Chapter Text
Title: Grace Mason and The Battle of Fitchburg
Rating: T
Warnings: Some violence but not graphic
Characters: Grace Mason (OC), Hal Mason, Ben Mason, Matt Mason, mentions of Tom Mason, Casey Taylor (OC by littletonpace), Anne Glass, Jimmy Boland, Capt Weaver and most of the other main cast.
Summary: Sequel to Heartbeat Away from Death . A fic about my Falling Skies OC, Grace Mason - Tom’s eldest child - and her experience during The Battle of Fitchburg. It’s been 4 weeks since Tom flew away on that beamer, and Grace is trying her hardest to find him and support her brothers through another ensuing attack. But as she struggles without her father’s support, can she make it out of Fitchburg alive?
FF.Net Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13819399/1/Grace-Mason-and-The-Battle-of-Fitchburg
A/N: This fic closely follows the events of the comic book created by Paul Tobin and Juan Ferreyra. I used their story to write around as I would with the show. If you haven’t read my previous fic - Heartbeat Away From Death - it covers the events of S1 so please read, it can be found on my fanfic.net page! This fic will also feature Casey Taylor, an OC created by my friend littletonpace. Casey’s story can be found on her fanfic.net page, entitled When Skies Are Grey .
Chapter 1
“Daddy? Daddy! Are you there?”
Tom Mason all but burst into the bedroom, greeted with the tearful red cheeks of his little girl. As with most five year olds, it quickly became evident she’d had a nightmare. A little relieved that the emergency was not as dire as he first feared, he relaxed, sitting at the edge of her bed and offering her a sympathetic smile.
Grace watched him through watery eyes. “I dreamed you and Mommy were gone,” she sobbed. “I didn’t know what to do. I just cried and cried. I was so scared!”
He gently wiped the moisture from her sweet face, removing the strands of brunette hair that had stuck to her cheeks. “It was just a bad dream, sweetheart. Mommy and I are fine. I’m right here.”
She was reassured for the briefest of moments. And then a horrible thought struck Grace almost as bad as the dream itself. It made her choke up all the more. “But...what if it came true, Daddy? What if you and Mommy went away and I never saw you again? What would I do?”
Tom shuffled towards her on the bed, his mind trying to come up with the best way to pacify the anxiety his daughter was feeling. He wasn’t one to lie to his children. If they had questions, he would answer them as honestly and as reassuring as he could. He figured this was one of those moments. He knew his daughter was young, but she was intelligent and very inquisitive. He knew she would understand whatever he told her. “One day,” he said in a quiet, comforting tone, “a long, long, long time from now, Mommy and I will have to go. It’s not that we want to leave you, but it’s just the way life works. All mommies and daddies have to leave eventually. But I don’t want you to worry. You won’t be alone. You’ll have your brothers. A family of your own. Most importantly, you’ll have yourself to rely on. I know you’ll be okay.”
She looked up at him, pouting. “I don’t want you to go, Daddy.”
He smiled at her before pulling her into a hug. “It’s alright, Grace. I’ll be right here for as long as you need me. I’m not going anywhere.”
She held onto him tightly, as if she didn’t quite believe him. Closing her eyes, she buried her face in his chest. She would have quite happily stayed like this for the rest of the night, if he’d let her.
“I don’t want you to go…”
13 Years Later
Grace crossed out another location on her map as she sat cross-legged under the bridge where the Second Mass had made their latest campsite. Another dead end, she sighed to herself. No sign of her father. It had now been four weeks since she had last seen him, flying away to space in that beamer with Karen. It made her sick to think she had just left him. She should have argued with him more. At least they’d be together. But he made her promise. Her brothers needed her more, though she was starting to doubt that more and more by the day.
Hal had quickly taken on more of a leadership role. It seemed the way he was coping with Tom’s disappearance was to take over his role as Second in Command. Or at least he liked to think so. He was more Weaver’s little side-kick, carrying out orders like a good soldier. He wasn’t interested in finding their dad anymore. What Grace really didn’t appreciate was Hal’s insistence on teaching Ben to become a fighter. The kid was barely fifteen. He was traumatised after what the Skitters did to him; he was still piecing together just what strange abilities that awful harness had left him with. He was probably angry and afraid. He didn’t need a rifle in his hand as well. It was bad enough seeing Hal with a weapon in his hand, but Ben too?
Speaking of her brothers, she noticed Hal walking towards her. She tried to ignore him, looking down at her map and trying to figure out which area would be best to continue her search. He stopped in front of her, clearing his throat.
She put down the map and glanced up at him. “Can I help you with something?”
“Weaver needs volunteers for the next patrol.”
Grace sighed. “Sure. Sign me up.”
“Are you actually going to stick with the team this time or are you just going to sneak off to look for Dad?”
She rolled her eyes. “ Someone has to look for him. We should have never left Boston.”
Hal knelt down to her level. He appeared concerned. “Grace, we’ve talked about this. We had to move on. Skitters were closing in. We had no choice.”
She shook her head. “Weaver gave us no choice. There were tons of us willing to look for him, until he ordered us off the search. To go to Fitchburg of all places,” she scoffed.
“The only reason we’re in Fitchburg is to get supplies from that army base,” Hal reminded her. “Supplies that could help us protect the Second Mass!”
“What are the chances there’s anything there, Hal? It’s been months since the invasion. Don’t you think they would have cleaned it out by now?”
“Weaver has good intel that it’s untouched. We won’t know if we don’t try, Grace.”
“I just don’t know why I’m the only one who still cares about Dad. He’s coming back. You’ve all moved on like he’s dead. You were quick to take his place as Weaver’s Second.”
“At least I stepped up!” snapped Hal. “What have you done to help the Second Mass lately?”
Grace raised an eyebrow at him, unimpressed.
Hal took the map away from her. “You’re distracted. He’s not out there. We’ve got to take care of ourselves for now. We don’t want to lose anyone else, do we?”
Grace snatched the map back. “You never gave up on Ben when he was taken. Why Dad?”
Hal frowned. “I haven’t... given up . But this is different, Grace...they took him into space. He and Karen are gone.”
She softened slightly. She had forgotten that not only had Hal lost his father, he had lost his girlfriend too. She had been lost to them for weeks already, having been harnessed by the Skitters and forced to be their slave. She had been there on the ship when she had put Grace in that cage. And she wasn’t alone. Grace shuddered at the memory of that new species of alien, the tall and skinny creature appeared to be controlling Karen, speaking through her. Maybe their father was being used the same way.
She squeezed her eyes shut for a second. No. She couldn’t think like that. She had to believe he was out there somewhere, on earth, looking for them.
“I’m sorry,” she admitted. “I’m just worried about him.”
“Hey, we all are,” Hal said. “There’s still hope. They took him up there for a reason, right? They need him for something.”
She forced a smile. He was right. They would have just killed him there and then if that was their intention.
“So, patrol with Dai tonight?” Hal suggested once again. “You in?”
“What are you gonna do?”
“I’m on watch with Ben.”
He clocked her expression immediately.
“Don’t look at me like that. The kid needs to learn.”
“Dad wouldn’t like it. I don’t like it.”
“He can do what he wants, and he wants to fight, okay? I don’t blame him, the crap he’s been through.”
“He’s still just a kid.”
Hal smirked a little. “Check us out. Squabbling like we’re his parents. We aren’t, you know.”
Grace clocked his amused gaze and returned it solemnly. “We’re all he and Matt has now.”
Hal backed down. There was no more arguing after that. Grace agreed to join Dai’s patrol and Hal went off to teach Ben how to shoot, much to her chagrin. But he was right, she wasn’t Ben’s parent. She had hoped as the eldest, she would have some sway in what her brothers were exposed to. But most of the time, they were just as stubborn as her. She wasn’t Tom and she never would be able to lead the family the way he did. They needed him back and she was determined to find him.
Hal’s words had stirred up some guilt, though. She was letting her determination to get their dad back distract her from her duties. She knew she was letting the Second Mass down, but they would all be thanking her once they had Tom Mason back. Captain Weaver would be thanking her, and he would apologise for ordering off the search. She knew it. She wouldn’t lose hope. Not yet.
She grabbed some supplies from the new ‘armoury’, which was basically a guarded tent full of weaponry, before meeting up with Dai and the patrol team by the bikes. He greeted her with an appreciative smile.
“Hey, Grace. Thanks for volunteering. I know you’ve had a lot on your mind lately with everything that’s happened…”
“With my dad being abducted onto an alien ship?” she finished sharply as she hopped on to her bike. “Yeah. That has been a tad upsetting,” she added sarcastically, eyeing the rest of the team behind Dai who were staring at her. As her gaze returned to Dai, she forced an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Dai. You’re right. It’s been stressful. And I’m sick of people staring and gossiping about me.” She said that last part a little louder, glaring at the fighters behind Dai.
There were seven of them in total. Most of the squad she knew at least a little bit, but since she returned from her short trip on the beamer, there had been all sorts of rumours and whispers about her. The worst one was that the aliens had secretly harnessed her, or biologically altered her in some way, and that she had forced her father onto the ship. She had been perfectly candid in her experience, answering the many questions people had about what happened - especially with Captain Weaver - so she was unsure where the rumours had come from. But she supposed she was the only person on earth (that they knew of) who had been on an alien ship and come back. Fear and curiosity was bound to follow in some form.
“I can talk to them,” Dai offered, about to cut off his engine and dismount his bike, but Grace stopped him.
“Don’t bother. I’m a bit of a freak right now, I get it. Let’s just focus on the mission.”
Dai nodded and instructed the squad to move out. Grace concentrated on the drive, trying not to care what anyone else thought about her. There had been enough gossip about her family after everything that happened with Ben. She just wanted to get her family through the day and it was hard enough without idiots spreading their lies.
Drive , she told herself, listening to the oddly soothing rumble of her engine. Just drive.