Chapter One, Klaus.

There was blood. And screams and a horrible mess. Luther trying to get them all back in order. Trying to get the rest of them out alive. Klaus closed his eyes. He was lying on his bedroom floor . The familiar smell of weed and other drugs had reached him through his haze, he could feel the carpet pressing into his cheek. He was unsure how he got there. Luther had probably carried him, he didn't care.

He reached over, pulled a bag out of the pocket of one of his uniforms lying on the floor. Was starting to open it when a voice behind him spoke. "Really? What a way to celebrate my death."

He didn't want to look, didn't want to see. But he knew he had too. He forced something similar to a laugh out of his throat. "Wasn't trying to celebrate. Just forget." He looked. His brother looked the same as he had that morning, save the blood covering the side of his head. The death had been fast, there was that at least, he could look worse. "Not really a cause for celebration." He waved his hands around feebly, poured the pills into his hand.

"Come on, Klaus, if I can't talk to you, I can't talk to anyone." Ben said

Klaus shrugged "It's not my problem." His voice caught, choked. He couldn't do this. He couldn't talk to him. He was dead, gone, and right there in front of him. He laughed. Wild, crazed laughter coming out of his throat. It didn't sound like him.

"What are you doing here Ben? Isn't there somewhere….to go?" He waved his hand "A great beyond or something? I don't know." He sighed, put his head back on the floor. Staring at the ceiling instead of his brother….his dead brother. But what did it matter if his brother was dead? He was right here. But there was still a sense of wrongness about all this. He blinked "...What are you doing here Ben, Benny Boy, Benno?"

Ben shifted "I wanted to die. I've wanted to for years. I've….thought about ending it….so many times. But then...it happened, and I didn't want it to. I was afraid. I don't know it...it wasn't my decision quite, I don't think? I don't remember….anything solid, any conversation or anything….I just thought of you. Thought of your power. Thought….I could stay with you."

"You never liked me when you were alive." Klaus said. It wasn't quite true. Ben was always as good to him as the others were, sometimes better. Better than Diego and his rages. Better than Vanya and her strange silence, her watching eyes. At least as good as Luther, Luther tended to take care of him if he drank too much or took too many meds. Ben wouldn't tell him to go away unless he was pestering him when he was reading. Allison was the best though, the only one who really treated him like a friend, like as much as an equal as she treated anyone.

"I liked you just fine….I had a hard time with everyone…that's what happens when you are always wondering if you would be better off dead...well...at least I don't need to pick anymore."

Klaus laughed, the sound still sounding strange. "Always the silver lining. What are you going to do? Follow me around forever?"

"What else is there to do?"

Klaus shook his head. "Nothing I suppose. But….aren't I too high to see you? I don't see anyone else around here. I'm high. High as a kite. So what are you doing here?"

"You tell me, it's your powers."

"I've never understood them. I just want them to go away."

Ben laughs "Tell me about it….tell me about it."

They were silent for a while. Wondering about what this death looked like for them. Ben was trying to wrap his mind around everything he lost, and if he was even upset about it. Klaus was trying to imagine the horrible thought of losing himself.

He imagined walking out of the room. Going to Luther, telling him that Ben was here, and of Luther, from that point on. Always making sure he knew what Ben thought about EVERYTHING, in his never ending, unyielding fairness.

He imagined going to Allison, telling her, and maybe she wouldn't let him use her clothes anymore. Wouldn't let him in her room to paint nails and gossip about cute boys they had seen at one of the outings their father dragged them on (she was the only sibling he had told he liked guys to, and in turn, he was the only sibling she had told about her feelings for Luther.) but if Ben was with him… would she still want to gossip with him? He didn't think so, and that was crushing.

Diego and Vanya too… they would probably want to talk to Ben… it's not like they often wanted to talk to him anyway. But… who would he be? If he was always telling people what Ben said, what Ben wanted, what Ben thought. He felt a lump forming in this throat, how horrible was he? That he didn't want his brother to be here? Of course he wanted his brother… but what was the price? Himself? Could he pay it? How could he not?

It was, to his surprise, that Ben finally spoke, as though reading his mind "I don't think you should tell them."

He choked "What? They will want to know."

Ben sighed, "I know...I mean, I don't want you to tell them."

"Why?"

"Because… I want it to be over Klaus, I can't deal with this anymore. I don't….I don't want to have to… to live anymore Klaus. I don't want to talk to them. I don't want to look at them looking around the room for me when they won't even see me… I want them to move on. It will be easier right? If they do it like everyone else does? To think I'm just gone entirely?"

Klaus nodded. Feeling relief flood him, but also, reluctance. But before he could find words Ben spoke again.

"Anyway. If you tell them, Dad will know. And… he'll do something I'm sure of it. Try to… get me back somehow… or something, and that will fall on you Klaus. I don't want you to get hurt because of me." Fear cutched at Klaus like nothing else since Ben had appeared, memories, cold. Dark. Screams. Ben's voice calling him cut through the memories. And he breathed again. "Yeah…yeah… I guess we shouldn't tell them then."

Ben nodded, seeming almost as relieved as Klaus felt. But then, he heard many footsteps. You could always count on Luther to have the worst timing. And the heavy thump of steps in the lead could be no one else's. Klaus looked at the pills in his hand, still unswallowed. "Show time, I guess."

Ben gave him a sympathetic look, but said nothing.

Luther knocked. Loudly, but not rudely. Klaus sighed. "Come in." Luther opened the door, followed closely by Allison, Diego, and in the back, in her strange way, Vanya followed them in. Luther had changed back into his school uniforms like they were meant to do when a mission was over, but he was the only one. Allison and Diego were both in the dirty, and mildly bloody jumpsuits. Vanya of course, had never had one on it the first place. They all wore matching expressions of shock and sadness and desperation.

Luther looked relieved "Good, Klaus, you're awake."

Klaus chuckled. "Haven't overdosed quite yet." He held up the pills in his hand. "Working on it, don't worry."

"Y-you c-c-can't p-put t-that-" Diego stuttered, he cut off. Turning away in shame. Unable to bear his speech failing him now.

Luther glanced at him but had the courtesy to look away back at Klaus. "Look Klaus, we need you. We were thinking and we realized, if you just get sober. You can talk to him."

He looked at them, their eager, desperate faces. And he looked at Ben. Wondering if this was the right call. But Ben nodded at him, in the strange coldness he usually saved for missions. He looked back to the rest of their siblings "Sober? Now? Sober is the last thing I want to be."

"Klaus, we know. We know it's hard but… this is Ben we are talking about. We have to talk to him again," said Allison.

Klaus laughed. The strange demenented laugh that seemed to have found him since Ben died. Diego stepped towards him, seeming to decide that if he couldn't talk sense into Klaus, he would beat it into him. Luther's hand went out without thought to stop him.

Luther spoke, pleading, although trying to keep it out of his voice. "Klaus, we have already lost Five. I know… I know you struggle with the ghosts, but Dad believes you can get past this."

Vanya spoke for the first time "Ben… we need him."

Diego tried again to speak. "H-he's o-ou-our b-bro-brother-" again he gave up. But this time he slumped to the ground, defeated, like nothing else could defeat him, by his own voice.

"Klaus. Come on."said Luther. He moved forwards to take the pills away. And Klaus, barely knowing what he was doing, swallowed the whole handful. Luther froze. Anger clear in every inch of his face "How can you be so selfish?" He asked. And Klaus wished, like the ghosts, the pills would make them go away, because he was selfish, this wasn't about Ben and Ben's wishes, this was his desire to not be lost. Lost in Ben.

He watched them leave. They had lost, there was no point in them staying anymore. Luther gathered them all and shoed them out. Diego only moved when Luther made a move as though to pick him up, at which point he leapt to his feet and left the room without looking back. Klaus laid back on the floor, staring up. Wondering what he should feel? Guilt? He mostly felt relief. And a desire to get raging high. He decided to break into his father's alcohol cabinet. Drunk would be a good start. He got up and walked out of the room. Noticing as he did so, that Ben followed understood the prison he had unwittingly created, Ben was tied to him now. He really needed that drink.