." Diego was just as surprised as the rest of you. "Let's get Allison back home--Mom can help her." There would be no real doctors seeing people in this family, how dare you. "Are you okay?" Diego asked Annie. He had his guesses about who went through the cabin wall.
Annie	"I'll be all right," Annie assured him, though she was absolutely going to lean into him a bit and hope everyone just chalked it up to being scared or something. Even if she hurt all over, Allison was dying and they couldn't get sidetracked by some potential bruises. "But not for Vanya's lack of trying, because yeah, she has powers. She said she's always had powers but she just found out because your dad kept it a secret. But she's -- guys, she's really dangerous." Quick, everyone, pick a word to describe Vanya. Who else said, 'Dangerous'?
Five	Five looked at the hole in the wall and then at the blood on the floor and Allison's still form. "Let's go." This wasn't part of any of his plans. Vanya wasn't supposed to be a factor.
Diego	Diego watched as Luther picked up Allison and headed out of the cabin. He really did his best not to acknowledge just how much blood it looked like she lost and told himself Mom could handle it. Five was still around, after all. "Are you sure it was Vanya?" Diego asked as he led Annie out the door. "Why would she want to hurt you or Allison?" Honestly, he couldn't imagine Vanya hurting anybody.
Annie	"Yeah, I'm sure it was Vanya. She and Allison had an argument," Annie said, debating for a moment whether she wanted to say over what before deciding that, yeah, they probably needed to know. "Your dad used Allison to make Vanya forget she ever had powers, when you were all younger." It honestly made her sort of physically ill to think about. "And I just got in the middle because I was scared Vanya was going to hurt her. She can, like -- make stuff fly around." It was hard to describe. Annie wasn't sure if it was just...based on how mad she got, or what, but it totally seemed like Vanya was able to harness some sort of ambient force, the way Annie herself could use electricity. Maybe the air? "Including me."
Klaus	"Good ol' pops," Klaus mumbled behind them, hovering helplessly as Luther got Allison into the car somehow. Dude was way too big for it still, but the power of creepy love or something there.
Diego	Diego frowned at the thought of Annie being thrown around, and told himself he'd pull her aside to make sure she was really okay after they were sure Allison was going to be all right. "This is insane." Like, he might need the story told to him several times before he could believe Vanya would do something like that. "We still need to find Vanya. Especially now."
Annie	"Okay but -- Diego, listen to me, we have to be careful," Annie insisted. "You can't just treat it like you're looking for your sister. She did that to Allison." Annie could take being thrown through a wall, and that was handy. But Annie also wasn't their sister. Vanya was clearly capable of hurting one of her own siblings. Why stop at Allison?
Diego	"Okay," he said, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Okay, we'll be careful."

[NFI, NFB, OOC is always good! Preplayed with knife_bender and apocalypsehow Taken from 1x08 "I Heard a Rumor"]