Maggie jumped out of the truck with her gun at the ready, all her muscles tensed, ready to shoot anyone that threatened the members of the second mass. Tension was thick in the air and Maggie's chest felt tight as she tried to remember how to breathe because Hal Mason, the person she loved most in this alien infested world was standing in front of a firing squad with a bag over his head.

Tom started to make his speech and between him and Weaver they had most of the soldiers on their side within a few sentences. But one soldier, one diseased pig, raised his gun regardless and shot at the 'traitors'.

Yelling broke out and there was a well-placed bullet that dropped the pig just a few seconds after he fired but Maggie only had her eyes on Hal.

When the first shot rang out Hal's head snapped backwards at the impact of the bullet and the rest of him went limp making him drop to the ground with a thump. The black bag was still on his head and his hands were still tied behind his back but there was already blood streaked against the bullet holes of the wall behind him and more soaking into the dusty ground where he lay in the dirt.

Maggie screamed his name and sprinted towards him hardly noticing Tom untying Anne and Ben beside her. The blonde was knelt beside his body but she had to be sure she had to…..

Shaking fingers nudged their way under his collar to rest against his dirt streaked neck. Tom knelt beside her with a hand on her shoulder and asked with shaky words "Is he?" and Maggie nodded because there thrumming under her fingers was a pulse.

"He's alive." The small Mason family was surrounding them now, even Matt who'd climbed down from his rooftop perch as soon as he'd seen his brother drop, and they all helped to roll Hal over to untie his hands that were squished underneath his back.

Once his hands were free Maggie gripped the closest one to her and prayed that he would be okay because while there was a pulse there was still a lot of blood and the bag hadn't even come off of his head yet.

Tom Started to pull the black fabric from his son's head, careful to peel the wet fabric away from where it stuck to the wound, as Anne checked the boys breathing.

When the bag came off there were audible gasps from those gathered around and Maggie could hear Matt sniffing in the background. The quiet crying suddenly became muffled as Ben pressed his little brother's face against his chest not wanting him to look because there was just so much blood. It was smeared down half of Hals lax face and had started soaking through his hair to pool on the ground.

Anne took a look at the soldiers head and quickly found where the blood was coming from.

"It looks like it grazed him but it's pretty bad, and I don't even know if it's done any damage to his skull. His breathings uneven and he's losing blood fast; we need to get this bleeding stopped and get him to a room so I can treat him properly."

Tom quickly stripped his jacket to take off the shirt he had underneath and handed it to Anne to press to Hal's head. Weaver was taking care of everyone else and had a soldier bring over a stretcher for the Masons.

Maggie still had a hold on Hal's hand but had to let go to allow Tom and Ben carry him inside and chose to hold Matt's hand instead as they followed the stretcher.

As soon as they got Hal to a room they transferred him to a bed and everyone but Tom was pushed out of the room so Anne could examine him and get the head wound sorted. They were lucky they were at the army base because they had the resources and equipment here necessary to treat Hal properly and Maggie was grateful but she really just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.

Maggie sat staring at the doors that Hal was taken through and squeezed Matts hand that still shook in her grip. Turning to the boy she wrapped her arms around him and rested her chin on his head of curls.

"He'll be okay Matty, he always is." She hated that he had to see his brother like that. Matt had seen his big brother in some bad situations but being shot execution style had to be the worst and she just wanted to pick the boy up and take him away from all this.

Harsh coughing startled both Maggie and Matt and as soon as the younger Mason turned to find it was Ben making those noises he jumped up and ran to his older brother.

"Ben are you okay?" Maggie stood as well taking a good look at the teenager. He looked feverish and exhausted as he slumped in the chair. Matt was holding his brothers shoulders and it looked as if Ben would have fallen from the chair if he wasn't.

Maggie had heard from Tom that Ben had been tortured but hadn't seen the damage till now. He really didn't look so good and Matt looked ready to cry again.

"He's probably just tired Matt, let's get him to a bed and Anne can check him over later. He'll be okay, right Ben?"

Maggie wasn't sure if the teenager was even listening but sighed quietly in relief when he nodded weakly.

"Yeah I'll be okay Matt I'm just tired. Don't worry about me and don't worry about Hal either he'll be okay especially that thick head of his."

Matt's lower lip wobbled a bit and he sniffed and wrapped his arms around his brother's neck and gave him a squeeze.

"I'm glad you're okay Ben, I didn't want to leave you and Hal and Dad but weaver said I had to get help."

Ben lifted a pale arm to rub his little brothers back. "You did the right thing Matt and we're all okay now."

Maggie could see that Ben was in pain and wouldn't be able to stay awake much longer but she waited till Matt let go to wrap her hands under his arms to lift him from his chair.

With Matts help she guided Ben through the doors to a bed in a small room not far away from where Anne and Tom were working on Hal.

By the time they settled Ben, on his stomach, in the bed he was already drifting off and Maggie watched with a small smile as Matt carefully tucked a blanket around his big brother. The blonde wished, not for the first time, that she had siblings or a family of her own but when Matt turned those concerned blue eyes to her she realized she did.

"Are you okay Maggie? You're probably real worried about Hal right?" Maggie just nodded as she sat in a chair a few paces from Ben's bed.

"Well Anne's taking care of him and she always saves people so she can save Hal. And Hal's tough he survived the eye worm and heaps of explosions and he was okay even after Pope took him, he'll be okay. Right?" The boy looked for Maggie for confirmation and although there were tears in her eyes she nodded.

This kid, had seen so much, been through so much and he was still protecting his family despite being the youngest member of it.

Maggie nodded again and reached out her arms as Matt came to hug her, those curls of his brushing against her cheek.

They waited there for a few hours and both of them almost drifted off a few times but finally Anne and Tom came out to talk to them.

Anne had obviously tried to clean off the blood from her hands but still had blood staining her shirt as did Tom and Maggie felt a little sick at the sight of it.

"Hal's head wound bled a lot but it isnt too serious, he has a severe concussion and a broken wrist and bruised shoulder from when he fell but I think he'll be okay."

Matt asked the question before Maggie could. "When is he gonna wake up?"

"I don't know Matt, the bullet that hit his head knocked his brain around a bit so he could be out for a few days or it could be week's and I don't know how he'll be when he wakes up either. I'm going to take him for a head-scan later and hopefully that should tell me more."

Maggie was glad to hear that Hal was okay but she didn't miss the worry in Anne's voice.

"What do you mean 'how he'll be when he wakes up'? Are you telling us there's damage?"

The doctor quickly reassured the soldier.

"I don't believe there's any brain damage but the concussion and any bruising to the brain could make him confused or seem a bit different when he wakes up. He could suffer memory problems or behavioral changes or he could be totally fine. I will know more with a head scan but we won't know for sure till he's awake which , like I said, could be days or weeks."

Tom looked almost shell shocked as he stood beside his middle child's bed and ran a hand through the boy's hair.

"Anne could you check Ben over? Maggie can sit with Hal and I'll take Matt to the hall for something to eat."

Anne nodded and ushered Maggie to Hal's room.