Morna held her hand to her mouth, muffling her cries of pain and anguish. Her baby, her youngest child, was dying. And there was nothing she could do to help him, to make him live long and happy. She failed as a mother. She was holding the small child in her one arm, rocking gently in her chair as she watched him, sleeping.

He looked so peaceful, her little baby. His small head was tucked against her chest, his tiny hands curled against his small body. He'd been born too soon, it was a miracle he lasted so long. But, it was still painful to know she'd have to let him go, that she'd have to tell his siblings. All three of the kids were so good with him, so happy and proud their little brother had lasted so long...

They were all so hopeful. And yet here she was, spending her last night at home with her baby, thinking of how she would tell her other children that their baby brother would have only a few days left, and they'd be spent in the hospital. She frowned when she saw a light in the sky, watching what appeared to be fire fall from the sky. She swallowed, and stood, making sure the kids all stayed in bed. She was glad to find none had woken up from the light as she made her way past the bedrooms.

Climbing down the stairs, she checked the lock on the doors and windows, before picking up the landline. She dialed the familiar number of her husbands work, worried about what she saw, but too nervous and scared to check it out herself. She gently rocked the small child in her free arm, shushing him when he made small noises of pain, she knew he was hurting. It pained her so to watch his small face scrunch up. She held the phone to her ear, bouncing lightly as she waited for the secretary to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Yes, hello, can you connect me to Aodhan McLoughlin?" she asked, keeping her voice as calm as possible, "It's his wife, Morna."

"Of course, Morna. How's the baby?" Morna smiled sadly as she heard some button pressing from the other side of the line.

"Baby Jack's alright, for now..." she said softly, voice cracking at the last word. She smiled as the woman on the other side of the phone line told her she should be connected with Aodhan momentarily, and then waited patiently.

"Hello?"

"Aodhan!" she said, relieved she could speak with him.

"Morna! Are you alright? Is Jack okay?"

"Jack's fine if a wee bit uncomfortable," she said softly,

"But I called you because something happened. There was a strange light outside, and I don't know what ta do. It jus' came from tha sky, Aodhan. Looked like a ball o' fire!" she said, her voice panicking slightly.

"I'm sure it's nothing, Morna. You just stay inside and keep everything all hunky-dory over thar, and I'y'll check 'round when I come home," Aodhan said, his voice calming and steady. Morna smiled and gave her acceptance to the words.

"I'm goin' ta stay up fer ya," she said softly, "I want ta know what happened... and I don't want ya ta pussy out on wakin' me when ya get here," she said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah. I just like lettin' ya sleep. Ya don't get much of it anymore."

"I fehkin' love ya," Morna said sincerely, smiling. And she really did, she loved Aodhan with all her heart. He was hers, and she was his. And that's how it would always be.

...

Aodhan jittered as he drove closer to his home. Morna's phone call had worried him hours before, and still, he was nervous about what he would find. As he pulled into the driveway, he could see a fine line of smoke coming from the pasture out back. He frowned as he got out of the car, his head tilting up before following the smokey line downwards. He went inside to grab a bat, before making his way to the pasture, and the smoke.

He was slow and deliberate in his steps. When he arrived, he nearly dropped the bat from shock. There, right out in his backyard, was a 3-D man-sized metal oval. The metal seemed to be one solid piece of silver or steel. The tip, lodged in the earth, was scorched and blacked. Aodhan stared for what seemed like ages, and then he jumped back. It was opening, sparks flying. The ship was obviously damaged, especially from the inside.

"Morna! Come here!" he called behind him, dropping the bat in shock of what he saw sitting in a seat inside the... pod.

"Aodhan? What's wrong?" he could hear his wife calling from inside.

"Morna... just-just come over here! And keep the kids in bed! I think I found what that light was from last night," he waited a few moments for his wife to come outside, just staring at the small bundle.

"Oh, Aodhan, what on earth are you talking abou- Oh my god" He turned to find his beautiful Morna standing behind him, tears in her eyes. She looked to him, before stepping closer and closer. The babe, resting atop a blue and green blanket, moved it's arm, reaching towards them. Morna let out a soft sob at the sight, watching as Aodhan reached out towards the small babe as it whined softly.

"Aodhan... what is this..?" his wife asked, as he carefully picked up the baby. It's, his, eyes were now completely closed, and his breathing soft and steady, sleeping. He held the small child close, staring down at him like he had done with all their actual children when they were that small.

"Morna, dear... do you think..?" he started, but couldn't finish, eyes welling with small tears of his own, "What do we do? Do we inform the police? The government? A doctor?" he asked softly.

Morna shook her head, coming closer to stare down at the boy in his arms. He kind of looked like Jack, with his small button nose and rosy looking cheeks. The only difference was the hair on top of his head, which was a few shades lighter than Jack's. Aodhan smiled at her as they stared down at the small infant. He couldn't be much older than their Jack. His eyes scanned the babe, as Morna's eyes stayed on the baby's face. He saw a small bit of embroidery along the one edge of the blanket wrapped slightly around the legs of the child.

Sean Sped-

That was all he could make out. He blinked slightly, before smiling. He gently began to rock the baby back and forth, a habit he'd picked up from his wife. Back and forth, back and forth.

"His name's Sean... I think. It's what his blanket says," he said softly. His eyes were drawn back to the baby's face as he let out a small whine, his arms reaching upwards.

"Oh Aodhan, give him here, let me get a better look at him," his wife said, holding her arms out. He nodded, and carefully handed the babe and blanket over to his beloved Morna. She smiled kindly down at the baby, cooing.

"He's precious, isn't he?" Morna said softly, looking back up toward Aodhan. "...How will we explain him, Aodhan? The children... they don't know about Jack yet... neither does anyone else, besides Doctor O'Daniel... m-maybe we could..?" Morna was hesitant and soft-spoken, looking up at him with... almost scared eyes.

"We'll take him to O'Daniel's place in the mornin', Morna. For now, let's bring him inside. Get him warm and fed. And cleaned. The poor babe looks like he's been through Hell and back. And, while you do that, I'll go check out that... pod or whatever it was that he was in. Maybe I can figure out where he came from," He said, his voice gruff but kind. He then shooed Morna back inside, whispering to her to put him in the crib with Jack for the night. Then, he turned to the pod. He huffed and rolled his sleeves up, turning to the shed to find a shovel and a wheelbarrow.

Once he'd brought them out, he got to work. He started digging around the strange metal oval that had held the child. He grimaced when, after accidentally hitting the side, the 'door' that had opened to reveal the boy, fell. He grumbled slightly, placing it in the wheelbarrow. He didn't want to do damage, unsure of the role this hunk of metal could play in the future. Once he'd dug it up and got all the parts in his large wheelbarrow, he made his way to the door. For once, he was truly glad he worked in the basement. He managed to get everything downstairs, quicker than he'd expected to. When he was done he threw a sheet over it and made his way upstairs. At the top of the stairs, he looked down to where he'd hidden the strange ship. He sighed, closing the door behind him.

There was one thing he knew, this boy was going to change everything.