Standish went to the bar at seven. He looked around the bar in search of the others. Inez, the bartender and owner was watching him while cleaning glasses. He walked up to her and ordered a beer.

"Did you find anything?"

"Not yet, but I will prove it that they are real tonight." Ezra said confidently.

Inez looked a little sympathetic which was a look Ezra hated.

"Maybe it's best you don't push it. Forget them and move on…"

"I don't need to move on because they are real."

"And if you're wrong. Is knowing worth the consequences? You could be rid of all of this if you just let go."

"Don't you see I can't!" Ezra shouted, gaining the attention of a few people around them. He lowered his voice again, dropping his head, "I can't—just leave it alone. You don't understand. These men were my friends. My," Ezra swallowed the lump in his throat, "only compatriots. People who accepted me as one of their own and didn't try to fix me."

Inez placed a hand over his and gave it a gentle squeeze, "These men don't have to be the only friends you have. I'm sure you can make others. Just, just try and get some rest at home, hmm?"

Ezra nodded and walked back out, though his heart ached to do so.

In his apartment, he felt empty. His mother texted him that she had landed and was going to be there in an hour, but he didn't bother to reply. She didn't ask for his permission for anything anyway.

Staring at the turned off television, he almost missed the sound of a knock at the door. Getting up and stretching a bit to appease the aching muscles, he walked over to the door expecting Maude. Instead he found Vin standing on the other side.

"Vin? How did you? How?" Ezra stammered.

"I can come in, right?" Vin asked, walking around the confused man and into the apartment.

Ezra closed the door and turned to his unexpectant guest.

"What are you doing here? How did you know where I live?"

"Ez please, you and I both know that's not the real question you want to ask." Vin said, claiming a seat on the arm of the sofa.

Ezra sat down on the couch across from him, "Am I the only one who can see you all?"

"Yes."

Ezra took a minute to digest this information, "Okay, so are you like some form of ghost then?"

"No."

"Then what are you?"

"A figment of your imagination." Vin watched as Ezra got up from his seat and began pacing the length of the room. He ran his hands through his hair and across his face. "Ezra, I wanted to tell you earlier, I tried to, but I just didn't have the gut to come out with it."

"What? To say that I've gone crazy, is that it!" Ezra growled.

"The others; Nathan, Chris, JD and Buck. They don't know they aren't real. Hell, Buck keeps flirting with the bartender and says she completely ignores him but he just doesn't understand the truth."

"So you and Josiah have worked it out then." Ezra was feeling like he was going off the deep in, talking to someone who isn't real about another group of people who aren't real.

"Yeah, but you seemed so happy we agreed not to say anything. I mean who would question a drunk person talking to himself?"

"Apparently, someone did." Ezra hissed. Then a thought came to him. "What was that going on about Chris and the other's background history?"

"I thought it would repel you. Make you not want anything to do with us, but then the others got excited and continued to talk to you."

"How did this even happen? Was it because I came into the bar in the first place?"

"It had not thing to do with the place, but your state of mind." Vin said softly.

"Again, it comes back to me losing my mind.

"I'm just guessing you were just trying to figure something about your life and have created us to deal with those issues."

"What issues?" Ezra frowned.

Just then the door buzzer rang and he looked at the time. His mother must be here. Ezra turned back to Vin, but he was gone. Disappeared. All if it made it clear that this wasn't real and that something was definitely wrong with him.

Opening the door again, he stepped aside as Maude came in with a flourish, talking about something he didn't quite understand, and didn't care about at the present. He did however put on a facade for her because he knew she didn't care for such things like weaknesses. More specifically his weaknesses.

When she had gone out for a night at the casinos here in town, he waited for Vin to return. Ezra was divided whether or not he really wanted him to come back. About ten minutes passed and nothing happened. He was about to give up when he saw Josiah and Vin this time. They sat in his kitchen and he had to keep himself from jumping from alarm.

"So, about our conversation before. What issues would I be needing to overcome?" Ezra picked up from where he and Vin left off.

"I'm assuming it is some events in your life that have been holding you back from truly moving on." Josiah suggested.

"Nothing is holding me back. I'm perfectly fine."

"Well, you best buckle in then for the long haul because if you're not willing to deal with these issues then we may be here a while." Vin sighed.

"And that could drive you to go crazy." Josiah said glumly.

"This was never supposed to happen. I just wanted people who accepted me." Ezra sank into his seat.

"You just wanted friends, and your mind created us."