Falling for Maggie
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan-fiction. The story I tell about Ben and Maggie is my own invention, and it is not purported, or believed, to be part of the Falling Skies story canon. It is for entertainment only, and is not part of the storyline.
Chapter Eleven:
Maggie:
"You should get some sleep," Sara said, after a particularly long moment of silence. She sat her glass on the table, and gave Maggie the thousandth look of pity for the night.
Maggie glanced down at her glass. She still had at least half a glass of whiskey left, and she wanted to drink it. In fact, she wanted to drink the rest of the bottle. "You can go if you want." She told Sara, nodding toward the stairs.
"No, not if you aren't tired."
Maggie leaned her head against the wall, and smiled a little. "I don't really get tired." Too far gone, she thought, but not tired.
"Oh yeah," Sara grinned, pouring herself another drink and resting back on the frayed couch, "sometimes I forget that you've got that super power DNA."
Maggie issued a weak smile. "Super powers? More like a curse."
"Oh?" Sara asked, tucking her socked feet up under herself.
Maggie looked up at the stars. She'd been silently wondering all night if the shadow plane was actually a real place, like a planet or maybe a star. If it was a planet, could it be seen from earth? Was she observing the very star that Ben had traveled to, and just didn't know it? Maybe one day, fifty or sixty years from now they would discover where the shadow plane existed, if it was another physical place or some kind of ethereal realm, but for now they could only speculate. With the existence of other alien beings in such constant question, wasn't anything possible?
"Earth to Maggie." Sara said, waving a hand. "Pope said you'd be a drag, but I defended you."
"Haha," Maggie replied, "I'm not sure why you bothered. I'm not going to the memorial."
"Maggie," Sara said, absentmindedly tearing the label off the bottle of whiskey. "I'm not going to push you to go. I admit your family is hoping you'll be there, but I'm here as a friend. All I want to do is be here for you. Is that okay?"
Maggie swallowed the lump building in her throat. She'd never had many female friends. Her closest confidants had always been male. And she was okay with that before, and after, the invasion, but it touched her that Sara was willing to just listen, that she wasn't going to try to rush things with Maggie like everyone else was. "Of course," Maggie mumbled, "I'm glad you're here."
They sat in silence for another minute or two. Maggie knew she was being rude but the direction of her thoughts seemed predetermined. She wanted to touch his cheeks with her hands. They twitched at the intensity of the memory of how it felt for her palms to press against his warm cheeks, and the sweet expression he made as he was leaning in for a kiss. The feeling she got when he kissed her, like warm sunlight on her face.
"So," Sara said, "I heard Ben's brother is back."
Maggie sighed. "Hal."
"Right...how did that go?"
Maggie pinched her lips together, and gave a little shrug. "He met someone...while he was out there, I guess. Her name is Isabella. Apparently she saved his ass in a hairy situation."
"I see," Sara said, taking a sip of her drink. "And how does that make you feel"
Maggie took a drink. She felt a breeze blow up around the roof-top. She closed her eyes, and opened them again, and he was there, holding back a little, watching her, watching the conversation. He leaned casually against the sofa that Sara was sitting on, and there was a bemused expression on his face, like he was as interested, and curious, about what her response to Sara's question would be, as she was. It seemed so silly that her hallucination of him would appear, at this specific moment, and that it would care how she felt about Hal's reappearance, and his new girlfriend, but as crazy as she knew it was Maggie felt she had to alter her answer a little, so as not to hurt the apparition's feelings. The way he stared at her with those twinkling eyes made her skin tingle. "I-um...I truly want Hal to be happy, and if this Isabella does that for him, then I'm good." She took another drink, closed her eyes and when she opened them, Ben's ghost was gone.
"And what about you, Maggie?" Sara asked, crossing her legs, and taking another long drink of the whiskey. "Where does that leave you?"
"Does it really matter?" Maggie asked, feeling a little intruded upon, considering the circumstances. Drinking alone was sounding better every minute.
Sara gave a small, understanding sort of nod. "I know what you mean. I'm still trying to work out in my head what I'm trying to do with John. You know, it took me a long time to come around to all of this," Sara said, gesturing around them, "you know...I actually talked to Pope about having a kid?"
"Why?" Maggie asked, sitting forward a bit.
Sara shrugged, "I don't know. I never even considered it before...you know...before the war. I was happy being single. But now that all this has happened, I feel this insane need to put down roots. I guess my biological clock isn't taking into account that we're in the middle of an alien invasion, or something. It's weird."
"What's your point?" Maggie asked, frowning a little.
Sara smiled. "I don't really have one," she laughed, taking another drink of the whiskey, "other than that you're my friend, and you have this really beautiful family and I hate to see you in pain. I just," she sat forward, "I just want you to know that we're here for you. John and I. We're here for you and Thomas. And we're not giving up on Ben, like everyone else. Pope was just saying if any of the Masons could survive hell, it would be your husband."
Maggie felt the tears coming, and this time she didn't try to stop them. She stood up, crossed over to Sara's couch, and fell down next to her. Sara opened her arms, and Maggie rested her head on Sara's shoulder, and sobbed. "It's okay," Sara said, softly rubbing Maggie's back, "It's okay to miss him, Mags, and it's okay to still have hope. Stranger things have happened."
"Thank you," Maggie said, pulling back and wiping her eyes. "Thanks for hoping with me for just a little while longer. I need that."
Sara wiped a strip of hair out of Maggie's eyes, "So what's it like?" She asked, sitting back a little and taking another sip of whiskey, "Having a younger man?"
Maggie took the bottle that was wedged between them, put it to her lips, and took a long drink.
####
Ben:
He woke with a start. His eyes blinked open, and he shielded them from the nearby fire-light, letting them adjust to the flickering hues of the cave-like room. Someone was lying next to him. He looked to his left. Anim was there, unconscious, enshrouded in her cloak. There was a peaceful expression on her face. "Anim," he whispered, and his throat felt like it was lined with sandpaper.
He heard footsteps, and looked to his right. Another Espheni was approaching. Ben stiffened, and cried out. Every part of his body hurt. Movement sent a licking fire across his skin, akin to having the worst sunburn of his life. "Don't move," the Espheni woman said, "Drink this."
She handed him a round bowl containing liquid that looked like water. "What is it?" He croaked.
She took his hand, roughly, and shoved the bowl into it, spilling half of the liquid on his clothing. "Drink it, or you will die, painfully, from those burns."
Ben looked at Anim again. "Is she okay?"
The other figure, cloaked with a hood so he couldn't see her face gave a slight nod. "My sister is foolish, but she is alive. For now."
Ben inhaled deeply and leaned his head back a little. He dipped the bowl so that it rested on the rim of his lips, and took a long drink. He recognized the flavor of the liquid. It was the same elixir from the pool in Anim's chamber. He drank the rest of the contents, and sat the bowl on the ground. "You're Anim's sister, Zyre?"
The Espheni gave an almost indiscernible nod, "I am."
"What are you going to do with us?"
"Us?" The creature asked, adjusting a little allowing her hood to drop, revealing her face for the first time. She resembled her sister, possessing the smaller female Espheni characteristics.
"Anim didn't think you would be happy about her bringing me here."
Zyre chuckled. "My sister knows me well."
"So," Ben asked, preparing for the worst. "Are you turning us in?"
Zyre sat frozen, statuesque, until Ben's anxiety formed bubbles in his stomach. "Tell me," she finally said, adjusting a little and gesturing toward Anim, "Is your concern for you, human, or for my sister?"
"Both of us," Ben replied, "She shouldn't be punished for this, for me being here. I stumbled on her chamber. I convinced her to escape, and lead me here. She didn't even tell me why we needed to come here. She just said it was our only chance to survive. I hope she was right."
Zyre lifted her knee, and leaned onto it. "I have three children by my master," Zyre said, and her tone turned thoughtful, "Two princes, and one daughter. My sons will become warriors. They were taken from me at birth. My daughter – who was also taken from me – will become a slave."
"I'm sorry," Ben said, feeling like his words were inadequate.
She sighed. "Do not feel pity for me, human. I simply want you to understand why I must do this. You see, I am allowed to see my children occasionally. And I have determined that my daughter is just as capable – if not more so – than my sons. She is bright, strong, and most importantly she is brave. Our masters underestimate our bravery. And I do not wish to see my daughter suffer my same fate. The fate of my sisters. The fate of my mother. The fate of all Espheni women. So, I will help you. Not because I have any sympathy for the human cause, but because we have a common enemy."
Ben drew in a ragged breath. "How can you help me?"
She nodded. "My sister tells me you need a way home. My chamber is located near a portal that will return you to your world. Also, I can provide you with information."
"And what about her," Ben asked, looking over at his friend.
Zyre seemed a little caught off guard by his question. "My sister chose to forfeit her life for yours. I do not pretend to know – or understand – her reasons."
Ben put his hands on his head, and felt ashamed as his eyes filled with tears. He inhaled deeply, forcing the lump in his throat back down. He knew it was strange, but he felt responsible for Anim, and he considered her a true friend, unlike any he had ever had. "There's no way to prevent her death?"
Zyre looked perplexed. "I must say," She relayed, "I did not expect for you to react this way."
"She's my friend," Ben replied, rubbing his head.
"Anim has always had reckless notions about how things should be," Zyre noted, "She would have wanted it like this. Nothing you can do will prevent her death. You must leave immediately if you do not wish to suffer the same fate. If you want the information in my possession, I must convey it now, or never."
"Will you tell her?" Ben asked, "When she wakes up, if she wakes up, that I said thank you for everything.'"
Zyre seemed to be thinking about his question for a moment. She gave a little nod. "I will pass on the message, human."
"Okay," Ben said, feeling the effects of the special drink kicking in. His burns were healing already. "I'm ready."
####
Maggie:
An annoying ray of sunlight kept getting in her eyes as she tried to sleep. Finally, with a huff, she sat up in bed. Her head felt a little heavy, but otherwise she wasn't hung-over from the whiskey. She grabbed the glass of water on her bedside table, and downed it all. She flinched when she felt movement to her right, and turned to see her son, Tom, sleeping restlessly beside her. He was clearly having a dream, and his eyes were blinking rapidly under the lids.
She drew herself out of bed carefully, so she didn't wake the boy. She went over to the window, and looked out over the bombed out downtown square. And there he was, sitting on the front steps of the family house, gun in hand, healthy and whole, and looking up at her. Another hallucination, Maggie told herself. Would Ben's ghost haunt her forever, or would the false images of him fade over time?
"Daddy," a voice said, and she turned to see Thomas, sitting up in bed, looking at her.
She gave him a little smile. "No baby," she told him, "It's just me."
She went over to him and sat on the bed beside him. His golden curls were plastered to his sweaty forehead, and his pajamas were slick with sweat. "Did you have bad dreams, little prince?"
He yawned, stretching his chubby arms above his head. "Hungry." He told her.
"I bet you are," she said, pulling him out of the tangle of blankets, and into her lap. He pressed a hand against her leather jacket, and leaned his little head into the curve of her arm.
She knew she needed to get dressed for the memorial service. Thomas would need to be dressed too. "Come on," she said, "Let's get you dressed, and we'll see what's for breakfast."
There was a knock at the door. "Come in," Maggie called, giving Thomas a little tickle. He giggled, and she looked up, ready to greet Ann or Matt, certain they had come to rouse her and Thomas.
Hal stood in the doorway, still wearing the clothes he'd arrived in. "Hey." He said, cocking his head a little at the sight of them.
"Hi," she replied. "You look like you didn't get much sleep last night."
"Still adjusting to not being on the road, you know," he said, "And before I crash," he took a small step inside the doorway, then knelt down several feet in front of them, "I wanted to meet my nephew." He took his hat off, and Maggie felt her heart warm. It was obviously a sign of humble respect.
"Sure," she answered. "Thomas, this is your Uncle Hal, daddy's brother." She held the boy up a little so Hal could get a good look at him.
"Woah," Hal said, and there was a tremor in his voice, "He's so big."
"Hello," Thomas said.
Hal laughed. "And he talks."
"Yes," She said, laughing a little with him, "He talks a little more each day, don't you, Thomas?"
The little boy smiled, shyly pressing his face into her chest. "He's beautiful, Maggie. He looks just like-" Hal's sentence faded out. "Look," he continued after swallowing hard. "I want to apologize for everything that happened, the Karen stuff, the fights with you, and Ben. For what it's worth, I'm sorry, Maggie. You deserved better, and clearly Ben saw that, and I didn't."
"It's okay," she answered, letting Thomas play with her hair, "He was sorry. We both were, for how things turned out. We never meant to hurt you, Hal."
He gave an approving nod, and rose to his feet. "It's only fair that I tell you, I'm in love with Isabella, Maggie."
Thomas played with the buttons on her jacket, and kept giving his uncle Hal shy looks. "Good," she said. She flashed him a genuine smile. "You deserve to be happy. It's what Ben wanted. What he wants-"
Hal swallowed, and she saw fresh tears in his eyes. "You're a part of our family now, Maggie. If you ever need anything please don't hesitate-"
She held up a hand. "Thanks, Hal. Here," she said, "Can you hold him while I get his clothes ready?"
"Of course," Hal said, and she almost laughed at how nervous he looked as he accepted his nephew into his arms.
Oh Ben, she thought, if only you were here to see this.
####
The crowd that gathered in the square was massive. It was the first time Maggie had experienced the full roll-call of every soul currently living in Fayetteville, everyone that had joined the second mass.
Tom, Ann, Matt, and Hal sat beside her, in plastic chairs, on the raised platform for family members. The same pretty minister that had married her and Ben just a few days before, stood in front of a pulpit, facing the crowd. In the center of the square was a slab of granite that the fighters from the Embassy had carved Ben's name into. Surrounding the stone were hundreds of candles, and waving in the air high above it was the American Flag.
Thomas fidgeted in her lap, "Want down," he was chanting, "Down, down."
"Not right now, son," Maggie said, reaching into her pocket and withdrawing the wrestling action figure Matt found for Thomas. She gave the boy the toy, and he smiled up at her, patted her cheek, and then started playing.
The minister cleared her throat. "Today we are here to honor Ben Mason-"
A deafening cheer rose up from the crowd, drowning out the rest of her sentence. "Please," she said, holding up her hand, "Ben's family is here with us today to say goodbye to a son, a brother, a husband, and a father." The minister turned, and gestured toward the family, giving them a compassionate look. "But you all knew Ben as a fighter," she continued, turning back to face the crowd, "As a leader, and as your friend."
Another roaring cheer from the crowd, and Maggie felt her eyes begin to sting. She'd promised herself she wouldn't cry, but then again, a day ago, she'd promised herself she wouldn't attend the memorial service, and here she was. "Ben made a sacrifice," the minister said softly, "A sacrifice many more of us may have to make in the days to come to secure our freedom as a race. We're here today to honor Ben Mason, as a soldier, a friend, and a part of our family. Tomorrow, and every day after that, we continue to honor Ben by fighting those that took him from us." She put her fist in the air, and the entire square made the same motion, remaining surprisingly quiet.
"Ben's father has a few words to say before we light the candles," The minister said, turning to wave Tom up to the podium.
Maggie watched Tom, his movements slow and calculated, the way his adams apple vanished and reappeared. Please don't cry, Tom, Maggie thought, or I won't be able to hold it together until this is over.
Tom put both hands on the podium, and looked out over the square. He was opening his mouth to speak when there was a commotion back toward the monument. Maggie noticed people standing aside for someone walking through the crowd. She squinted, putting a hand over her eyes to block out the sun.
As the crowd parted, the figure, dressed in tattered black clothing became visible. "My god," Ann exclaimed, "It's Ben."
"Daddy," Thomas said, dropping his forgotten toy on the ground at their feet.
Maggie frowned. Of course, she saw Ben, sauntering up toward the raised platform, looking worn out, and covered in blisters, his eyes locked on her own, but strangely, it appeared everyone else was sharing her delusion.
The apparition came to stand in front of the stage, put his hands on it, and without even looking, leapt up onto it. "Daddy," Thomas burst out of her arms, and the second his feet hit the floor he was running toward the ghost of Ben.
Ben laughed, knelt down on one knee, opened his arms, and Thomas flew into them. "My sweet little boy," Ben murmured, squeezing Tom to his chest.
Maggie swallowed. Was she dreaming? That could be the only explanation for everyone being in on her hallucinations. She pinched the skin on her thigh, but nothing changed. "Maggie," the ghost said, holding a hand out to her.
"This isn't real," Maggie whispered, feeling heavy, warm tears drip down her cheeks. "You're dead, and I'm hallucinating again."
Tom, who'd been momentarily frozen like the rest of them, knelt down beside Ben and put his hand on the ghost's back. "Welcome home, son." He said, "I'm getting a little tired of thinking I've lost you."
"Wait," Weaver said, coming to stand near the platform, his gun in hand. "We saw you vanish into that Espheni portal. Cochise said you couldn't survive it. How did you get here, Ben?" Weaver's expression was suspicious, and Maggie almost wanted to giggle at how real he seemed in her dream. IT was exactly what Weaver would say, and act like, if Ben really did come back to them.
"I wouldn't have survived," Ben said, still not breaking eye contact with her. "But I had help."
"Help?" Tom asked.
"We can talk about it later," Ben told them, pushing up to a standing position. She saw him glance at Hal, then back at her. She thought she saw a pained expression cross his face, and then he was walking toward her. He knelt down inches from her knees, and the hand that wasn't holding their son went to hers, which were crushed into her lap. "You aren't hallucinating, Maggie. I'm here. I came back."
Her chest expanded with a sob, and she put both hands on his shoulders. Her hallucinations had never been this real. She had never been able to touch his apparition when it came to her, and it had certainly never spoken to her, even though she'd screamed at it to talk. The minute she'd tried to make contact, to touch him, his image would blink out, vanishing entirely. But this hallucination was different, stronger, solid, talking, and not going anywhere, despite her laying hands on him. "You left," she cried out, loud enough for everyone to hear, "You left me all alone."
Her entire body was shaking, as she brought her hands from his shoulders, to his face, cupping his cheeks in them. "I'm so sorry, Maggie," Ben replied, his expression filling with sympathy. "I didn't know it would take me this long to get back to you."
"You didn't know if you'd come back at all," she answered, dropping her hands from his face to his lap.
She felt Hal stir beside her, and Ben glanced up at him. "I was trying to travel through the portal to find you. How did you get here?"
Maggie glanced over at Hal. His expression was blank, unreadable. "I was saved by a group of civilians. They helped me get back here, to Fayetteville. Ben, I…there's so much I want to tell you."
Maggie turned back to look at Ben, and caught the suspicious expression on her husband's face. Is this really happening, she thought.
"How did you get back from the shadow plane?" Hal asked Ben.
"The same way I got here," Ben answered, "Through a portal."
Ben straightened up, took Maggie's hand, and pulled her to her feet. "Daddy," Thomas said again, and contentedly patted his father's chest.
"That's enough for now," Tom said, "I guess we can end this memorial service. My son is hurt, he needs time to heal, but as soon as we figure out what he knows, we'll let you know if it changes any of our plans. For now, go back to your posts. Unless Ben's news changes our plans, we still set out for DC tomorrow, and I want everyone well rested. Thank you for coming."
He turned back to Ben, put his hand on his son's shoulder, and nodded over at Weaver. "Come on, Ben," he said, "Let's get you to the hospital."
"I'm fine," Ben said, hoisting Tom onto his hip, and putting his arm around Maggie's shoulder. "Right now, I need to be alone with my wife, and son."
Maggie felt numb as Ben led her to their quarters. She was afraid to say anything, to do anything that might wake her up. Afraid this might be her last chance to say goodbye, even if it wasn't the real Ben, even if her mind was manifesting him. She realized, suddenly, that she'd rather be crazy, and see things that weren't really there, if it meant she could be with Ben.
####
Ben:
They were sitting next to each other on the couch in their little apartment. Matt had offered to take Tom for a walk while they talked.
Ben was concerned for his wife. Maggie looked like she had lost ten pounds, or more, since he saw her last, she had dark bags under her eyes, and when he touched her, she twitched, as if the contact was painful. "Maggie, I'm so sorry," he tried again, "Please forgive me."
She glanced up at him, her eyes taking on that strange, dreamy quality. "I see you now, Ben. I can even feel you touching me, but I'm not sure you're actually real. I'm not sure this isn't just another dream."
"Why would you think that?"
"Because I've seen your ghost every single day since you left," She yelled, holding her hands out, and he could see that she'd dug her fingertips into her palms, and they were bleeding.
"Hey," he said, reaching out and pulling her trembling body against him. "Hey, shhhh, I'm right here, real as ever, and I'm not going anywhere."
Her admitted hallucinations concerned him. It's not like she could really get sleep deprived, or that she'd been on any medication. "It could be that the spikes kept us connected, that they made you see me."
She gave a little nod, sniffling into his chest. "I want to believe that, Ben. I want, so badly, to believe that you're really sitting here, holding me, but I'm honestly afraid that I'll fall asleep, and when I wake up, you'll be gone."
He lifted her chin, so that he could look into her eyes. "Could a hallucination do this?" He tipped her head back a little further, and leaned down, gently pressing his blistered lips against hers. The kiss was long, and sweet, and with eyes open he watched her eyes widen, and felt her lips turning into a smile. He pulled back just a tiny bit, "I missed you so much, Maggie."
"Oh Ben," she said, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, and held onto him tightly, running her fingers through his hair. "I didn't want to believe that you were dead. I couldn't. I don't want to live without you. Please don't ever leave me again."
"I know," he said soothingly, rubbing her back. "It was stupid of me to do what I did. I realized that the second it was done. I'm so sorry for everything I put you through. Please forgive me, Maggie. I promise to never do anything like that again."
He felt her relax in his arms. She leaned back, reached up, and touched a finger to his blistered cheek. "If this is a hallucination, I hope it never ends," she told him. "Now tell me everything."
###
A/N: Lots of good stuff to come. Sorry for the last few short chapters. I promise the next one will be a really LONG one! Thanks for sticking with the story. If you have the time to leave a review, I would really appreciate the motivation to continue this love story despite how the show seems to be taking this pairing. Thanks everyone!
