Author's Note: We All Fall Down is a spin-off from my Doctor Who/Falling Skies crossover story Falling Slowly. It features Tom and my original character Vivien, but this story is primarily Hal/OC centric and can be read as a stand-alone. Videos for characters canon and original, can be found on my Youtube channel via the link on my profile.

We Never Are

There's no peace
Only war
Victory decides who's wrong or right
It will not cease
Only grow...

Will rolled onto his back, Anna murmuring in protest as his arm slipped from her waist, before sliding uneasily back into sleep. He glanced down at her, jaw tightening at the sight of the shadows flickering over the hollows of her thin face. There was never enough food to go round, and when the baby arrived, it would be another mouth to feed. In the halcyon days before the war and after their reunion, they'd talked about maybe trying for another baby, never really taking it seriously. But then it had happened, and here they were, living hand to mouth, on the run, never knowing if each day would be their last.

He sat up, pushing his long greying black hair out of his eyes, green gaze drifting over the rest of his group. All were accounted for, all united in their goal to find sanctuary. After finding the recruitment poster for the 2nd Massachusetts, the group had been trying to locate the resistance movement for the past month, only to no avail. They'd either gone to ground or had disbanded. But still the group pressed on, chasing ghosts, pinning all their hopes on a faded old poster.

Will got to his feet, stomach clenching painfully. He'd given his portion of dinner to his wife, the second night he'd gone without anything to eat. He thought about heading out and seeing if he could scare up some squirrel or raccoon, but ammunition was low and couldn't be wasted on the local wildlife. But soon they would have to start choosing between empty stomachs and empty guns, not with the way their supplies were running low.

He crept past his children, Abigail and Ellie, Ellie's head resting on her older sister's shoulder, their fair hair mingling. His eldest daughter was on night sentry duty with Phil, something he intensely disliked her doing. Women had no place in doing a man's work, especially when there were men to do it. The women cooked and watched over the children, as well as doing other menial tasks such as sewing or disposing of general waste. The girls aided them, the boys going out with the men to find food and defend the camp.

This was the way Will thought things should be done, and the others in the group had accepted his decree. But Bethany had classed it as bullshit, wasting no time in proving her point. Back in the beginning, behind her father's back, she'd bullied one of the older men into teaching her how to handle his rifle until she was proficient enough to earn one of her own. She'd started skipping her chores, going on runs with the men instead, her father objecting until she took down a Skitter in front of them all. After that, Bethany bailed on the babysitting and cooking completely. She could hold her own with the men, and she had their respect, even if she didn't have her father's.

"You should go an' get some shut-eye, girl," Phil said, tugging his trucker cap over his ears. "Get Dixon out here instead. He won't mind, his wife's snorin' keeps him awake anyhows."

"I can't sleep," Bethany muttered, leaning her head against the wall.

"Who can?" Sam said lazily, his gaze travelling down the length of her, the sight of her long legs in their denim shorts making his pulse hitch.

Bethany caught the glance and smiled provocatively, making Sam straighten up, the corner of his lips crooking. Then she turned her head away, pretending to pull a loose thread out of the sleeve of her checked shirt. Sam just shook his head to himself, his grin growing wider. They'd been playing this game for weeks now, Bethany taking two steps forwards, then five steps back. For all her bad girl act, he knew she wasn't as worldly as she made herself out to be. There were walls around Bethany, walls he wasn't going to climb. She could come to him, he wasn't running after her.

Phil pretended not to see what was going on, turning his back on the two. Sam was always wanting something, and now he wanted Will O'Hara's oldest girl. He'd already had his way with Bob's niece, and now she was three months gone with Sam's kid, a situation that was setting everyone on edge due to Sam's reluctance to do the decent thing and stand by the girl. Now he was here, playing his games with Bethany and hounding the hell out of Phil. The bastard wasn't even on sentry duty either, doing his usual cut and run when it came to contributing to the group.

But even though Phil thought Sam was a piece of shit, he wasn't getting involved. He was fond of Bethany, she was a nice enough kid once you got past the attitude, but he had his own daughters to worry about. Between starving and the Skitters, Phil had enough on his plate to deal with. As long as Sam wasn't sniffing around his girls, he didn't really give a damn; somebody else could sort the little scumbag out.

"Got any smokes?" Bethany asked Sam, glancing at the doorway just in case her dad came through it. He hated her habit, but she needed the nicotine hit to get her through the long days and nights. It soothed her nerves and steadied her shaking hands. Alcohol was a crutch no one could afford to lean on. You needed a clear head in this world, and a drunken stupor could lead to your death. Cigarettes had been one of the things overlooked by the Skitters, and Bethany considered this an advantage over the enemy, lighting up a petty act of rebellion tantamount to sticking two fingers up at the falling skies.

"Might be some down in reception," Sam said, pushing the hair out of his eyes. "Y'know, an illegal cache," he added, waggling his eyebrows like a pantomime villain.

Bethany laughed, tossing her head back, Sam studying the curve of her swanlike neck with secret appreciation. She wasn't pretty, but she had something that set her apart, a spark, something in those green eyes of hers daring him to more dangerous heights. The fact she was the daughter of their leader only made Sam even more determined to conquer her. Will O'Hara had always got on Sam's last nerve, Will's way of acting the hero and treating his beautiful wife as though she was made of bone china, his daughters even more so, irritating the hell out of him. Corrupting Bethany would be his way of giving Will his comeuppance.

"Wanna get some?" Bethany said, getting to her feet, not even giving him a chance to answer, already knowing it.

"Sure, sugar," Sam drawled.

"Don't call me sugar," Bethany snapped, startling him.

"Sorry," Sam said, holding his hands up in mock surrender.

Bethany just nodded, before turning on her heel and stalking off, slinging her rifle over her shoulder as she moved.

The click of Bethany's cowboy boots echoed through the darkness, the light of her torch flickering in fits and starts. As she made her way over to the reception desk, it went out completely, plunging them into pitch blackness. Cursing, she slammed its side with her hand, before switching it on and off a few times, but the battery was dead, and there was none left to replace it. Completely losing her head, she turned and booted the desk, only for Sam to grab her elbow, making her whirl around, light suddenly striking her eyes.

"Hey," he whispered, his face inches from hers, "it's alright, I've got it covered."

Bethany swallowed hard, her heart speeding up in her chest. She knew Sam was a shit, but she still liked him. She liked him a lot, his swagger, the way his eyes narrowed. He was a man, not a stupid boy. She might have been seventeen, but sometimes she felt like seventy. But when she was with him, it was like she was finally finding her feet. Even if he wasn't Hal -

"What the hell's going on here?" Will bellowed, making Bethany start violently.

"Nothin's goin' on, Hawk-Eye," Sam said coolly as Will strode over to them, his face like thunder.

Will's jaw tightened at Sam's use of his nick-name. He bore more than a passing resemblance to Daniel Day-Lewis, and everyone had started calling him Hawk-Eye, the nick-name becoming an in-joke in the group, a way to lighten the tension. But Sam had never taken part in the joke, merely sneering instead. Yet here he was, addressing Will as though he was his ally after all. Will just shook his head in derision, his green gaze burning into Sam, forcing the younger man to look away.

"Thought you were keeping watch?" Will asked Bethany, his voice dangerous.

"Phil's covering me," Bethany said sullenly, tossing her black braid back.

"And who will cover Phil if he falls asleep?" Will snapped. "You? I don't think so."

"There's nothin' out there, man," Sam said, feigning a yawn. "The Skitters have already swept through the area."

"It doesn't mean we're safe," Will said from between gritted teeth. "We never are" -

- "SKITTERS!"