Disclaimer – Own nothing.

To heather mcdaniels – Thanks for your review! Sorry. I'm glad you are liking the story! Hope you like this chapter!

To scienceficfan24 – Thanks for your review! That's okay! Yeah, I put Hal through a lot with this story. You'll find out what Tom thinks and feels later. Hope you like this chapter!

AN – And here is chapter 23.

Enjoy!

Hal didn't realize that he had fallen asleep until he noticed that his room was a lot brighter than it was before. The sun was now shining through the windows, letting him see his surroundings clearly. He was surprised by it. It had felt like he had only blinked. He couldn't remember the last time he slept without nightmares, without dreams of any kind. It was nice. He actually felt well rested.

Soon though, Hal's light brown eyes found Maggie's chocolate ones. She was already awake, and if the slight, dark circles under her eyes were any indication, she had been awake for a while. He wasn't sure if she would actually stay the night, or leave once he fell asleep, but it looked like she hadn't moved at all.

"Hey." Hal whispered, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere they were in.

"Hey, how'd you sleep?" Maggie asked, her voice just as quiet as his.

"Better than I usually do." Hal replied before adding, "Thanks for staying."

"Of course." Maggie immediately said. After everything that happened last night, there was no way she could let him be alone. He needed someone in his corner and if his family wasn't going to be there, then she would.

And when she came to find him packing, that he was getting ready to run, she knew it was more than just giving him the support, comfort and assurance he so clearly needed after revealing what all happened during those months he was gone. It was also to keep him from taking off out of fear of how everyone, mostly his Dad and siblings would react to what he had been through and done.

Once Maggie saw the scars on his body, then the ones on his wrists and discovered what Hal had tried to do while being held captive by Karen, she realized just how terrified and guilt-ridden he was, how much pain he was in. It was a matter of life and death. If Tom and the rest of the Mason family didn't react well to what Hal told them, then odds were that he would leave. Eventually though, the guilt of what happened, his family's rejection, the fear of being caught by Karen and being forced into doing her bidding against his will would catch up to him. Maggie wasn't sure if he could live with that, and deep down, she knew that Hal knew it too, even if he would never say it.

For a while, neither Hal nor Maggie said anything. They simply laid peacefully on the bed, under the covers in silence. Both of them had missed this, though neither would admit it. Not now anyway, not with everything that happened between the two of them before, especially since they still didn't know where they stood as a couple. If it had been seven months ago, back when they were still in Charleston, Hal would've leaned forward and kissed her, but he knew that seven months had passed and they were no longer in Charleston. So, he stayed still.

"So, what are you going to do?" Maggie brought them back to reality. As much as she didn't want to end the moment they were in, someone had to. The deal had been to wait until morning before Hal decided what he wanted to do, and it was morning now.

"I don't know Maggie." Hal answered, turning his head to stare straight up at the ceiling.

He knew she had made him wait until morning because she didn't want him to rush into anything, but now he was more confused than ever. He still had no idea what his family was now thinking of him, or the rest of the 2nd Mass, but Hal wasn't sure if he should leave. After being separated from them for five months, he didn't want to leave them again. He wanted to be there to make sure they were okay. But if they didn't want anything to do with him, he wouldn't blame them, nor would he stick around. At least, not close by.

Maggie opened her mouth to say something, but at that moment, there was a knock on the door. They both sat up in surprise. Hal was about to go and answer it when he realized that he was still shirtless, his scars completely exposed for anyone to see.

"Just a minute." Hal said to whoever was on the other side of the door as he threw on his shirt and gloves, unaware of the pained look in Maggie's eyes while she watched. Though she had seen the scars last night, she got a better look at them now with the sun shining through the window. They looked worse than they did last night.

Once he had his shirt and gloves on, Hal went over to the other side of the room and opened the door. Weaver was standing on the other side, looking like he felt a little uncomfortable which automatically made Hal feel uneasy.

"Your Dad wants to see you in his office." Weaver informed him. Hal looked over at Maggie, who had moved to sit on the edge of the bed, her feet on the ground. She gave him a small, encouraging nod, and he turned his eyes back to Weaver.

"Okay." Hal told the Colonel. He then headed over to the chair in the corner of the room where he had thrown his jacket the night before.

Once he slipped his arms through the sleeves, Hal turned to Maggie and said, "See you later?"

"Yup." Maggie replied, finally getting off the bed herself to get her own jacket. Hal then headed out of the room and followed Weaver out of the building.

FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS

Hal expected Weaver to head off to do something else, like ordering the other soldiers around or planning an attack or something, but the Colonel continued walking beside him. From the corner of his eye, the oldest Mason son saw Weaver keep shooting him worried glances before he would survey his surroundings.

"Did my Dad tell you to escort me or something?" Hal asked with a small grin. He meant it as a joke, but he dropped the smile when he saw the serious expression on the older man's face.

"Considering what's been going on during the last several days, and with what happened last night, your Dad is worried that certain people," Weaver gave him a pointed look that told Hal exactly who he was talking about before continuing, "might do something stupid."

Hal fell silent as he processed Weaver's explanation, feeling a more than a little uneasy as he thought about it. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with what Weaver said, it was what wasn't said, what the Colonel and by extension, his Dad was implying. Was he being escorted because he might need protection from someone who viewed him as a threat that need to be eliminated, or to be kept from losing control and destroying the camp if he was attacked? Either way, Hal forced himself to relax as they kept walking.

"So, how are you doing?" Weaver wondered with genuine concern and curiosity.

"I'm fine." Hal replied casually, not in the mood to get into a heavy discussion right now, not when he and Maggie had one last night and not when he knew that his Dad was probably going to start one once he got to the leader's office.

"Did you sleep better last night?" Weaver then asked, knowing about the young man's struggle to sleep, and now knowing why.

"Yeah, I did actually." Hal answered honestly.

"That's good." Weaver said. He was about to say something else, wanting to keep the conversation going when they reached the courtyard, which, as it was late in the morning, was completely packed with people.

Most of them kept to themselves, busy with whatever task they were doing. Some however looked up as they heard them coming. Those who did raise their heads to see what was going on either went right back to work or shot distrustful glares in Hal's direction. Hal however kept the poker-face expression he had mastered over the last few months and ignored the looks he was getting from the few people who made it clear they didn't trust him. He had somewhat gotten used to it as it had been happening ever since word got out about his abilities. Actually, ever since he first arrived back in Chinatown.

Weaver though, didn't take too kindly to the way those 2nd Mass members were looking at his best friend's son. He knew that there were some people, most in Pope's circle, who believed that since Hal had been experimented on by Karen, he was a threat to them all, a threat that should be 'dealt with' instead of tolerated. The fact that Karen had made him a mole back in Charleston didn't help at all. Even though none of what happened was Hal's fault, that he had no say in what the aliens, what Karen did to him, those people couldn't care less. They were filled with anger and needed someone to direct it to. Apparently, the aliens weren't enough for them anymore.

Placing a hand on Hal's shoulder, Weaver gently ushered the young man towards the building that held the room Tom was using as a main office, putting himself between Hal and the crowd like a barrier. The Colonel then shot those who were still glaring at them a glare of his own, one that made it quite clear there would be h*ll to pay if they dared to make a move on Tom Mason's son. Once he was sure they got the message, he turned his head to look straight ahead as the two continued on their way.

"You didn't have to do that you know." Hal told him, completely aware of how Weaver just somewhat defended him without saying a word.

"Of course I did. This war has made almost everyone far too small-minded, which isn't fair at all to those who are now the victims of it." Weaver responded. He was getting so sick of the way those members of the group were acting, that anyone who had absolutely anything to do with anything even remotely alien was on the Overlords side and were evil and wanted them dead. While the Colonel understood what was going on in their minds, he didn't get how they refused to even try to see how it was a lot more complicated than that.

"Thank you." Hal said quietly. Since Weaver was one of the few who had been present when Hal revealed what Karen did to him and what he did, he was nervous about how the older soldier would react and treat him. The fact that Weaver actually defended him despite knowing what he did meant a lot to Hal.

"No problem." Weaver replied, giving the young man a smile. Hal returned the smile, but it fell from his face when realized that they were now inside the building outside of Tom's office and stopped in his tracks.

"It'll be okay." Weaver tried to assure Hal. The young man nodded, but still looked nervous. Knowing there wasn't really anything else he could do to take away Hal's worry, Weaver opened the door and waited for Hal to enter the room before he followed him inside and shut the door behind him.

Tom was sitting in front of the table that was in the room, maps strewn all over the metal surface. The minute the resistance leader saw the two come in, he stood up and started making his way towards them, a worried expression on his face. The look was directed at Hal who, once he saw the look and his Dad coming closer, instinctively took a step backward. Tom immediately stopped, looking even more worried and a little hurt by his son's reaction, though he couldn't blame him considering how he acted last night.

"Hey." Tom said to his oldest, not sure what else to say right now, especially with Weaver still in the room.

"Hey." Hal said back, trying not to show just how nervous he actually was. The three of them stood in awkward silence for a moment before Weaver decided to make his exit.

"I think I'm going to get back to work, let you two talk." Weaver broke the silence. Without giving Tom or Hal a chance to respond, he left the room, letting the door fall shut behind him. Again, silence flooded the room.

"So, how are you doing?" Tom asked once the silence between the two started to become unbearable, watching his son with concern.

"I'm fine." Hal replied a little coldly. His Dad looked slightly taken back, which Hal immediately felt guilty for, but there were so many emotions running through him and he didn't want his Dad to see them.

Anger at Karen for everything she did to him, anger at his father for forcing him to relive it all in front of his brothers, Maggie, Weaver, and Anne. Then there was guilt that had been a part of him ever since that night. The worst though was the fear. Fear of what his family would think about him once they knew what he had done, how they'd react. Would they see him as a murderer, a monster? He wouldn't blame them if they did. After all, he felt the same about himself.

"Hal, sit down." The leader gently ordered, gesturing to a chair near the one he was already moving to sit down in.

"I'm fine standing." Hal denied his father's request. Again, his Dad looked a little stunned by his reaction, but didn't push it. Hal was grateful for that. It wasn't anything personal after all. Well, maybe a little. The situation between the father and son were in, felt entirely out of the son's control which was due to the actions of the parent last night, and right now, Hal needed to feel some sort of control. Plus, if anything were to happen and he needed to get out of the room, he would move a lot faster if he was already standing.

Tom, for his part, put his elbows on his knees once he had sat down, then proceeded to put his face in his hands, sighing loudly. He wasn't sure what to expect from Hal after what happened last night. He was just grateful that his son didn't take off after he left the office, and that he had actually came to see him. If Hal didn't, Tom would've easily understood. And he was somewhat understanding, or at least, he was trying to understand why Hal was now acting the way he was now. But the former President was at a lost on how to comfort his oldest as well as approach the subject he needed to talk about with Hal right now.

After spending the night sitting in the office chair, knowing that if he went to bed, sleep would not come to him, Tom thought long and hard about what to do next. They now knew what Hal had been through and what all happened to him while Karen kept him prisoner, they now had to move forward. They had to first make sure that he was indeed okay, that he wasn't still suffering from any injuries had received from Karen and the aliens. Then, they would have to check to see what effects of what Karen did to him when she was experimenting on him could occur. If it was going to endanger Hal or the 2nd Mass, they needed to know. But before all of that, Tom needed to apologize to his son.

"Hal," Tom broke off, trying to figure out exactly how to word this without pushing the young man further away than he already had.

"I'm sorry, about how I acted and for what I said last night. I've just been so worried about you and I got frustrated because you weren't saying anything. But I went way too far, and I'm sorry." Tom apologized sincerely, looking up at his son, hoping that Hal could see how sorry he truly was.

When Hal didn't say anything, though Tom could tell that his oldest was struggling with keeping up his poker-face on, the father added, "And I am so sorry you went through all that. If there was some way I could turn back time and save you from going through all that, I would. Believe me, I would."

"I know." Hal responded, looking down at the ground. Seeing the emotions in his Dad's eyes, hearing them in his voice was pulling Hal's carefully hidden ones up to the surface and that was the last thing the young man wanted.

"It's okay Dad. I know that you were just trying to get answers, that you needed to know that the 2nd Mass is safe and all. While I didn't want to talk about it, I get that you needed to know what happened. It's okay." Hal told his father, looking up at him again. Though he was still a little upset and angry at how his Dad came at him last night, he did understand why. Hal hadn't been very honest or forthcoming before about what Karen and the Overlords and skitters had done to him, but considering everything that had been happening and the way he had been acting, they needed to know. Needed to know if he was a threat to the group in any way.

"I still shouldn't have cornered you like that. I'm your father Hal, I should've been more patient." Tom argued. Before Hal finally told him what he went through those months he was separated from them, Tom couldn't imagine what happened that was so terrible that Hal felt like he couldn't tell them. Afterwards though, and still now, Tom felt like the world's worst parent, especially as Hal tried to excuse his behaviour.

"You're also the leader of what? 200? 300 people? They've got to come first." Hal pointed out. Tom wanted to deny it, but couldn't because Hal did indeed have a point, whether they liked it or not.

"None of this is fair, at all." Tom said dejectedly, looking down at the table.

"It's the world we live in, not the world we want." Hal repeated his statement from over two years ago.

"No kidding." Tom commented, still looking down. Seeing how downcast his father was made Hal feel sorry for the former history professor.

Ever since his Dad became a leader of the 2nd Mass back when they left Boston, he had been struggling to balance being a leader to the group and being a parent to his sons. Hal and Ben both understood and tried not to hold it against him. Matt had a harder time with it though. That became clear while they were in Charleston, but Hal never really considered how his Dad must've felt, stuck between the two, full-time jobs with, admittedly, the job of being a parent being the one that was getting the least of his attention. Looking at his father now, Hal could see how torn the man was.

Neither of them said anything for a moment, both seemingly lost in their own thoughts. After a minute, Hal moved closer to his Dad and sat down in the chair beside him. When he first came into the office, he had been terrified of what his Dad was going to say and do. Now that his Dad knew of how he killed a harnessed and lost control of his newfound abilities, he was scared that his Dad would tell him to leave the 2nd Mass, that he was too much of a wild card, a risk they couldn't take, but none of that happened. Instead, his Dad apologized and didn't seem at all upset or threatened by him, which was more than what Hal expected. He wanted to just leave the subject here, but he knew they weren't done discussing it yet.

"So, what happens now?" Hal asked when Tom didn't say anything. Though the parent still kept his face down, his oldest child could see the worried and cautious expression come upon his face.

"Well, I talked to Anne and Weaver. We all think that it would that it would be good if you let Anne run the tests she wants to run. Since you yourself don't fully understand what Karen did to you and neither do we, we need to know if what she did is going to have any negative side effects. Also, I'm not going to ask you to use your abilities anymore." Tom informed his son, slowly turning his head to look up at the young man.

"You're not?" Hal questioned, shocked by what his Dad just said.

"No. I never should've pressured you to in the first place, especially when you told me you didn't want to. They're your powers which means it's your choice." Tom explained, staring straight into Hal's eyes.

"And if using your abilities is going to put a target on your back, then I definitely don't want you to." Tom added. Slowly, a grateful smile replaced the shock.

"Thanks." Hal said quietly and sincerely. His Dad nodded, then placed his hand on Hal's shoulder. Slowly though, the smile left the young man's face as he remembered what his Dad said at the beginning, about Anne still wanting to run those tests he had been avoiding since he reunited with his family.

"What if I still don't want to get those tests done?" Hal asked carefully, studying his father closely to see how the former professor would react.

Tom thought for a moment, trying to figure out how to respond. He still wasn't exactly sure why his son seemed so against letting Anne find out what Karen did to him, especially now that he had told the what had happened to him, but Tom knew that there was indeed a reason. And given how things have been lately, it wouldn't be one that Tom could fully predict.

"I'm not going to force you, but I really think you should. Hal, we just want to make sure you're okay." Tom replied.

Hal continued staring at his father for a moment before he looked down at the table, shifting his body so he could place his elbows on the flat surface. He understood why his Dad and Anne wanted to run whatever tests they wanted to run, he always had, but he was still scared of how they would react to whatever they would find. Now that he had told them though, the only thing they had yet to really find, was his scars. While Hal wasn't thrilled about that idea, he knew that if he refused, it would make absolutely everyone in Chinatown even more suspicious of him than they already were.

"When?" Hal finally decided, thinking that it would be better if he just went along with what his Dad wanted right now, especially since the leader was no longer going to pressure him to use his 'powers'.

Quickly realizing what Hal was talking about, Tom answered, "Sooner would be better."

"Okay."