Disclaimer – Still own nothing.

AN – This chapter is longer than any of the pervious chapters. It is also the last chapter in this story. Please review and

Enjoy!

10 months later…

Hal sat up and got off the seat when he felt the Volm space ship start to land. Throughout the last ten months, the humans and Volm had been working together to destroy the remaining Overlords. He had only been on a few of those missions, as it took over a month after he woke up in the hospital before his Dad and Anne cleared him for duty.

On the first mission he went on, they quickly discovered that while he no longer had his fast healing ability, he could still connect to the Overlords and to the skitters. When Hal told his Dad, Anne, and Kadar about it, they asked him if he could communicate with the rebel skitters since Ben and Deni no longer could. Hal didn't really like the idea of taking what was Ben's role nor did he like the idea of being a mouthpiece but there was no one else to do it.

He only went on three more missions against the Overlords before he stopped along with Maggie, who at that point was officially put on maternity leave. Hal remembered how not two days after Maggie had told him, his Dad came in and told the pair that he and Anne were engaged. It was then that they told him that they were having a baby. After Tom got over the initial shock, he hugged both of them. He still thought he was too young to be a grandparent, but was happy nonetheless.

This mission was the first Hal had been on since Maggie had been put on maternity leave over five months ago. It took two days however due to how far away the Overlord was, and because they stopped along some hospitals and pharmacies for any medical supplies they could find. While Charleston had a lot of supplies, it wasn't endless, and because of the war, no one knew how or had the equipment to continue making them.

"And we're home. Finally." Hal said with a relieved sigh once the ship landed in the city and he picked up two of the four bags filled with medical supplies they had managed to scavenge.

"We were only gone two days Hal." Ben reminded his brother as he picked up the other two bags, and together they got off the Volm ship with the other soldiers who were with them.

"Felt longer." Hal responded as they made their way through the square and the crowd of people that were always there. Since the square was the center of the city now, it was always busy, especially in the middle of the afternoon.

"I would've thought you'd like some time away. Probably get a decent night's sleep." Ben said, knowing his brother hadn't had a full night's sleep in over two months due to his newborn child.

"Not with your snoring." Hal revealed.

"One, I don't snore. Two, if I did, I doubt it would be as loud as your kid's crying." Ben denied it, which wasn't a surprise. It wasn't the first time Hal had told Ben that he was a loud snorer, but Ben refused to believe it.

"Nope, just as loud." Hal told him with a smirk.

"Shut up." Ben muttered.

"I'm going to get this stuff to Anne. You update Dad?" Hal asked. Ben nodded, handing Hal one of the bags he was carrying.

"Yup." Ben agreed as Hal slung one of the bags over his shoulder and was about to grab the other one Ben was handing him when they both heard a voice calling their names.

"Hal! Ben!" Matt's voice was immediately followed by his sudden appearance as he ran through the crowd towards them.

"Hey buddy. What are doing out of school this early?" Hal asked as he dropped a bag to wrap an arm around Matt's shoulders while his youngest brother placed his arms around his waist.

Even though it had been almost a year since Hal had died, Matt still worried greatly about his oldest brother, especially when he went on missions. When Hal had realized that Matt actually witnessed his death, he felt beyond guilty. He tried to talk to the kid about it, but it quickly became clear that this was not going to be something that would be fixed with a simple, 'I'm okay.'

"Volunteered to help you guys with whatever you were bringing back." Matt answered with a grin, a grin that Hal instantly recognized.

"Last class was math, wasn't it?" Hal questioned as Matt pulled away and gave Ben a quick hug too.

"Yup." Matt responded, slowly losing the grin as he realized that his big brother had caught on to what he was doing. For a moment, Hal didn't say anything and Matt was scared that his brother would tell him to get back to school, then Hal smirked at him.

"Well, you can help me carry these bags to the hospital then." Hal told him, offering him one of the bags he had been carrying. Matt beamed at him, grabbed the bag while Hal carried the other three and the two headed to the infirmary while Ben started making his way to their Dad's office.

FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS

"It should be fine, just try to keep it dry and clean." Anne instructed her patient's mother while she finished doing the stitches on the little boy's head.

"Thanks Dr. Mason." The boy said as Anne stepped away from the table and started taking off her gloves. Anne smiled when she heard the little boy call her that. Even though she and Tom had been married for a few months already, being called 'Dr. Mason' still made her feel slightly giddy inside.

"No problem. Just be more careful next time." Anne told him as he hopped down and ran to his mother's side. Once they were gone, Anne started heading towards the waiting room to get a new patient when she saw Hal and Matt coming over with four large duffle bags.

"What have you guys got for me?" Anne asked as she led them over to a counter where they could organize whatever they had brought.

"All that we could find while we were busy taking down another Overlord." Hal answered as he placed the bags he was carrying on the counter, then took the one Matt was holding and put it beside the other ones.

"Better than nothing." Anne replied, then noticed that Matt was here when school was still going on.

"Matt, why aren't you in school?" The doctor asked, taking the attention off the medical supplies and putting it on the youngest Mason boy.

"Well," Matt started to try and explain to his stepmother, but Hal already figured out what had happened.

"You didn't volunteer for anything and didn't have permission to skip, did you?" Hal questioned with a knowing smirk on his face. Matt looked up at the adults sheepishly and shook his head. Anne let out a sigh, then looked up at the clock. Even if she sent Matt back to school by the time he'd get there, school would be over.

"Lucky for you, class would be over by now, so go pick up any homework that you would've missed and get busy on that." Anne ordered. If Matt had any protest to that, he wisely kept his mouth shut. Instead, he just nodded and started heading out of the infirmary.

"He's getting good at skipping." Hal commented as he watched his brother's retreating figure.

"Of all the things he should be learning and getting better at, skipping school is not one of them." Anne stated.

"While I never really liked school, I kinda agree with you." Hal told her, turning back to the bags and started unpacking the supplies. While he did his fair share of skipping high school before the aliens invaded, he still knew that it was important to go and learn.

"You know it's just because he's still really worried about you." Anne said, as she watched Hal unpack the bag in front of him. Even though Matt was no stranger to ditching his classes, he had gotten worse ever since the attack on Washington. Whenever Tom or Anne were by the teachers that Matt wasn't in class, they always found him with Hal.

"I know." Hal responded, not meeting his stepmother's eyes, and continued his task. It wasn't like he didn't want to talk to Anne, he liked her, he considered her a friend, but all this talking was distracting him from unpacking the bags and going to see Maggie and his daughter, Becca.

The minute he and Maggie met their daughter, they both completely loved her. Once Anne placed the baby in Maggie's arms, her name came to both of them. They had decided to wait until their baby was born before they picked the name and once they saw her, they knew exactly what to name her. Rebecca Anne Mason. When they told his Dad what her name was, he almost started crying and agreed that it suited her.

And now, getting back to Maggie and Becca was the only thing on Hal's mind. He was so focused on what he was doing that he didn't notice that Anne was staring at him.

"You look tired." Anne commented, seeing the slight dark circles under his eyes. A common sign of a new parent.

"Just haven't been sleeping good lately. All part of the package, right?" Hal explained, moving faster. Anne smiled when she realized what he was doing, working faster and refusing to get distracted so he could go back to the little girl who kept him and Maggie up all hours of the night.

"That it is. You go, I'll finish up here." Anne told him, pushing him away from the duffle bags.

"You sure?" Hal questioned as Anne started to unpack the bag.

"Yes, I'm sure. Oh, if you see Lexi by any chance, send her back up here, okay?" Anne requested.

"Got it." Hal replied, and immediately started walking towards his and Maggie's bedroom.

FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS

As Ben approached his Dad's office, he entered the room without bothering to knock. Tom was alone, sitting at his desk. When he heard the door open, he looked up and smiled when he saw his son.

"Hey Dad." Ben said, coming over to the desk.

"You're back. Everything go okay? Where's Hal?" Tom questioned, standing up and walking around the table to give Ben a quick hug.

"Everything went good. Hal went to give Anne the medical supplies we found, and another Overlord is dead." Ben reported, knowing that unless he assured his Dad that he and Hal were okay, he'd only worry more.

"Good, good. Only ten more left, and six of them aren't in North America." Tom replied, looking back at the world maps that laid on his desk. Ben looked over to see the ten dots made with a black marker, marking the places where the remaining Overlords are.

"So, the Volm will take care of them then." Ben said, looking at the ones in Asia.

"If they haven't already. Cochise and his comrades will be in Charleston tomorrow. We'll know then." Tom responded, moving to sit back in his seat behind the desk.

"And once they're gone, you can finally quit being President, or co-President I guess." Ben said. Ever since Hal woke up and Anne confirmed he'd be okay, Tom and Marina made a deal. They would share the President job, Marina would take care of the citizens while Tom would take care of the soldiers and finish the rest of the war. And once the war was officially over, Tom would step down and Marina would become the actual President.

"That's the plan."

"Not saying Marina isn't doing a good job, and won't continue doing a good job once you step down, but you've been a good President. What will you do next?" Ben asked, sitting down in the chair in front of the desk.

"Whatever needs to get done Ben. Ending the war was one thing, rebuilding society is another. It's going to take a lot longer and a lot more work to do that." Tom informed his middle son.

"But less dangerous."

"Very true. How are you doing? Any asthma attacks?" Tom questioned, taking Ben's appearance. After Hal destroyed the power source and Ben had his spikes removed, Tom and Anne kept eye on Ben, waiting for any sign of his asthma returning. So far, there had been nothing.

"Nope. Anne says she's pretty sure my asthma is gone. Apparently, kids can grow out of it. She's pretty sure that's what happened since I don't have my spikes anymore." Ben explained.

"Good." Tom replied, sighing with relief.

"How are the transport ships coming?" Ben wondered. Once the skitters became free of the Overlords control, they revealed through Hal that they wished to head back to their own home-world. Tom contacted Cochise and asked them if it was possible that the Volm could help transport them as the skitters no longer had any access to spaceships with the power source destroyed.

"Volm are doing what they can. Alliance between the skitters and Volm is still a little rocky, but they understand the skitters were harnessed and controlled and are happy to help get them back to their own planet once they leave." His Dad answered.

"Do you think once they're gone, we'll ever see them again?" Ben asked. While it may have been weird and messed up, Ben had started to consider some of the skitters his friends, and it was strange to no longer be able to communicate with them, even though he had ten months to get used to it.

"We'll see the Volm again. They want to strike up some sort of alliance, but the skitters, I don't know. They're going to have to start all over with their technology and I highly doubt they'd be very welcome here, despite the fact they were being controlled and the fact there were some that were rebels. Why?" Tom wondered.

"I don't know, I guess I just, helping with the skitters and human fighters, felt like it was a place where I belonged. Now, I got to start all over." Ben revealed.

Tom finally looked up from the maps and papers on his desk and stared at his son. He had forgotten how hard it was for Ben to fit in because of his spikes, and how excited he was that he found a place working with the skitters and helping them work with the humans. With them gone, Ben will lose that.

"Ben, finding where you belong is something everyone goes through, whether they were harnessed or not. And it's hard for everyone. It might take a while, but you'll figure it out, and you'll have your whole family to help you." Tom tried to explain. For a minute, Ben sat there in silence, then looked back up at his Dad, offering him a half smile.

"I know. I'm going to go find Deni. See you later." Ben then left the room before his Dad could respond. Tom stared at the door, but then sighed and shook his head. It was just going to take some time for Ben to get used to the new changes. It would take everyone some time.

FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS

Hal entered the room quietly, especially when he saw Maggie lying across the foot of their bed, fast asleep. Lexi, who was sitting beside Maggie, looked up from the cradle she had been staring into to see who had entered the room. When she saw it was Hal, she smiled.

Hi Hal. Hal heard her voice in his head. He was glad she was communicating this way. Maggie hadn't slept any better than Hal had and he didn't want to risk waking her.

Hey Lexi. What are you doing in here? Hal asked, taking his semi-automatic over his shoulder, then his coat and placed them on the couch.

I was visiting Maggie and Becca, but Maggie fell asleep and I wanted to keep Becca company. Lexi explained. Hal smiled and came over to kneel beside the crib which was pressed up against the end of the bed. He looked down at the infant, who was wide awake, contently sucking on her pacifier. When Hal bent over to look at her though, she instantly stared at Hal.

After seeing that his daughter was still awake, he looked over at Maggie. She hadn't moved at all which he was grateful for. She was lying peacefully on the bed, headed pillowed on her right arm. Her left hand by the edge of the crib, as if she was getting ready to reach for her daughter at any moment. Hal smiled at sight, especially at his mother's engagement on her finger.

Hal waited about a week after his Dad and Anne got married before he asked the woman he loved to marry him, though he wanted to do it much earlier. The day he was released from the hospital, Hal told his Dad about asking Maggie to marry him. Tom gave him a proud smile, then pulled a small kit from a draw in his desk. Hal had recognized it as the one his Dad had carried with him ever since they left their house in Boston. From there, he pulled out the engagement ring he had given to Rebecca, and handed it to Hal, saying that his Mom would've wanted him to have it.

After a few more moments of watching Maggie sleep, Hal turned back to Lexi, who was still staring at Becca. Ever since Lexi first saw Becca, she adored the baby and spent most of her free time with her.

Well, thank you for staying with them, but your Mom wants you to head to the infirmary. Hal informed his little sister.

Okay. Lexi said as she climbed off the bed. Just as she reached the door though, she turned around and looked at him. Can I come and play with Becca tomorrow?

Sure. See you later. Hal replied, and Lexi walked out of the door. Once she was gone, Hal turned his head back to look at his daughter. Her big brown eyes under her blonde eyelashes continued to stare up at him.

"Hello sweetie. Wide awake I see." Hal whispered to his daughter who smiled wide enough that her pacifier fell out of her mouth and lifted her arms, telling him that she wanted to be picked up. Hal couldn't help but smile back as he lifted the baby out of her crib and cradled her in his arms. He placed one hand in front of her face, letting Becca grabbed one of his fingers. Once she had his finger in her grip, she let out a small laugh which made Hal's smile grow.

"Hal?" The new father looked over to the bed where the new mother was starting to sit up on the bed, looking over at them with an exhausted look in her eyes.

"Oh, sorry, didn't mean to wake you." Hal apologized.

"It's okay. When did you get back?" Maggie asked as Hal came over and sat down on the bed beside her.

"About an hour ago." Hal answered.

"Where did Lexi go?" Maggie wondered, just noticing that Hal's sister was no longer in the room with them.

"Anne told me to send her to the infirmary. She had stayed to watch Becca so you could sleep." Hal told her. Maggie nodded, then looked over his shoulder to look at their daughter. She had hoped that Becca was asleep already since she barely slept the night before, but she was still awake, though not for much longer from the looks of it. Her eyes were getting heavy and a yawn broke through her small lips, but she kept looking back up at Hal.

"Aw. Looks like someone stayed up waiting for you. She's a Daddy's girl already. She's going to have you wrapped around her little finger in no time." Maggie whispered in Hal's ear. Hal let out a small chuckle, but smiled at the little baby in his arms while Maggie smiled at her fiancée. Becca already had her Daddy wrapped around her finger.

"Did the mission go okay?" Maggie asked as she moved on the bed so she could lean her back against the wall.

"Yup. Another Overlord gone. Not going to be much longer until this war is officially over." Hal replied, moving so he would still be sitting beside her.

"Good." Maggie said simply. Hal looked at her, completely confused by her statement. "What?" Maggie wondered.

"Nothing, it's just, I thought you liked fighting." Hal said, remembering how happy she was when they heard that they would still be working with the Volm to destroy the Espheni after they destroyed the tower in Boston almost two years ago.

"I do, but I don't want Becca to grow up in a world like that." Maggie explained, looked back down at the little girl in Hal's arms who was now fast asleep.

Hal turned his eyes from Maggie to their daughter, and then back at Maggie. She had changed so much since the day Hal met her. He remembered the first time he saw her, coming up onto the stage in the auditorium where Pope and his group were keeping him, Karen, Tom, Anthony, and Dai. She made it very clear she was not someone you messed with, especially when he made a grab for her gun when she was escorting him out of the building.

Even to this day, Hal was somewhat surprised that that woman was the one he'd fall in love with, the one who he was going to marry, the one who became the mother of his child. Well, their story would sure be an entertaining for Becca one day. Hal grinned at the thought.

"What?" Maggie asked, seeing the sudden smile appear on his face.

"I'm just thinking about the day she's going to ask about how we met. 'Well Becky, I met you mommy when she was with a group who took us hostage. I tried to escape and she kicked my butt and put a knife to my neck and told me to never do that again. It was love at first death threat.'" Hal said in a fake adult voice as Maggie broke out into a laughing fit.

"Better story than love at first sight of jazz pants." Maggie responded which then caused Hal to start laughing. He couldn't but agree with that. Looking back down at their daughter and seeing that she was still fast asleep, he turned back to Maggie, his expression turning slightly serious.

"I love you Maggie." Hal told her.

"I love you too." Maggie said back and pressed her lips against his in kiss which he instantly returned. When they pulled away, Hal wrapped his one arm around Maggie's shoulder while she rested her head on his chest, curling her legs up against his as he relaxed with both of his girls in his arms.

FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS

5 years later…

Hal placed the cooler onto the picnic table. Opening it, Hal pulled out the package of frozen burgers to cook on the grill and laid it on the table. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he had a hamburger, neither could Maggie. It was before the war at least, and when they had seen them in the store again, they couldn't help themselves.

It had been five years, almost to the day, when the last remaining Overlord was killed. Only a year after that, Hal, Maggie, and Becca moved out of the mall, that was the main building of Charleston, and into a house of their own. They didn't move far, only a few minutes drive away, but it was enough to give them some independence, as they didn't want to live in the same place as Hal's Dad, stepmother, and siblings. So, they moved into a small, two story house across the street from a large park which Becca completely took advantage of as she got older.

"Daddy! Look at this!" Hal turned his head to look at his five-year-old daughter. She was out by the playground, kicking around the new soccer ball that he and Maggie had gotten her a week ago.

"I'm watching." Hal told her, turning to give Becca his complete attention. Once she was sure she had her Dad's attention, she kicked the ball into the air, then started bouncing it on her knees, a trick that she had been working on ever since her parents gave her the soccer ball.

"Nice!" Hal exclaimed as he continued watching his daughter with a proud smile on his face. Becca kept it up for a few moments before the ball went too far to the left, missing her knee. Despite that though, Becca continued smiling with joy as she ran after it.

"Mama, did you see?" Hal looked over his shoulder to see his wife coming up behind him, picnic basket in one hand, and their son, Andrew, in the other. Like his sister, Andrew was a surprise, but not an unwelcome one. It was hard to believe he was over a year old already.

"I did! Good job." Maggie replied, handing Hal the picnic basket so she could better hold on to Andrew, who was starting to fidget in his mother's arms.

"She's getting to be a pretty good athlete, just like her Dad." Maggie commented, coming to stand beside her husband.

"But she's as beautiful as her mother." Hal responded, giving his wife a small smile. Maggie looked over at him, smiling herself then bent down so she could set Andrew on the grass. The minute he was on the ground, he stood up on slightly shaky legs, and started walking towards his sister.

For a minute, Hal and Maggie just watched their two children. Once Becca saw her little brother coming over to her, she sat down and gently rolled the ball towards him. The ball bumped against Andrew's short legs and he giggled with delight before kicking it himself, losing his balance in the process. Maggie was about to go over to him when she saw fall flat on his bottom, but Becca was already running towards him.

Hal wrapped his arm around Maggie's shoulder, silently assuring her that they were okay. Almost the minute their daughter was born, Maggie revealed that she was a complete mama bear. She was fiercely overprotective of her children. Hal was too of course, but he hid it better than she did.

After the war had ended, Hal continued working with Charleston's military. Rebuilding society did not come without its troubles, especially with more people flooding into the city, reopening businesses and with the Volm presence that was still in the city. Maggie helped out every now and then too, being the danger seeker that she was, but ultimately, the overprotective mother in her won and she stayed home with their kids.

Maggie relaxed into Hal's side once she saw Becca rolling the ball back towards Andrew, who was still sitting on the ground. Laughing, he pushed it back to his sister with his hands.

"You know, you're kinda cute when you get all protective." Hal whispered in Maggie's ear. In response, she lifted her hand and slightly smacked his chest. He gave her a kiss on her temple, causing her to turn her head to look at him again. Just as she lifted her head so she could kiss him, the sound of a vehicle drew their attention towards the road.

Hal and Maggie turned their heads to see Tom and Anne's car coming down the road towards them, parking on the side of the road. Becca looked up and when she saw the vehicle, and jumped to her feet.

"They're here! They're here!" Becca yelled excitedly as she started running towards the car. Andrew got up to follow her, though went a lot slower.

"Grandpa! Grandma!" Becca called out when she saw Anne and Tom start climbing out of the car. Hal and Maggie started making their way towards them as well, Maggie picking up Andrew along the way.

"There she is! How's my granddaughter?" Tom asked as Becca finally reached him throwing his arms around her in a tight hug which she immediately returned.

"Mama and Daddy got me a soccer ball!" Becca happily informed him as she pulled away to hug Anne, who had come over to them. Before either Anne or Tom could respond though, another person got out of the car.

"Auntie Lexi!" Becca shouted, running over to hug her aunt. Lexi looked to be about 10 or 11 now, even though she was actually six years old. After running a few tests when Hal destroyed the power source, Kadar concluded that while Lexi still did have Espheni DNA, and she and Hal could still communicate, she would age normally now, and that any other abilities that she could've had would be gone too, just like her older brother.

"Hey Dad, Anne." Hal said, giving his Dad a quick hug before giving Anne one too. Maggie gave Tom a one-armed hug since she was holding Andrew in the other. When she turned to Anne, the doctor immediately took Andrew as he giggled happily.

"Where's Matt? Don't tell me you guys actually gave him a car?" Hal asked as he gave Lexi a hug, noticing that his youngest brother was not with them. The minute Matt finally learned to drive when he was 15, he had been begging for a car of his own. Dad however insisted that if he wanted a car, he would have to pay for it himself, just Hal and Ben did. And now at almost 18, he still did not have one.

"No, we did not." Tom answered, watching Becca tell Lexi everything that happened since the last time they saw each other, which was only two weeks ago. When he looked to see Hal's still confused expression, Tom waited until the loud rumble of a motorcycle could be heard before he looked down the street.

Hal looked over to see what his Dad was staring at when he saw an old motorcycle coming down the road. Even though the driver was wearing a helmet with the visor down, Hal could still recognize his brother.

"How did he talk you guys into letting him get a motorcycle?" Hal wondered, remembering how before the invasion, and even a little after, his Dad's refusal at letting Hal own or ride a motorcycle. He didn't even like that fact that Hal had a dirt bike.

"He didn't. Came home one afternoon with it." Tom told him. Hal chuckled and shook his head. Classic Matt, act first and think about it later. Looking back towards his brother, he saw that Matt had already parked and Becca had already gone over to hug her uncle and was looking very entranced by his bike. Oh boy, Hal could already imagine what Becca was going to ask him later today.

About to ask where his other brother and his brother's fiancée was, Hal was interrupted by the dark blue jeep, already pulling into the small parking lot.

"Uncle Ben! Aunt Deni!" Lexi called out, running over to the last members of their family to arrive. Even though Ben and Deni had been dating for the last five years, they had just gotten engaged two months ago and had another month to go before they finally tied the knot.

After greeting Becca, Ben and Deni went over to Hal and Maggie, quickly giving them a hug as well. While Hal did cross paths with Ben and Deni a lot since they all still worked with the Charleston military, they didn't see Maggie or their niece and nephew as often since they moved into their own place. It was one of the many reasons why they decided to do stuff like this, set time aside for them all to be together as a family. If fighting the war taught them anything, it taught them to appreciate the family you had and to not waste the precious time you had.

Five minutes later, Tom and Hal stood by the grill, cooking up the hamburgers. Anne sat on the picnic blanket with Andrew and Maggie while they watch the rest of the family play a game of soccer.

"She's getting good." Tom commented. Hal looked up to see his daughter successfully steal the ball from Lexi and kick it past Ben and into the makeshift goal they had set up.

"Yeah. She keeps waking us up early in the morning wanting to play." Hal revealed to his Dad, looking back to his task, not wanting to burn the burgers.

"Sounds like someone I know." Tom said, remembering all the times his oldest would come running into the room with either a lacrosse stick, or a football, or a baseball. In a lot of ways, Hal's daughter was a lot like him. Besides Maggie's blonde hair, she looked exactly like him. In fact, with the blonde hair, she looked a lot like her namesake, her grandmother. Not really surprising as she was like her Dad, and her Dad was exactly like his Mom.

"You're doing good Hal. I'm proud of you." Tom revealed, looking directly at his oldest son. Hal looked over at his Dad and saw nothing but sincerity in his eyes, and he smiled.

"Thanks Dad." Hal said quietly. For a minute, they were silent but then the sound of loud giggles ended it. Tom and Hal quickly glanced over at the people sitting on the blanket, seeing Andrew laughing with delight as the ball rolled over to him.

"How is it going, with another kid in the house?" Tom asked, knowing how difficult it can quickly get from going to only having one child to take care of, to suddenly having two.

"Suddenly a lot louder. But Becca is happy about having another sibling. She's become a complete mother hen over Andrew." Hal answered.

"Reminds me of you when Ben and Matt were born. Even with Lexi a little bit too." Tom recalled.

"How is Lexi doing?" Hal asked once his Dad brought her up.

"She's good. Though, she's been dropping hints of wanting another sibling herself." Tom replied. He shot another glance over at Anne who was holding Andrew on her lap, and wondered of Anne did want to have another child. While he knew that she loved his boys as if they were own, and that she loved having a daughter, a part of her still grieved for the son she had lost. He knew that a part of her would always grieve, you will never be the same after losing a child. It made Tom feel all the more grateful and happy that he still had all of his boys and his daughter.

"As weird as that may be for Becca and Andrew, you and Anne still could." Hal responded, also seeing Anne with her grandson. She had been such a help to the parents when Becca was first born and by the time Andrew came, she had successfully become the grandparent who had a hard time not spoiling her grandchildren.

"We could. I just, feel bad that there was so much of Lexi's life that we missed out on because of her Espheni DNA." Tom revealed, watching his daughter play with her niece who was seriously only a little over a year younger than her.

"Think of it this way, you don't have to go through the terrible toddler years." Hal suggested with a smile, remembering how much trouble Rebecca was the minute she learned to walk.

"True, but we still have to go through her teen years. Not really looking forward to that." Tom informed him with a grimace.

"Our teenage years weren't that bad." Hal protested. Well, his teenage years. The invasion happened before Ben and Matt had gotten there. But even during the war as Ben became a teenager, it wasn't that bad, beside him constantly running headfirst into danger, which they didn't have to worry about anymore.

"There's a difference between teenage boy and a teenage girl Hal. And from what I've heard, I think I'm going to have Anne take care of most of those problems." The former President now teacher explained.

"Anne hasn't had a daughter either, Dad." Hal reminded him.

"No, but she was once a teenager. She'd understand it far more than I could." Tom reasoned and Hal turned to look over at his sister.

Lexi, when you become a teenager, promise you won't give Dad a hard time? Hal asked Lexi through their telepathy. Lexi looked up at her brother and after a minute, smiled as she responded.

I refuse to make any promises like that. Hal smiled and shook his head. Of course she wouldn't, she was a Mason after all. Masons are completely stubborn and never make anything easy.

"What?" Tom asked when he saw the grin on his son's face.

"Nothing. But good luck." Hal told him. Tom stared at Hal for a moment, but before he could ask what just happened, Becca asked, "Is it time to eat yet?"

Hal looked down at the meat and replied, "Yes it is."

Tom handed him the plate to put the patties on while everyone else headed over to the picnic table to eat.

The End

AN – And this officially ends Will to Survive. I hope you all have enjoyed this story. Thank you all for your amazing reviews. I am planning on writing at least four more Falling Skies stories. Minute We Love, which is another version of Hal's capture in season 5. Blindsided, an au of what could've happened if Hal was injured instead of Maggie in season 4. The Caretaker, a one-shot of life for the Masons before the invasion. And The Fourth Mason, an au where Hal has a twin brother.

Minute We Love will be up soon. See you guys later!