Sam, Adam, and Beck all took the deer out back to clean so that Abby wouldn't see the process. Which left Ben and I to entertain her, or well, mostly Ben. I mainly watched our surroundings, waiting for anyone else to show up, while he started reading where he left off last night. Lunch came and went, and I was starting to feel restless, just sitting around while I knew, or hoped, that my friends were still out there.

I busied myself mostly with going through the grab bags that we had. Beck had grabbed Chester's and I decided to let it be until tomorrow morning when we would be forced to move out, and then I would divide up stuff between bags, according to what would be useful to each person. After I had messed with the bags, I spent a lot of time practicing my aim with a box that I had found in the house.

A while before dinner time, the boys had finished with the deer, and washed up. Beck informed me that most of the meet was going to sit and marinade until the sun rose, at which point we'd cook it, and when it was all done cooking, we'd be leaving. Though some of the meat was going to be used for tonight's dinner.

Trish finally came out of the house around the same time that the boys finished, and she stayed well away from Abby, choosing to watch the woods on the other side of the house. When Abby asked about food, Adam jumped up and started cooking something. He and the others had skipped out on lunch because they were busy, and I guess he was pretty hungry by now.

I sat down next to Abby, taking the spot that Adam had just left, and pulled out the brush I had found in her bag. She saw it, and without a word turned so that her back was to me. I smiled softly, wondering how we had ended up with the single most understanding little girl in the whole apocalypse. After brushing out all the tangles that had managed to get in her hair, I leaned forward.

"Abby, did you want me to put your hair up or something?"

She was quiet and then she nodded, " like yours," she said, making me blush, and Beck across the log grin.

He looked at her kindly, "Kodi has the prettiest hair, doesn't she?" he asked, not caring that Sam had nearly just dropped his gun upon hearing it.

"What the heck?" he demanded, looking at me, and then Beck, "We all know my hair is the best, excuse me," he huffed and then lifted his chin as if hurt.

I grinned, "Sorry Sam," I started, and when he looked at me with an expression of happiness I couldn't help it, "I didn't mean to take away your title.. maybe next year," I finished it off with a wink and started working on Abby's hair.

Sam grumbled something about me being a brat, while Beck laughed, and proceeded to tease him until Sam said something about Becky and then Beck threw a dirt clump at him. They bickered some more, but I had tuned it out, focusing in on the braid I was trying to weave into Abby's hair.

When I finished she jumped up to go show Adam, and he gave her more appraisal than he did me when I had came in with the deer. I rubbed my hands against my thighs, getting ready to see if there wasn't something I could do to be productive when I heard it.

I grabbed my bow and slipped away from the group, not wanting to worry them if it was nothing. As I approached the noise, it sounded like something tripped and fell down, giving a grunt. The small crash had caught the attention of the people behind me. The silence that followed was filled with suspense, and maybe just a sprinkle of hope.

A growling noise, that was unmistakably zombie started up, a little to the right from where the crash had come. I turned my aim towards the noise, and when I saw the rotten face through the woods, I took the shot. It had seen me at the same time I'd spotted it, but it wasn't smart enough to dodge the arrow, instead it practically ran straight into it.

There was a breath of relief from where the crash had sounded, and I took aim at the spot, still unable to see who or what had made the noise. Slowly, and smartly, the person stood up, she had brown hair and a field of freckles on her cheeks and nose.

"I'm Courtney," she said, hands up in fright, "Cody sent me here," she said, not knowing that the last part made all the difference between trusting her or not.

I lowered my bow a little bit, but not enough to display that I was going to just let her walk by, "Where is he?" I asked suspiciously, trying not to let the little seed of hope turn into anything more than a seed.

The girl looked scared as she eyed my bow, "he wouldn't come with, said he needed to help a friend and then gave me directions here.. we would have gotten here sooner but I got a little bit lost. I only found you guys because of the smoke," she explained.

I raised an eyebrow, outwardly keeping a cool expression, but inside wondering who Cody had stopped to help. The fact that he was alive however, had me relieved beyond words. I nodded for the girl to come closer, and watched her shoulders sag in relief.

I waited until she walked past me before turning to follow her, and as we walked closer to the safe house, I saw Adam lean closer to Sam, not bothering to lower his voice at all, "did you know we had a little bad ass?" he asked.

Sam rolled his eyes, "Of course, you're looking at him," he gestured to himself before stepping forward to smile at Courtney, "I don't think we've met, but I've seen you around the compound," he said, and then there was a round of introductions.

Abby found me and slipped her hand in mine, dragging me over to Ben, where I was forced to listen to him read a book I had long ago memorized. It wasn't so bad though, he wasn't a half bad reader, and he even started to talk in voices for each character once he got used to me listening in.

The smell of dinner made everyone a little happier, especially when Adam started calling people over to get their share. Courtney was surprisingly handy, as she took over the job of entertaining Abby by drawing her pictures in the notepad she brought with. Abby was still nervous around her, but enjoyed making up crazy requests. Two more zombies strolled close to the safe house, but they were taken care of without much hastle.

When the sun had finally set, and no one had showed up, I tried to keep the worry out of my expression as I helped Abby into her bed, and laid with her as Ben resumed the story.

*

*

*

I must have fallen asleep to the story, because the next thing I knew, Beck was waking me up, careful not to wake up Abby who was cuddled against my side. Together we managed to get me out of the bed without disturbing her, and were able to get out of the room without waking Trish or Courtney either. In the hall I let out a yawn, and Beck looped our fingers together.

The warm feeling of his palm on mine brought a smile to my lips, and I absently grabbed for the necklace that still hung at my neck. I fiddled with it all the way outside before I realized what I was doing, and then I pulled my hand from Beck's and went to take it off.

"What are you doing?" he asked me, sounding amused.

I looked at him, "I just forgot that I was wearing it, sorry," I apologized, feeling foolish for not giving it back yet.

Beck's deep blue eyes softened and he grabbed my wrists, stopping me, "No it's fine," a smile tugged at the corner of his lips, "It's only fitting that my past and future stick together," he said, and then his expression turned from happy to worried, not noticing the way his words made me float, "You," he swallowed, "I mean you do want to be with me right? Because if you don't I wouldn't dream of making you, I'd respect that, Kodi," he said, and I could tell that he was being honest.

The thought of not being with him felt like someone had just told me I'd been dreaming for the past month or so, and that at any moment I'd wake up to my step mother shouting for me, "Beck, I might not know a lot about love, but I'm sure you've stolen my heart," I said, feeling my cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

Beck only grinned though, "Good," he said, turning as if the matter was resolved.

"Wait, no," I said, and at my words he turned in confusion.

"What?"

I pulled the necklace off and offered it to him, but his hands didn't even twitch to take it from me. I sighed and looked at the necklace, still being offered to him, "Beck I don't want to lose something so important to you," I said, knowing it was true.

There was silence and then Beck took the necklace, and to my complete shock he put put back around my neck, while he did so he talked in a soft but firm voice, "I can handle it it you lose my past, that's something that I'll be able to get over. A necklace being lost isn't going to kill me, but I wouldn't be able to bear it if you lost yourself... Okay?" he asked, tilting my chin up so I'd look at him.

My mouth was too dry with emotion to speak, so I nodded, and he smiled before kissing my forehead.

"God, you two are so disgusting it's cute," A familiar voice said.

I looked over at Sam, and felt my cheeks go red. Beck turned and flipped him off, but Sam laughed it off and winked at me. I smiled in return, and he stretched his arms. Beck and my relationship wasn't going to change anything between Sam and I, there was no awkward adjustment period, just teasing as usual.

Beck and I started cooking the meat, and Sam watched the woods, ready to kill anything that shouldn't have been there. The morning was quiet as none of us acknowledged the rising sun, and when the others started coming outside, bags packed and ready to go, it felt like the air around us was trying to hold us down to our spots.

After much lingering, and putting off the inevitable, we had all finally packed up, and divided the meat between the bags, that way if anyone was separated, they'd still have some good meat. I had triple checked the house to make sure we had everything, and when there was nothing else to use as an excuse, it was Adam who spoke up.

"We should get going," he said, keeping his voice lighter than it ought to have been.

Ben picked up Abby this time, and Courtney decided to walk up front with Adam and Sam, while Beck took up the middle. Which was why it was Trish and I who saw the blood covered body run into the clearing that made up the yard of the safe house. Everyone else had already started walking, but Abby looked back just in time to notice. She let out a half scream half cry of relief as her brother's eyes found hers.

He was covered in dirt, and blood, he had a nasty cut on his arm, but despite his appearance, it wasn't a weapon he held in his hand, but a book that I faintly recognized as the Grimm fairy tales.