Tom stepped into Hal's room as quietly as he could. He had been hoping that Hal would be resting, but as he entered he saw that Hal was wide awake with his arm draped across a sleeping Matt. He looked like he was protecting Matt, and it made Tom's heart surge.

Hal glanced up as he heard his father approach the end of the bed, and he tightened his jaw in slight frustration. He was tired of visitors, tired of talking. After his conversation with Ben, all Hal wanted to do was sit in silence and try to push back all of his pain and anger.

Tom stopped at the foot of Hal's bed, and for a moment he was silent. He simply met Hal's weary eyes and tried to smile reassuringly.

"How are you feeling?" Tom spoke after several long moments of aching silence. He watched Hal closely as he waited for his response.

"Probably as good as I look." Hal spoke softly, so he wouldn't wake Matt, and a small smile flickered on his lips.

Tom smiled at this and let out a long sigh.

"That's not good. You look like hell." Tom chuckled and ran his hand through his hair.

"Mmm…" Hal murmured. He nodded, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Tom. "What about you?"

Hal hated this, making mindless "chit-chat." He was exhausted, and hurting so much, and all he wanted was some peace and quiet. But he knew what his father must have gone through during his absence, and still after his unexpected return, so he forced himself to carry on as casually as possible in hopes of giving Tom some temporary relief. He deserved that much.

Tom nodded slowly and cleared his throat.

"Good, I'm good. Great, now that you're here again." Tom looked at his son with such love and concern.

Hal glanced down at his lap briefly, feeling guilty as he thought of how much he had put his father through. He was undeserving of his father's love and concern, but he made himself look back into his father's bright eyes and smile.

"That's good." Hal sighed softly, still smiling deceivingly.

"Hal… I…" Tom paused, considering his next words. His eyes were full of pain as he settled on the words. "I'm just so glad that you're here again, with us, and that you're okay..."

I'm not okay, Hal's mind screamed at him.

"And I don't want to force you to talk about everything, because I know what you must be feeling after it all…"

No, you couldn't even begin to understand how I'm feeling, Hal thought harshly, feeling all the pain and anger rising to the surface. He struggled to push it back down.

"I don't want to rush you, but I need to know…" Tom stopped again, sighing. He rubbed at his face and licked his lips nervously. "I need to know what all happened… When we found you, you were pretty disoriented. But I need to know what all you remember, Hal."

Hal swallowed a little too loudly and blinked away from his father's pained gaze. He tightened his arm around Matt unintentionally, and winced as a pain shot through his body.

The absolute last thing Hal wanted or needed was to talk about everything that had happened. It was all too fresh, too raw, and recalling it all again so soon after his situation with Ben would likely cause Hal to break entirely. He was barely hanging on to reality, and he knew he only had a short amount of time before everything he had experienced came flooding back to him once more.

"Where should I start?" Hal mumbled, his jaw tight and his skin pale.

Tom hesitated, seeming surprised by how easily Hal was talking. He hadn't fought at all, hadn't asked for any time to recover before delving into the dark memories that surely haunted him, and this worried Tom greatly. He believed Hal was in a deep shock. But he needed to know, so he pushed the conversation on.

"You said someone was coming. Who did you mean?" Tom asked quietly, taking a step closer to Hal's side.

Hal pressed his lips so tightly together that they turned white. He closed his eyes, and his breathing became noticeably heavier.

"Karen… Before she let me go, she told me to tell you that…" He stopped, sighing heavily as he fought back the memories. "She wanted me to tell you that they were coming… For blood…"

Tom nodded slowly, his forehead creased with a deep, permanent frown. His eyes searched Hal over thoroughly, and despite how worn and pained he was, Tom felt he had to continue.

"Hal, when we found you, you… You were mumbling about Ben, and Matt… You said… You, uh, said you watched Ben… Die…" Tom swallowed, and he noticed the expression Hal's face took on as he finished speaking.

Hal's eyes began to shimmer with tears, and his chest heaved in and out tightly. Sweat glistened on his forehead and neck, and his face seemed devoid of all color. Hal looked like a ghost, and he had so much pain etched into his features that Tom nearly collapsed in despair.

"Dad… Not… Not now, okay…?" Hal closed his eyes for a moment before looking back at Tom, his eyes haunting to Tom. "I'm… I'm tired… Can we talk later…?"

Tom nodded, fighting back tears. He wanted so badly to help Hal, but for the time being all he could do was let Hal rest and heal on his own. Maybe with time he would be able to help his son through this.

"When you're ready, Hal. When you're ready."

Tom strode to Hal's side, and without hesitation he bent down and pressed a kiss to the top of Hal's head, squeezing his shoulder gently as he did so. He pulled back and brushed a small strand of sweaty hair from Hal's forehead. Hal shifted uncomfortably at this affection, and held in a low moan of pain at his sudden movement.

Tom sighed softly, then bent down and gently lifted Matt from the bed. He held his youngest son in his arms, careful not to wake him up. He gave Hal one last feeble smile before departing as quietly as he had entered.

Three weeks passed, and Hal was slowly healing. Physically, at least. His mental health was a whole other, agonizing story.

He wasn't sleeping anymore. His mind wouldn't rest, therefore his body wouldn't either. Hal was exhausted, to the point of delirium. His body was still slightly stiff, and every time he breathed in or out he chest screamed in pain. But he wasn't bed-ridden anymore, and he had reluctantly been allowed back on patrol duty by his father and Captain Weaver.

Hal had moved out of the room he had been confined to after being taken back to Charleston. But he hadn't moved to the room his brothers shared. Instead, Hal had moved into Maggie's room.

He had moved in with her not only because he wanted and needed to be close to her, to feel her resting peacefully beside him at night when his thoughts and memories haunted him the worst, but also because of Ben. Hal hadn't seen Ben but once or twice since he had confessed of his time with Karen to him. Ben seemed distant to Hal now, but only to Hal. He wouldn't, or couldn't, make eye contact with him anymore, and this killed Hal. But he knew he deserved it.

There had been no signs of an enemy attack so far, but Hal knew that Karen was taking her time. He knew she would be planning something grisly, something so horrific, and he knew she would wait until she knew they were all unsuspecting.

Hal was wandering around the tattered streets of the new Charleston. He had needed some air, some time away from everyone and everything, so he decided to walk. Walking had always relaxed Hal, cleared his mind, but he found it did little now.

Hal inhaled sharply, ignoring the familiar pain that throbbed in his chest and sides. The air was cold and crisp, and it soothed Hal. The cold settled deep into his bones, pulling him into it. He sighed softly, finally managing to find some peace in his insane world.

But peace never lasted long. And Hal found himself ripped from his momentary time of relief as an unwanted person crossed his path.

"Well, if it isn't Prince Charming himself." Pope scoffed, a smirk taking residence on his face.

Hal sighed in frustration, glaring angrily at Pope.

"What do you want, Pope?" Hal's tone was agitated and rushed. He wanted to get away from Pope as quickly as possible.

Pope raised his hands defensively, noting Hal's tone.

"I was just saying hello, kid. Don't get your panties in a bunch."

Hal gritted his teeth and started to walk away, but Pope reached out and stopped him. His hand pressed on Hal's chest, and he winced slightly, a grimace appearing on his tired face.

"Whoa, slow it down, Mason. I wanted to talk to you 'bout something." Pope lowered his voice and met Hal's eyes evenly.

"What is it, Pope? I'm really not in a talking mood."

"Duly noted." Pope said sarcastically, sneering at Hal. "I hear your old man's been planning something with those "rebel" Skitters." Pope emphasized the word "rebel," indicating his distaste for them.

Hal's frame stiffened noticeably, and his hardened features began to crack, revealing a deep fear. He had been through this before. In the field, after Ben had... Pope had questioned him about the rebel attack, just before Karen had revealed herself and pulled Hal back into his cruel reality.

Hal stumbled back from Pope, his eyes slightly widened, his hands beginning to shake.

"Get the hell away from me." Hal mumbled, his eyes flicking fearfully. "I said get away!" Hal was practically shouting now.

Pope stepped closer to Hal, his eyes narrowed in anger. "Watch your tongue, kid. You might want to listen to what I have to say before you go off yelling at me." He snapped at Hal, his frustration clear.

Hal shook his head, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, despite the harsh, cold winds. He swallowed loudly and tried to calm his breathing, but he couldn't. He kept his eyes firmly placed on Pope, waiting for Karen to take his place.

Pope sighed as he looked at Hal. He could tell how worn out and tired he was, and he knew the kid had been through hell. He hadn't intended to come off so harsh and snide, but Pope always had trouble controlling his anger. He sighed again after a moment, and spoke in a more quiet voice.

"Look, I'm sorry about all that you've been through. From the bottom of my heart." Pope rested his right hand on his chest, right above his heart. "But there are bigger things to deal with right now, so I'm gonna need you to straighten the hell up and listen to me."

Hal hesitated, his gaze still set on Pope.

"I overheard your old man and the Captain talking earlier, about some rebel attack. The attack's been put on hold, something about the fish-heads having something up their sleeves. Got any idea what that might be, Mason?"

Hal clenched his jaw and glanced down at his feet. He looked back up at Pope, his expression guarded, but he remained silent.

Pope watched Hal, waiting or him to speak. Hal's eyes were almost unreadable, but Pope saw a flicker of fear in them. He glanced away briefly, sighing loudly. He wasn't really frustrated with Hal. He was frustrated with the whole situation. He felt like they were all sitting ducks.

"Kid, I'm gonna need some kind of answer. Do you have any idea what that blonde half-breed has planned, or not?" Pope huffed angrily, his eyes boring into Hal's.

Hal opened his mouth, as if to speak, but before any words found their way out, Ben approached them quickly, his eyes wide and frightened.

"Hal! Hal, have you seen Matt?" Ben panted out, his eyes still narrowly avoiding Hal's.

Hal's breath hitched slightly at his brother's presence, but he tried to keep his expression calm and relaxed. He bit down on his tongue hard before he spoke.

"No, I... No. I thought he was at school?" Hal scratched at his head nervously, glancing at his feet as he spoke.

Ben shook his head and swallowed, trying to catch his breath.

"He ditched. Dad can't find him anywhere, Anne and Lourdes haven't seen him. Maggie's helping me look around. I thought maybe you had seen him."

Ben glanced at Pope, who shook his head subtly, his face permanently hardened with a scowl.

"I'll help you look around." Hal said quietly, starting to head away from Pope. Pope reached out again and grabbed Hal's arm, though. Hal stopped, but he didn't turn to face Pope. He waited in a stiff, uncomfortable silence for Pope to speak.

"We'll talk later, boy. But we will talk." Pope's voice was lowered and hard.

Hal gave a slight nod, his face guarded. Pope released his grip on Hal's arm and watched him closely as he and Ben stalked off towards the center of town.

Hal rushed through the streets of Charleston, ignoring his aching bones as they protested.

"Matt!" He called out, looking all around him as he brushed through the crowds.

Hal stopped and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Matt!" He made his voice as loud as he could.

"Hal!" Hal turned on his heels quickly. Maggie ran up to him, her chest rising and falling heavily.

"Maggie, any sign of Matt?" Hal put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

"No, but Dai saw Matt and a few other kids hanging around Charleston's borders a couple hours ago. They were playing some game, but that's all Dai saw. The other kids aren't around either, so it looks like they probably took their game out of city limits. Tom's rounding up some guys for a search party." Maggie's voice was hurried and strained.

"Goddammit!" Hal ran his hands through his hair, tugging at it harshly. He closed his eyes tightly for a moment before releasing a long, shaky sigh.

Hal nodded, opening his eyes again.

"Let's go." He started to sprint towards the others who were heading out, Maggie right at his heels.

As Hal strapped his semi-automatic to his back and positioned himself on his bike, all Hal could think of was his promise to Matt:

I'll never let anything happen to you, Matt. I'm going to keep you safe.