Where In The World Are The Killers?

Find Light in Darkness

Lars was lying on his bed with his face smushed into his pillow. He still couldn't believe he almost slit his throat while drunk; what was he thinking? Sure, he wanted the pain of Angela's betrayal to disappear, but he didn't think he wanted to kill himself! He still had his family, his friends... Had he really believed killing himself and leaving them would make things better?

He rolls onto his back and stares at his ceiling. He didn't want to leave his daughters motherless and fatherless! Those girls needed him now more than ever; he needed to stay strong for them. He would get better; he would talk to Marina and do whatever she recommended. He was going to show Angela and SOMBRA that they wouldn't break him.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"It's open!" Lars calls, having been forbidden by Oberon from locking the door.

Speaking of, his baby brother was the one to open the door, "how are you feeling, Lars?"

"My head finally stopped feeling like you're playing it like a drum," he jokes.

Oberon rolls his eyes, "I don't play that hard!"

"Yeah... And how many drumsticks have you broken?" he asked.

"How many guitar strings have you snapped?" he countered, smirking.

"... Touché," Lars chuckled, "I'm sorry I worried you, Ronnie."

Oberon sits on the end of the bed, "I know you are; I've been in that position before... You scared me, Lar-Lar."

"I know, and I'll never forgive myself for that," Lars says, pulling himself up and moving down the mattress to hug his brother, "I'm sorry for scaring you, bro."

"Please just never do it again," he whispers, hugging back.

"I promise," he vows.

"Good," he smiles into Lars's shoulder, "... Are you up to talking to the others? They'll understand if you'd like to be alone, but Marina thinks a group therapy session might do us all some good!"

"I... I think I can manage it," Lars answers, taking a shaky breath.

"Just remember you can leave if you need to," Oberon says, standing up.

Lars follows his brother, and the Douglases walk down the hall to the lounge. The older Aussie gasps when they step inside, captivated by the team's setup. They had dragged mattresses from their bedrooms into the lounge and placed them around the room, creating comfortable islands covered in blankets and pillows. Fili had grown new, thick vines across the ceiling in a checkerboard pattern with magical glowing white flowers and some of Adalet's small light orbs to create the illusion of a starry sky. Even the TV had been turned on to display a burning fireplace with the volume turned low but still loud enough to hear the crackling of the wood.

The members of the Bureau sat around the room on their mattresses, all dressed in their pyjamas, except for Dupont, Ingrid and Chief Ripley. Those three sat in regular clothes at the small table beside the kitchenette. Some of his friends were doubled up on a mattress, like Adalet and Fili, while others had one to themselves. One bed in front of the couch remained empty, and Oberon nudged Lars toward it.

"What is all this?" Lars asks, getting comfortable among the pillows and blankets of his mattress.

"A talking circle," Fili answers, "or maybe talking group is more accurate; we're not really in a circle...."

Adalet rolls her eyes fondly, "what Fili means is we decided to make a comfortable space for us to talk in. Think of it like camping under the stars but without having to go outside!"