Instantly the room went darker, as I found myself on the floor instead of my son. My old dress had a tear in it, and there wasn't any more thread in the small sewing kit in my hand.

The house was quiet, furniture moved haphazardly as Mama was in the process of redecorating. I stood to my feet, brushing myself off before I reached the cellar door. Normally, the sounds of her working in her sewing room would fill up the house, the light pressing in from the open curtains. It would be an angelic picture, warming the house as much as possible to revolt away the dark of loneliness, such a big house for a small family. The curtains were drawn shut today.

"Mama?" I called down the stairs. There was candle light flickering in the distance, giving me the assumption that the power was out again. "Do we need to fix the lights again? You paid the bills this month, right? I think you did." The lights didn't turn on when I hit the switch.

Carefully I walked down the stairs in the dim light, it was still hard to see despite the candle, there were few candles in the cellar, only brightening parcial areas of the rooms instead of the whole thing. The candle closest to the stairs was on an older tray, so I lifted it to use as a replacement for a flashlight. "Where's the fuse box again?"

Most of the rooms were empty, minus the occasional spider and a few boxes. The rooms were mainly storage, rather than used for anything else. The only room we had actually used, minus the main area with the stairs, was Mama's work room at the far corner.

The door was unlocked, but stuck against the floor as I tried to pry the door open. "Are you in here?" I asked out, figuring that if she wasn't answering, she wasn't in the house and somewhere around town.

The wood groaned, not wanting to let me open it as I did to see the darker room. No candles were in there. I stepped in quietly, walking along the walls in search of the fuse box. A sudden weight on my shoulder startled me.

"Mama," I cried out, jumping a foot out of my skin, "Don't sneak up on m--" My scream rocketed throughout the room at the sight before me. Her face was deathly white, edging with blue. The look on her face was dead-struck sorrow as she hung by her neck on a rope from the ceiling, a stool tipped over on the ground. With tears in my eyes I bounded up the stairs and across the street.

"I'm fine, Mama," Lucas groaned, looking into my teary eyes. "I just slipped."

"Get yourself and your brother ready and go to the car, now."

He went to Carlisle, slipping on their shoes and marching out into the backseat of our old car. I drove them down the street to where Richard was and piled them out. We found his room rather easily, knocking on his door.

"Hello?" He called before peering out to see who it was, "Sara? Boys?"

"Richard!" Carlisle smiled, running over to hug him. "You were gone for too long."
Richard grinned down at him, taking Lucas into his arms as well, "I know, Buddy, I'm sorry, how are you guys?"

They talked about their father mostly, and how they wished for him to be home. Lucas was more quiet, sniffling slightly as they spoke. Soon Richard had them at a small table in the corner of the room , drawing pictures. He took me into the hallway and shut the door.

"What's with the sudden arrival?"

"Please," I began to beg, "Help us. I don't know what to do."

He sighed, crossing his arms in thought. "How about I come stay with you guys for a while? I'll take up my old room. Where's Carl?"

"He died, Richard."

"Oh, Sara, I'm so sorry." He grew silent, letting me hug him again and cry into his shoulder. "I'm assuming the boys don't know?" 

"No."

Richard nodded, pulling back and opening the door once more. "Let me get my things." The boys, thrilled with the news of Richard coming over, eagerly carried his things out the door, despite the man's protests. Their little arms lifted large backs and dragged them down the stairs and around the lobby, large smiles sticking to their cheeks that I haven't seen in so long.

He drove us back to the house, seating us all in the living room in front of the T.V. "Boys," He said softly, his voice deepening, saddened. "There's something we need to tell you."

"You can tell us anything, Uncle Richard," Carlisle grinned, unaware of the emotion thickening in the room. I could feel my eyes begin to burn again, clutching my children close and watching the sun go down through the window.

"You're father, he," A pause, "He died on his way back home."

No one dared to make a sound.

"There will be a funeral service, next week, honoring all the Heroes that died. We can go if you want, or we can watch it on the T.V., okay?"

Lucas's lower lip started quivering, and shortly enough there were tears pouring down all three of our faces. Richard frowned, sad himself, entering in on the group hug, to provide comfort. "He's in a better place now."

A few days later, Lucas got sick.

The doctor bound him to bed rest for the week, his face struck paler than a ghost. He barely ate, each of his meals had trouble staying down. Carlisle had moved into my room temporarily, not liking to share a room with his brother that didn't look like his brother. He would play with Richard when he was lonely, or read with me.

When Richard wasn't out finding work or helping around the house, he was with Lucas. He would tell him stories, and try to feed him soups that he made. He was a very good cook. Sometimes he'd just sit there with Lucas and hold his hand, answering all of his questions about where his father went, and what Heaven was like.

"Mama?" His frail voice rose from his bedroom.

"Yes? What's wrong?" I asked, peeking through the doorway. Richard had fallen asleep sitting up on Carlisle's bed, next to Lucas. A laugh arose in my throat. "Well, isn't that a sight."

"Is Heaven really a good place? Does God really exist?" He asked, his green eyes glinting through his father's blonde curls.

I pulled up a chair next to him. "If you believe it is. I believe your daddy, along with so many people are up in Heaven with God. He is the creator, is he not? They're probably up there with each other, rejoining with families and having a reunion. Final resting peace."

"Isn't Grandma and Grandpa up there?"

I nodded, my heart pulling in my chest. "They've been up there for awhile now, Honey."

Lucas held his toy car in his hand, pushing it across the nightstand. "Does this mean we'll see them one day again? All of them, in Heaven."

I took his hand in mine, looking directly at him. "When God thinks it's time, he'll take us all to the reunion party, okay? And you'll be able to see them all."

"I miss Daddy, Mama. I want to see him now."

"I do too." I whispered, hugging him tightly.

Lucas pulled away from me, and stood out of bed, ignoring me trying to get him to lay back down. He took my hand and brought me to the kitchen where his brother was. "Let's make dinner together again." He said, "I'm getting hungry." His smile was still weak, but it seemed that there was something in him that had given him more light to look to.

"Let's do it."