The Walking Death

Fandom: Harry Potter x The Walking Dead

Rating: M

Main Pairing: Shane/Harry.

Secondary Pairings: Rick/Lori, Glenn/Maggie.

Warning: AU, OOC, slash, drama, angst, violence, gore, character bashing

Summary: What would the Master of Death do if the world ended in zombie apocalypse?

Disclaimer: Why do I have to keep writing this? Everyone knows if I own any of these then I wouldn't be here writing fanfics now.

Beta Reader: forever-stained-crimson

-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-

Chapter 24

-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-

The silence was broken with a bang as the door swung open. Before the two walkers behind the door could react, three men swept inside and shot them dead in the head. They were followed by a boy and they began to look around to secure the house.

Two of the men almost shot at each other as they checked a closed door at the end of a tiny, claustrophobia-inducing storage room from opposite sides of the door. The boy found a walker in one of the bedrooms and took it down using his silenced gun with ease. The other man, dark skinned and bald headed, accompanied his curly haired, gaunt looking friend up the stairs. They didn't find anything dangerous. The gaunt-looking guy found an owl still alive and perching on a chair in one of the rooms. He shot it immediately. After checking under the feathers, he scoffed in dissapoinment as he can see there was barely any meat on the animal. It seemed that humans weren't the only ones suffering from starvation in the apocalypse, even though the wild animals were more used to hunting their own food than them before all of this. He still took it downstairs with him, though. It was still better than nothing after all.

An Asian guy and his woman friend came in from the backdoor in the kitchen after checking the perimeter. They helped with moving the bodies near the stairs. House secured, the first guy who stormed into the house opened the front door wide and whistled to the rest of their companions who turned around from their lookout and waiting spot and immediately moved towards the house when he gave the sign.

A teenage boy and girl, a middle aged woman, two elderly men and a heavily pregnant woman came into view. They didn't say anything as they moved inside. The pregnant woman tried to smile at the man at the door but she was ignored. Disheartened, she moved past him. She paused when she saw the curly haired man came down the stairs. They locked eyes for a second before she turned away from the haunted and empty look in his eyes. It reminded her too much of a walker if not for the color.

The boy was checking all the cupboards and the pantry in the kitchen and found only two cans of pet food. But beggars can't be choosers so he took them with him and went to the living room where others were gathered. They watched in silence and dismay as the boy pried the can open. They already knew that they didn't have much choice anymore in life but it still pained them to know that they had been pushed to the point of sharing food with pets that probably had been long dead.

The boy's father, however, snatched the can from him. He slammed it to the fireplace after one look and didn't say anything else. He just looked around to see if anyone was going to protest. He refused to let any of them to be that desperate, let alone his boy. No one said anything. The boy just slumped in disappointment and sat there ignoring the other unopened can.

The bald man just turned around and saw something that caught his attention. Others were coming. He motioned to the group and soon they began moving again, forced to leave the relatively safe place they just had found.

It had been months since the farm. Two seasons had passed. They were in the middle of the third one and Rick and his people were still straying around the road, living a life on the run like criminals with barely time to rest.

-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-

Finding a road that was relatively safe and free of walkers at the moment, everyone decided to stop to rest and discuss their next move. Carl was charged with keeping a look out on the front with Jimmy in the back. Lori stayed in the car napping, being almost nine months pregnant and about to give birth any day now was taking its toll on her. Map was spread open on the hood of one of the cars. They examined the areas that were still unexplored but it was mostly covered with red X marks for walker infested areas.

"We got no place left to go," T-Dog said hopelessly.

"When this herd meets up with this one, we'll be cut off. We'll never make it south," Maggie sighed as her fingers moved across the map.

"What was it? That was about 150 head?" Dale asked.

"That was last week. It could be twice that by now," Shane growled as he looked at the map critically. Some people jumped in surprise at his sudden appearance.

"This river could have delayed them. If we move fast, we might have a shot to tear right through there," Hershel suggested.

"Yeah, but if this group joins with that one, they could spill out this way," T-Dog pointed out.

"So we're blocked?" Maggie sighed again.

"Only thing to do is double back at 27 and swing towards Greenville," Rick said.

"Yeah, we picked through that already. It's like we spent the winter going in circles," T-Dog reminded him.

"Yeah, I know," Rick cut in, "At noon we'll push west. Haven't been through there yet. We can't keep going house to house. Need to find someplace to hole up for a few weeks."

"All right. Is it cool if we get to the creek before we head out? Won't take long. We got to fill up on water. We can boil it later," T-Dog asked.

"Knock yourself out," Rick nodded.

"She can't take much more of this moving about," Hershel told Rick as the others dispersed. Shane tensed in the background.

"What else can we do? Let her give birth on the run?" Rick asked.

"Do you see a way around that?" Hershel asked in return.

Rick sighed in resignation. But there was also nothing they can do. He noticed Shane moving out of the corner of his eyes. His brother had changed so much since the farm. So had their relationship. They still made decisions together, discussed them ahead of time before voicing it to others when they had a meeting. Usually it was Rick who took the lead so people would accept the decisions easier. Just like back in the old days in the county.

But beyond that, they rarely talked anymore. Shane had become more and more withdrawn with time. His temper was also becoming more unstable. No one in the group really disliked him. Instead, they felt sorry for him. Losing his lover and having to take care of Lori during the pregnancy, a screaming reminder of his loss and the choices he had made and deeply regretted, had taken its toll on him.

Still, no matter how much they pitied him, they also feared him, mostly they feared his temper. He had snapped before. He would have broken Jimmy's arm if Rick hadn't stopped him in time. The boy was left with a sprained wrist instead, and a bruise to his gut from the kicking the older man had managed to slip in as he was dragged away from the boy. No one really understood what had happened either. Shane didn't really remember. And that was what made people wary of him. The man himself realized what he was slowly becoming so he became even more withdrawn. He lost a lot of weight. Sure, everyone had lost a lot of weight since they had to ration their supplies to last as long as possible, but Shane had lost a lot more than any of them. He looked worse than Rick when he first came out of his coma. And with his pale skin and sunken cheeks, a lot of the time he was almost shot by their own people because they thought he was a walker whenever he came back from hunting or patrol. He rarely slept or talked to anyone. Any sound that came out of his mouth was mostly growls which wasn't helping with their habit of mistaking him for a walker. He stopped talking to Lori entirely the last few weeks, just handing her whatever she needed without any word. Rick was the only one he still spoke to like a human being and even that was mostly decision-making talk, no small talks about everything and nothing anymore.

"Where are you going?" Rick asked Shane as he watched the other man preparing his gear.

"Hunting. The owl from back there wasn't much," Shane grunted.

"I'm coming with you," Rick said.

"No need. I can handle it," Shane waved him off.

"Two are better than one," Rick insisted. "Besides, you look like you're about to fall over. You shouldn't have given up your portion of the last meal we had."

"She needed it more," Shane vaguely nodded to the car where Lori was napping.

"Lori had her portion and it was already bigger than the rest of ours," Rick frowned.

"Wasn't talking about her," Shane grunted.

"You still need to take better care of yourself, Shane. We can't afford to lose one of our best fighters," Rick chided.

"You still wanna hunt with me or not?" Shane glared at him, annoyed.

"Of course," Rick nodded.

Rick told the others where they were going before catching up with Shane who already went ahead of him. They walked through the woods for a few minutes before they encountered an abandoned train track. It was easier walking on the track. So far, there weren't any walkers in the area. They followed the track until it was open on one side. Shane was ahead of Rick and stopped short the moment he registered what he was seeing.

The woods opened to a huge clearing where a prison was located. The place was full of walkers of former prisoners but the yard was huge and they were pretty far apart from each other. It could hardly be called a herd since they were so scattered. The rest were probably still locked up in their cells. The building, the fences and the gates were also all intact with no damage. The wheels in his brain started spinning faster as he observed the sight. He looked at Rick who was also looking at the sight with wonder and hope. Their eyes met and smirks were shared.

-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-

Telling the others about what they had found and coming up with a plan were easy. At first, some were uncertain seeing as the place was full of walkers. But between their best strategists – Rick, Shane and Glenn – they managed to come up with a plan that convinced everyone.

Taking all the necessary tools, they left the cars on the road as they didn't want the sound drawing any attention before they were ready.

There were a few walkers in the area surrounding the prison, but it was nothing they couldn't handle. Shane and T-Dog took guard while they were waiting for Rick to finish cutting a hole on the outer fence with a wire cutter. The moment it was done, everyone quickly slipped in and Glenn wasted no time to sew the hole up with their own wire supply before any walker from outside could slip in.

Now they were in the safe path between the outer fence and the inner one which blocked them from the walkers in the yard. The sound they made drew the attention of all the walkers. The geeks attacked the fence furiously at the first humans they encountered for who knows how long. The group ignored them as they ran through the path until they found the guard tower and the gates. There were two gates. One leading outside the prison while the other lead to the yard. Both were closed but the second one was also blocked by a turned over prison bus.

Taking a closer look, Shane saw that the gate on the other side of the yard, leading to the prison, was open. It could draw more walkers if there were more wondering free inside, instead of locked up in the cells.

"Gate's open," Shane nodded to Rick. "But if we can shut that gate, prevent more from filling the yard..."

"We can pick off these walkers. It's perfect," Rick breathed, excited.

"We'll take the field by tonight," Shane nodded again.

"So how do we shut the gate?" Hershel asked.

"I'll do it. You guys cover me," Glenn volunteered.

"No, it's a suicide run," Maggie protested.

"I'm the fastest," Glenn argued.

"No. You, Maggie and Beth draw as many as you can over there. Pop 'em through the fence," Rick pointed to the opposite direction they came from, the other safe side of the path. And then he pointed to the tower near the fence they came from. "Shane, go back to the other tower."

Shane was ready to protest but Rick held up his hand.

"I know what you're thinking, but I stand firmly to what I said earlier. you look like you're about to fall over. To the tower, Shane. Please," Rick pleaded.

Shane glared at him and then stalked away with a growl.

"Jimmy, you've become a pretty good shot. You're with Shane," Rick said and thought again when he saw the fear on Jimmy's face. "Just keep your mouth shut around him and focus on your task, then he won't touch you. We need to do this, Jimmy."

The boy nodded jerkily. Beth patted her boyfriend's arm in sympathy before running off after Maggie and Glenn.

"Jimmy, take your time. We don't have a lot of ammo to waste," Rick reminded him.

The boy nodded again before leaving for his post.

"Hershel, Dale, you both take this tower," Rick gestured to the tower beside them. Both nodded and left.

"I'll run for the gate," Rick decided.

"Dad, what about me? I can shoot," Carl asked, wanting to help.

"Carl..."

"Glenn and the others can always use more help," T-Dog said as he also remained unassigned of any task. "Let's go help them. Draw more walkers away so it will be safer for your dad."

Rick nodded in agreement. "Yeah, can you do that, Carl?"

"Okay," Carl nodded as he followed T-Dog. Rick mouthed his thanks to the other man.

Glenn gave a pair of locks with connected chains for the other gate to Rick. Soon after, the diversion team was screaming and hitting the fence on the other side, drawing more and more walkers to them before stabbing them through the head.

Once the gate was deserted enough, Patricia opened the gate for Rick and the man ran off as quickly as he could. Behind him, the gate behind the bus was closed again. Everyone on the tower started shooting at the walkers in the yard to make way for him. Rick was brought to a stop when a shot almost got him. He looked up to find Jimmy shouting an apology to him. He continued running until he reached the gate. He managed to close and lock up the gate. And quickly slipped into the tower near the gate before any of the walkers could get to him.

"He did it!" Jimmy shouted to the others.

"All right. Let's finish this," Dale shouted to everyone when he saw the signal Shane gave them.

Rick joined the shooting from his own tower. Patricia and Lori also joined from their place near the gate. Soon, no walkers were left walking in the yard. Once it was done, everyone went back to the gate.

"It was fantastic!" Jimmy said as soon as he caught sight of the others. Beth greeted him with a hug.

"Nice shooting. Glad to see you still in one piece," she joked.

"Yeah," he laughed. Hershel clapped him on the back in approval.

Everyone started to pour into the yard.

"You okay?" Patricia asked Lori, concerned about her condition after the shooting session.

"I haven't felt this good in weeks," Lori smiled.

"Good," Patricia nodded.

"Oh!" Maggie laughed as she walked through the gate. "We haven't had this much space since we left the farm!"

Everyone cheered at the turn of their fortune. Shane was the last one to walk through the gate. He made sure the gate was closed and locked before joining the others. While it was a good thing they had a temporarily safe place for now, he hardly could feel anything other than numbness. Rick went back for him with a concern looked on his face, though one could still see the happiness he was feeling at their accomplishment.

"You okay, Shane?" Rick asked.

"Yeah," Shane nodded.

"That's good," Rick clapped him on the shoulder.

"We still have to go get the cars," Shane reminded him.

"Yeah, but let everyone breath in our success first," Rick said.

"I guess it's time then?" Glenn asked as the duo joined the group.

"What?" Shane growled.

Rick laughed. "That's right. Pull up the tent!"

-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-

Seven months ago...

The tent was something they didn't expect. A week after they left the farm, they still hadn't managed to find new shelter for the group. The last of their food supplies were also gone that day and they still hadn't had the chance to hunt again. It was raining that night. The group managed to find a barn house to take shelter in in the middle of nowhere, but the barn was damaged. The roof had so many broken spots that it offered only a little protection from the rain. The doors were missing so they used the cars to block the way for protection against wandering walkers, in case there were any. Some decided to stay in the cars to avoid the rain but they couldn't fit all of them if they wanted any sleep. The one that got to guard the doorway took their spot on top of a car.

The rest went inside the barn and tried to find comfortable spot to rest. They ended up moving things to block parts of the walls that were broken before they could really settle in. They tried to light a fire but it was difficult against the rain and wind so they ended up shivering and cuddled up against each other for heat.

Then someone remembered the tent. They thought to let, at least, Carl and Lori to sleep comfortably in the tent since one was a child and the other was pregnant suffering from backache, making sleeping in the car difficult. The tent would protect them from the rain and wind and, hopefully, offer a little warmth. And if there was space left, the next youngest person would get the spot, namely Beth.

So they brought up the tent inside the barn. It was a pretty standard tent, though Rick and Shane were pretty confused with the pipe that was supposedly went to the hole on top of the tent. It made the pipe looked like a chimney. They didn't plan to install the pipe but did it in the end anyway. Carl was ready to fall asleep so he was the first one to slip in. But the moment he did, all of his exhaustion was forgotten. His loud exclamation of surprise drew everyone's attention. He scrambled out and looked at the tiny tent. He ran around the tent, ignoring everyone's question. He slipped in again, only his head this time, and squawked again in surprise.

"It's bigger on the inside!" Carl told them before quicly slipped into the tent.

"Did he just...?" Shane asked.

"Yeah, that's a quote from his favorite show, right?" Rick nodded.

"What does he mean?" Beth asked. "Does he mean the tent is like Harry's bag?"

Everyone looked at each other in disbelief. Carl's head popped out again.

"What are you guys waiting for? Dad, you have to see this!" he said excitedly.

So, everyone other than the guards, which were Jimmy and T-Dog much to their annoyance, peeked inside the tent to see what the fuss was about. Their eyes widened in surprise at what they saw and they quickly shuffled in one by one. From their spot on top of the cars at the opposite ends of the barn, Jimmy and T-Dog watched in disbelief as EVERYONE disappeared inside the tiny tent.

"This is not fair! I really wanna see!" Jimmy whined.

"You're telling me!" T-Dog growled.

Inside, everyone looked around in disbelief. The tent wasn't a normal tent at all. It really was bigger on the inside like Carl said. Much, much bigger. The fabric covering the inside of the tent was an off white color. The pillars holding up the tent were made of wood except for the one in the centre. It was made of big pole of steel and at the base was an old fashioned stove with a built-in furnace. Turned out, that pipe really was a chimney. There was a pantry nearby the stove and a couple of cupboards and a cute little sink completed the area as a small kitchen.

On the back of the tent, there was a wooden partition and they found an equally old fashion metal bath tub with curvy elegant legs. A toilet was sitting nearby a sink. Seemed like they found the bathroom. On the opposite side of the tent behind the partition was a couch, a couple of love seats, a coffee table and a bookshelf. Carl flipped open a fabric partition that seemed to hide something and he found two cots with a small bedside table and a big trunk at the end of one of the cots. He opened the trunk and found it half filled with blankets and clothes in somewhat organized mess.

"How is this possible?" Lori whispered in wonder.

"This is amazing!" Beth breathed in amazement.

And everyone broke into agreement and laughter.

"I love magic!" Carl exclaimed loudly, earning another round of laughter from everyone.

Patricia opened the cupboards in the kitchen area and found them full of food supplies and appliances. Everyone cheered and cried with relief at the sight.

"This place is bigger than my apartment in Atlanta. Wait...is that meat?" Glenn asked.

Patricia pulled out the wrapped meat and gasped, "It's cold! And still fresh!"

"Really? But how?!" he asked in surprise.

"Magic," Dale wiggled his eyebrows at him.

Everyone laughed again.

"Look at this," Maggie observed the cupboard. She ran her hands over the carving on the inside of the cupboard, including the doors. "These are...runes, right? This must be what is keeping the food in good condition."

"Once again, I love magic!" Carl grinned, "Can we eat then? I'm starving!"

"Of course," Patricia smiled.

"I guess everyone are going to stay the night here, then," Rick grinned.

"It's for the best," Shane shrugged.

"Hey, what's going on in there?!" T-Dog's voice whispered near the opening of the tent.

"I'm gonna let them in so they can see," Shane said. "I'll take the post for now."

"All right, I'm with you," Rick nodded.

They walked out and soon T-Dog and Jimmy stumbled in and exclaimed in surprise and wonder at the sight. Shane took post at one end of the barn and Rick at the other. There was nothing outside other than their cars and the rain. Unnoticed by anyone, Shane began to hate magic. Especially, whenever someone used the duffel bag. While it was pretty useful and this time it saved their life with the food and shelter and everything, it was also a painful reminder to Shane of what he had lost. Or more accurately, who he had lost.

-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-

Present day...

It was night by the time they got the cars back to the prison and settled down in the yard. Everyone sat around the campfire in front of the tent. While the tent offered more warmth and comfort, they liked to stay outside most of the time if they weren't resting. In case they needed to leave at a moment's notice and had to pull the tent down quickly. The girls brought what little was left of their food supplies out after cooking. While they had a magic tent and magic cupboards that kept their food in good condition, that didn't mean the cupboard was capable of replicating any supplies they had consumed. Whatever food supplies Harry left behind in the cupboards had ran out before the first season passed. They considered it luck, though, to be able to preserve whatever food they found later to make it last as long as it could, especially the meat from their hunting.

That night, they were having barbeque with what little meat they managed to hunt that day, which wasn't much. Everyone was relaxed for the first time in weeks. Shane was taking post at the prison gate, on top of the overturned bus while Rick walked a parameter around the fences. Glenn moaned as he sucked at the last sap out of the bone in his hand.

"Just like mom used to make," he said, earning a smile from Maggie by his side.

Lori ate her dinner in silence as she kept her eyes on Rick. She didn't really pay attention as T-Dog began to talk.

"Tomorrow we'll put all the bodies together. Want to keep them away from that water. Now, if we can dig a canal under the fence, we'll have plenty of fresh water," he suggested.

"The soil is good," Hershel said as he examined the ground, "We could plant some seed. Grow some tomatoes, cucumbers, soybeans."

He looked up and around. Everyone began to see a future in this place. Ironic that it was a prison, but it was much better than out there. They weren't about to be picky. Hershel's eyes landed on Rick's form at the edge of the yard.

"That's his third time around," he said, "If there was any part of it compromised, he'd have found it by now."

Lori looked down. No one had voiced it, but they all knew that both Rick and Shane had done everything they could to avoid her, came up with any reason they could. Rick more so than Shane who had less excuse to do so since he had to take care of her because of the baby. Beth bit her lips at how hurt and resigned Lori looked.

"This'll be a good place to have the baby. Safe," Beth said, trying to brigthen the mood.

Lori looked at her and smiled in thanks.

-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-

Shane barely spared a glance as he heard Dale struggle to climb up the bus. The man huffed as he finally managed to climb up. Shane saw that he struggled so much because he was climbing with the help of only one hand, the other was busy carrying a plate and a shotgun attached to his back.

"You could've helped, you know," Dale shot him a small glare.

"Why? It's not like I want the company," Shane raised an eyebrow at him.

Dale scoffed and shoved the plate to him, "Here. If no one brings you something, you won't eat at all. And everyone is afraid to come anywhere near you nowadays."

"Not everyone I guess," Shane muttered, "Just give it to her."

"You already skipped the last meal. You can't keep this up, Shane. You need the strength. So, eat!" Dale glared at him as he settled down with his shotgun, determined to take post while the younger man ate his dinner.

Shane scowled at him but ate without complaint.

"You need to take care of yourself, Shane," Dale said.

"I thought you didn't like me," Shane's scowl deepened at the prospect of a lecture.

"I didn't. I used to think that you were made for this world, you know. This new, harsh and cruel world. Because it was just like you. Harsh and cold-hearted, ugly, thinking about no one but yourself, willing to do just anything, sacrifice anyone just to get what you want. I've met men like you in my life and you were so similar to them," Dale spoke bluntly.

Shane's grip on the plate tightened.

"But then Harry came..."

"Don't say his name!" Shane snapped.

"...and you changed," Dale ignored him. "But he made me realize that it wasn't him. You were already a good man before he came. You have anger issues, but you also have great restraint on them. Otherwise, you would've went psychotic long before that."

Shane snorted, "What makes you think I won't now? Especially with a stubborn old man around that keeps on shoving his nose where it doesn't belong."

"Because I've seen you loved and be loved," Dale said seriously. "It's not that you have anger issues. It's more like when you feel something, you feel it deeply. More than others, it seems. You just have more restraint on them. Sometimes your reactions to those feelings suck big time, yes. But it still doesn't change the fact that you're a good man. A good man who has lost his anchor."

"Is there any point in this conversation? Because I'm not seeing it," Shane glared.

"You need to find your anchor again, Shane. It used to be Rick and then Lori, then Harry, and now you're back to Rick but he also has lost his own anchor and you both are like desperate men clinging to each other trying to keep yourself floating in the middle of the ocean. It works but it won't work forever. Both you and Rick are fraying at the seams. He more than you because he doesn't just hold you both together but also all of us, while you just withdraw from everyone."

"And you want to what? Blame me because everyone's miserable? That ain't my fault!"

"Just stop the pity party and let us in. You've been building walls around your heart since Harry left. You need to learn to bring them down again, Shane. If not for letting everyone in, then at least for your daughter. It won't be long before she's here and she's gonna need you. You've lost so much for her. Don't let yourself lose her too."

"You know what, Dale? Why don't you take the post? I'm gonna go and do something better than stand here and listen to you. I'm gonna go take a nap."

With those parting words, Shane jumped off the bus, leaving Dale who only could watched him with a shake of his head.

"Whoa, where you going, Shane?" Glenn asked when Shane shoved his empty plate to him as he walked by.

"Sleep," Shane snapped and made his way into the tent.

Everyone looked at each other in awkward silence as the man disappeared from view. Hershel cleared his throat to break the tension.

"Bethy, sing Paddy Reilly for me," he asked, "I haven't heard that, I think, since your mother was alive."

"Daddy, not that one, please," Maggie pleaded.

Hershel sighed and then suggested again, "How about 'Parting Glass'?"

"No one wants to hear," Beth told him.

"Why not?" Glenn asked.

Beth looked at him and then shrugged, "Okay."

~"Of all the money e'er I had

I spent it in good company

And all the harm e'er I've ever done

Alas it was to none but me

And all I've done for want of wit

To memory now I can't recall

So fill to me the parting glass

Good night and joy be with you all"~

Everyone swayed a little enjoying the clear sound coming out of her. Shane tossed and turned restlessly on his place at the couch inside the tent. He grabbed his pillow and covered his head to block out the sound. Maggie smiled and joined to sing with her sister.

~"Oh, all the comrades that e'er I had

Were sorry for my going away

And all the sweethearts that e'er I had

Would wish me one more day to stay"~

Carl looked up as Rick came over and crouched besides him. He offered a plate of food to his father who then passed it over to his mother.

"I had some," she said, but he didn't budge so she took some anyway.

Dale turned around at the sound of the song. Smiling, he climbed down the bus and joined the group.

~"But since it falls unto my lot

That I should rise and you should not

I'll gently rise and I'll softly call

Good night and joy be with you all

Good night and joy be with you all"~

"Beautiful," Hershel and Dale said at the same time.

Everyone smiled. Rick, on the other hand, still had his serious and thinking look on his face.

"Better all turn in," he said. "I'll take watch over there. Got a big day tomorrow."

"What do you mean?" Glenn asked confused.

"Look, I know we're all exhausted. This was a great win. But we've got to push just a little bit more," Rick then explained. "Most of the walkers are dressed as guards and prisoners. Looks like this place fell pretty early. It could mean the supplies may be intact. They'd have an infirmary, a commissary."

"An armory?" T-Dog suggested.

"That would be outside the prison itself, but not too far away. Warden's offices would have info on the location. Weapons, food, medicine. This place could be a gold mine," Rick said passionately.

"We're dangerously low on ammo," Hershel reminded. "We'd run out before we make a dent."

"That's why we have to go in there... Hand to hand," Rick said

Everyone was quiet. Nervous. Hesitant. Dale looked at the tent.

"Shane already knows this plan. We came up with it when we went back for the cars," Rick told Dale when he followed his look. "After all we've been through, we can handle it. I know it. Shane knows it. These assholes don't stand a chance."

When he got no reply, Rick sighed and got up. Everyone looked thoughtful. Lori was the only one watching her husband as he got back to the fence he already checked out three times previously. She got up to her feet with a little difficulty and went to approach her husband.

"Psst," Lori whispered to him. He stopped a few feet away from the camp and turned around with a sigh.

"I appreciate everything you're doing..."

"Me and Shane," he cut her off.

"I...I know," she said startled, "And I appreciate it. We all do. But it's been a death march and they're exhausted. Can we just enjoy it for a few days?"

"The baby will be here in a few days. There's no time for a picnic," he reminded her.

"No, but it's time to get the house in order," she argued.

"What do you think I'm doing?"

"Your absolute best..."

"Don't patronize me," Rick scoffed at her, walking away.

"I'm not," Lori said, hot on his heels, "I'm just saying the baby is about to be here and we need to talk about..."

"About what?" Rick turned and met her eyes fiercely.

Lori inhaled, surprised and lost for words for a moment. "Things...we've been avoiding..."

Rick scoffed at her again. "You want to talk? Talk to Hershel, or to Dale. Or better yet, since it's about the baby, talk to the father. I'm doing stuff, Lori. 'Things'... Isn't that enough?"

Lori looked hurt for a second.

"I'm still here," he reminded.

"You're right. I'm sorry," she said softly.

Rick looked at her and when she said or did nothing more than blinking away what he suspected was the beginning of tears, he walked away. He wasn't ready to deal with this. The pain from what she had done had dulled over the months, but it was still there and it wasn't easy with the daily reminder every time he looked at her and then at his brother and their group, what her betrayal had cost them. Especially both of them.

Lori just stood there, trying her best to keep herself together as the man she loved walked away from her. Again.

-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-

The weather was quite bright the next day. The peaceful silence of the ghost town was disturbed with a jingle from the door of the local grocery store. For grocery store. Like most of the places nowadays, it had been raided and damaged and, of course, infested with the walkers.

A slim, silent figure moved smoothly through the racks, fully aware of the growling and the steps of the walkers looking for prey. The figure, a woman with mocha skin and dreadlocks bound in bandana, kicked and slayed a lonely walker's head off with a swing of her wicked looking sword and took care of its two companions just as easily.

Finding what she was looking for scattered on the floor, she grabbed two packs of aspirin and made her way out.

-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-

Everyone took position in front of the gate that was standing between the yard and the prison. Shane, T-Dog, Glenn, and Maggie each with their own weapons. Rick holding onto the chain lock, and Hershel took his position as the one to close the gate as soon as they were in until the place was secure.

"Ready?" Hershel looked at them.

With a nod, Rick opened the gate and the humans started to pour in and attack any walker in sight. Rick joined them and Hershel quickly closed the gate. The rest of the group was making such a ruckus at the other side of the fence to scatter the walkers as much as they could to help their people inside while taking down the walkers that actually came to them.

The group inside the prison moved in circle, back to back, covering all sides and attacked any walkers that coming close their way. T-Dog saw a riot shield and tried to get it.

"Don't break away!" Rick barked.

"We might need that," T-Dog said as he grabbed the shield just in time for a walker to walk over to him and he pushed it down with the shield. Maggie quickly worked to put it down.

They quickly hid when they saw the courtyard was full of walkers and the gate was opened. From another direction, a pair of walkers with police armors and gears complete with helmets were attracted to the noise they made and came out from a corner. And then another pair of walkers with the same armors and gears also came from the courtyard, making it four of fully protected walkers. Shane narrowed his eyes, looking at the approaching walkers with calculating look. Rick turned to him and, with a nod, they started to attack.

Shane made quick work of grabbing the walker's helmet, tilting up its head to the sky and stabbing it quickly on the underside of its jaw, straight to the brain. The walker fell to floor with a thud. The others who had difficulties saw this and quickly copied his method. Walkers after walkers, they took them down. It wouldn't stop if they didn't close the courtyard's gate, though. There were too many in there. Moving in sync, Rick and Shane made their way to the gate. Shane grabbed the gate while Rick kicked some walkers back inside the courtyard, making sure none were in the way, and they quickly shut the gate with a chain lock that was conveniently there. Lucky them.

Gate closed. Shane and Rick joined the group again and took down more walkers that were still on their side. After looking around and finding no more walkers to kill, they observed the place more. Glenn ran towards the gate to the yard to let everyone else in.

"Stop!" Rick told him.

"Well, it looks secure," Glenn said, but he stopped anyway.

"Nothing will lead to that courtyard over there," Shane said and then pointing at one of the dead walkers, "And that's a civilian."

"So the interior could be over run by walkers from outside the prison," T-Dog concluded.

"Well, if there's walls, then, what are we gonna do? We can't rebuild this whole place," Glenn said.

"I'll carry us to blind spot. We have to push in," Rick pointed towards stairs on the building in the opposite direction of the courtyard.

They made their way into the building carefully. Looking out for any danger. So far, they found none. The place was trashed. Rick managed to find keys to the prison cells. Unlocking the cell block, they made their way inside. Rick checked the door on the other side of the block to make sure it was locked and secured. They didn't want any surprises. The cells on the lower ground were all opened and some were filled with dead walkers. Upstairs was a bit different. Some of the cells were still locked and former inmates turned walkers were inside some of them. It was decided that they would clean out all the walkers while one of them went to get the rest of the group to move in to the block.

"What do you think?" Rick asked them as they moved in.

"Home sweet home," Glenn said as he brought in some of their stuff.

"For the time being."

"It secure?" Lori asked.

"This cell block is," Rick assured them.

"What about the rest of the prison?" Hershel asked.

"In the morning, we'll find the cafetaria and infirmary," Rick told them.

"We'll sleep in the cells?" Beth asked, like she couldn't believe that this was actually happening.

No one could blame her, especially after getting comfortable in Harry's tent. But the tent was for only if their location was secured enough and it wasn't really efficient if dangers came without warning and the only way out was blocked by said dangers. Since they didn't know what the effect on the tent and on them would be if they tore their way out of the walls in the face of danger – not to mention if there would be any walkers on the other side because they can't see exactly what was on the outside since the inside didn't match the outside – they didn't want to test it if they could avoid it. So, now that they had decent rooms complete with beds, even if they were prison cells, it would still be comfortable enough and safer for them. Not to mention more freedom and privacy.

"I found keys on some guards. Shane has a set too," Rick said.

Everyone looked up in time to see Shane disappear into the farthest cell upstairs. They shrugged and began to settle in.

"Thank you," Lori touched Rick on the arm with a grateful smile.

Rick just turned away and made his way out of the block.

-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-

"Pretty gross," Beth commented as she observed the cell she chose.

"Yeah, remember the storage units?" Carl asked as he followed her, "We'd be miserable if not for the tent."

Dumping her bags to the side, Beth sat on the lower bunk bed, bouncing slightly and patting the mattress. "It's actually pretty comfortable. Check it out," she said as she tried lying down to the mattress.

Carl stepped closer to the bed. Standing on his toes, he checked over the bed on the upper bunk, unaware of the figure stepping up behind him. Just as he was about to dump his backpack, the figure spoke.

"You find your cell yet?" Hershel asked.

Startled, Carl turned around with a blush and stammered, "Yeah, I was just making sure Beth was safe. See you tomorrow."

"See you," Beth waved.

Hershel looked at her with a raised eyebrow, but his eyes sparkled. Beth just smiled, shrugging. It wasn't much of a secret that Carl had a crush on Beth, even though she had a boyfriend. Said boyfriend passed the cell and paused when he saw Hershel and Beth. Hershel raised his eyebrow at him. Jimmy flushed.

"I-I'll just be rooming with Carl," he stammered.

"Good idea," Hershel nodded.

Beth giggled as Jimmy also fled. "Daddy..."

"You take the upper bunk," Hershel decided with a chuckle.

-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-

Dry blood splattered across the wall of the cell they chose. Maggie sighed.

"I'm so exhausted, I don't even care," Maggie said as she and Glenn placed their bag on the upper bunk of the bed.

"Here, let me see," Glenn said as he sat beside Maggie on the bed.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking for scratches," Glenn replied.

Maggie smiled fondly and just let him.

-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-

Patricia and Lori moved to one of the cells upstairs. It was on the opposite side of Shane's cell. They sat together on the bed for awhile, just resting and smiling in relief, especially Lori with her almost full-term pregnancy belly.

T-Dog ended up rooming with Dale. Rick hadn't decided on any cell yet. He would most likely choose the one closest to the block's gate for security reasons. Anywhere away from Lori and Shane. The later mostly because the man wouldn't appreciate a roommate, being the broody and temperamental guy he was nowadays.

-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-

The dark and mysterious samurai lady made her way inside a building after checking the perimeter. She made her way past two walkers, with missing jaws and limbs and chained to a post, to the next room. The building was previously used as a butchery for local hunters. As she closed the door behind her, she listened to the silence and frowned.

Quickly, she made her way to the back of the room, hand on the handle of her sword. Stepping in to the next room, she stopped at the sight of Carol helping Andrea on the floor.

"What are you two doing out here?" she frowned.

"Michonne," Carol sighed in relief, "She's being stubborn. Her fever doesn't seem to get any worse but it's still bad."

"I'm...fine... I needed some light...," Andrea moaned quietly.

Michonne, the samurai lady, kneeled and reached into her bag. She took out the medicine and the water she managed to scavenge and handed them to Carol who quickly helped Andrea to sit as she broke out the medicine.

"Here, take this," Carol said.

Andrea complied without protest and took the drink that was offered.

"How is it out there?" Carol asked Michonne.

"Same. It's quiet," Michonne replied as she took the bottle from Carol and placed it on Andrea's forehead, trying to cool down the fever even if only slightly.

Andrea looked at her, "You're lying."

"We should go in a few days," Michonne sighed.

"They're coming," Andrea sighed, "You two should go."

"No," both Michonne and Carol said at the same time.

"I'll hold you back. Go. I can take care of myself. I saved your asses all winter, didn't I?" Andrea smiled before ending up coughing.

Carol quickly patted her back while Michonne offered the water to the sick woman, but Andrea was having none of it.

"I won't have you both dying for me. Good soldier won't leave your post. Screw you," Andrea moved away from them, tucking herself into her blanket.

Michonne and Carol shared a look, sighing in exasperation.

"We'll go in a few days," Michonne decided.

"If we stay...I'll die here," Andrea said.

-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-

The door rolled open with a bang. There was nothing in sight so their path was pretty safe. Michonne looked back at her companions. Andrea was slightly holding onto Carol who was holding a bat in her hand. Andrea looked sick while Carol looked worried. Next to them was Michonne's pet walkers who, from what Andrea and Carol observed, had been acting as repellant all the time they had been with her but she never told them where the walkers came from or who they had been to Michonne before they turned.

With a tug at the walkers, Michonne lead the walk down the path. Carol and Andrea followed from behind and away from the walkers.

-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-

"Not bad," Rick said as he observed the arsenals on the table.

Shane narrowed his eyes as he checked them. "Flashbangs, CS Triple-Chasers. Not sure how they'd work on walkers, but we'll take it."

Glenn picked up one of the gear helmets. It was slimy with some kind of walker guts or something. He pulled a face at the smell and the feel on his hand.

"Eww..." he complained softly.

"I ain't wearing that shit," Shane pointed at the gear while looking at Rick.

"We could boil 'em," T-Dog suggested.

"Ain't enough firewood in the whole forest. No. Besides, we made it this far without 'em, right?"

"Hershel."

They all turned around to see Patricia at the door. She motioned towards the cell block with her head.

"Everything all right?" Rick asked.

"Yeah. Nothing to worry about," Patricia assured them with a smile before walking away with Hershel on her heels.

Rick and Shane looked at each other and watched them go. But neither said anything and turned their focus back on the weapons.

-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-

"It's the baby. I think I lost it," Lori said.

"You haven't felt it move?" Hershel asked.

"Nothing," Lori shook her head. "And no Braxton-Hicks. At first I thought it was exhaustion or malnutrition."

"You're anemic?"

"If we're all infected, then so is the baby. So what if it's stillborn? What if it's dead inside me right now? Whad if it rips me apart?" Lori asked frightened.

"Stop. Don't let your fear take control of you," Hershel advised.

"Okay. Then let's say it lives and I die during childbirth."

"That's not going to happen."

"Why not? How many women died in childbirth before modern medicine? If I come back, what if I attack it? Or you? Or Rick? Or Carl? If I do, if there is any chance, you put me down immediately," Lori's voice shook but she was determined even though she was on the verge of tears, "You don't hesitate, me, the baby... if we're walkers, you don't hesitate and you don't try to save us. Okay?"

Hershel looked and smiled at her kindly. "That's not going to happen to you because we still have secret weapon for that, Lori. Harry's potions. Remember? We've been saving them. Almost never touching them for this moment."

Lori choked laughter out. "I've forgotten about all of that stuff. We rarely bring them out."

"That's because we were saving them for this moment. To help you and the baby. So don't you worry, okay?"

Lori sniffed as she looked down with red rimmed eyes. "It's just...sometimes I just thought it might have been better if..."

"If what?"

She exhaled. "I'd never made it off the farm."

"You're exhausted, frightened."

"Yeah, that's true," she chuckled bitterly, "My son can't stand me. And my husband...and Shane, the father of my baby...after what I put them through..."

"We've all been carrying that weight. All winter," Hershel reminded.

"I tried to talk to him. To Rick. He..."

"He'll come around," Hershel assured her.

"He hates me. He's too good a man to say it, but I know. I made Shane lost the one person he might find happiness with... And Rick...I put him and Shane at odds even though everything was going smoothly and he forgave me for the affair...and I don't even know anymore why I did all of that..." she broke down crying.

"You know who doesn't give a shit about that?" Hershel asked. "This baby."

She couldn't help but chuckle, albeit a little bitterly.

"Now let's make sure everything's all right," Hershel said.

Lori nodded.

-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-

The men were getting ready to explore more of the prison. They put on whatever protective gear they could find that was clean enough. Rick and Shane helped them put on the gear and Patricia, Maggie and Beth helped the rest of the men after they were shown how to do it. Beth smiled as she saw Carl putting on a helmet that was too big for him.

"You won't need that," Rick took the helmet from the boy, "I need you to stay put."

"You're kidding," Carl protested.

"We don't know what's in there. Something goes wrong, you could be the last man standing. I need you to handle things here," Rick explained.

Carl nodded, "Sure."

"Great. Let's go," Rick told the men and caught sight of Lori at the upper ground.

They looked at each other. Lori wasn't sure what to say, or feel or think at the blank look Rick was giving her before he turned away. Shane was the first to leave. Followed by T-Dog, Glenn, Jimmy, Dale, Hershel and lastly, Rick.

Treading softly through the dark corridors with torch lights in hand, they found it pretty quiet and full of dead prisoners. All of them with their brains damaged one way or another. Glenn marked every turn with spray paint. It was pretty clear until they bumped into a corridor full of walkers and everything turned to hell. The walkers came from everywhere. Even from the direction they originally came from, making them unable to make their way back. Glenn and Maggie got separated from the others and had to hide in a nearby closet. The others hid in a storage room. They waited until the herd passed by and the corridor was clear.

"Where's Glenn and Maggie?" Rick asked with a whisper.

"We have to go back," Hershel replied in an equally low voice.

"But which way?" Shane asked.

Slowly, everyone made their way back to the corridor they came from, calling Glenn and Maggie's names as loud as they could without drawing any attention from walkers. They were passing by another dark corridor when Hershel heard his daughter's voice calling out to them. He turned to the corridor, treading softly and calling out to Maggie. Unfortunately, a dead body he walker over wasn't as dead as it seemed. It was a walker. It immediately grabbed Hershel's leg and bit into it, tripping the man to the floor, ripping a scream of pain out of the old man's throat.

"No!" Rick shouted as they ran back and shot the walker in the head.

The damage had been done, though. Hershel was bitten and bleeding quite heavily. Hershel's scream not only drew Maggie and Glenn back to them, but also the walkers. Rick and Glenn quickly picked Hershel up and wound each of his arm around their shoulders.

"No!" Maggie cried.

"Shane!" T-Dog called, pointing to the direction where walkers were approaching.

Unfortunately, walkers also came from the other end of the corridor. They quickly found themselves blocked and had to retreat from the nearest turn where Maggie and Glenn had hidden before. They moved until they were cornered in front of a chained door with padlocks. Breaking the locks was easy and they immediately went into the room and shut the door. T-Dog and Shane blocked the door the best they could with their own bodies. T-Dog took a risk reaching for a broken leg of a table. It was made of steel. He used it to block the door together, preventing the walkers from barging in.

Rick and Glenn put Hershel on the ground. Rick ripped the leg of Hershel's pants to find the bite wound bleeding profusely. Swallowing hard, he made a quick decision.

"Hold him down," he ordered as he unbuckled his belt. Rick tied the belt around Hershel's thigh as tight as possible. He reached for his axe slowly. "All right. Only one way to keep you alive," he said apologetically.

And with that, Rick started to chop Hershel's leg just below the knee as hard as possible and as fast as possible. Hershel's yells were painful to all of them but Rick kept working. A couple hits in, Hershel lost consciousness to his pain. Everyone heaved with stress, trying to catch their breath.

"We should leave now," Rick said, trying to stop the bleeding.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Shane saw silhouettes in another room.

"Duck," he whispered to them.

Without questions, they all ducked close to the floor while Shane pulled up his rifle, pointing it in front of him. Behind a counter, in another room, were prisoners. Five of them and still alive, still human, and looking pretty shocked.

"Holy shit," one of them whispered.

-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-

Seven months ago...

A shot to the head and the body that used to be Jim dropped to the ground. Harry looked sadly at the body as Daryl pulled out his arrow out of the head. They had stumbled upon the walker on their search for Merle. Remembering his promise to the man, Harry insisted on taking the walker down.

It had been a four days since they left the farm. Three since they went back to see what had happened. The night the wards around the farmhouse were supposed to fall, Harry felt the first intrusion of danger on the wards and then it was followed quickly by dozens of others. He knew immediately what it meant. Harry told Daryl immediately, saying he wanted to go back and help the group. But before Daryl could reply, the wizard suddenly collapsed to the ground with a loud gasp. He started to shake like he was having a seizure and glowed with a golden light.

Luckily for them, they were staying inside an abandoned house for the night and the area was pretty clear of walkers. Otherwise, they would be drawn to Daryl's shout of surprise and Harry's whimpers of pain. Daryl was freaking out as he didn't know what was happening and how to help the younger man as he was having an attack on the floor. The golden light around Harry glowed brighter and brighter until suddenly it went out with one last explosion of golden light. Luckily, the explosion was pretty soundless. Daryl, not so much, as he was thrown back by the backlash. He groaned as he tried to clear his head and focus his eyesight as much as he could after being blinded by the light. He found Harry out cold on the floor, pale and unmoving. Whatever attack he had had passed. Daryl quickly checked for any pulse and was relieved when he found Harry was still alive, albeit weakened. After moving the younger man to a couch, he spent the night looking out for any walkers possibly drawn by the light and sound and checking on Harry.

The wizard didn't regain consciousness until the next day. By then, it was almost evening. Daryl asked what happened. Apparently something went wrong at the farm. Harry insisted on going back to check on the group's condition. Daryl, on the other hand, wanted Harry to rest some more as he was still pale and weak. But Harry was stubborn and said he had no problem going back alone while Daryl waited for him at the house. With no other choice, Daryl accompanied him, lest something happened to the wizard again and no one could watch his back.

The farm was in worst condition than they first thought. Walkers were everywhere. The barn was burnt to the ground and the place had been abandoned by the group. Only the fact that the cars were missing, though the RV was obviously not, that they knew the group were still alive. Well, that and Harry's ability to call the souls of any dead person he wanted and none from the group had showed up.

From there, they went back to their first plan to look for Merle. Although, a little more reluctant than the first time because they couldn't help but worry for the people of their previous group. But, the pain from their latest drama with the group was still fresh on Harry's mind and heart so they steeled themselves.

They rode on Merle's bike for days in the direction his wand pointed about Merle's location until they found Jim the Walker by coincidence. It had been wandering quite far away from the original spot they left Jim before.

"Okay, let's get going," Daryl said.

"Alright. Thank you for this, Daryl," Harry smiled gratefully.

Daryl scoffed and rolled his eyes but the tiny smile on his lips betrayed him. They were about to ride again when a couple of cars approached and stopped in front of them. Both men stiffened. Daryl immediately reached for his crossbow and pointed at the newcomers. A man came out and pointed a shotgun at them followed by some others.

"Whoa! Wait, everyone! Calm down!" another man said as he came out from the other side of the car. "Lower the weapons, guys," he told his people.

Slowly, the men lowered their weapons. Daryl kept his own up. The guy who seemed to be in charge just smiled kindly at them with his arms up to show he meant no harm. He was tall with brown hair and a charming smile.

"It's okay. We don't want any trouble, alright?" the man said kindly.

Harry wasn't convinced. Something about the man bugged him. But he put his hand on Daryl in a calming manner anyway. Slowly, Daryl also lowered his crossbow.

"That's right," the man's smile widened. "We just want to ask if you guys are alright. Need any help or something maybe?"

"No one offers help to strangers these days," Daryl said.

"You're right," the man said. "But not us. We're from a place. A community. There are plenty of us and we're out here to recruit and sometimes save people. There is safety in numbers after all. We're staying in a place called Woodbury. We have walls, supplies and weapons. We're wondering if you guys are interested in joining us."

"Why?" Daryl asked.

The man shrugged. "You both seem like you can handle yourselves. You would be a great addition to the safety of our community. And also...I'm wondering if you're the man we're looking for?"

Daryl's frown deepened. "What do you mean?"

"Weeks ago we found a man bleeding to death. His hand was severed. We saved him and he has been staying with us ever since. He wanted to look for his brother but he was still weak so he can't. I promised him I would watch out for his brother. A man with a crossbow but...we've found men like that a couple of times now and none of them were the right man. I'm wondering if you're him," the man explained.

Daryl and Harry shared a look.

"What's his name?" Harry asked.

The man looked at him and smiled, "Why don't you tell us your names first?"

"Why don't you tell us your names first?" Daryl challenged. "You could've been lying to us about your story."

"Just answer the governor!" one of the men barked.

"Hey!" the man in charge snapped.

"You made them call you Governor?" Daryl asked with disdain.

"It just happened," the man shrugged helplessly. "I was there at the beginning and helped a lot. Somehow I ended up leading them and suddenly I am the Governor."

"Yeah, right," Daryl sneered.

"Daryl," Harry whispered.

"The man's looking for his brother is Merle Dixon. Do you happen to be Daryl Dixon?" Governor asked.

Daryl relaxed without realizing. The man grinned.

"That's what I thought. I was told you were staying with a group?"

"Not anymore," Daryl said.

"We split up the rest of the group a few days ago. And then we found out the place they were staying at was ambushed by walkers," Harry explained.

"Walkers. That's what you call them? We called them biters," Governor grinned. "Why the split up?"

"Too much drama," Daryl sneered. "And I was looking for my brother."

Governor chuckled. "I can get that. So, you guys believe us? We can go back to our place. You can keep your weapons. And ride on your bike behind us if you want to be cautious. We won't be offended."

Both men shared a look again.

"Alright," Harry nodded.

"Perfect," Governor grinned. "Still haven't got your name."

"Likewise," Harry replied.

"Fair point. But I'm sure I'll get it sooner or later anyway," Governor's smile widened.

"And I'm not calling you Governor," Harry retorted.

Governor let out a full belly laugh. "Well, this have been great. But why don't we get back to Woodbury? Bet your brother would be anxious to meet you. Shall we?"

~ To be continued ~