It'd been three hours. He'd been back for three hours. Two thirds of that had been spent sitting on this stoop behind the school. Where was his dad? It had been three hours.

"Hey." Without looking up, he knew it was Ben who had spoken. Ben. A year ago, he had been at his brother's throat 24/7. And then he had found out how much he depended on Ben. How much he'd miss him if he went six months without him. How much he loved him. The answer? A lot.

"Hey." Turning around, he smiled at his younger brother, who was watching him hesitantly from a few yards away, unsure if he was welcome. Hal offered his brother a dry smile, and scooted to the side of the stoop, making room for Ben to join him. For a few minutes, they just sat there in silence.

"I'm sorry." Ben finally said, turning to face his older brother. Sorry?
"Sorry? For what? Breaking my Power Rangers when we I was six? I mean, I know I hold a grudge sometimes, but man, we've been invaded by aliens. That kinda gives you some perspective," Hal replied with a small grin.

"I'm sorry I took Karen," Ben answered solemnly. Hal froze. How did he know? Who told him? "Nobody told me. I remember. I can remember some of what happened when I was harnessed. It's blurry and infrequent, but I remember." How did he reply to that? Did he deny it? Say his brother must have been recalling wrong? "And I know I did it, Hal, so don't try to pull some of that 'No, you must not remember right' stuff." Damn the brotherly telepathy.

"Ben," Hal started, before stopping to clear his throat. "Ben. It wasn't you." He started.

"I know it was! I remember!" Ben interjected. Hal held up a hand.

"Let me finish. It wasn't you. Physically, yeah. But it was your body. Not you. Not Ben. Not my little brother. It was the skitters." He reached for his brother's hand, but Ben refused to meet his eyes. "I mean it, Ben," he adds, as if that's somehow some witty or touching remark that would make his brother feel any better. Oddly enough, it seems to do the trick. Ben squeezes his hand and then they're hugging. It feels good, having him close. As if it makes up for those months without him.

After a moment, they break apart and Ben half-smiles at him. Hal returns the smile, and they sit there in silence for a moment more. Both are thinking the same thing, but neither wants to voice their fears for their father. Finally, Ben breaks the quiet.

"What do you think happened to dad?" Hal stiffens. No matter how much Ben's matured in the last few months, he's still his kid brother. Hell, even Hal's just a kid. But he has to play the part of the sturdy, reliable older brother.

"I'm sure he's fine. Dad can look out for himself," he replies, but Ben isn't convinced. Neither is Hal. "Okay, something probably went wrong. He should have been back hours ago. But he has a gun. And he's a big boy. He can handle it. There's nothing we can do but wait."

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right." He's waited years to hear those words come from his brother's lips. 'You're right.' But now, in this moment, he hopes it's a lie. That he's not right. That his dad is only running a bit late because he saw Karen and took on her skidder and slender. That they're both going to be returning to him any moment now. Because if he loses his dad he doesn't think he'll be able to make it anymore. How many more must the stupid aliens take from him?

His mom. One of the only people who's ever really understood him. So kind, so sweet. It wasn't her time.

Karen. His girlfriend. He'd never felt that way about anyone before. She was just like him. They were so perfect for each other. And he let her slip away. But he would have vengeance. He was going to get her back. No matter what.

And then there was his dad. His rock. Sturdy and loving. No matter how bad things got, he was always there for Hal to lean on. He always had a plan.

And who could forget Ben? His little brother. Sure, they had gotten him back, but he wasn't totally there. Sure, he wasn't like Rick, but Ben was so much different now. He could run like an Olympian without getting winded. Jumping rope for two hours. And even his personality.

"I certainly hope not." Ben laughs, but it's not a humorous laugh. It's cold and sharp. A desperate, sad noise.

"When do we move on? I mean, Weaver's gone, too. And theyknow where we are. When do we go meet up with everyone else? With Matt? Oh, God. What if something did happen to Dad? How are we gonna tell Matt?" Ben rambled, looking suddenly panicked.

"Hey buddy, chill. Just gotta sit back and let what's gonna happen happen. Be a kid. You are a kid. I'm a kid. Just leave it up to the adults. If Weaver and Dad, or one of them, don't come back in like a half an hour we'll go find the rest of the fighters and come up with a plan. But for now, we wait." Hal said, soothingly. Ben looks at him oddly, confused.

"Since when are you a philosopher?" Ben asks, smirking.

"Since the aliens invaded. Since I got handed a gun and was told to go shoot aliens and try to stay alive. Since my mom died, my little brother was stolen, and I lost my girlfriend. And quite possibly my dad. A lot's changed." Hal says, and the ghosts of smiles that were left on their lips slip away. This is serious.