OMG WE'VE ONLY UPDATED ONCE THIS YEAR! Sorry that was bad. Anyways, Oh my gosh guys we are SO SO SO SO sorry for such the long wait! Alyssa and I's projects for school have been crazy! We were at our City Hall doing a presentation for Universal Studios (not lying, we really did) back in January and I was literally sitting underneath a chalkboard in my fancy pencil skirt and blouse with my notebook in my hand writing! And it honestly did take us the whole month to make this chapter perfect since it starts off Season Two of H.E.L.L.! Plus Alyssa had her soccer season so she never had time to write but she did in our school's computer lab when we were supposed to be working;DD On the bright side, we both have a lot more time on our hands now and I'm half way done with Chapter 15!:D You guys are going to flip when you read that O.O Anyways, I've kept you long enough. Enjoy! -Parker

Hi guys! So so so so so sorry it took so long! But now it's here! Ahhh I can't wait for you guys to read it! As always, don't forget to review to tell us what you thought! Also I just want to point our something for those of you who have seen Warm Bodies. Did you notice that it was like Falling Skies?! Like there was Ben (Jewl), and Red Eye (R), and the skitter rebellion (zombies) Overloards/bad skitters/mechs (bonies), Weaver/Tom/Manchester (Jewl's dad) fighters (army), Charleston (city inside big wall) and Hal/Matt (Jewl's friend)! I was like INCEPTION! Ahhh! Also Kaylee's phone is harnessed because she has the Falling Skies harness case and the aliens are about to come and her phone is helping them! And finally at our school we found a living Kaylee Parker! She dresses just like KP and even wears Supras like her! (Except we don't know if her parents are alive or not) Ahhhh! We have yet to find a living Carter because...wellll...see...eeerrrrrr...Carter is an interesting person. Yeah. NOW GO READ AND REVIEW! Enjoy!:D -Carter

Chapter 14-Reunited

Kaylee's POV

It's sometime in January. Anne was keeping track of the days for us, but I was never around to here what day it was. Honestly I didn't want to know either. Time was slipping out of my grasp more quickly than it used to, and I didn't want to think about that.

We all looked a little different now. Ben and Jimmy were taller (of course), more in shape from all the training we've been doing, and both of them had cut their hair. Jimmy's was slightly shorter but also a little longer around his eyes. Ben had totally cut off his long-wavy hair into a short style that a lot of guys had before the attack. He had slight bangs unless he used the hair gel Anne gave him after she cut his hair.

Anne cut my hair, too. Instead of my long bangs that mixed with my actual hair, they were cut to the point where they rested on my left eyebrow and stopped an inch below. It was way easier aiming and not needing to use my hand to brush my bangs out of my eyes every five seconds. My hair length was still the same, just a little longer.

Alyssa's hair was a tad longer and she looked a little more mature to me. I had no idea why, since she was still a midget of a sixteen-year-old, but she seemed calmer than she did before. Just a little.

Weaver was on edge lately. He kept constantly questioning if he was doing the right thing for the 2nd Mass or doing what he wanted for the planet. Recently he's been taking Alyssa, Hal, Jimmy, Ben, Pope and his new recruits (they called themselves 'The Berserkers'), Anthony, Dai, and me on missions to go out to kill skitters and mechs. Our captain said that it was the fighters' job to make sure all of these damn things left our planet because it was too difficult to live somewhere with humans murdering their kind. But after Fitchburg, Weaver was always wondering if he was doing the right thing. The military man inside him said yes, however the leader in him disagreed. That's why all of us had become Captain Weaver's 'advisors.' It was mandatory for us to be at meetings so Weaver had a group of people to speak the things others were afraid to or forgot to.

That also meant that we were consistently sent out. And being the youngest fighters of the 2nd Mass, Weaver put us in "training" with one of Pope's Berserkers, Tector. Ben, Jimmy, and I really liked him since he wasn't one of those stuck up asses that all of us hated. Tector was a funny twenty-sixish country man who was skilled with a sniper rifle and always had something witty to say. He didn't treat us like we were little kids as many fighters and civilians did, but treated us like soldiers. That meant a lot to me because I hated it when adults treated me differently because I'm young. I may be a kid, but that doesn't define my maturity.

But when I wasn't out on the battlefield, I was around camp playing the guitar Ben and Hal got me for my birthday. As a matter of fact, you could hardly catch me without it. Hell, I practically slept with it. That's how important this guitar was to me. Music was my life and soul before the aliens invaded and it still was at heart. To be able to have something as incredible as a guitar made me happy, which was an emotion I was not familiar with. Ben was pretty proud of "his" gift and how much I loved it. When I was playing around camp, I would catch him looking over at me and smiling. I guess seeing me happy was uplifting for him too. And that almost made me believe that he was alright, like he desperately wished everyone else would believe.

In reality, Ben Mason was a total disaster. He was a killing machine, full of wrath and hatred. His heart was no longer glowing with his cheerful spirit the way it was before his dad left. Now, Ben's heart was black and full of the darkness I was ever so hoping he wouldn't let in. He stopped wearing his regular light jeans and a college tee and replaced it with plain dark shirts and darker jeans. Personally I thought what I went through was my own way of handling it, but Ben proved me wrong. Either it's like this for most people or Ben and I are more alike than I thought.

Nevertheless, the process was at the point where it was unchangeable. Even if Tom came back, it was too late. Ben was broken beyond repair. He shut out Hal ever since Hal stepped up to Tom's position, he spent less time with Matt, he was nearly as quiet as I was, and he always go off on his own without telling anyone where he was heading. What was worse to me was that no one seemed to notice how much he changed, not even Jimmy. Hal only noticed that his little brother wouldn't talk to him or even be near him, Alyssa said she thought he was going to be fine, and Matt was still too naïve to completely understand what was going on with Ben. As someone who walked the same road Ben was walking on now, I suppose I would be the only one to notice. I was still and forever would be walking down this path, but I was far enough along that I had managed to learn a few things. For one, Ben had two siblings that were here and willing to talk. He had them two people that were going through the exact same thing he was, and he wouldn't even acknowledge them about it. Loss was easier to deal with if you had someone who understood to talk with about it. It was more painful than hell to deal with it alone, so I didn't understand why he was choosing to ignore the opportunity. I had no choice. He has two brothers in the same tent he can talk to and he's won't. That was something I didn't get.

He was covering it up damn well though. Ben kept pretending that he was fine and nothing was bothering him, but I knew it was just a mask he wore. But he was aware that I knew he was trying to cover up the pain and the change that was going on in his heart.

On the other hand, my sleeping situation had gone somewhat back to normal. Well, as normal as it was gonna get for me. I still had nightmares every night, but they were the bearable kind. Also, I didn't stay asleep for more than four hours, so naturally I was walking around after I woke up. Ben would find me and scold me about waking up so early and not getting proper rest, but eventually he just gave up and we walked around together. That's when I realized how badly Tom's disappearance had affected Ben. Despite what he thought, Ben's secrets were on display in his eyes. I knew this because there were many similarities in our eyes when we were both going through something tough. The major difference was that I was able to conceal it in my eyes, but Ben couldn't. It was something he couldn't hide from me and he finally accepted that.

So we both agreed to be as open as possible with each other. Now I looked forward to our late night walks on the moonlit streets of Connecticut. He was among the four people I could tell anything to and talk about everything with. And we never ran out of things to talk about either.

Weaver had Ben, Jimmy, and I working on moving the civilians along at the moment. The 2nd Mass was moving farter south of the aliens that have been tailing us lately. So as of right now, the 2nd Mass was on the move down. We were getting fairly close to Richmond, our next stop, from what Weaver showed us at meetings. Except moving the civilians is not as great or easy as one might think. You had to have a lot of patience (something I've never had in my fifteen years), good people skills (never had that either), and excellent speaking abilities (something I wasn't even remotely close to at all). So you could imagine how incredibly frustrating it was for me to be assigned to work with them. The adults were disrespectful asses almost all the time and some of the kids needed a simple sentence repeated three times before they understood me.

The captain had put me on civilian duty do I could gain the skills I lacked with these people and make them learn to trust me as one of their fighters, that much I knew. But I didn't understand why he's been waiting so long to take us off. We had successfully moved the entire 2nd Mass to a remote location in another deserted city in Connecticut, so why did we have to stay watching the civilians?

That's what Ben and Jimmy are doing at the present moment. The two of them were in Weaver's tent trying to convince him to let us go out on the mission tonight. They wanted me to come with them, but I was waiting outside because I was not getting my ass whipped by our captain. I told them it was a stupid idea, but like always, they didn't listen.

"We did it!" Ben exclaimed as Jimmy and he stumbled out of Weaver's tent.

"Are you serious?" I asked the two idiotic best friends of mine.

"Yeah!" Jimmy said. "Weaver told us that we are back to our original posts of regular fighters."

"Yes," I said relieved to not be on civilian duty any longer.

"Told you that you should've come with us," Ben smirked.

"Excuse me for not wanting to get put on the sanitation crew," I rolled my eyes. "When are we leaving for the mission?"

"In like five minutes."

"See you in five," I saluted them cheesily and headed over to Alyssa and I's tent to get geared up. Weaver said it probably wasn't the best idea to have a ton of visible weapons around the people of the 2nd Mass, whether I was a fighter or not. I kinda understood why; a fifteen-year-old with three guns and a ton of C4 visible was a little freaky. So I had to make more trips to the Carter-Parker tent before I could go out on missions.

I entered the tent and pulled out my hidden guns as well as C4. The explosives went into my side belt and pocket, and my guns went into my side holsters and onto my back. I slipped a bullet belt on and an extra one in my jacket pocket to be safe. You really can't ever have too much ammunition.

"Nothing like a late night Cootie killing spree, eh?" Pope smirked at me as I headed over to the vehicles. Pope and I hadn't talked a great deal since we were at the school, but he was always there when I needed someone to listen or had a problem. He actually offered that to me, believe it or not. John Pope was occasionally a cool guy, at least when he wanted to be.

"Got that right," I smiled.

Pope assembled his Berserkers on to their bikes while I hopped onto a truck with a waiting Ben and Jimmy.

"What took you so long?" Jimmy teased.

"She was putting on makeup before we head out," Ben joined in on the hazing.

"I take three minutes to get my guns and I'm harassed to death by you two. Damn, I can never please you guys can I?" I sat down at the only available spot, which was between Ben and Jimmy. Faaantastic.

And because they live to irritate me, both of them poked me throughout the entire ride to the location where we were going to blast some aliens. After the 23rd poke (yeah, I counted), I looked at both of them. "I swear to God, Alyssa's eleven-year-old sister is more mature than both of you combined." Jimmy and Ben only laughed and high-fived each other. Dipshits.

Alyssa, who was riding in the truck with Hal and Weaver, turned around in her seat to slide open the window separating the front from the back. She must've heard our conversation because she began poking my back multiple times.

"Kaaaaaaaaayyyyyyylllllleeee," she said in the voice she used to talk to little kids.

Does the whole fucking world want me to be annoyed today? "Alyssa, stop," I said calmly. She ignored me and continued on with her poking spree.

And since I am a completely calm and rational person with a controlled temper and high patience level, I decided to deal with the annoyance in the most tranquil way possible. So I pulled out my black handgun, cocked it, and whirled around to aim it at Alyssa.

"Holy fucking shit! Calm down!"

"Stop fucking poking me and I'll calm down."

"Geez. Someone's on her period," Alyssa mumbled and slid the window closed again. Thanks God a beamer dropped a bomb at that exact moment and Ben and Jimmy didn't hear what she said. If they see an opportunity to give me shit, they'll do it without a blink of an eye. One can only take so much of their crap without retaliating negatively.

Weaver slammed on the breaks and flung open the truck door. The captain whipped around and began shouting out orders to all of us. He was interrupted by Pope, of course. "It feels different," he said, "not having the whole team." Was Pope talking about Tom? I never thought I'd live to see the day that John Pope would actually care about someone other than himself. "I kinda like it." Guess that day wouldn't be today.

"I feel like Tom should be here to give us another U.S. History speech. Something about Paul Revere or George Washington or some other person no one but Tom and Spikey here," he glanced at Ben, "care about." Pope continued. Pope was of course being a dick by mentioning Tom in front of the Masons. All of us had subconsciously agreed not to bring him up unless the brothers did because they all looked really upset at the mention of Tom's name.

"Don't worry guys. We'll get your dad back," Alyssa put her hand on Hal's shoulder. "And don't listen to Pope."

"Your dad would walk to the ends of the Earth just to be with you guys again," I added. "He's coming back."

"Alright soldiers, remember the plan," Weaver cut in. "One blink if they're coming from the west and two if they're sending in air assaults. It's just like the Revolutionary War. The Americans were the weaker side, and they still won the war." Weaver handed some stuff out to all of us.

"Geez, Captain you're starting to sound like Tom, with all your 'stick to the plan' and 'remember the codes' stuff. What's next, an actual quote from the history books? One if by land. Two if by sea," Pope joked. He needs to be punched in the face sometime soon.

Alyssa glanced at all of us. "One if by land, two if by sea, three if by sky. To Tom!"

"To Tom!" We echoed and raised our 'glasses.' I just hope we find Tom soon enough to tell him about this day.

Alyssa's POV

Time went on and we did exactly what Weaver said. We tracked the aliens and attacked them. Attack and run. That was the plan and it was working well. Usually large groups would go out and a few people waited on the ground and some up in buildings. I was usually up in the buildings. The 2nd Mass moved often. Every time we moved, the citizens became panicked and every time we left places I was glad I wasn't Kaylee. She was stuck on citizen duty with Ben and Jimmy.

Ben and Jimmy were changing' Ben a lot. He cut his hair and became very strong and muscular. He started dressing like Kaylee and acting like her too. He developed an interest in guns; basically he was Kaylee Parker 2.0 except a guy version. Jimmy didn't change too drastically. He just grew up a little, hit puberty. Matt was getting older as well. He was going out on scouts as a runner. It made me sad to think he had to grow up in a world like this with no dad. He was acting too old for his age. Ben too, and even Jimmy. None of them deserved it. Kaylee didn't either but I have long since accepted that Kaylee was going to act mature for her age, even before the attack. Ben and Jimmy and Matt all had nice happy lives before and the stupid aliens had to come a take it away from them and fuck up their childhood. That pissed me off. Hal as well, he was a sixteen-year-old kid in high school with a family and a future and now he was fighting in a war.

Today we had another attack. Weaver, Dai, Hal, Anthony, Pope, the Berserkers, Kaylee, and I were heading out. As soon as we got back, we were going to look for a new camp. We only had one problem: we had to cross a river and we had no bridge. And well you need a bridge to cross a cold river. I asked why couldn't we just swim across and then everyone just stared at me and it took me five minutes to realize we couldn't take any vehicles or food across and that it was just an all around stupid idea. Hal still gives me crap about it. Then Weaver ended the meeting say we were all tired and obviously needed sleep for the next day's mission.

"So, did you hear?" Hal walked up and helped me finish loading up supplies in the truck.

"Hear what?"

"That Ben, Kaylee and Jimmy are coming with us on this mission."

"No I didn't."

"Oh well now you know." We walked over to the table and started loading up our guns with ammo. We both reached into the bin at the same time. Hal pulled his hand out. "Oh sorry you go first."

"Wow, what a gentleman. What's next? His and Her grenade launchers?" I smirked.

"Who knows, maybe I'll do something crazy like open a door for you." I just laughed and jogged over to my tent to grab a spare knife and a hoodie.

I walked back over and saw Kaylee talking to the boys. She walked over to our tent. Hal and I were about to hop in the truck when Ben and Kaylee walked over to us.

"Hey guys guess what?" Ben asked.

"What?" I said, knowing what they were going to say.

"We get to go with you guys!" Ben said, not even trying to control his excitement.

"More importantly we are off citizen duty," Jimmy added.

"Hey guys, you two should mess with Kaylee on the ride over there," Hal suggested.

"Yeah that's what she gets for being late." I added. "We were supposed to meet at 7:00pm and look at her walking up at 7:01pm." They all laughed. Hal and I got in the front seat and I got stuck in between Hal and Weaver because I was the smallest. Kaylee came over and the three musketeers got in the back of the truck. . I looked back and saw Jimmy and Ben glance at each other and nod right before Kaylee sat down. Whatever they had planned, it was going to be hilarious.

Weaver started to drive away. Hal and I looked back and started laughing. Ben and Jimmy were repeatedly poking Kaylee in the side, back and forth, Ben then Jimmy, Ben then Jimmy. It was awesome.

"What are you two laughing at?" Weaver asked.

"Jimmy and Ben wanted to mess with Kaylee so they are poking her repeatedly," Hal laughed while watching them.

"It's great." All three of us laughed.

"This is why I like having you kids around. You bring a little comedy to every situation," Weaver complimented.

"Thank you," Hal and I both said.

"I think he meant me," Hal smirked.

"No, he meant me."

"Believe what you want. You meant me didn't you Captain?" Hal asked confidently.

"Can I choose not to answer that?" Weaver smiled.

"Ooooohhhhh! What now?! I'm the favorite." I laughed.

"You wanna go short stuff?" Hal smiled.

"Now that's messed up," Weaver said, "bringing up her height."

"Yeah Hal." I stuck my tongue out at him. "Are they still poking her?" I turned around.

"Surprised she hasn't flipped out yet," Hal said.

"Oh she will."

"I don't know, Kaylee has a very long temper." Weaver said.

"Just wait," I smiled.

"I swear to God, Alyssa's eleven-year-old sister is more mature than both of you combined," Kaylee snapped. Hal and Weaver laughed.

"That wasn't even that bad," Hal said.

"Watch this," I smirked and I turned around. ""Kaaaaaaaaayyyyyyylllllleeee," I said in the voice I used for little children and I poked her a bunch of times.

"Alyssa, stop," Kaylee said. But when have I ever been known to for listening to people? When I didn't stop, Kaylee turned around and pointed her gun at me and clicked it in place.

"Holy fucking shit! Calm down!" I yelled.

"There she goes," I heard Hal say.

"Stop fucking poking me and I'll calm down."
"Geez someone is on her period," I muttered.

At that moment, a beamer dropped a bomb. We all hopped out of the trucks and began getting set up, Weaver giving orders, telling people where to go and what weapons to use. This is the biggest group of fighters we have taken out since Fitchburg.

"It feels different," Pope said, "not having the whole team." Did Pope just say he missed Tom? That might be the nicest thing Pope has ever said, not just about Tom but about anyone. "I kinda like it." Moment ruined.

"I feel like Tom should be here to give us another U.S. History speech. Something about Paul Revere or George Washington or some other person no one but Tom and Spikey over here," he looked at Ben, "care about," Pope said. I looked at the Mason brothers. They looked sad at the mention of their dad. It was kind of an unspoken agreement to not mention Tom. Pope obviously didn't get the hint.

"Don't worry guys. We'll get your dad back," I rested my hand on Hal's shoulder. "And don't listen to Pope."

"Your dad would walk to the ends of the Earth just to be with you guys again," Kaylee said. "He's coming back."

"Alright soldiers, remember the plan," Weaver cut in. "One blink if they're coming from the west and two if they're sending in air assaults. It's just like the Revolutionary War. The Americans were the weaker side, and they still won the war." He handed Ben a flash light.

"Geez, Captain you're starting to sound like Tom, with all your 'stick to the plan' and 'remember the codes' stuff. What's next, an actual quote from the history books? One if by land. Two if by sea," Pope said. I wanted to slap some sense into him. He was an emotionless self-absorbed jackass.

I looked at Kaylee, Jimmy Hal, and Ben. "One if by land, two if by sea, three if by sky. To Tom!"

"To Tom!" They echoed in unison and we all mimicked the motion of cheering glasses.

"Here's how it's gonna go!" Weaver shouted to all of us. "Pope, the Berserkers, Dai, Anthony, and I will draw them in a short perimeter. Hal, Alyssa, Jimmy, Ben, and Kaylee will take cover in that building up there and be our backup for when the mechs hit. Clear?" We nodded and he continued, "Then move it! Go, go, go!"

We ran in search of a building to use. Then we found an old two story building. It took us a bit to find a way in but eventually we did. Kaylee went up first, and then the rest of us followed.

There were three main windows in the building, so Jimmy and Hal were on the left one, I was at the middle one, and Ben and Kaylee were on the right one. They all started getting out there guns and loading up with ammo. I pulled out my knives and then I just stood there. No one every usually does talk at this time. We were all mentally preparing ourselves. It was like the calm before the storm. Plus we were all waiting for the signal.

"OPEN FIRE!" Weaver shouted. Everything was going according to plan. The Berserkers drove the aliens right into our trap. I was taking out skitters right and left. They had no idea what hit them. I looked at Kaylee, who was looking at Ben. FOCUS KAYLEE! A mech had just entered the perimeter and she is the only one that can take it out, since she has the high tech gun.

"WHERE THE HELL IS THAT BACKUP?" Apparently I'm not the only one who noticed the mech. We went back to shooting skitters when the mech was dead after Kaylee shot at it. I got quite a few head shots in.

"Cease fire!" Weaver yelled out. "Save your ammo!"

Someone was still shooting.

"SIEZE FIRE!" Hal screamed at him, "BEN STOP SHOOTING!"

But since it goes against every law in the universe for a little sibling to listen to their sibling, Ben kept shooting. Kaylee had to stop him.

"Captain! We look good down here!"

"Get the hell outta there! We got eight minutes tops before those beamers respond! Let's go, let's go, let's go!" We all turned around to leave. I was too busy concentrating on not falling down the steps (they were steep and dangerous) to notice that Hal and Ben were not with us. We got to the truck and started loading up. I hopped in the front seat of the truck to wait. Everyone was super excited about the victory. I was starting to get a little worried about the boys. Just then a beamer flew in and dropped a bomb where we had been standing only moments ago. That wasn't even close to eight minutes.

"Where the hell is Hal and Ben?!" Weaver shouted.

"It wasn't eight minutes!" Dai exclaimed. Thank you Captain Obvious.

"Looks like the bad guys are growing a brain," I said. I mean our tactic isn't that complex at all.

"CAPTAIN! CAPTAIN, HOLD ON!" I looked up when I heard Hal's voice. He and Ben were carrying someone. I jumped out of the car to see who it was. When I saw the face I froze. It was Tom. What? The? Fuck?

Jimmy and Kaylee made room for Tom and I helped Ben and Hal put him in the back of truck. Then Hal and I got in the truck again. The door wasn't even fully shut and Weaver slammed on the gas. I looked at Hal and he looked pissed. Shouldn't he be happy his dad is back? Maybe a little scared because he was shot but not pissed. We were back at the camp. As soon as the truck stopped moving we all hopped out and lifted Tom and raced to the Med Bus. Instantly people started crowding around.

"MAKE A PATH! MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!" Kaylee yelled. I was in front, leading the group and making a path.

"DR. GLASS!" Hal shouted. "DR. GLASS!" Dr. Glass came running up to see what the situation was. "Tom?!" He face said what everyone was thinking: Wtf?!

"He was shot. Lost a lot of blood," Weaver said.

"Was it a mech?" Dr. Glass asked, trying to figure out the exact damage of the wound.

"No, Ben. It wasn't his fault; it was an accident. Friendly fire," Weaver said. Oh my God.

That explains the look on Hal's face. Then it all really sunk in. Ben shot Tom. Oh my mother fucking God.

Ben ran up and grabbed Anne, "I didn't mean it! It was dark and-" he stuttered, desperate to explain himself.

"Ben, I gotta go!" Anne said and ran inside. I was standing on the platform of the bus. Ben ran by me.

"Ben, it's okay," I tried to calm him down, but he just ignored me. I wanted to go after him and comfort him. Even though he was like three times my size now, he was still the awkward young kid we met when we first got here. That's how I saw him. I wanted to make sure he was okay but I didn't. After being with Kaylee for years, I know that sometimes being alone is all a person wants. So I just stood there.

Hal, Matt, Ben all went to go see Tom. I just stood out here and waited with Kaylee for them since I didn't really like going into the med bus. Blood freaked me out and that smell. It looked and smelled like a hospital. Bad memories. Eventually they came back out and waited where I was standing. Ben tried to see inside but eventually gave up and left. As he left, he had a dark and scary look in his eye. It was a look I have only seen one time on one other person. That's when it finally hit me. Ben was becoming like Kaylee. He was turning dark and it was too late to stop. The way he has changed is just like what happened to Kaylee when her parents died. The only reason I didn't see it sooner was because with Kaylee it took time. About a five months. It took Ben less than two. The Ben I knew and loved left a long time ago he isn't coming back. That made me sad.

Jimmy started walking to go catch up with him, but Kaylee stopped him. "Let me go and talk to him."

"Why? He needs a guy talk," Jimmy smiled slightly. For some reason that kid just pissed me off.

"What he needs is someone who can listen to him and not comfort him, which I think you are incapable of doing because of your sweetness," I wanted to be sick. But then again, I can't really complain. Hal and I were pretty bad; something Kaylee, Jimmy, and Ben loved to point out.

I just stood there and zoned out. OF COURSE! How come I didn't see it earlier?! Ben was becoming Kaylee, except in dude form. His interest in guns, dressing in all black, cutting his hair, becoming all strong and buff. And I for one did not like it. Everything was changing around here. Not just Ben but everyone one, Hal, Matt, Jimmy, even Kaylee. It bugged me. I guess somewhere deep down I knew that life was just a little too perfect, and something was going to happen to screw it all up. I mean Tom coming back is good and I'm glad he is back and we need him. But why did it happen like that? The last thing Ben needed was one more thing to darken his heart, to push him over the edge and to the point of no return. If things had happened maybe just a little different, the outcome would have been so much better and maybe we could have saved Ben. Wow. Life is seriously fucked up. Ben is the last possible person that deserved this.

Kaylee's POV

"Here's how it's gonna go!" Weaver shouted to all of us. "Pope, the Berserkers, Dai, Anthony, and I will draw them in a short perimeter. Hal, Alyssa, Jimmy, Ben, and Kaylee will take cover in that building up there and be our backup for when the mechs hit. Clear?" When all of us nodded, Weaver yelled, "Then move it! Go, go, go!"

The five of us took off sprinting for a really old building that was two stories high and tilted on its side. It was hard finding an entrance, but after a few seconds of searching we found one in the back of the building. I went up the rickety stairs first to scope out the place before we all got inside and it was clear. Dai gave me the M72 LAW which yours truly was in charge of to use against the mechs. Was I excited? Oh hell yeah. Using explosives was super cool, especially on aliens.

Since there was three major windows in the building we were stationed in, we all split up on each side. Jimmy and Hal were on the left one, Alyssa was at the middle one, and Ben and I were on the right one. The five of us started loading our guns, with the exception of Alyssa who was getting her set of knives out to use on skitters, and prepping for the incoming aliens. None of us said anything in these moments; we never did actually. It was like we all had this bond that spoke through the silence and was only present when we were quiet. I also think that the calmness before the battle soothed everyone's nerves a bit too. I used this time to start focusing and imagining where targets would be and what strategy I would use to take them out.

"OPEN FIRE!" Weaver shouted above the noise of mech fire and the screeching of skitters. Pope and the Berserkers had led them to our closed off perimeter and now all of us were hiding behind objects and shooting simultaneously.

I cocked my trusty Calico and began firing at skitters that swamped the area. I even tried Pope's method: arms, legs, then the head. It worked fairly well, but I just preferred the regular head shots I made. Another mech came into view and the group of us up here began firing at it. We didn't have mech bullets anymore, but I discovered that titanium bullets work as well, only they have a slower affect.

As we were firing, I glanced over at Ben. He was concentrating harder than I've ever seen him concentrate before. He was now a flawless soldier who excelled in every field of fighting. Ben improved a lot during Jimmy and I's lessons and that really showed when we were on the battlefield. He never lost focus when he was firing and he remembered every tactic I taught him when we were practicing. Honestly I was surprised that he did, because I told him a lot of different ones that were pretty complex. But he continued to surprise me almost everyday with everything he did, so I guess I was used to that.

"WHERE THE HELL IS THAT BACKUP?"

Speaking of losing focus. I loaded the M72 LAW, aimed at a new mech that had entered the perimeter, and fired. The mech exploded in flames and collapsed to the ground within seconds. Some girls like diamonds, I like explosives. I smirked a little at that thought.

Hal shouted something I couldn't really hear because of all the shooting and blasting going on, but all of us went back to the windows to continue killing the left over skitters. Ben and I teamed up to kill one skitter; he shot the legs of it while I went for the head. Alyssa even got a couple of headshots with her knives, which was really impressive considering we were two stories up and at least ninety yards away. And with the whole entire fleet of us, the aliens were all dead.

"Cease fire!" Weaver yelled out to those of us who were still shooting to make sure that they truly were dead. "Save your ammo!" I slung the Calico on my back and put the M72 LAW on my shoulder. That mission went by really fast.

The sound of a gun continuing to shoot echoed in the small enclosure of the group of buildings. It was Ben.

"SEIZE FIRE!" Hal screamed over the sound of Ben's Heckler and Koch firing, "BEN STOP SHOOTING!"

Of course Ben wouldn't listen to his older brother, so he kept firing. I gently set my hand on his gun and lowered it slightly. Ben turned to look at me with a mixed expression. He looked like he didn't even notice that he was still shooting, but he also looked like he wanted to keep on making blows at the skitters.

After an angry look at Ben, Hal called down to Weaver. "Captain! We look good down here!"

"Get the hell outta there! We got eight minutes tops before those beamers respond! Let's go, let's go, let's go!" I turned around and headed out the building followed by Jimmy and Alyssa. When I briefly glanced over my shoulder, I realized that Hal and Ben weren't behind us. Hopefully they're not killing each other or something. They've been at each others throats lately.

We all reached the truck again and started loading everything up. Everyone was spastic as they tried to get ready to move out as fast as humanly possible. Anthony and Dai were racing to load some of their weapons on the motorcycles or into the truck, Pope and the Berserkers were taking their sweet time loading up, and Jimmy and I were waiting for Ben and Hal to get back. What was taking them so long? If they ran into trouble with the alien reinforcements they're screwed.

We figured we would be okay for a few minutes, since we had an eight minute escape window, but a beamer flew over and dropped a bomb by where we were originally attacking. It's only been two minutes. Shit. "Where the hell is Hal and Ben?!" Weaver shouted.

"It wasn't eight minutes!" Dai exclaimed.

"Looks like the bad guys are growing a brain," Alyssa muttered from the front seat.

"CAPTAIN!" I heard Hal's voice screaming out. "CAPTAIN HOLD ON!" When I looked up, Hal and Ben were speed walking while holding up a man who looked somewhat injured. And when I recognized the face, I did a double take.

Tom Mason. Holy hell.

Instantly Jimmy and I made room for Tom in the back of the truck and we propped the back down. Ben, Hal, and Alyssa who had gotten out of the truck as soon as she saw Tom, helped Tom into the back. Jimmy and I slid him back until his back rested on the wall of the truck. He was hurt pretty bad.

Tom had been shot on the left side of his stomach. I took off my hoodie and pressed it against his side to try and slow down the bleeding. He winced even at the slightest touch on the wound, so I knew it was really bad. Just as I was starting to wonder what had happened to him in the first place, Ben's facial expression became apparent to me. Ben was pissed. He was apologizing with his eyes while was staring at his father, who was drifting in and out of consciousness. It was then I connected the dots and understood that Ben had accidentally shot at Tom, and now he's furious with himself.

Weaver had floored the truck as fast as it could possibly go; thank God that speed limits no longer existed. Ben had joined me in applying pressure to Tom's wound since the bleeding seemed to become greater. The landmarks became familiar again and the next thing I knew, we had swerved back into camp.

As soon as the truck had stopped, I sprang up and opened the latch to get the back down again. Hal and Ben grabbed hold of their dad as well as Weaver, Dai, and Anthony. Civilians began to gather around to see what the commotion was, which made the matter worse.

"MAKE A PATH!" I shouted. "MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!"

The civilians instantly made a path way and all of us started running Tom down to the Med Bus, Dr. Glass's own bus were should could work on patients privately and keep the sick and wounded all in one place.

"DR. GLASS!" Hal shouted. "DR. GLASS!" I kept pushing aside more and more people that were crowding to see who was injured. Jimmy was doing the same thing on the other side and Alyssa was moving the 2nd Mass from the front of the crowd. Dr. Glass came running up to see what the situation was and her professional medic expression turned into shock and concern when she realized it was Tom Mason that was here. "Tom?!"

"He was shot. Lost a lot of blood," Weaver said as we helped carry Tom into camp and in the direction of the Med Bus.

"Was it a mech?" Dr. Glass asked frantically.

"No, Ben. It wasn't his fault; it was an accident. Friendly fire," Weaver turned and carried Tom into the bus with the other fighters from the mission.

Jimmy and I stood in our places watching as Tom was set on the "operating table" in the bus. Ben ran forward to Dr. Glass and grabbed her by the back of the shirt. "I didn't mean it! It was dark and-"

"Ben, I gotta go!" Anne said taking his hand off her shirt and running into the bus to start on Tom. Ben took a few steps back and went around to the front view of the bus. Alyssa was standing on the platform that rose to the opening of the Med Bus. "Ben, it's okay," she said trying to get him to calm down.

Instead he ignored her and ran around the other side of the bus to the door. Jimmy and I walked around too so we could see just how bad Tom's wound was. A blur of curly hair rushed by me and I saw Matt run in the bus, along with his two other brothers watching as Lourdes and Dr. Glass began an IV for Tom and to stop the bleeding. Soon enough, Weaver made the Mason brothers leave the bus and they all came out with traumatized looks in their eyes.

Hal and Matt leaned against the bus, not saying a word to each other but trying to make sense of all that happened in the last fifteen minutes. Ben stood staring through the windows trying to see what was happening, but eventually he couldn't take it anymore. He shook his head and walked away from the bus. This is just what he needed. Another thing to darken his heart even further.

Jimmy started walking to go catch up with him, but I put my hand on his shoulder. "Let me go and talk to him."

"Why? He needs a guy talk," Jimmy smiled slightly, silently telling me that he was teasing.

"What he needs is someone who can listen to him and not comfort him, which I think you are incapable of doing because of your sweetness," I smiled back and shoved him playfully. Jimmy rolled his eyes and motioned for me to go to Ben. I jogged in the direction that Ben was headed and attempted to find him in the dark. I knew that Ben wanted to be alone (that's what he wanted a lot recently), but I didn't care because I made a promise to myself that I would do everything that I could to slow the darkening process down before it swallowed his heart entirely.

"Ben?" I called out. I was in an isolated part of camp that Ben came to a lot, although he didn't know that I knew that, and it was a place where we practiced shooting. Not a lot of people came here since it was just a little ways from camp and the other fighters wanted to be more by camp in case of any surprise attacks from our alien friends. We had another place where we shot at, but Ben, Jimmy, and I preferred this place to the other one because we liked having time to ourselves.

"Why are you here?" a quiet voice asked. Ben was sitting down by a small wall behind some plants, completely concealed. Pretty stellar hiding place if you ask me.

I walked over to where he was and slowly sat down next to him. "Because you're my best friend and you're upset."
"The last thing I want right now is sympathy," he looked away from my eyes.

"I didn't come here to comfort you," I stated, earning his eyes back. "I came here to listen, because I know that you need to speak your thoughts and have someone help you sort through them. I'm not going to give you a long-ass speech about how it wasn't your fault and how you shouldn't be upset, because you have every right to be. Now speak your mind, Mason."

Ben smiled just the smallest bit. "It really amazes me that you have me figured out so easily; you know where I would be at, exactly what to say, and what I needed. I'm still trying to figure out what kind of things you keep secret."

"Irrelevant. Now talk."

Ben sighed staring out at the dark scenery. It took him a little while before he started talking, but once he started he didn't stop until he was finished. "I just feel like shit. One moment I'm firing at a skitter, the next I see my dad fall to the floor with a hole in his stomach. My dad, the man who willingly got onto an alien spaceship and just returned home after three months, is alive. And I shot him. I shot one of the people I care about most and now he could die because of me. I already lost my mom, and now I could lose my dad for the second time." He took a breath in to calm himself, but that only fueled his anger more. "This has been my fault now for the second time. I'm the reason he got on that damn airship, I'm the reason Matt's had to live without a father, I'm the reason he's been gone for three months, and now I'm the reason he's in that bus being operated on with a small chance of him making it out."

He looked at me, eyes fragile and the weight of the world on his shoulders. "I just feel like it's all my fault," his voice cracked slightly. Not because he was going to cry or something, but because he was under so much emotional stress he couldn't keep a strong voice. "And there's no way I can fix it."

I cocked my head at him looking at all the vulnerability in his green-blue eyes. "Your dad's been gone for three months. You thought that he wouldn't come back, but he found his way home to you. You thought that he was dead and had no chance of ever coming home to the 2nd Mass again, but he did it. Now you think that he could leave again, except this time for good. But he's not. Dr. Glass is in that bus with him right now fixing him up and healing his wound as we speak. There's no way that he's going to give up on you or your brothers. I mean, he made it back here after three whole months right? No force greater than Tom Mason's love for his kids could ever break him down. He's home, Ben. He's home alive. Wounded, yes, but alive. He came back to the 2nd Mass, to Dr. Glass, and to you, Hal, and Matt, although you guys thought that he couldn't make it back."

"What's your point?"

"Focus on the good things in a bad situation and maybe something will come out of it. Your dad's home, Ben. Don't give up on someone who hasn't given up on you."

Ben looked away and gave me a slight nod. I took it that he wanted to be alone to think about what I had said, so I stood up and started to walk back to camp.

"Thanks, Kaylee," his voice stopped me. He was now standing too. "I really needed that."

"I'm always here for you, Ben. Whenever you need someone to talk to or someone to listen I'll be there," I turned to tell him. Just as I was about to take another step forward, Ben's voice called out to me again.

"Always?"

I smiled to myself and this time, I turned around and walked back to him. I have no idea what led me to do this, but I found myself giving Ben Mason a tight hug. He was slightly confused at first since he knows I'm not really the touchy-feely type, but he wound his arms around me after a few seconds. I could feel him rest his chin on my shoulder and somehow I knew that he was thanking me for being here for him no matter how much he's changed. Ben needed a hug, perhaps more than anything else. A hug is a simple thing that can change one's thoughts and feelings instantaneously. And Ben needed one as much as I did.

"Always," I promised.

The next night, the same team went out on another mission to kill some more aliens. I didn't really want to go again since the mission would be short and small, so I told Ben that I'd stay at camp and keep an eye on Tom for him. Dr. Glass got the bullet out and patched him up, so now it was simply up to Tom.

I was in the Med Bus for a few hours helping Anne and Lourdes out so that they could spend a little more time relaxing or looking after Tom. It was actually pretty cool being a medic, as it was also extremely disgusting. Blood and needles I can handle, but that's about it. Anne and Lourdes knew that I wasn't really at the point where I could handle some of the stuff they did, but they let me do everything else that I could. Even if I did little things, like organizing the med cabinet, keeping Tom hydrated, or rewrapping a patient's wound, I knew that it helped significantly. Dr. Glass and Lourdes were the two hardest workers in all of the 2nd Mass and they deserved to have a little down time.

Lourdes even talked to me about Jamil on a couple of occasions. She was kind of like an older sister to me and I thought that it was totally cool. She would ask me my opinion on him and talk about how she was glad that she managed to find someone special at a time like this. Both of us got to know each other on a deeper level the few hours I spent there and I really enjoyed talking to her. She was full of so much hope and light that it could make you smile uncontrollably at any given time. When I asked her how she could be so happy and hopeful, she replied to me that her faith is what kept her going. I used to go to church with my family when I was young and I actually enjoyed it, but my parents' work schedules got crazy and they couldn't take us anymore. And then when they died, I never went again. I thought that it was really impressive that someone could stay that close to their faith at a time like this and manage to keep such a positive attitude and hopeful spirit.

When the mission team got back, they were on foot which was weird considering they left on vehicles. As Alyssa and I were getting ready for bed in our tent, she told me that a beamer had dropped several bombs on their vehicles repeatedly until they were blown to bits, rather than aiming at them. The team had discovered that the beamers can pick up the heat that radiates off the engines and that had become their new target. We stayed up and talked a little more that night, and then we both fell asleep.

I woke up three hours later from another awful dream, so I just looked up at the ceiling of our tent and thought about whatever came to mind. After that, I quietly played my guitar for two hours and wrote a song or two. It was a really calming process and I loved spending time with my guitar. It was helped me forget about everything for a little while and just focus on music.

Alyssa's POV

"Alyssa? Did you hear me?"

"What?" I looked around to see who was talking to me. Hal was staring at me, waiting for a response. "Did you say something?"

"Yeah. I did. Have you noticed anything wrong with Ben lately? He's been acting kinda weird. Please tell me I'm not the only one who see's this." Actually I did notice it and I was about to say something when Weaver walked up.

"Carter, Hal in my tent. Now." Then he left so Hal and I followed him to his tent to see what he wanted. As we walked into his tent I noticed things looked different. There were maps up and things just looked a little scattered and cluttered. It looked like a place that would make an OCD person go crazy. "We're in trouble. The aliens are closing in on us and fast."

"What do we do?" I asked.

"We need to find a way around them, or find a bridge. But whatever we do, we need to do it fast. It's only a matter of time before those bastards realize they have us surrounded then they will attack."

"So the river isn't an option?" Hal asked.

Weaver started pointing to places on the map. "They have us surrounded. They have convoys here, here, here and here. They blew up bridges here, here, here, here and here. Are scouts have been out fifty miles down this way," He motioned to the map again. "Soon I'll have more scouts heading out the opposite direction for bridges. One thing I'm worried about is Tom. I don't know when he will be able move but I need him to be ready when it's time. That is my main concern." I nodded. "If either of you think of something, I'd love to hear it."

"Okay," Hal said and then he left.

I was about to leave but Weaver called me back. "Carter, wait."

"Yeah Captain? What's up?"

"I want you to talk to Hal and Ben. Something is up with them. Ben especially. But Hal too. I noticed Hal seemed a little off just now, and that may be because of his dad but Ben has been acting weird lately and it's starting to worry me. I would ask Kaylee to talk to him but I get the impression she is like Ben. I also get the impression this isn't the first time you have seen this."

"Well your right. When her parents died she became all dark and it scared me. She talks in her sleep you know. When we were younger I never slept and she slept like there was no tomorrow." I laughed a little. Funny how we switched sleeping ways. "She used to scare the living shit out of me with some of the stuff she said, at the age of eleven."

"So you'll talk to them. You seem like the most experienced at the most qualified for this job."

"Okay, will do." I left and headed back to our tent, thinking about well, everything.

The next night we went out again, except Kaylee didn't go. Which was kinda weird but I didn't question it. I hopped in back of the truck with Hal and a few other fighters. We didn't drive that far before we saw the alien beamer fly ahead and we heard the sound of a mech, which was kinda scary. They were getting closer and closer.

"Everybody out of the vehicles! Now!" What the fuck? Everyone evacuated and ran away from the vehicles, and not a moment to soon. Just where we were seconds ago a beamer dropped a bomb on our truck and another on the bikes. It was totally silent as we all just stared at the cars up in flames and then Pope flipped.

"THAT WAS A HARLEY!" Yes. That is exactly what he said. We were just seconds away from death and he is pissed that the aliens blew up his Harley.

"Calm the fuck down," I said.

"Yeah be lucky it was just your Harley and not you as well," Ben said all darkly. I really don't think it takes a genius to figure out, by the way Ben said that, he really wished Pope was on the bike. Then to make our evening worse, mechs come around the corner and open fire. We all scattered and ducked behind whatever we could find. As we all ran, I fell down and scraped up my knees and elbows. I couldn't get up, my foot was stuck in some rope wrapped around the tire, and I was in plain mech fire range. JUST FUCKING GREAT!

"ALYSSA!" Hal yelled and he tried to run over to me, but Ben pulled him down.

"Wait."

"LET GO OF ME BEN!" Hal screamed but Ben wouldn't let go, he could sense something was going on. The mechs were firing and I ducked my head. HOLY FUCKING SHIT I AM ABOUT TO DIE! I covered my head like they teach you to do in an earthquake in elementary school. I was kicking at struggling to get my foot undone but it wouldn't come out. I tried to reach for my knife but I couldn't sit up in fear of being shot. Suddenly the shooting stopped and the mechs walked away. I looked up and the first thing I saw was our truck and bikes, or what used to be them. They were just pieces of rubbish now. Hal ran over to me and helped me get out of the rope, and then we all walked back to camp, silently. I was really confused. That mech could have taken me out, should have. I should be dead, a bloody pulp on the ground. But it didn't shoot me, it shot our cars. Why? Something was up; the aliens knew something and had a plan. That scared me.

We walk up to camp and everyone just stared at us, probably wondering where exactly all the vehicles were. Weaver started explaining to people what happened and answering questions. I didn't really feel like sticking around to hear the story so I just left and headed to Kaylee and my tent. She must have noticed and followed me. We started getting ready for bed.

"They shot our vehicles," I said.

"I guessed that much," she said. "I'm just glad no one was hurt. From what I heard, it sounded pretty close. Like you guys almost didn't make it out."

"Almost, but we did. It was really weird even though we were out of the vehicles the continued to shoot them. Almost like the vehicles were the targets, not us. It kinda freaks me out. Like I should be dead right now but that mech ignored me." Kaylee just looked at me. Oh crap.

"What do you mean you should be dead?" She looked at me. "And does it have any thing to do with the blood running down your left knee and elbow?" I looked down. Wow that looks bad.

"Yes and I'm fine. A mech came around the corner and we all took cover. I went to duck behind a car and I tripped. My foot got stuck in some rope and I couldn't move. I was right in mech fire, but it ignored me it was literally standing right in front of me, shooting over me at the cars. That's all, no biggy."

She raised her eyebrows at me. "I swear to God you deserve a record for Most Near Death Experiences."

I rolled my eyes and then laughed, happy she wasn't pissed with me. Both of us laid down and then fell asleep for the night.

Kaylee's POV

At seven, I found Ben with Matt at the secluded range, and Ben was teaching Matt how to shoot. Oh hell no. I would not accept Ben, the person I had to teach, teaching his brother. Without my help. Hell to the no.

"Widen your stance," Ben smiled as Matt did so. Matt had an intense aim on a tree and was holding the gun almost flawlessly.

"Lean forward," I instructed walking up to the brothers.

"What are doing here?" Ben laughed as he said it.

"If you thought that I'd let you teach your brother without any assistance from me, you are sadly mistaken." Matt laughed.

I took hold of Matt's shoulders and twisted them a small amount. "Now lower the gun just a little." Matt did so and waited patiently for the next instruction.

"Anything else, teacher?" Ben raised his eyebrows.

I looked over the youngest Mason's stance. "You and your brother have something in common."
"What?" They asked simultaneously.

"Well for one, you both do that all the time which is really weird," I grinned and then grabbed Matt's elbow. "But neither of you can loosen up at your elbow."

"I fixed it!" Ben protested.

"Yeah like once!" I exclaimed.

"Hey, Ben!" Hal called, rounding the corner of trees with Alyssa by his side. When Hal saw that Matt had a rifle in his hand, he looked pissed. "What's Matt doing with a gun?"

"Ben and Kaylee are teaching me how to shoot," Matt said plainly. Oh fuck, we're screwed.

"Figured it was time he learned how to defend himself," Ben said, not backing down from his brother. Alyssa and I exchanged glances; this wasn't going to look good.

"So you just gave him a rifle without asking me."

Ben stared at his brother, not intimidated by his threatening voice. "I might have to follow your orders on missions, but not here."

Hal gave Ben an angry glare before moving over to Matt. He took the rifle out of his hand and took out the round. "Hal, wait!" Matt said frustrated. As soon as Hal saw that the round had bullets in it, he lost it.

"Go back to camp, Matt." He stood there for a minute, and then Hal repeated with more force, "Go back to camp."

Hal looked back at his brother who was now just as tall as him. "You know, maybe he's ready, maybe he's not. But we both know dad didn't want that for him."

"Three months ago. How do you know what he'd say now?"

"I don't know what he'd say right now and neither do you, okay? So how 'bout we wait and let dad make that decision."

Ben was getting angry, but he was bottling it up and letting it fuel. "The only way we win this war is by killing every skitter we see. If Matt's old enough to load a gun, he's old enough to shoot it."

"After what happened with dad, you think you're the best one to be giving lessons?" That was really, really harsh. Ben already feels shitty about it enough, and having it dumped on by none other than his older brother was certainly going to make things worse.

"That's why I'm here," I pitched in this Mason fight, knowing I'd probably regret it.

Hal's eyes moved to me. "And I can't believe that you didn't think it was a bad idea. I mean, really Kaylee? How do you not see that?"

"I learned younger than he is. And it's not like we're sending him out alone to fend for himself. Ben and I were teaching Matt how to shoot so he can know how to defend himself when the time comes. I honestly don't see why that's so bad."

Hal was about to say something back when Ben intervened again. "I just don't want him to be taken away the way they took me." The eldest Mason gave a curt nod and went back to Alyssa, deciding to walk away from the fight before it got worse. Except for the fact that Ben was evidently not finished. "Or your girlfriend, Karen."

Holy shit, Ben had just crossed the line.

Hal ran towards Ben to try and punch him or shove him, but Ben grabbed his wrists in his iron grip and began forcing him down to the floor, despite Hal's obvious struggle. Alyssa and I just looked at each other, not having a clue as to what we should be doing. Ben kept forcing Hal down until he was thrown to the ground. "I'm not the geek you used to push around. Deal with it." Ben shoved Hal until he hit the floor head on. And that was when I knew that Ben was not savable from the darkness. It was too late.

Hal and Alyssa looked up at me, shocked that Ben had done that and shocked that I wasn't shocked. I glanced between both of them and sighed. I then turned around and headed after Ben to go and calm him down before he killed someone or destroyed something. Sometimes I seriously don't understand why Hal doesn't comprehend how much he affects Ben. Hal was acting too fatherly towards his younger brother and Ben wasn't okay with that, and Hal had also started ordering him around a lot. I'm not just saying that because I'm on Ben's side, but because it was true. Hal had become an even stronger leader the last few weeks, but he wasn't aware of how much it irritated Ben. Personally I think it was because that Ben really missed his dad and having Hal act just like him made the pain worse.

"Ben, wait up," I said catching up to him.

"Just leave me alone, Kaylee," he shook his head and kept on walking.

I grabbed his shoulder and made him look me in the eyes. "Don't try to fucking walk off on me."

"I don't want to hear it," Ben looked at me darkly. Hal really pissed off Ben.

An idea popped into my mind the second he had spoken. "Come with me." I took his shirt by the shoulder and began walking him.

"Where-"

"Just shut up and follow me." The two of us wove in and out of the 2nd Mass crowds and around a lot of building debris and random objects that happened to be lying around the campsite. I pushed Ben inside the shooting range inside of camp.

Ben raised his eyebrows and looked at me. "What the hell, Parker?"

I folded my arms. "Go ahead, take some shots."

"Why?"

"You're pissed off, right? I want you to take your anger out using your gun, and imagine that the tree right there is Hal's face. Trust me, it'll help a lot."

Ben slowly slid out his gun while looking at me strangely. He took his stance, breathed in, and then fired away at a tree that was to the right of where he was standing. First he started out slow, and then he gradually gained speed and more of a violent shot. It dawned on me again on how far he's come, from being the dorky math kid who couldn't fend off a girl to now the strong solider he was now. He still wanted Jimmy or me to give him lessons everyday so that he could continue improving until there was nothing more he could learn. But Ben was an exceptional fighter now, and I really don't think there was much for him to learn now.

"I can see why you do this when you're mad," Ben said smiling a tiny bit while shooting at the tree.

"I told you, it's really therapeutic," I shrugged.

He laughed and slowed down his shots until he was finished attacking the tree. He looked like his usual happy self; like the Ben Jimmy and I knew before his dad left. Maybe taking his anger out really was the way to release some darkness that he kept bottled up. "Thanks for that. I feel a lot less angry now."

"Anytime. We should probably head back now, see if anything's changed with your dad."

"Let's go." Ben and I made our way through the mobs of people until we arrived at the Med Bus to check on Tom. As soon as Ben made it down to where his dad was laying, I knew something was up. Tom looked sickly pale; not the sort of pale you get when you're unconscious, but the kind of pale that was alarming. He was talking in his sleep and he did not look like he was getting better, more rather the opposite.

"He's bleeding," Ben said frantically. "He's not supposed to be bleeding Doctor Glass took the bullet out!" Tom's bandage was beginning to turn red and his rambling got a little louder. This can't be good.

"Lourdes!" I called out. She was in the front of the bus tending to another patient.

"Yes?" The moment her eyes set on Tom's wound, she panicked too. "Ben, go get Dr. Glass stat! Kaylee, I need you to apply pressure to his wound until she gets here while I start getting the tools she needs. There's still a bullet fragment inside."

Ben ran off the bus at lightning speed to go get the doctor and I took off Ben and Jimmy's gloves that were on my hands and got a cloth to press against Tom's wound. Lourdes flew around the cabinets quicker than I have ever seen her before. She pulled together a selection of disinfectants and surgical tools that I didn't know the name of. Lourdes knew how much Tom meant to Anne, the Mason brothers, Weaver, hell to the whole 2nd Mass. She knew that if he was to die, a piece of this resistance would die along with him.

Soon enough, Ben came running back into the bus with a somewhat panicked and somewhat calm Dr. Glass. "I don't know what happened. He just started bleeding again," Lourdes informed Anne as she ran over to a sleep talking Tom.

"Must've missed a fragment," Anne sighed. She put his hand to his forehead. "He feels feverish too." She began shining her small flashlight into Tom's eyes and tried inspecting him.

"We still have a few bottles of IV and antibiotic," Lourdes said.

Anne gave her the okay on getting the medical supplies. I looked over at Ben and he had that dark look in his eyes as well as the fragile look he had before going through all of this. If they had found Tom sooner, maybe Ben would've made it out okay, and wouldn't have this huge burden on his shoulders.

"I'm sorry Ben," Lourdes pulled the curtain in front of us and turned the lights on in the bus.

Ben rubbed his hand over his right eye and turned to leave out the bus. I followed after him and the two of us stood in the lively camp, not saying anything but comforting each other with the sound of our silence. It was weird how that worked, but we both knew that it was better not talking and just accepting what was what and remaining quiet. Another reason why we had gotten really close.

The whole camp was getting ready to move out of the small city we were at so all of the civilians were packing up their stuff as quickly as possible and the fighters were too. My stuff was ready to go and so was Alyssa's, but I had no idea where she was. I hadn't seen her since earlier today at the shooting ranges.

"CAPTAIN!" The voice of Hal Mason rang throughout the small enclosure we had taken safety in. "CAPTAIN!" Hal came running in with Alyssa and the skidded to a stop asking Pope and Anthony where Weaver was. Shit this can't be good.

Weaver walked up to them and Hal began talking. "Captain, we got a mech convoy about a mile away. They're straight east, coming this way."

"We move that Med Bus, Tom's not gonna make it," Weaver remarked and looked at the bus Tom was in. Weaver took a second to think over a plan, and then started calling out orders. "Convoy goes, medical stays with Dr. Glass until she can stabilize Tom. I need four volunteers to stay with the bus in case the skitters show."
"I'm I," Hal said.

"Sounds good," Alyssa told the captain.

"Make that three," I pitched in and stepped forward to the group.

"Four," Ben said after me.

Weaver nodded. "Gather all the ammo you can carry. Hal's got the map; we'll wait for you twenty miles south. Stay safe," he said sternly.

The four of us piled onto the bus and watched as the 2nd Mass safely evacuated the campsite and left it as deserted looking as we found it. We did literally nothing but sit on the Med Bus floor and wait for the mechs to come by and hope that Dr. Glass and Lourdes found the bullet fragment before they came. But a mech moaned out in a matter of minutes after the 2nd Mass moved out and Hal took action.

"Alright guys, we got incoming. We're gonna go dark," Hal turned off the bus lights while Alyssa, Hal, Ben, and I got out of the bus and gathered behind some walls.

"We're gonna lay low until the mechs pass us by," Hal instructed us. "Don't shoot unless I give the order, okay?" All of us nodded except for Ben who was looking in the direction of the incoming mechs. "Hey," Hal called to his brother. "Okay?" Ben gave a semi nod and looked away again. Things were still awkward between them and judging by the look Alyssa exchanged with Hal, she had to have a talk with him too. The four of us split up; Hal and Alyssa were back on the bus with Anne and Lourdes and Ben and I were outside on two different sides of a wall.

The mechs' stomping got louder and louder and I leaned my head against the wall as the attempt of "taking cover." Ben did the same and I saw Hal take cover in the bus with Anne and Lourdes. I was breathing even quieter than normal (as if the mechs could hear breathing anyways) and had one hand on my C4 ready to take action if necessary. However their footsteps started fading and then they were gone as quickly as they came.

I looked out over the corner of the wall I was behind and when I saw that it was all clear, I walked over to the bus's entrance and Ben got up after me. The four of us fighters regrouped outside again. Hal started laughing a little, earning him questioning looks from all of us. "I think that was our lucky day, right?" He laughed more. "C'mon, let's go." We got onto the bus in silence and were like that the entire twenty miles to the new station. I'm pretty sure I even dozed off on Ben's shoulder again for at least fifteen minutes of the ride there and woke up when Anne stopped the bus at our new camp.

Alyssa and I didn't say anything to each other when we got off the bus and into the camp. Some kind civilians had set up our tent and cots for us so we threw off our shoes and got some sleep after the long day.

Alyssa's POV

"Alyssa get up. Alyssa get up. Alyssa get up. ALYSSA GET YOUR LAZY ASS UP!" I looked up at Hal staring at me, smiling.

"Geez calm yourself." I stood up "What's up?"

"I can't find Matt or Ben. And I was wondering if Kaylee knew where they are, but I came in here and couldn't find her so I woke you up."

"Hold on let me get dressed and we'll find them. They are probably at the shooting range-"

"Shooting range? With Matt? I'm gonna kill him."

"Ben and Kaylee never sleep more than three hours a day so it's not unusual. Matt could be just watching."

"Just hurry up and get dressed so we can find them." I quickly put on shorts and an old soccer shirt and grabbed my knives and slipped on my boots. I ran a brush through my hair and popped a piece of stale gum in my mouth. We past an old liquor store a while back and I grabbed a bunch of minty gum. I also grabbed and stick for Hal and walked out.

"Okay, let's go."

"Gum?"

"Here." I handed him a piece of gum and we headed over to the shooting range.

"How did you know I was gonna ask?"

"I just did. Plus I know you and the fact that you have an obsession with mint gum."

"How? I never told you that."

"I know everything."

"Mhmm, okay sure you do."

"I DO! And Matt was with me when I got the gum, he told me to keep it from you because you love gum and you would take it all from me."

"Well Matt wasn't lying; I do love it." I just laughed and we walked up to the range, we could hear Kaylee and Ben talking.

"Hey Ben." They all froze, Matt was holding a gun. I wasn't touching Hal but I could feel him tense up. He was pissed. "What's Matt doing with a gun?"

"Ben and Kaylee are teaching me to how to shoot." Way to be blunt about it. Hal stopped at the three of them. It looked like Hal and Ben were about to kill each other and Kaylee and I had to referee the fight. Fanfuckingtastic.

"Figured it was time he learned to defend himself," Ben said. I looked at Kaylee and I could tell she was silently saying oh shit this isn't going to end well. Shit is about to go down and honestly, if I had to pick a winner of the fight I would say Ben. I mean I personally trained Ben in hand to hand combat when we first go here.

"So you just gave him a gun without asking me?"

"I might have to take orders from you on missions, but not here," Ben's voice was threatening and it scared me a little. Hal just glared at Ben, walked over to Matt and grabbed his gun.

"Hal, wait!" Mat said, trying to take his gun back. Hal ignored him, and examined the gun. As son as he saw the round of bullets he flipped out.

"Go back to camp Matt," Hal said trying to contain himself long enough for the youngest Mason to leave. But Matt wasn't leaving without a fight. "Go back to camp," Hal said with even more force and Matt ran away.

"You know, maybe he's ready, maybe he's not. But we both know Dad didn't want that for him."

"Three months ago. How do you know what he'd say now?" Ben countered.

"I don't know what he would say now and neither do you, okay? So how 'bout we wait and let Dad make that decision." They were both getting angry and quickly.

"The only way we win this war is by killing every skitter we see. If Matt is old enough to load a gun, he's old enough to shoot it."

"After what happened with Dad, you really think you are the best one to be giving lessons?" Okay that was really harsh.

"That's why I'm here," Kaylee spoke up. Bad move, Kaylee. I'm staying quiet because I really don't want to get involved and I don't want to take sides.

"And I can't believe that you didn't think this was a bad idea. I mean really, Kaylee? How could you not see that?"

"I learned younger than he is. And it's not like we're sending him out alone to fend for himself. Ben and I were teaching Matt how to shoot so he can know how to defend himself when the time comes. I honestly don't see why that's so bad."

"I just don't want to him to be taken away they way they took me," Ben said before Hal could yell at Kaylee. Hal turned around and walked toward me. I think we narrowly avoided a fight. "Or your girlfriend, Karen." I spoke too soon. I was fully for helping Ben out and calming Hal down, but Ben just crossed a line. Hal turned around and was about to punch Ben, but Ben grabbed him by the wrists and forced him down until Hal was almost laying on the floor. "I'm not the math geek you used to push around. Deal with it." Then Ben walked away. Hal and I just stood there, looking at Kaylee and not believing that she was siding with him. Kaylee sighed at us and then went after Ben to calm him down.

"It's like I don't even know him anymore," Hal said.

"Hal, you're seeing the same change I saw Kaylee go through when her parents died. He's becoming dark and I really don't know any other way to describe it but terrifying. It's a phase that she went through too; Kaylee got a little better but not by much."

"So this is what it was like when Kaylee's parents died?"

"Yeah."

"But our dad isn't dead. He's sitting in the Med Bus. Unconscious maybe but at least he's breathing. And why didn't that happen when our mom died?"

"Well Ben wasn't there when that happened and at the time he was probably sad but the happiness of seeing you and Matt and your dad and being away from them overpowered his sadness and now he has a growing hatred toward the aliens for forcing your dad to go with them. Before your dad was taken he was this happy-go-lucky care free kid. Yeah, he had some issues with his spikes but he overcame it and was almost always smiling. He wasn't a fighter at all and now look at him. He is Mr. Fighter-Gun Lover. When Tom was taken something clicked in him. He blames himself for it, you know. He is also blaming himself for shooting your dad."

"It is his fault."

"Maybe. Maybe not."

"You're siding with him. You're defending him?"

"Just hear me out Hal. Your dad was fighting a skitter when Ben shot him, and he also shot that skitter. If Ben hadn't stayed to finish shooting because he heard something, we all would have left and those skitters and the beamers and mechs- that even though we didn't see them, you know they were on their way- would have killed your dad. If Ben hadn't disobeyed your orders your dad would be dead, Hal, and we wouldn't even know it. His body would be sitting less than two miles from camp, dead, and we wouldn't even know it. Think about that. In a way Ben saved his life."

"My dad can fend for himself, trust me."

"I know he can, with the right weapons. What did he have with him?"

"He had a hand gun."

"That's it. The only way he could have survived those skitters was if it was full of bullets. If it wasn't they would have killed him, and even if he did kill them the beamers and mechs would have taken him out."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," He said, giving up the fight.

"I am always right," I smiled.

"Okay, now you're pushing it." And we walked back to camp to see what if we were needed.

"Alyssa! Hal!" We jogged over to the Captain. "Are you two packed and ready?"

"Yes sir," Hal said.

"We were supposed to pack our stuff?" Since when? They both just stared at me. "I'm gonna take that as a yes. So I'm gonna go pack my stuff and yeah I'll be back." I headed over to the tent Kaylee and I shared. Kaylee was already packed; of course she was. I stared packing up my stuff. I threw all my clothes in a duffle bag I had, along with a brush and my packs of gum. In my backpack, I put all my knives, a small first aid kit, and a few other miscellaneous thinks like my notebook, a pen, and a few other things. I grabbed the first aid kit and sat down and started to clean out my cuts on my leg and elbow from the other night. I found a disinfectant wipe and so I cleaned it out with that. OUCH! SHIT THAT HURT!

"Fuck," I muttered. I heard laughter so I turned around and saw Hal watching me. "Can I help you?"

"I was just thinking about the night Ben and I found you and Kaylee. When I stopped and you crashed and cut your leg."

"Cut my leg? You make it sound like some little cut from a twig. I got fucking road rash up my whole leg thanks to you."

"Whatever. I just remember thinking damn this girl is tough, annoying as hell, but tough."

"Yeah you don't want to know what I thought of you." Hal just laughed. I continued cleaning my wounds. I was having issues though. It's hard to clean your own elbow. Hal walked over and sat down.

"Let me do it." He took the wipe from my hand and started cleaning my arm, then he wrapped it up and cleaned out my leg and wrapped it with a bandage. "Okay now that you're all bandaged up, want help packing?"

"No thanks I'm okay, I just have to pack my sleeping bag." I grabbed my sleeping bag and rolled it up. Now it looks perfectly easy to pack a sleeping bag, but let me tell you, it's not. I was having issues getting the little strappy things on the sleeping bag. Throughout the next five minutes I managed to hit myself in the head three times with my own hand and twice with the strap.

"Give me that," Hal took my sleeping bag and rolled it up with ease. I just rolled my eyes. "Now that that's done we have a job. Weaver wants us to do a quick perimeter patrol."

"Why?"

"Just to make sure everything is okay I guess."

"Okay let's go." I walked over to our bikes but Hal stopped me.

"We are going on foot, until the can figure out this engine thing, we're on foot."

"Makes sense." The two of us set off walking out of camp. We were going to do a basic patrol, just make sure no aliens were heading are way. We had traveled about ten minutes when I saw something run out from a hole in the street toward us. "SPIDER! HOLY SHIT! SPIDER! HAL, KILL IT!" Hal stepped on it and killed it, and then he looked at me and started laughing. "What?"

"You're scared of spiders? Really? Spiders?"

"Bugs in general I don't like, but especially spiders."

He just laughed. "You're this super tough bad ass chick who fights in hand to hand combat with only a knife against an alien but you won't kill a spider?"

"Exactly." I nodded and kept walking.

"You're crazy Alyssa," he followed me. We had been walking for no more than two minutes when we heard the all too familiar noise of mechs, heading our way.

"Hal they are heading towards us," I said

"Yeah and toward camp."

"Shit."

"My thoughts exactly. Lets go." We started running-no sprinting-to camp since we didn't have much time. We got to camp pretty quick and both of us were out of breath.

"CAPTAIN! CAPTAIN!" Hal yelled before we were even fully in camp.

Weaver ran over to us. "Captain, we got a mech convoy about a mile away. They're straight east, coming this way."

"We move that Med Bus, Tom's not gonna make it," Weaver was thinking. "Convoy goes medical stays with Dr. Glass until she can stabilize Tom. I need four volunteers to stay with the bus in case the skitters show."
"I'm I," Hal said.

"Sounds good," I said.

"Make that three," Kaylee stepped forward.

"Four," called Ben.

Weaver nodded. "Gather all the ammo you can carry. Hal's got the map; we'll wait for you twenty miles south. Stay safe," he said.

The four of us headed on the Med Bus and sat on the floor waiting. Anne and Lourdes worked swiftly, trying to find the bullet fragment inside Tom. The 2nd Mass packed up and left. The place looked kinda creepy. Within minutes we could hear the sound of mechs.

"Alright guys, we got incoming. We're gonna go dark," Hal turned off the bus lights and we all headed off the bus and ducked behind a wall.

"We're gonna lay low until the mechs pass us by," Hal instructed us. "Don't shoot unless I give the order, okay?" Everyone nodded except Ben, who seemed lost. He was staring in the direction of the incoming mech. "Hey," Hal called to his brother. "Okay?" Ben gave a pretty pathetic excuse for a nod and looked away. Hal looked at me and I mouthed drop it. Wait until later. Hal and I walked back on the bus; Hal stood at the back and I stood at the front, and Ben and Kaylee stayed outside. We all took cover as the mech came closer and closer. The mechs light shined over what used to be camp and when it came over the bus I'm pretty sure everyone stopped breathing. As soon as the mech came, it disappeared again into the darkness.

Once it was gone we all stood up and Ben and Kaylee came back inside. We all regrouped and Hal laughed. We all looked at him like he was crazy

"I think that was our lucky day, right?" He laughed more. "C'mon, let's go." We all sat down and didn't say anything as Anne drove us to the new camp. Kaylee fell asleep on Ben's shoulder for most of the ride, and I noticed Ben didn't exactly protest. I nudged Hal and he noticed it too. We hopped off the bus and I hugged Hal good night then Kaylee and I walked over to our tent that someone nice enough to set up. I laid down and fell asleep instantly.

Kaylee's POV

I woke up three hours later with an extreme migraine. I slid on my sneakers and went outside to get some fresh air to hopefully make this excruciating headache go away. Of course it didn't, but I did find Ben out at the edge of camp and approached him.

"Hey."

Ben flinched a little. "Even with this kind of hearing I can't hear you walking up behind me."

I smiled. "Good. Now at least one person around here can keep you on your toes."

"That person has always been you," Ben shook his head laughing. "And despite how close we are I still feel like there's a lot I don't know about you."

"Those would be called 'Things I'd Rather Not Talk About,' my friend," I patted his shoulder.

"Are they really that bad?" he asked with sincerity and concern. "You don't strike me as the kind of person who would do terrible things."

"Like I said before, I'm ashamed of them, Ben. They're painful to talk about and horrible to remember. I wasn't always the person I am now. That took a long time to achieve. But my past isn't my present and I don't like spending time reflecting on it."

Ben looked down at me intently. "Don't you trust me?"

I shook my head, not believing that he didn't know the answer to that. "I trust you with my life. I'm just afraid that you'll see me differently-" I looked away for a moment, unable to hold his gaze. "-a lot differently if I told you about my life before the attack." Oh my God did I just say that? I sound like a fucking little insecure teenager. Why the hell does this always happen to me?

Ben just kept on looking at my eyes and kept trying to make sense of what I was telling him. "You think that I wouldn't treat you the same because of how you were before?"

I let out a sigh. "Yeah."

"Nothing you did in the past matters to me, Kaylee. Why won't you understand that? All I care about is how you are now. And you said it yourself that you aren't the person you were before. So why is it a big deal to you that you keep what's behind you bottled up inside?"

I feel like I'm at a therapist or some shit. And my headache got even worse talking about this. Faaantastic. I stayed silent since I honestly had no idea what to say to him.

"Now you're ignoring me."

"I'm not ignoring you," I told him. "I just don't know how to respond to that." Before he could press further, I changed the subject. "Have you checked on your dad at all this morning?"

"No. I'm afraid of what he'll say when he wakes up."

I laughed a little. "Ben, what do you think he'd say? He's been on foot for three months trying to find his way back home to us and you think that he's going to be mad at you and not overjoyed to see his son again. Man up and go see your dad."

Ben rolled his eyes. "Gee I wonder what you're like when you're mean."

"Hopefully you'll never have to find out. Let's go." Ben and I walked to the Med Bus and Alyssa was waiting outside by herself. I waved Ben in and stood out there with my best friend.

"How long have you been out here?" I asked her.

"I walked Hal and Matt over here about thirty minutes ago. Anne said that Tom should be up any minute now since she got the bullet out. How's Ben doing?"

I leaned against the bus. "He could be better. He thinks that Tom's going to be upset with him when he wakes up."

Alyssa raised her eyebrows. "Seriously? Tom Mason, the world's kindest guy who loves his kids more than anything in the world, mad at his son for an accident that happened?"

"I know," I shrugged. "He takes things too hard."

"Kind of like someone else I know," Alyssa looked at me.

I shoved her lightly. "Shut up."

All of the sudden, Anne opened the curtain-door of the bus and out stepped a conscious but weak Tom along with Ben, Matt, and Hal. Everyone swarmed over to the platform he was standing on and yelled things like "It's Tom Mason!" and "He's alive!" and things like that. Weaver went up to talk to him and to shake his hand and soon everyone was doing that too.

I walked up to Tom and smiled. "Great to have you back, Tom," I shook his outreached hand.

"It's great to be back," he smiled and I moved out of the way so others could talk with him too.

So Tom was back after three months of thinking that there was no chance of him coming back or even surviving on the ship. Hal, Ben, and Matt were extremely relieved that their father was home as were the civilians and especially Captain Weaver. Tom was going to be back with Weaver to help balance what was good for the military in us and the civilians too. It felt like a missing hole in the 2nd Mass was finally pieced together again. And having a reunited family was something that was incredible, truly, truly incredible.

Alyssa's POV

I woke up and, surprise surprise, Kaylee was gone. I changed my clothes, geared up and walked outside. I found Hal and Matt eating breakfast so I got some water and joined them.

"You guys gonna go see your dad?"

"Yeah! You should come," Matt said. We stood up and walked over to the bus.

They headed up, but Hal noticed I wasn't coming. "You okay?"

"I don't really like the Med Bus, it reminds me of a hospital and I have bad memories associated with them. That was a partially dark time in my life. Go. I'll wait right here."

After about five minutes Matt came running out "Alyssa guess what! Anne said my dad should be up any time! You sure you don't want to come in?"

I smiled. "I'm fine. Go see your dad." Matt ran back inside.

Fifteen minutes later Kaylee and Ben walked up. Kaylee pushed Ben inside then walked over to me.

"How long have you been out here?" she asked.

"I walked Hal and Matt over here about thirty minutes ago. Anne said that Tom should be up any minute now since she got the bullet out. How's Ben doing?"

"He could be better. He thinks that Tom's going to be upset with him when he wakes up."

"Seriously? Tom Mason, the world's kindest guy who loves his kids more than anything in the world, mad at his son for an accident that happened?"

"I know. He takes things too hard."

"Kind of like someone else I know," I stared at Kaylee.

"Shut up." She pushed me lightly.

Just then the curtain thing opened and Tom walked out, supported by Hal, Matt and Ben; he was weak but at least he was alive. Citizens and fighters rushed over, cheering for him. Kaylee went up to him. "Great to have you back, Tom."

"It's great to be back," he smiled and Kaylee and I moved back so others could see him. The look the Mason boys' faces were pure joy and happiness, even Ben looked extremely happy to see his dad up and moving again. Tom Mason had done the unthinkable. He willingly stepped on an alien spaceship to save his sons, and then traveled three months to return to them. Why couldn't I have gotten Tom as a dad? Maybe then I wouldn't have been such a screwed up kid. But then again, I wouldn't be here if my life hadn't been like that. I guess maybe everything does happen for a reason.

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY YYY! The next chapter is my favorite one to write!:D Hahaha but not for the reason you would think;D Hahaha anyways what do you guys think?! Review and let us know!:DDD And Chapter 15 (Called Old Promises) will be up ASAP! Thanks for sticking with us! We love you all:3

-Keep Calm and Resist On.