A/N: I don't own anyone but my OC's….though I wished I owned the rest….*sighs*

I started watching The Walking Dead and totally love it hence giving inspiration for this latest work by me….Fear not as my other stories I have not forgotten but have some writer's block…..

This starts up during Tell It to The Frogs after Rick and the others arrive at the camp…

The roar of the Harley garnered everyone's attention.

Andrea was the first to see the black cycle and rider ride over the horizon followed by three other vehicles.

"Hey we got more coming," she hollered and pointed at the approaching caravan. The leader of the ragtag group began to decelerate as the gears were downshifted to first. The Harley came to a complete stop a hundred yards away from the camp with the other vehicles following suit. An F-150, Chevy Colorado, and Ford Fusion made up the rest of the traveling group. Rick was first to greet the strangers as they exited from the trucks and car. The rider kicked the stand down letting the bike come to a well deserved rest. It had been pushed for nearly 1000 miles over plains, through woodlands, and at last over the Appalachians in the tireless search for other survivors.

"Thank god," the driver of the F-150 exhaled with unbridled elation. "We were starting to think we were the only ones between here and Saint Louis!"

He was a Hispanic man of about 25 with a fresh crew cut and Army fatigues. His passenger was another man of 21 with olive skin and weary blue eyes. The younger man said nothing as his eyes scanned the growing group before them, taking in the various walks of life standing across the way.

"Well we're glad we're not," a woman hollered from the Colorado. She appeared to be in her mid 30s with shoulder length locks of midnight. Rick quickly deduced she was Native American from her rich copper skin and piercing features. She was more open in her expression unlike her younger companion. The driver of the Fusion was a college student. He looked no older than 18 but his eyes revealed two haunted emerald jewels that were dull where vitality should've made them shine.

The rider looked over their shoulder and nodded at them as if to say it was alright to relax. By now Shane was standing alongside Rick as the rider removed the black scratched helmet revealing their face.

It was the last person Shane or Rick expected to see…..Alive.

"Hi Rick, hi Shane," the woman greeted the men with a casual wave. "You two look like you've seen a ghost."

"Alex?" Rick tilted his head, bewildered at the brunette standing with the helmet in hand. Shane's mouth dropped as he thought he would've had to pinch himself. The last time either one had seen Alexandra "Alex" Koch was after graduating from high school. Sure she had made the occasional call or letter after going to Kansas State but they had tapered off but a few years ago. But now….

"The one and only," Alex smiled. Shane started for the smaller woman and instantly wrapped her in his larger arms.

"It's so good seeing you," he squeezed her harder threatening to cut off her air. Alex coughed and gasped for every breath that she could.

"Shane….can't breathe…."

"Sorry," he let her down. Shane noticed how well she looked given what's happened. But the heavy dark circles lined her eyes told the lawman another story too.

"It's okay," she shrugged. "You never knew your own strength even in high school or middle school."

Rick cautiously approached as Lori and Carl looked on. Lori could see her husband and Alex knew one another and had a previous relationship of some kind. She wasn't sure what to make of this new development as she silently observed the two.

"It's been a long time Rick," Alex fiercely embraced her old friend. "But it's good to see familiar faces."

"We heard you were in Kansas."

"Was," Alex nodded. "But when all of this happened a few of us made it out of Manhattan and stuck to the back roads. We had 11 but we lost several in Saint Louis and outside Nashville."

"You came all the way from Kansas?" Andrea asked in astonishment.

"Yeah," Alex nodded. "We were lucky to make it out of Kansas City. It's infested with those things."

"We call them walkers," Daryl spoke up. "We call those things walkers."

Alex looked over at the man with disheveled brown hair and crossbow resting comfortably in his hands.

"I call them targets," the older soldier added with a smile.

"I suppose we should make a few introductions," Alex waved towards her team. "These two fine servicemen are Mike and Chris."

Mike and Chris waved.

"This is Ashley," Ashley waved but didn't move away from the Colorado.

"And this is Austin," Austin jerked his head up in his way of greeting others. "So where is everyone going?"

"Right now that's up in the air," Rick explained. "But some of us are heading into Atlanta to retrieve supplies and guns."

"Have you heard anything about the CDC still standing? I lost contact with Dr. Jenner somewhere before Saint Louis. We were using CB radios but then something happened and the other end went silent."

Rick shook his head deflating any hope Alex held. "We haven't heard anything."

"Well we're headed there so if anyone wants to join us you're more than welcome to."

She looked around the group catching a few looks of thought mixed in with hesitation. Shane quietly weighed his options. Rick had returned which devalued his status as leader within the band of survivors. Everyone was slowly turning to him for guidance which kindled resentment in the man. The proposition of heading to Atlanta with Alex was a most tempting one indeed. Lori had blown him off once Rick had been found alive when a few days ago she couldn't keep her hands off of him!

"Well I'm going back to Atlanta," Rick announced.

"I'll go," a young Asian kid chimed in.

"Yeah me too," an African- American man added.

"Well you're not forgetting me," Alex announced with certainty.

A/N 2: Alex is a new OC that I created for Walking Dead Verse. This is my first WD story so please be kind and I have a good outline of how this will go so if you want more let me know! I have a pretty good back story for Alex and how she ties in to the whole zombie infestation :)

A/N 3: And yes despite Shane pining over Lori, Alex will serve to help him get over her as honestly I didn't like how Lori brushed him off once Rick returned...But then again his continued longing for her is not healthy ;)