Falling Skies Invasion Alone

Lying to Me

A/N I'm so sorry this is late and short, been snowed under with uni but will be back at updating regularly in a few weeks. Hope you enjoy- appreciate feedback! 

I started down the few steps into the room where Maggie was lying. Hal had asked for some time with her after coming back from talking with Cochise and Anne. Apparently it would be okay to harvest the serum from around Denny's spikes. Theoretically.

But Anne wasn't going to do it without Maggie's permission. So I was guessing it wasn't going to go ahead at all.

Hal was hunched over the table Maggie lay upon. He had cried a lot. He was without his dad, a brother and the girl he loved, he had an excuse to cry. I cried, but it was more of constant, consistent flow of tears when I looked at Maggie. She was the Fighter, not the sick one. It threw me to be in an environment where she was vulnerable. Every time I looked at her I was reminded of when she got hit by shrapnel, over a year ago. In fact maybe even two years ago.

When Hal had asked for a moment with her, I was half glad to get away from seeing her so defenceless but at the same time, I couldn't bear to leave my best friend.

Coming back in, Hal must have heard my footsteps because I saw him rub at his face to hide the fact that he was crying, as if I would have mentioned it, or judged him.

He turned to face me, glanced briefly to the water bottle in my hand that I offered him. "She woke up." He spoke softly, taking the bottle from me.

She woke up? I thought and quickly moved past him. I stared down at her pale, expressionless yet pained face, her closed eyes. She was unconscious again.

"Did she say anything?" I whispered, clutching my cold fingers to her hand. Her skin was cool, yet warmer than mine. I couldn't get a heat at all. In fact, I had been feeling cold since Lexi left.

Hal sighed behind me. "She said yes."

"Yes to...?" I questioned, still not looking at him.

"Yes to the serum." He huffed a breath out. As his words reached me, my shock was clear. I turned and stared. "I know. But she said yes. So I need to tell Anne so we can get it done."

He handed me back the water bottle and turned to go quickly. The haste of his exit and the news he told me sparked some suspicion.

"Hal." I croaked, my throat sore from the crying and general weariness. He paused and half turned to look at me, not fully committing to stopping. "You wouldn't be lying to me, would you?" I stared at him, turning the water bottle over in my hands.

He missed a beat, but then he chuckled. His laugh was stark in the environment of distress. "I wouldn't risk my life like that." And then he stalked off.

I pursed my lip and pulled the chair round so I could sit with Maggie. I stroked a hand over her blonde locks. "I hope you'll kill him if he's lying. I don't think I could go through with it." I whispered. There was a small amount of jealousy within him, that he had gotten her to wake up, but I couldn't. But there were so many other things to feel, so many other things to think about that the jealousy evaporated quickly.

Time passed slowly as I watched over Maggie. Logically, nothing more could really happen to her, but I couldn't find it in myself to leave her. I couldn't leave her. Not alone in a dark, dank basement like room. So I just sat, and sat, and sat. And once in a while, whenever my mind wandered to the thought of losing Maggie entirely, the bridge of my nose would sting and my eyes would well up again.

Not long after Hal had left, he returned with Anne and Denny in tow and there was a short burst of activity as we readied Maggie for the serum. I couldn't do it, not only was I not skilled enough, but I wasn't steady enough. My hands were too shaky because I was shaky all over. One slip of the needle could have killed her.