Will opened his eyes. He had fallen asleep at his desk again. The small lamp in the corner was still on. He sat up in his chair and blinked a few times, his eyes adjusting to the light. He stretched, his limbs stiff. He felt his age.

He looked down at his desk, filled with papers. In the spot he was resting, the papers had gotten crumpled and folded at unpleasing angles. He sighed, trying his best to straighten his workspace. The door opens, flooding the room with sunlight. Will turns to the source.

“Morning Dad! Sam made breakfast.” Peter bounds over to his father. Will had never known how Peter had so much energy. If he could just get a fraction of it, he’d be finished by now. Will swears that he just pulls it out of a black hole.

“Mornin’ kiddo.” Will ruffles Peter’s hair, making it more disheveled than it already was. Peter laughs, trying to fix his hair as Will gets up from his chair.

“C’mon Dad, let’s go before the food’s cold.” Peter grabs his father’s hand, leading him out of his workshop. Will makes sure to shut the door behind them as he’s dragged to his home. As they enter, Will catches the scent of bacon in the air.

“Sam! I got Dad!” Peter shouts triumphantly to his older brother in the kitchen. They round the corner to see a simple breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast set out on the table.

“Nice job son.” Will comments, holding up a thumb in approval. Sam shrugs nonchalantly, a small smile tugging at his lips. They all sit down and begin digging in.

After a few minutes of loud chewing and munching, Peter would start talking, whether it be stories that happened to him, his latest dream, or a simple question that ended up in an hour-long discussion. Will and Sam would quietly listen, occasionally inserting their own excerpt or commentary. The only other sounds heard were the clanging of metal against glass, the birds singing outside, the gentle breeze shuffling the grass. This had become a routine, the one thing they made sure to do daily. As Peter went on in his wild storytelling, Will couldn’t help but sneak a glance at the empty seat across from him. Sam caught his small action, but looked down at his plate instead. Sam knew.

It was on mornings, such as these, that he misses her most.

As soon as the clock struck noon, there was a loud unisonal screeching of metal chairs scraping against the floor as students began moving to the next session. Will scrambled to put his books and laptop away in his backpack as a familiar figure walks towards him.

“Hey Will!” Maye seems quite cheery today. Will looks up as he continues grabbing his stuff.

“Hey Maye. What’s up?” Will couldn’t help but smile. Her happiness was contagious.

“The sky. Speaking of which, do you want to eat lunch outside today? It’s really pretty.” Maye asks, adjusting the strap of her bag. ‘Outside?’ He thinks to himself. He had never been an outdoor person, always staying in the comfort of his home. It was quite ironic how much he loved space, despite always being indoors. But if Maye asked him to go halfway around the world and back, he would. 

“Sure. Let’s go.” Will answers. Maye’s smile seems to grow a little wider. Before he can zip his bag, she’s out the door. “Maye! Wait up!” He calls after her, saying goodbye to his professor before jogging out the door. Maye stands there, tapping her foot.

“C’mon slowpoke. I got the perfect spot.” She grabs his hand, leading him down the hallway. He’s grateful her back is turned so that she can’t see his burning cheeks.

“Jeez Maye, you go too fast. Hasn’t your Mom ever told you to never leave your friends behind?” He teases. She rolls her eyes.

“I would never leave you. I just went ahead, that’s all.” She corrects him. He laughs, throwing his head back.

“Fair enough.”

“Ah, c’mon! How are you so good at this?” Sam turns to his brother, Peter holding his head high in victory.

“Raw talent can’t be helped.” He proclaims. Sam chuckles.

“Yeah, you always were better at these types of games and stuff.” Peter beams from his seat and Sam couldn’t help but smile. They can hear the soft clashing of dishes coming from downstairs. After breakfast, Peter had begged Sam to play with him. Will had offered to do the dishes while they played some games in the living room.

“Hey Petey, I’ll be right back okay? I gotta talk to Dad.” Sam tells him. Peter nods.

“Okay, I’ll get the next game set up.” He says, moving to do just that. Sam stands, grateful that his brother listened. The last few times, Peter’s light would dim a little when Sam left to talk to their father. He would immediately feel guilty afterwards. Sam knew Peter didn’t like feeling left out. But Peter just wouldn’t understand. He’s still too young and innocent to know the entirety of their situation. Sam feels bad leaving his brother out, but he and his father both agree it’s for the best.

“Thanks bro. You’re the best.” Sam states, leaving the room and heading down the stairs. Will is furiously scrubbing the pan as Sam walks into the kitchen.

“Hey Dad.” Sam places his hands in his pants pockets as he goes to stand next to his father.

“You did an excellent job on breakfast today. It was at least edible this time.” He winks at Sam, earning a smile. He recalls the first few times he had prepared food. One time, he didn’t remove the eggshells that had fallen into the pan. The scrambled eggs came out a little crunchy. Another time, he set fire to pasta. He didn’t realize you should add water to the pot beforehand. There was another instance where he accidently dropped the salt into the food. He could still remember the horrible taste and the dryness left in his mouth.

“Thanks Dad. I’m starting to feel more confident about cooking. I even enjoy it a little. But don’t expect me to get as good as Mom.” Sam joked, nudging Will’s arm. He laughs lightly.

“Your mother was a mean chef. I miss her cooking too.” He says, his mind starting to wander back through some old memories. He rinses off the pan before setting it on the drying rack.

“So, how’s the project going along?” Sam inquired. Will lets out a long sigh.

“It’s going, son.” He didn’t realize just how tired he was up until this point. He couldn’t remember the last time he had gotten a good night’s rest. The project was of utmost importance. 'Sleep is for the weak', he would jokingly think to himself. But now he thought, 'sleep is for the week.'

“Well, I know I’m not as smart as you, but you can always count on me to help you. You know that, right?” Sam asks, choosing to look at the floor. Will places a gentle hand on Sam’s shoulder.

“I know, Sam. Thank you for that. Like I’ve said before, just take care of your little brother. I’ll take care of the big stuff.” Will says calmly, almost robotically. He’s repeated the same lines before. 

Sam is constantly worrying about his father’s mental and health stability. For as long as he could remember, his father was always working. His mother called him a “workaholic.” She was always good at helping him find and keep his balance between work and his personal life. But without her helping hand, he can’t find that balance anymore. Sam had come to terms long ago that he would never stop worrying.

Will asks him to lift his head. Sam obeys, locking eyes with him. “Do you trust me?” He asks his child. He always asks this same question too. It was rather strange, but Sam always repeated the same words in the same tone of voice.

“I trust you.” He lied.

Will and Maye sit in their favorite spot, a soft stretch of grass on the side of a small hill. The air is still and the only noise being heard were what the crickets and cicadas played. Will stretches his legs and leans back on his hands. Maye stares openly at the expanse of the heavens above. It was a clear night, the full moon shining so bright that it creates gray shadows. The stars were of equal intensity, so much so that it was impossible not to come out and enjoy the night show.

“It’s beautiful…” Maye’s voice trails off. Will turns his head towards her.

“Yeah.” He says. 'Not as beautiful as you,' he thought. He mentally slapped himself. That was way too cheesy.

“Thanks for inviting me out here. It was a good idea.” She turns around to face him, a small smile on her lips.

“No problem Maye. I know it was a little last minute but I remember you telling me you like this kinda stuff.” Will shrugs casually.

“Nah, you’re the one who likes space way more than me. I mean, you want to go into rocket science and be able to explore outer space, right?” Maye verifies. Will begins nodding before realizing that she can’t see anything. He clears his throat.

“Yes, that’s what I’d like to do.” Will nods to himself. “I’ve been obsessed with outer space ever since I was a kid. My grandpa lived at the beach and so I’d go visit him every summer. Every night, we’d grab his giant telescope and walk out to the beach. Where he lived, there was absolutely no light pollution. It was perfect for sky gazing. We’d stay up all night watching the stars.” Will chuckled lightly, reminiscing in past memories.

“That sounds really nice. I’d like to meet your grandpa someday.” Maye declared, grinning at his little story.

“Actually, my grandpa passed away a few years back. He gave me his telescope before he died, so I’ve decided that I’m going to do the same thing with my children and grandchildren. I want his memory to live on. He was a good man.” Will informed her. Maye was quiet for a moment.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” She apologized. “B-but that sounds like a really good idea.” She sputtered, trying not to leave room for any awkward silences. Will sensed the feeling that she was embarrassed, immediately trying to smooth it over.

“... I’m sorry if I kinda killed the mood.” He admitted, looking away. She shook her head.

“You didn’t kill the mood. I’m still enjoying myself. Actually, since you’re the space guy, could you show me some constellations and planets?” She requests, raising her voice. Will lights up immediately.

“Sure thing m’lady.” She giggles. Feeling a little bold, he quickly unzips his jacket and wraps it around her shoulders. She blinks in surprise. “It’s for optimal viewing comfort.” He says with a wink.

Maye felt burning redness seep into her cheeks. 'That smooth gentleman,' she thought, rolling her eyes. Maye wraps the jacket more snugly around her, reveling in the warmth from the previous wearer. It really was a beautiful night.

Will continued to work non-stop on his project. The lack of sleep was starting to take a toll on him.

“Dad! We’re home!” Sam shouts into the quiet house, struggling with the groceries in his arms. Peter follows closely behind, more groceries in tow. They quickly kick off their shoes before lugging the bags to the kitchen. As they set them on the counter, Sam says, “Petey, could you check up on Dad? I’ll get started putting these groceries away.”

Peter nods. “Sure thing!” He quickly sets off as Sam begins placing the food items away. Peter steps out the back door, running to his father’s outside workshop.

“Dad?” He called. No answer. ‘Maybe he’s listening to loud music and can’t hear me,’ he thinks to himself. He knocks on the door as loudly as he can. “Dad?! I’m coming in!” He announces, turning the knob and walking inside. His eyes scan the long room. ‘No sign of him…’

Peter frowns, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion. He walks over to his father’s desk. It’s covered in various papers filled with words and equations. The words were illegible chicken scratch and seeing the long equations made Peter’s head hurt. Underneath the piles of papers were some blueprints. Peter considers snooping around a bit more, but stops himself. Snooping is bad, and he couldn’t understand it anyways. He turns around to the large... things behind him, covered over with blue tarps. Honestly, he didn’t know what it was. If he had to guess, from all of the spare parts and wires surrounding it, it was some type of machinery. His innate curiosity urged him to lift one of the tarps up. He let the idea toss around in his brain, peeking around the corner of the machine.

Suddenly, his eyes widen and his blood goes cold in his veins. He gasps loudly, the innocent curiosity replaced with distress. “Dad!” He shouts, running to his side. His father is lying face-down on the floor, unmoving. “Dad?! Are you okay?” Peter shakes his shoulder. No response. He closes his eyes for a moment. This is all just a bad dream. He starts shaking him harder, more desperate.

“Dad! Please wake up!” His eyes start to water. His hands are trembling. Suddenly, Will begins stirring. His eyes flutter open to see his son’s beet red face.

“Pete?” He croaks. He manages to sit up, his head spinning. Too quickly for his liking, Peter leaps into his father’s arms, sobbing into his shoulder. Will is taken aback. He gently puts a hand on Peter’s back, patting him reassuringly. “I’m alright buddy. Everything’s okay now...” He begins rubbing small circles into his back, trying to calm him down.

“D-don’t… lie to m-me.” Peter mumbles in between sobs and shaky breaths. Will opens his mouth to say something but he hears another familiar voice enter the room.

“Peter? Dad?” Sam walks around the corner to see his little brother crying profusely and hugging their father. Sam immediately rushes over.

“What’s wrong, what happened?” Sam searches his father’s face, who just gives a strained smile.

“I had dropped something and when I bent over to get it, I guess I fell asleep.” Will attempts to laugh, but it falls flat. Sam eyes him suspiciously before turning his attention to Peter. His crying had reduced to small sniffles now. Peter pulls away, wiping his face and sitting back on his knees. Will immediately goes to say something.

“Boys--”

“Dad. Please don’t do this to yourself.” Peter cuts him off. This catches both Will and Sam off guard. While Peter does talk a lot, he rarely ever voiced his opinion about Will and his work. Sam was the one constantly telling Will to take a break, get rest, eat properly. He was very much like his mother in this way. Will looked at his sons. He saw Peter’s red, puffy eyes and quivering lips. Despite being good at hiding, he saw through Sam’s calm composure a mix of emotions: sadness, fear, and… anger, perhaps? It didn’t go unnoticed by Will that Sam was being strangely quiet. Normally, he would have pounced on the opportunity to nag him to take better care of himself. He sighs, feeling a pang of regret in his chest.

“I’m… really sorry, boys. I’m sorry for making you worry. It wasn’t my intention.” Will spoke softly. They nodded.

“It’s alright, Dad. I know that what you’re doing is for us, to keep us safe. But, you have to take care of yourself too. I hate seeing you like this. Please promise me that. Us that.” Peter gesticulates to his brother as well. As they stared at him expectantly for an answer, Will knew he couldn’t get out of this one.

“... Sure thing, kiddo. I, promise.” Will says, a little too reluctantly. He grabs his children in his arms, holding them close. “I love you boys.” He says.

“Love you too, Dad!” Peter seems to be back to his old cheery self, while Sam mumbles his response. “Oh, Dad! Guess what?” Peter pulls away, his eyes sparkling with newfound excitement. Will smiles.

“What?”

“We got your favorite ice cream!” Peter exclaims. Will laughs.

“That sounds really fantastic right now. Let’s go eat some, yeah?” Will suggests and before he knew it, Peter was already running out the door. Will goes to stand and Sam comes to his aid. The floor sways a little underneath his feet. It takes a moment before he felt well enough to walk on his own. Sam walks ahead of his father towards the door. All of a sudden, Sam stops in the doorway. Will almost runs into him, stopping abruptly.

“Hmm? What is it, son?” Will asks. Sam continues staring ahead, unmoving.

 
“... Just to let you know Dad, you’re a terrible liar.” Sam states blatantly. Will’s eyes widen in surprise. He continues to speak, “Peter basically covered everything I was going to say. Since you haven’t really taken my advice, I hope you take his.” He takes one step forward, before pausing briefly. “Oh, and by the way. I know that you’re my father and all, but, if you break Pete’s heart, I will never forgive you.” With that, he was gone.

Will remained there, completely shocked. His words were like a punch in the gut. It made him feel sick. He placed a hand on the doorframe to keep himself from falling again. ‘What’s happening to my family?’

“It has been confirmed by NASA that a passing asteroid has hit the moon out of its orbit. It is indeed headed on a collision course with the Earth. They estimate that it will strike the Earth in approximately 30 years, since it’s only traveling at about 1 mile per hour. But don’t worry. NASA and the world’s governments have been preparing for an event like this and are planning the worldwide evacuation of Earth. NASA and other related organizations are working around the clock on building spaceships that will hold a little over a million people per ship, in total roughly 7,000 in the ship fleet. They are asking for any and all available volunteers to come hel--”

Maye turned the television on mute. This news, although shocking, was a lot to take in. ‘A worldwide evacuation?’ She thought, sighing, and laying back on the couch. She grabbed her phone and dialed the first person she thought of.

“Hi Maye.” He answered. She would never admit it, but hearing his voice calmed her nerves.

“Hey Willy.” She giggled as Will groaned loudly at the nickname she gave him. He hates it, which is exactly why she’s calling him that. “I just wanted to call and ask if you’ve seen the news yet.”

“I can’t escape the news. It’s everywhere, on every station. It’s an incredibly big deal!” He exclaims. Maye lifts an eyebrow.

“Uh, yeah it’s a big deal. The world is coming to an end basically. I’m surprised people aren’t more panicked about it.” She added thoughtfully. Will agreed.

“Yeah… So what are you going to do?” She questioned. Will hummed in thought.
 

“I’m not really sure… I guess I’ll make the most of what I can now and hope I can catch a ride on one of those ships.” He states. She nods her head.

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Well, I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Alright, catch ya later. Bye.”

“Bye.” The phone clicked.

Will didn’t know how one of the happiest days of his life could bring him so much pain.

It has been a few weeks since the incident in his workshop. Ever since, Peter has gotten extra clingy to Will. Seeing your parent passed out on the floor will do that to you. Will, with much nagging, has made sure that he’s going to bed after a certain hour and making sure to take breaks in between his work. Today was the only day he would ever take off.  His anniversary.

They drove in complete silence. Normally, Peter would talk to fill in the quiet but he knew that on this day, his father enjoyed the silence. They went into town and picked the nicest arrangement of peonies they could find. Those were her favorite flowers. Then, they proceeded to drive to the their favorite spot. A small hill with a tree at the top. So very unoriginal, but lovely all the same.

“Would you like to do the honors, Pete?” Will offered the bunch of flowers to his son. He nodded and took them carefully, like they were made of glass and could break. He set the flowers down on the grave and stepped back. They all stared at the ground in a comfortable quiet.

It was all so sudden. Will thought he would never get over her death. The first year without her was the worst. He turned to his new project as an escape. He barely took care of himself, let alone his children. He wouldn’t sleep or eat for days on end. The only fuel he had to keep going was pure determination and coffee.

Every year, he would come visit her. He felt that it would get harder to come as he progressed, but he found it to be quite the opposite. It was getting easier and easier. He was thankful of his children for that. As he found himself moving forward with his life, there were times where he also felt like he was betraying his own grief too quickly.

But now, those feelings are gone. The world is coming to an end and fast. His number one priority is to make sure they leave Earth safely. He has two children that need him now more than ever. He can’t afford to waste anymore time.

Despite the world coming to its eventual end, life continued on like normal. Some even thought it was fake or a joke and refused to believe it. People still went on with their daily activities, almost like nothing had happened.

NASA and the global governments had given the approval to study on how habitable the planet Mars is. They have released that that’s where mankind is going. They already have people there to start building some type of civilization. They also give occasional updates on the progress of the ships. Many people volunteered to help globally, so the advancements are coming along well.

Will and Maye find themselves in their favorite spot. “Does the world seem infinitely smaller than before?” Maye has been throwing this question around in her head for some time. Will rested his chin on his hand.

“That’s an interesting thought.” He replies. “What brought this up?”

“The moon coming to crash land on Earth and kill everything in its path.” Maye states very matter-of-factly. “I don’t know. It’s just that…” Maye sticks her index finger on her cheek, gathering her thoughts. Will loved when she did that.

“The Earth is so big and there are so many places to go and see. But then, something like our inevitable death makes me feel like the Earth is tiny. Like I said, I don’t know.” Maye shrugs.

“No, I think I know what you mean.” Will says.

“Anyways, why’d you want to meet up?” Maye asks. Suddenly, as Will remembers why he wanted to meet, he starts sweating nervously. He becomes aware of the small circle pressing against his leg in his pocket. He clears his throat.

“Well, um…” Will mentally slaps himself. He had had a whole speech prepared but as he stared into the eyes of the woman he loved, he was rendered dumbstruck. He took a deep breath. He glanced down at her hand in her lap and took it gently in his.

“Maye. I know that we’ve only been together-together for a couple months, but we’ve been best friends for years. We’ve been together through thick and thin, have seen each other at our worsts and bests. I’ve come to care about you, more than anybody else.” He had never seen Maye smile so wide before. Her eyes had flecks of gold in them, which made them sparkle in the sunlight. Her cheeks were a light shade of red and she listened attentively to his words, having caught on to what he was doing.

“And even though the world is ending, I want you to be by my side. I want to be by yours. I just want to be with you for the rest of my life, no matter how short or long. So, Maye,” He reaches into his pocket and Maye covers her mouth with her hands, bubbling over with excitement. He holds up the small ring. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes!” She squeals, tears streaming down her face. Will laughs as she throws her arms around him. When she finally pulls away, Will realizes that he no longer has the ring in hand. He begins patting his pockets and scanning the area around him.

Confused, Maye asks, “What’s wrong?”

He looks up and sheepishly responds, “I think I dropped the ring…”

----------------------------------------------

“Hey Sammy, come here. We want you to come meet your little brother.” Will beckoned his little six-year-old.

“I don’t want a stupid little brother.” Sam frowned, turning away.

“Hey, don’t say that.” Will snaps. “He’s not leaving, so you have to see him sometime. Just come say hello, okay? Then you can go back to playing.” Sam sighed heavily.

“I don’t wanna.” He grumbled, dragging himself to meet the new addition to the family. He walked into the living room to see his mother sitting on the couch with a pile of blankets on her lap. He smiles warmly to her.

“Hey sweetie! Come sit with me.” Maye pats the empty seat beside her. He complies. “I want you to meet someone.”

“Yeah, I know. Where is he? Daddy says I can go back to playing when I say hi.” Sam quotes.

“He’s right here.” Maye angles the pile of blankets to reveal a tiny face. Sam stares at it confusedly. Sam’s initial dislike is now replaced with curiosity. It yawns and it’s eye’s open, it's tongue sticking out a little. ‘So tiny…’ Sam thinks to himself. He pokes his tiny brother’s cheek. ‘So squishy…’
“Be careful with him, okay? He’s very fragile. He can break easily if we don’t take care of him.” Maye says to her curious child. It is then that Sam realizes. He must protect his little brother at all costs.

“Do you want to hold him?” Maye suggests. Sam looks up at her, his eyes twinkling with glee.

“Can I?!”

Yes. It was finally finished. After many years spent working long days and even longer nights, he had finally completed the project. And just in time.

Will decided to rest for a few hours and hang out with the boys. For the occasion, Will baked a celebratory cake. It was a bit of a guilty pleasure that Will enjoyed baking and eating sweets. Maye use to tease him about it all the time.

After a good dessert and putting Peter in bed, Will sat outside with a drink in hand. He exhaled, long and slow. He actually felt… good? At peace? It was a nice feeling. He heard the familiar sound of footsteps and his oldest stepped out the door.

“Hey, son.” Will gestured to the spot next to him on the stairs. Sam took it.

“Congrats again Dad. I know that you’re happy that you’re done. I am too.” Sam says. Will nods before taking a swig of his drink.

“Thanks. I’m actually impressed with it myself.” Will admits.

“Yeah… So how far do you think the moon is before it impacts?” Sam asks. He says it quite casually despite it meaning the end of all life.

“Hmmm… I’d say at least twenty hours away? It’s been awhile since I’ve kept up with the calculations.” Will answered thoughtfully. “I think we should leave in about ten. That should give us plenty of time to do what we need to do.”

“And to get out of the blast radius.” Sam adds. “If there is one.”

Will nods in agreement. “So just out of pure curiosity, what do you think will happen to the Earth when the moon crashes?” Sam hums in thought.

“Well, I guess the Earth will absorb the moon and turn into a mini sun.” Sam shrugs.

“That seems quite plausible.” Will affirms. He takes another sip.

“What do you think life will be like on Mars?” Sam asks.

“Definitely different. It’ll take time to get used to, well, everything. The gravity is different, there is basically no wildlife. We’ll have to acquire oxygen, most likely through tanks. At least the sky will be beautiful.” He answers.

“Yeah. I think Mom would’ve loved it.” Sam says. He remembers how much his mother loved the night sky and seeing the stars. While his father was into the science behind it, his mother simply enjoyed the beauty of it.

“Yeah. She would’ve.”

“Thanks again for bringing the boys and the flowers Willy.” Maye says. Will smiles at her, taking the seat next to her bed.

“Of course, love. The boys have been really begging to come see you.” Will replies. Maye chuckles lightly.

“I hope they’d want to come see me. Even in this terrible state.” Maye gestures to herself, lying in a hospital bed. Will looks at his wife. Her once olive skin has turned an awful pale, almost gray color. Her eyes aren’t as shiny as they once were and are sunken in. Her voice doesn’t have that same joyfulness anymore. But despite all of that…

“You’re still beautiful.” Will tells her. She grins at him, a little spark in her eyes. She takes his hand in hers. She leans back, closing her eyes. The only sounds heard are the rhythmic beeps of the vital machine and the soft background noises from the nearby hallway. Maye squeezes his hand.

“I know you thought I was asleep the other night, but… I heard you crying. I heard everything you said…” Maye keeps her eyes shut. Will looks away, ashamed of his actions.

“... It was just a... really bad night for me. You know, they had just announced that they miscalculated how fast the moon was traveling. They shortened the time limit to five years instead of ten. And because of that, they may not even be able to finish building all the ships. I’m just worried that we may get left behind…” Will confesses, sighing.

“... That wasn’t the only thing…” Despite Maye’s deteriorating body, her memory was still good. Will gulped. “I know that you’re worried that I’m leaving you all behind. I would give up anything to stay. To stay with Sam and Peter. To stay with you...” Her eyes began to water and she took a deep, shaky breath before continuing.

“Will… please promise me something?” She turns her head towards him.

“Anything.”

“No matter what happens, make sure our boys are safe.”

“Of course. I promise.” Will states. She lets out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you… Also, what have I been telling you all these years? I would never leave you. I’m  just going ahead, that’s all.” She smiles weakly. Will recalls when they were young. He wishes they could go back.

Today is the day. It’s time to leave.

“Alright boys. Are you ready?” Will asks. Sam and Peter finish strapping themselves into their chairs. They each give a thumbs up. “Make sure you put your helmets on.”

“Okay Dad.” They grab their helmets, putting them over their heads and clicking them into place. Will walked to each of their rocketships and made sure they were each in perfect condition.

“Okay, now close the hatch.” Will instructed them. They pressed the appropriate button and the solid glass door-window closed over their heads. It latches into place with a whirring sound. Will pressed a few buttons on his computer and the radio system was up.

“Can you guys hear me?” Will speaks into the receiver.

“I can hear you Dad!” Peter responds.

“What about you Sam?”

“You’re good Dad.” He says with a thumbs up. Will nods, turning back to his computer screen. He presses a few more buttons.

“Okay, I’m preparing all launch sequences and powering up your pods. Peter, you’re going first.” Will selects his pod and with the press of a button, his rocket is prepared to launch.

“Okay kiddo. Remember what we talked about.” Will says. Peter gulps, nodding. “It’s okay to be scared, but you have to be brave. Don’t worry, Sam and I are going to be right behind you. The pod will take you where you need to go so just sit back and enjoy the ride. And if something goes wrong, you know what to do, right?”

“Promise me nothing will go wrong.” Peter plees. Will just nods. Peter takes a deep breath. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Will initiates the procedure. The ceiling above them slowly splits apart, light peering in through the crack. Once the ceiling is gone, the pod Peter is in is pulled by a simple pulley system, so that it’s nose up. A giant red indicator pops up on Will’s screen.

[POD 01 IS PRIMED. ACTIVATE THRUSTERS?]

“Enjoy the ride, kiddo.” Will presses the button and immediately covers his ears. The pod’s thrusters engage, causing an ear piercing roar. A giant cloud of smoke envelopes everything in the room. When the smoke clears, the pod is gone.

“Peter? Can you hear me?” Will says into the microphone. There is a little static before he hears his voice.

“Yeah, I can hear you Dad! This is awesome!” Peter shouts. Will laughs. ‘It works, it really works.’

“Alright Sammy, it’s your turn.” Will presses the same buttons, readying the second pod.

[POD 02 IS PRIMED. ACTIVATE THRUSTERS?]

Before Will can press the activation button, Sam speaks up. “Dad, you’ve really outdone yourself. I’m… happy to have you as a father. Mom would be proud too.” Will smiles at the comment.

“Thank you, son. I’ll see you up there, okay?” Will presses the button and Sam is gone with a loud rumble and a cloud of smoke. Will makes sure that he still has radio connectivity with Sam before moving on. Now, last but not least.

Will readies his own pod. He sets an automatic timer to activate his thrusters as he steps into his own mini-rocket. He locks his helmet, buckles himself in, and closes the hatch.

3… ‘This is it.’ 2…

The moment he’s anticipated for so long. 1... The whole pod shakes as the thrusters ignite, shooting him towards the sky.

“Yes! It works!” He shouts.

And he proceeds to fall down.

They didn’t know that many people, or have that much family. Besides Will and their children, no one was present at her funeral. Will didn’t know if it was easier with or without people there.

As tears streamed silently down his face, he felt a tug on his sleeve. He quickly wiped his eyes before turning. Peter was there. He knelt down to be more eye-level with him.

“Hey there buddy.” His voice was hoarse and he cleared his throat.

“Daddy, you’re not leaving too... are you?” Peter asks with big, round eyes. Will shook his head.

“No, Peter. I’m not going anywhere.” Peter wraps his arms around his father. Will hugs him back.

“Hey, can I get in on this hug fest?” Sam asks with a hollow laugh. Will smiles weakly and pulls him in. “I’m so sorry, Dad.” He says into his shoulder. Will sighs.

“I’m sorry too.”

As he held his sons in his arms, Will came to a realization. NASA and the governments can only do so much. Not everyone will be able to leave Earth in time. He can’t rely on others to take care of his family. They only have each other after all.

‘It’s time that I take matters into my own hands.’

Will kicks his creation over and over. Hot, angry tears well in his eyes. He swears under his breath, at what happened and at himself. ‘Why? Why now?’

“Dad? Dad, where are you?” Will’s eyes widen at hearing Peter’s voice.

“I’m here, Pete.” He speaks into the receiver.

“This is amazing! It’s so beautiful up here. The moon is really close to the Earth, it’s weird.” Peter thinks out loud.

“Dad, where are you? I can’t see you.” Sam says. Will clenches his fists. He hates being the bearer of bad news. It didn’t go well last time.

“Boys… I got some bad news.” Will says hesitantly.

“Dad?” Sam’s voice becomes distressed.

“What’s wrong?” Peter asks. Will takes a deep breath.

“.... When my rocket launched, a few moments later, it lost thrust and sank back down. It’s completely ruptured and exploded the fuel tanks.” Will closes his eyes and prepares for the onslaught.

“Seriously Dad, stop joking around.” Sam attempts to be light-hearted, but utterly fails. It’s hard to hide fear in your voice.
“I wish I was.” He simply replies. “And… there’s not enough time to fix it either.” Will begins to hear choked sobs.

“I’m coming back.” Sam declares.

“No you are not! The coordinates are set in stone! You couldn’t even override them if you wanted to.” Will barked at him. He rarely ever yelled at his children. There is momentary silence.

“Dang it, dang it, dang it!!! Why!?!?” Sam begins to scream into the microphone but it soon gives way to muffled sobs. Will felt tears of his own welling up.

“Sam, Peter. We don’t have connection for long. Just listen to me, okay?” He hears his children cry and presses on. “You boys have brought so much joy to me these past few years. I would never trade you for anyone in the world. You’ve both grown up so much. I wish I could’ve seen it sooner. I’m… so proud of you. Both of you. Mom would’ve been proud too.

“There are people at Mars. They will take care of you. Peter, take care of your big brother. Big brothers need help too sometimes. Sam, you take care of Peter, like always. You’re good at that. I love you both, so much.” When he finishes spewing, Will realizes that he had been crying the whole time. Will would give the whole world just to hold his sons in his arms, one last time.

“Love you too, Dad.” Peter whimpers.

“Dad, if you don’t get your butt up here, I swear I will never forgive you.” Sam decreed, his voice wavering.

“That’s funny. You sound like your mother.” Will smiles as sadness makes his chest hurt.

“That’s because like Mom, I took care of y--” Sam’s voice is cut off by static.
Will falls to his knees, removing the helmet. He sits, crying by himself, in an eerie silence. No animals, no wind, no other sound heard. The world doesn’t need to be obliterated by the moon. His world was already crashing down around him.

“Well, Maye,” Will spoke out loud. “At least I didn’t break my promise. Our boys are safe. So, please... Wait for me. I’m right behind you.”