Reality, in all its harsh starkness, really is very seldom comforting. There are a few spots of it here and there, the kindness of a friend or the gladness of a symptom-free day, but their lives aren't easy by any standard, and their Others' weren't, either. That much is clear from all they've gotten back. And it demands strength that Nathan might not be ready to gather and expend to sustain it all.

"This was all after L's time," Lazarus says softly. "I... wish I had some context for it. I can only guess. It may have been Kira, it may not have been... but if it's a notebook, it makes sense that it could go between people, doesn't it? In fact I don't see how that could really be avoided. One person using it would get caught much faster."