Annie sat in the passenger seat of the van, leaning back and eyes closed, rethinking the past couple hours of her new adventurous life. The voice over the radio told them the bad news, that an ocean of walkers surrounded them. The good news? There hadn't been any. His advice was to make a run for it. The voice on the radio assured them that it wasn't a dumb idea since they had him as eyes on the outside. He told them that the street on the other side of the tank was less crowded, since most of the walkers were busy feasting on each other. If they moved then and there, they stood a chance. Rick wanted to know about the bags but it simply wasn't an option. So, with the soldier's gun and a grenade Rick found, plus a mini-shovel and Annie's own knife, they had something. Rick went first, bashing the lone walker on top the tank across the face. They jumped off the right side of the tank and ran for an alley about fifty yards away, Rick shooting in front while Annie covered him from behind. Rick never let her leave his sight for too long, grabbing hold of her free hand with his own and pulling her along.

When they reached the designated alley, Rick almost shot their radio friend, Glenn Rhee, who shouted that he wasn't dead, and led them up a ladder and inside a department store. It was there they met a few of his group and none of them were happy to see them. One of them, Andrea Harrison, almost shot Rick. Almost, because another man, Morales, told her to back off. Apparently, they were volunteers of a larger group who risked coming into the city to scavenge supplies. Of course, their easy in-and-out trip was ruined when Rick and Annie showed up guns blazing. They'd rung the dinner bell. One other person contributed to that, however, and that was Merle Dixon. He'd been on the roof, shooting at random walkers below until he nearly beat another survivor, T-Dog, to death. He almost shot him before Rick finally handcuffed him to a pipe.

They'd planned to get out through the sewers, since the streets were swarmed, but that wasn't an option as Glenn and Morales found out. Not only was the way barred off – it would've taken a blowtorch and half a day to get through the bars – but it was filled with walkers, eating rats. Then the walkers at the front doors of the store broke through the outer doors. Back on the roof, they spotted a construction site and knew that if they could get to it, to the van, they'd have a way out. How they'd get to it was another matter entirely, as the roads were still swarmed with walkers. That was when Rick came up with a brilliant idea: to cover himself and Glenn in the blood and guts of one of the walkers they'd killed in the alley. They needed to smell like the dead to get past the dead. Annie didn't agree, wanted to go with him, but Rick told her he needed her to be his eyes in the sky and to make sure everyone was ready when they got through. It worked amazingly well; the walkers didn't even pay attention to them beyond a glance and passing sniff.

When it started to rain, however, that was the real problem. It started to wash off the guts, clear up their scent. The walkers noticed it, too. They'd had no choice but to run the last bit of the way, hacking at walkers until they hopped the fence into the site. Even then, they didn't stop. Walkers were swarming, climbing the fence, it wouldn't be long till they got over or even broke it down. Luckily, Glenn got the keys and they got a truck going just in time, but it looked like they were leaving. Annie tried to assure them that Rick wouldn't abandon them, even though it definitely seemed that way. At least until Glenn came over the radio, telling everyone to meet them at the loading dock of the store and be ready. Everyone grabbed their shit and bolted, running past the doors that were cracking under the pressure of the walkers. That was when they heard the car alarm and then a knock on the door. They quickly pulled the door open and tossed their things inside, driving off just as the walkers from the front got to them. Rick and Glenn had come up with a plan, let Glenn distract the walkers with the alarm's noise, draw them off so Rick could get everyone out. Glenn hadn't liked the idea at first, but he'd warmed up to it once he was cruising down the empty highway in the hot red Challenger.

"Wayne Dunlap, organ donor, the survivors of Atlanta thank you for your contribution," Annie said sardonically, climbing up into the front passenger seat. Everyone chuckled a little, glad to have the mood lightened somewhat, even Rick who nodded at her. "Can't believe I'm riding off into the sunset with a cop," she muttered. "It's like a bad country western."

Rick chuckled and corrected her, "Sheriff Deputy, ma'am."

"Oh, forgive me," she retorted sarcastically. "And if you're gonna call me "ma'am", at least have the decency to tip your hat at me, cowboy," she teased and Rick eyed her.

"I lost my hat," he reminded her. Annie covered her snigger with her hand. Rick couldn't help but smile a little, swept up in a bout of unexpected joy, and laughed with her as he turned his attention back to the road. Annie watched him a moment longer, a content smile on her face before looking out the window with a sigh.

Her shoulders relaxed, her whole body did, for the first time since she'd left Morgan. They'd made it out of the city. It all turned out okay. With the exception of the racist prick, Merle, who they had to leave handcuffed to the roof. The man did not play or work well with others and he was the only person who didn't make it out. T-Dog went back to get him, even though his better judgment told him not to, and he dropped the damn cuff key. It wasn't his fault, not really. T-Dog told them he'd tripped and the key had been in his hand, flew down a drain. Nothing anyone could do at that point. There was no time to do something. Annie looked back at Rick and saw his eyes fixed on the road, brow furrowed.

"What's the matter, Sheriff?" she asked and Rick glanced at her before shaking his head.

"We shouldn't have left him."

"We didn't have a choice," she reminded him.

"There's always a choice," he argued and sighed, running a hand over his head. "I shouldn't have cuffed him."

"If you hadn't, T-Dog would be dead and so would the rest of us." Leaning over, she squeezed his shoulder. "That man, he would've gotten us all killed. You did what you had to. There's no shame or blame in that."

"Best not to dwell on it," Morales told him, sliding to sit between the two of them on the floor. "Merle Dixon, getting left behind. Nobody's gonna be sad he didn't come back. Except, maybe Daryl." Rick looked at him questioningly and Morales smiled grimly. "His brother."

Annie ran a hand through her dark brown hair and muttered, "Perfect." Rick glanced at her with a raised brow and she shrugged. "It'll be fine," she assured him. Rick just nodded, not really believing her and she closed her eyes, wincing at her stupidity. The car alarm blared as Glenn sped past them, cheering and pumping his fist out the broken window.

"At least somebody's having a good day," Morales snorted.

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

"Come meet everybody," Morales said, patting Rick on his shoulder as he parked the van. Everyone quickly piled out, running to reunite with their people. Annie sighed as she watched Morales with his wife and two kids, Andrea clinging to her sister, with a deep sense of longing filling her up. Annie wanted that. She wanted her baby brother.

Looking at Rick, she saw the same sadness and asked, "We gonna turn back and leave or are we gonna stay?" Rick looked at her, confused. "You're in charge here, Sheriff. It's your call. Whatever you decide, I'm with you. We got a deal, remember?" He chuckled under his breath and hesitated a moment. Just as Morales was telling them, the "helicopter kids", to come meet everybody, Rick opened his door. It seemed he decided they were staying. Annie jumped down from the truck and walked around the hood to Rick's side, lightly patting his back and squeezing his shoulder. "We'll find 'em, Rick."

"I know, I just hoped..."

"I know what you hoped. I was hoping the same thing," she reminded him. Rick sighed heavily. Her friends, the ones she'd hoped would be at the refugee center. Which they now knew was a dead end, quite literally.

"I'm sorry." Annie shook her head and chuckled.

"You really need to stop apologizing for things out of your control," she advised. Morales called them over, telling someone else in their group that one of them was a cop. Annie patted Rick's back and the pair slowly made their way closer to the group. Rick suddenly froze and Annie stopped beside him, watching him carefully. She noticed his eyes drawn to one man, who was staring back at him as if he were a ghost. "You know him?"

"Oh, my God..." Rick pulled away from her and marched shakily towards the group.

"Rick?"

"DAD!"

Annie's eyes shot forward as a little boy bolted towards Rick, charging into him. Arms crossed, she leaned back against the Challenger and smiled. Rick was holding his son so tight, practically crushing him as they cried and walked further into the little camp. Standing in shock was Rick's wife, who he pulled into the embrace. Annie would have smiled, happy that Rick was reunited with the family he so desperately wanted to see again. Instead, she frowned. Rick's wife, she was in shock, yes, but she didn't seem very happy. Not in the way that Andrea's sister or Morales' family had been. Her arms may have been around her husband and child, but her eyes were on another man. The man Rick had been staring at initially. He was watching the reunion as well, eyes forlorn and focused on Rick's wife. At least until Rick turned and sought him out, then he smiled.

That night, everyone sat around the campfire and Rick told them about how he woke up in the hospital. He'd been so disoriented, felt like he was in some coma-dream that he'd never wake up from. He thanked Shane, who Annie observed was the man Rick's wife, Lori, had been looking at, for getting his family out safely. The older man, Dale, brought up the sore subject of Merle's abandonment. Andrea's sister, Amy, said to lie but Andrea admonished her, saying they had to tell the truth. The truth being that Merle had been out of control and Rick did exactly what was necessary. T-Dog and Rick both took blame; T-Dog told them though that he chained and locked the door before he left, so Merle was still alive and handcuffed on that roof like a wild animal. It was a situation all of them were uncomfortable with. No one, not even a prick like Merle Dixon, deserved to be treated like that. Even if it was the end of the world.

"Annie?" Rick called out as she walked away from the group. Everyone had dispersed, going off to their tents for a good nights rest. Annie, on the other hand, had been headed back to the truck they'd come to the camp in. She only stopped when he called out to her. "Where are you going?"

"To bed," she replied with an obvious tone.

"No, I mean where," he corrected. Annie nodded to the truck and shrugged, assuring him she'd be okay. Rick muttered for his wife and son to go in the tent, and that he'd join them soon, and walked over to Annie. "Stay with us," he told her, nodding to the tent behind him.

Shaking her head, Annie replied, "Nice gesture, but you need to be with your family."

"And you...?"

She shrugged and told him, "I'd slept in worse places than a car before I bumped into Morgan. I'll be fine." Rick didn't look convinced and she shook her head, squeezing his shoulder. "Go. Be with your family. I'll be around."

"You can sleep in the RV," Dale announced, walking over to the pair. "Sorry, don't mean to pry but I couldn't help but overhear." Well he certainly was nosy, Annie thought to herself. "Andrea and Amy got a tent for themselves the last run so it's just me. I'm on watch with Shane tonight so beds free. Yours if you want it."

"She'll take it," Rick answered. Annie whipped her head around to look at him. The two stared at one another, a non-verbal argument going on, as Dale watched. The older man shifted uncomfortably for a moment before Annie looked at him and nodded, thanking him.

"It's no problem. You helped bring our people back. Least I can do." He patted her shoulder and nodded at the pair. Moving back to the RV, he picked up his rifle and wished the both of them a good night before climbing onto the roof.

Rick looked at her with a barely noticeable smirk. "Have a good night, Annie."

"Not like I have much of a choice now," she retorted. Rick just grinned at her. Shaking her head, she smiled and said, "Good night, Sheriff."

Annie ambled into the RV and took it in. It seemed like Dale had been going on a road trip before everything happened, there were maps all over the place. Of course, that could have just been a combination of his own and whatever everyone else managed to scrounge up. They needed to know the area, where to go, what the biggest and smallest towns were for supplies. Above her, she could hear the tapping and screeching of feet and lawn chairs. As she made her way to the back, she found the messy bed and climbed on. Curling onto her side, Annie looked up at the ceiling at the sound of muffled voices. She wasn't sure how she felt about Shane being on watch but she didn't know him at all yet. Like Morgan and Rick, she'd just have to take a chance and get to know him, get to know everyone in the camp.

Looking out the window, she found Rick's tent, saw the shadows of him and his wife huddle together, and saw the light go off. Reaching into the back pocket of her jeans, Annie pulled out the folded bit of paper that had seen better days. The one picture she'd grabbed before abandoning her home. Opening it, she stared at the image with a mixture of sadness and jealousy. Sadness over what it depicted and jealousy at the fact Rick had found what she so desperately wanted: her family. She ran the tips of her fingers across the image of her brother, Paul. Where was he? Was he still in DC? Or had he gone forward with their plan? Was he even still alive? Would she ever know for certain? The only way she'd get any answers was if she left, but Annie wasn't so sure she was ready to leave Rick alone. Not just yet. With a heavy sigh, she laid down and closed her eyes, pressing the photo against her heart. She hoped sleep would come quickly.