Disclaimer: The harness made me write this… I don't own Falling Skies! Save me from this thing Dr. Harri… oh wait, damn!

…

"Progress Ave, third on the left." Karen leaned across the front seat, indicating her street. This part of town was quiet for the moment but it was obvious the aliens had been through. Two bodies lay on the sidewalk as they entered Kingston Rd, the street leading to Karen's street. Two women in jogging gear. They all looked away as soon as they registered what they were looking at. Karen didn't want to find out if she knew them.

"This one?" Tom motioned to a leafy cul-de-sac and Karen nodded silently, her eyes trained on the house on the corner. "Is that…?" Tom started.

"Mrs. Braun's place. That massive tree, she used to let the kids of Progress hang out up there, let us build a fort." The tree was the main feature of the yard now the house had been partially-destroyed. "You think she's dead?" Neither of the Masons answered her question. "Right at the end, just around the corner." They drove down the street silently, taking in what was left. Most of the street had fared the same way as Mrs. Braun. Karen sniffed and Hal turned to glance at her, frowning as he saw the tears brimming in her eyes. He understood. Tom and Hal still had yet to return home. Would they find Rebecca, Ben and Matt alive? "Just up h…" Karen paused as she saw it. The mess of yellow cladding and wood that had been her home.

Without even letting Tom stop the car she pushed open the car door and jumped out, landing on her feet and running towards the house, calling for her mother. Tom pulled the car to a stop and Hal got out behind her, jogging after her as she paused on the edge of her property, looking up at the little that remained still-standing of her family home. As Hal's eyes scanned the rubble he saw what had caught Karen's attention. Near the back of the rubble, only partially visible between what seemed to be walls, was a human arm. It wasn't moving. "Karen, I…" But Hal didn't know what to say.

"She can't be…" The words came out a whisper as Karen choked back emotion. "She can't be dead." Hal touched her arm but instead of comfort it seemed to trigger the tears and she coughed softly. Hal watched her for a minute before a noise other than her cries caught his ears. It was that soft hiss of metal, like hydraulic brakes, and it was coming closer. The mechanical monster.

Hal grabbed Karen's arm. "We have to go."

Karen just shook him off. "Let them come, let them take me, I don't care anymore." She crouched down, tears overwhelming her, but Hal paid her no heed and just leant down and pulled her to her feet.

"You saved me and now it's my turn to repay the favour." Then, grabbing her around the middle, he pulled her along with him back to the car. Pushing her into the backseat he followed her in. "They're coming." Tom understood and hit the gas just as an alien appeared in the side yard of the house next to Karen's. Tom managed to turn the car and get halfway up the street before it saw them and started to give chase. Hal, meanwhile, was dealing with Karen who was sobbing uncontrollably and trying to get out of the car. He grabbed her arms and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her. "I know, I know, I'm sorry." She pushed at him a few times, trying to get free, but soon she relented and just buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing openly. Hal pushed her hair off her forehead and looked up at his dad, catching his eye in the mirror, and a look of recognition passed between father and son. They were next.

…

Lourdes sighed. "I never knew." She'd taken a seat as she listened to Hal's story and she now put her chin in her palm, pressing an elbow into her knee. She looked so forlorn, a strange look considering out of everyone, maybe even more than Matty, she was the positive one. "She doesn't talk about herself."

"Her father, aunt and uncle were never found. She liked to say they were alive, had got out of Boston, but during all those months in the city she kept waiting to see if they'd walk in and join us. They didn't so…" Hal finished his drink and put the cup down. "After the city defence fell and we split up she officially decided they were dead and gave up hope."

Her brown eyes rising quickly, Lourdes shook her head. "Oh no, we can't give up hope. I know I'm going to see my parents again soon." She gave a smile but it was sad. "One day."

"What happened to them?"

But Lourdes shook her head. "No, my story can wait for another day. You haven't finished yours."

"About how I met Karen? That's all there is to it."

Lourdes smiled. "No, about going home and finding out your mom was okay."

Hal sighed. "But she wasn't okay – she was frantic because we didn't have Ben."

…

182 Tanner Road was destroyed. Rebecca put her arms around Matt as he stared up at his home with tears in his eyes. Rebecca had been lucky. She'd been home when the attack had started but maternal instinct may well have saved her life. At the first sight of the ships she'd jumped in the car and headed the two blocks to Bastion Hill Elementary where she found the students had all gathered together in the main hall. She'd seen one of the metal monsters on the outskirts of the school but no metal monster was getting between Rebecca and her son so she got past it, made it inside, and found Matt. Like all the Mason boys he was strong on the outside but as he saw her Rebecca could see her youngest son's bottom lip quiver and he wrapped his arms around her like he was determined not to let go.

She'd immediately got him away from the school and headed for home, keeping to the well-covered streets, silently listening for any of the ships flying overhead. They made it home without resistance but were dismayed by what they saw. The house was ruined.

After a few minutes of pushing through the rubble Rebecca realised her family weren't inside however and had returned to Matt's side as he sat with his back to the big tree in the front yard and just sniffled. "Hey, dad will be home soon, and he'll have Hal and Ben, and then we can go."

"Where?" Matt asked with wide eyes. "Where is safe?"

Rebecca didn't have an answer for that so she just pulled Matt into her arms and waited for Tom to come home. It felt like forever, and she could have sworn she heard more robots moving around nearby, but then she saw the dark blue station wagon at the end of the street and she stood with a smile. Tom pulled up in front of the house and waved them towards the car. As Rebecca reached the car her smile wavered. She saw Hal and a blonde girl in the back, but there was no sign of Ben, and she looked to her husband for answers. "Where is he?"

Matt jumped into the backseat beside his brother as Tom just motioned Rebecca forward. "We have to go get him. Get in."

Rebecca shook her head slowly. "Why didn't you get him first? What is happening? What are they doing?" The questions all rolled out in a jumble of words as emotion got the better of Rebecca and she coughed back a sob. Tom got out of the car, grabbing her around the shoulders, leading her to the passenger side.

"Get in the car Rebecca. We'll find him, I pro…"

Tom was cut off as a car turned into Tanner Road from a side lane. A man Tom knew leaned out the window. "Waters Street ex-Serviceman's Club. I've heard we should head there."

Tom shook his head at the man he knew only of Geoff. "We need to head towards the army base up north. It's the only safe place."

Geoff shook his head back. "Haven't you heard? They blew up the army base first. There's no defence force left. Waters Street. Get your kids and go." Geoff and the three other passengers in his car drove off quickly.

As Tom got back in the passenger seat Hal leaned over between the front seats. "Do you think that's right?"

"It makes sense to disable a country's defence system when you're invading."

"You think they've destroyed our nuclear weapons too?" Hal continued. "Or seized them?" He glanced sideways at his father as Tom started the car up again. "Do you think they'll use them against us."

"From what I've seen I don't think they're here just to kill us." Tom said softly. Rebecca and Hal gave matching frowns. "There's something else going on. I don't know what it is yet, but there's something." He pulled the car away from the curb quickly. "Come on, let's go get Ben."

…

16 Birchgrove Lane was silent. The house hadn't been destroyed but it was dark, there was no movement inside, and in the darkening afternoon sky it looked eerie. Most of Birchgrove did. Nothing moved. Not even a mechanical monster. It was just… dead. Silent, desolate, deserted.

"Is everyone dead?" Hal asked softly, still leaning over the front seat, staring out the windshield.

Tom didn't answer his question, just stopping the car. "Hal, get in the front," he passed his son the car keys. "If the aliens come get Matt and Karen out of here. Go to Waters Street."

Hal watched his parents get out of the car with a frown then climbed over into the front seat. "Okay."

Closing the driver's side door with a soft slam (it seemed to echo in the empty street and Tom cringed a little, paused and waited for the sound of a mechanical monster or ship flying over. There was nothing. The aliens had, dared he say lest he were wrong, gone…) he walked around to the front of the house with Rebecca. She looked over at him and took his hand. "Do you think he's in there?"

Tom frowned. "Part of me hopes so." He looked across at her. "Part of me doesn't." Rebecca seemed to understand though and gripped his hand softly, leading him towards the front gate. The front door of Nick's house was open, not pushed open, simply left ajar as if Nick and his family had rushed out. Tom walked into the house first, pausing as his eyes started to focus with the darkness, the dying light. Nothing moved and his ears strained for sounds from upstairs. Nothing. Nothing at all. He took a deep breath and called out his son's name, bracing himself in the doorframe for an enemy attack, picking up an umbrella from just inside the doorway. He counted to ten and nothing came so he called again. No response. He went for a third and when nothing happened he looked over at Rebecca. "Search upstairs." She nodded and started for the stairs when Tom spoke again. "Be careful." Giving him a sad smile Rebecca started upstairs quickly as Tom moved into the front living room. He'd been to Nick's place only once before, when Ben was late from walking home from his best friend's place and Rebecca had panicked a little bit, but he hadn't ventured any further than the living room at that time. He remembered it now. The photos on the mantelpiece, the china cabinet in the corner, everything so clean and in place. It was the same. Nothing had been knocked over in a rush, pushed aside by large mechanical feet, knocked over as people ran for their lives.

Ben wasn't here.

Tom's heart sank. He knew that meant only two things. One was that Ben, Nick and his mother had made it to somewhere safe, hopefully Waters Street. The other was…

Rebecca came back downstairs, tears streaming down her face, and she looked across at him holding something. It was Ben's backpack. "He's not here."

Tom nodded. "I know." He walked back to her and hugged her as she sobbed softly. He looked back out the still open front door. The massive alien ship hung low to the east. Silent. No lights coming from it now, no movement, just quiet. The first wave had ended. Would there be another soon? "We have to get the boys to Waters Street." Rebecca looked like she was about to protest but Tom spoke over her. "He might be there, he might…" He stopped. "And we have to think of Hal and Matt now."

Rebecca nodded slowly. "You're right." She dropped Ben's backpack in the hall. "You're right." Then, turning away from Ben's bag, she walked out the front door.

…

"How is he?" Hal glanced up. "How's Ben?"

Hal smiled softly at the mention of his brother. The surgery had been a success as far as he could tell and, though tired, Ben was now free of the harness and sleeping in the school's makeshift hospital room. "Better." He frowned a little. "We haven't told him about mom yet though."

Lourdes nodded. "Want to wait until he gets stronger?"

Hal shrugged. "It's just hard to talk about, that's all." He glanced up as he heard his name and saw Tom walking towards him. "I think that's my cue to go." He handed back the empty cup. "Thanks for the drink."

Lourdes beamed. "Thank you for telling me your story."

Hal chuckled. "I wish that was all there was to it, that I could stick a nice 'happily ever after' on the end for you."

"One day you will get to, I'm sure." Then, with a smile, Lourdes took the cup and walked away. Hal shook his head after her with a smile and glanced back at his father.

"Where we going?"

"Maggie went out before dawn this morning with a team of foragers and they came across a group of Mechs guarding Tennyson High, not far to the south-west of us." Hal frowned. "She saw some harnessed kids in there."

Hal nodded slowly. "Great, let's go get them then."

Tom touched his arm. "Karen was with them." Hal looked at the ground. "If you want to leave this one we can go get her."

Hal shook his head. "No, I want to come." He shifted the gun in his arms, ready for business. "I have to get her back."

…

The gates to the back parking lot of the ex-Servicemen's Club on Waters Street were shut and locked. Tom pulled up outside and got out of the car, motioning for the others to wait, and he walked up to the gate. He was about to reach out and shake it when a voice sounded from inside. "Identify yourself."

Tom frowned. "Tom Mason."

There was a pause. "Friend or foe?"

"Do I look like an alien to you?" He looked around for the voice then spotted a young man in a watchtower just above the gate. The watchtower looked like nothing more than the small standing area atop a fireman's ladder and Tom stepped sideways to see if he could spot a fire truck.

The man spoke again. "We don't mean aliens mister Mason." Tom looked up and noticed the man had a shotgun pointed down at the car. "So answer: do you come to us for help, to join us, or to work against us?"

Tom looked up at him. "I have a wife and two sons in my car right now. What do you think?"

The younger man paused then looked down at someone Tom couldn't see with a nod. A man appeared from the side of the gate and unlocked it, pushing it open slowly. "Come in mister Mason, make it quick, and join the line."

Tom returned to the car, glancing at Rebecca as she watched the whole thing with a confused look on her face. "You really think other people have tried to, I don't know… rob these people of what little they have? They clearly just want to help."

Tom nodded. "Humanity – no matter what else attacks, we are still our number one enemy." He started the car and drove through slowly, watching the two men manning the gate close it behind him. "They told me to join the line."

"What does that mean?" Tom pointed wordlessly to the cue stretching from the back entrance of the ex-Serviceman's Club. The hall was big, massive by the city's standards, but there were so many people lining up it seemed the place wouldn't be able to hold them all. Rebecca gasped. "Who are they all?"

"They're what's left of the western suburbs of Boston." Karen spoke up from the backseat quietly. "No word from our politicians, our defence force, the people that are supposed to protect us. They're leaderless and scared, have watched the people they love die, killed by the monsters in the sky we've just come to accept." There was sadness in her voice but the intelligent girl spoke eloquently and never paused to regather her words. The Masons listened carefully to her, their attention wrapt by this young lady they barely knew. "They just want to know they're not alone."

Tom pulled the car into a free space in the car park as Karen stopped talking and just looked at her feet, blonde hair dropping over her face. Rebecca turned in her seat and touched Karen's knee but the girl didn't move. "Come on, let's go in."

…

"Ladies and gentlemen – your attention please." It had been an hour since the Masons had arrived at the ex-Serviceman's Club and though they still stood in line, they were nearing the front, little Matt half-asleep against his father's shoulder. He woke and lifted his head as the woman came past them. "Thank you all for waiting and you won't have much longer." She came to a stop with a smile. "For the purposes of finding lost loved ones, and registering the deceased or taken," Rebecca gave a small sob and Tom looked over at her. She'd been holding back the tears for Ben quite well until now but suddenly they threatened to escape. "We need you to register your identity, the names of anyone you have lost, and any still being searched for. Names and addresses will suffice." She smiled warmly at them as she walked back up the line. "Thank you everyone."

"That was surprisingly business-like." Hal muttered. Tom looked over at him with a soft smile but neither of the women either side of him said a thing. Rebecca was holding back a fresh wave of sobs unsuccessfully and Karen had found her interest taken by the ground at her feet.

After another fifteen-minute wait they stepped in through the front doors and Tom put Matt down, reaching for Karen and touching her arm. "Would you like to go ahead Karen?" She nodded silently and walked past him to the front of the cue. Hal took a few steps after her then stopped, watching her reach the table. He looked at his father but Tom just nodded silently.

"Name and address dear?" The woman who'd told them the procedure earlier sat with a large book in front of her, names written down on different pages in what seemed to be alphabetised. It had only been six hours since the attack and they were already organised enough to alphabetise their records? The organisational person in Tom liked that.

"Karen Maree Nadler. 48A Progress Ave, Boston West." Karen managed. The woman behind the desk nodded and wrote it down. "My mother is Susan, she's… um, deceased." The woman gave Karen a sad smile then wrote that down as well.

"And your father?"

"Richard Nadler. He was at work. The Century Building in Cambridge. I don't know if he's alive."

The woman flicked through her notes. "He's not listed."

Karen gave a sad smile. "Thank you anyway."

Hal slid past his father and stepped up next to her. "That might be good? He might still be okay?" Karen just shrugged and moved down the line of tables as the woman looked up at what was left of the Mason family. As Tom hugged the softly-sobbing Rebecca, Hal spoke. "Thomas and Rebecca Mason, Hal Thomas Mason and Matthew Elliot Mason." The woman smiled at Matt as he leaned on the table, watching her write. "My brother, Benjamin, is he here?" The woman checked the book again then shook her head sadly. "Then he must have been taken by the aliens."

"They're calling them Skitters." A serious-faced army man stepped up behind them, turning the woman's book and reading their details. "The green ones, with six legs." Hal frowned and the man read the face right. "You haven't met them yet?" Hal shook his head and Tom looked up. "We think they control the robots, the Mechs, and they came down this evening to pick up the kids." Rebecca choked back a sob. The man glanced across at Karen. "She with you?"

"Yes." Hal said, almost defensively, as the man looked across at Karen as she signed a piece of paper with a shaking hand.

"We need you on the hunters and gatherers." He pointed to Tom and Rebecca. "You two as well." Matt stepped forward and he glanced down at the boy. "Not you." Then, tapping at the book, he muttered one last thing then walked away. "We need an address."

Hal glared after him. "Who the hell was that guy?" He turned back to the woman and she smiled.

"You mean Weaver? You'll get used to him, he's not that bad." She motioned down the line. "He's right about the hunters and gatherers though. We need people to gather food, medical supplies, anything you can get really." She looked at Tom and Rebecca too. "I suggest signing up. Your friend already has." She motioned to Karen as the girl was handed a thin armband. She wrapped it around her right arm then walked off, that tired look still on her face, her figure slumped.

Hal nodded. "Sign me up."

Tom agreed and Rebecca did too, if only reluctantly, and the woman smiled. "Great. I'll put your names down. Just take these," she fished down under the table and pulled out three armbands, pushing them across the table towards them. "And go stand over there." She pointed to where a few people stood waiting, Karen among them, propping up the wall with a forlorn look on her face. They started off when the woman spoke again. "Oh, home address."

Tom sighed. "182 Tanner Road, Bastion Hill. Not that there's anything left to call it a home anyway."

…

Weaver raised the clipboard to his eyes, lowered it again, then looked down the line. "Welcome to the party." He scanned the group of about twenty. "Before anyone asks why we need you to do this, why we all need to be here, why have I been handed a weapon when I'm only thirteen?" He glanced down at a younger boy watching him, a gun as big as him in his arms. "It's simple – we are the only defence we have left. These aliens have dropped in and taken over. Unless we unite, unless we fight together, we have nothing." He walked down the line slowly. "Now if any one of you want to back down, hand back your armbands, go hang out with the civilians and let someone else save your ass, feel free. I want fighters people, not little girls." He paused in front of Karen and looked down at her but she stared right back at him, her jaw set, determined. He kept walking. "Go if you want to." But no one moved. Weaver gave a slight smile. "Okay." He raised the clipboard again. "Jimmy Talbot – foraging for weapons." The young kid with the big gun nodded and Weaver continued down the line.

"Tom Mason – foraging for weapons." Hal watched him walk towards him slowly. "Rebecca Mason – foraging for food." Rebecca didn't move or give any kind of recognition she'd heard him. "Hal Mason – foraging for weapons." Hal nodded as Weaver moved along to Karen who stood beside Hal. "Karen Nadler – searching for survivors."

Weaver passed on not noticing Karen's lip tremble. But Hal did and he reached out, taking her hand. She glanced over at him, her eyes brimming with tears, and Hal squeezed her hand. "It'll be alright."

She shook her head sadly. "How will it? I'm likely the last one of my family. I don't have anyone."

"You have me." She looked back at him slowly. "I'm not going anywhere." She gave a slight smile, sad, but nonetheless a smile. "You are not alone Karen Nadler."

…

Hal kicked his bike into gear as the small search group set out again to rescue their missing comrade and he repeated those words softly to himself as the bike roared to life. "You are not alone." Then, taking a deep breath, Hal rode his way through the masses of civilians and off to get his girl…

A/N: Well, that's it. I hope you liked it. Tell me what you loved and didn't like. I apologize for any factual errors, I'm in Australia and we're three weeks behind so I've only got half the story you have (and knowing Spielberg that's likely only 1% of the whole story), but I hope you still enjoyed it. Just to note: when Hal finds Karen and kicks some Skitter ass to get her away I will totally have his back. Call on me Mason, I'll end those jerks if they hurt that girl, I love her!

Okay, considering doing another piece on the second wave, a continuation and what happens to Rebecca and Michael Harris and when they find their mom's body. Or maybe Lourdes' story? Tell me what you think.

Until then, peace out guys and keep reading and writing!
- Kate-Emma

(A note: search Youtube 'not alone falling skies kateemma22' for this fic's video. The song inspired this piece)