Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own The Tribe. Kinda wish I did but that's another story.

Everyone had been wary when the new tribe came through town. The passed through the city without stopping and set up a small carnival just west of the city. Residents flocked to the festival. Salene and Pride had been adamant that no one should go out until they knew who the people really were. But, Siva noted with no small amount of amusement, they had come in the end. The midway was lined with eateries, small shops and game stalls. She held out hope that Lex would win her on of the stuffed animals they were giving away as prizes. Siva knew however the chances of that were slim. She had the strong feeling that Lex would think himself above such things. She looked at the man waking beside her. He seemed to watch his surroundings with detached amusement

"Aren't you enjoying yourself, Lex?"

His head snapped around. "Yeah, it's great."

"You don't seem like it."

"I've been thinking a lot."

"What about?"

"Things."

She sighed and took his hand as they continued walking. Near the end of the main stretch there was a large bandstand. The approached it and joined the large crowd that was gathered around the stage. There was a girl singing a rock song Siva vaguely remembered. They stood for some time and watched the band play. The song soon changed. It was more hypnotic and slower though just as heavy as the previous one had been. She's good, Siva thought, very good. Lex watched the girl with what she could only classify as wonder.

The song ended and the band left the stage. Lex bolted after them. She chased after him, barely able to keep up.

"Rose," he called, "Rosey!" Surrounded by her band mates she was oblivious to his calling. He finally stopped several feet away and yelled, "Rosalind!"

She turned sharply and searched the crowd for the one who had called her. Her eyes narrowed on him. "Alexander?" she whispered.

He smiled and opened and his arms as she came forward to hug him.

"Honestly, I sort of believed you had died." Rose led them into a tent away from the crowds. It was warm and small, a small stove near the center and various blankets spread around.

"What, from the virus?" Lex took a seat on the floor and Siva followed his lead.

"Well, we both could have caught it. The idea had crossed my mind." Rose bustled around the tent. "That and the fact that you just always had this uncanny way of getting yourself into trouble. I figured you probably pissed off the wrong person and…you know."

"You have no idea." Siva whispered under her breath.

Both turned toward her and Rose laughed lightly.

"How did you know Lex?"

"We were friends when we were kids." Rose answered. "I'd say we went to school together but then Lex spent most of his time in school skipping school or trying to."

The trio spent sometime discussing life since the virus. Siva was careful to leave out mentioning her time with the technos. Sometimes she couldn't even remember all the different tribes they had inflicted themselves upon in Ram's misguided quest.

"So, how did you too meet?" Rose finally asked.

"You know how I love a damsel in distress." Lex answered before she had time to even think.

"Right." She looked to Siva, "So he was getting his ass kicked and you helped him."

"Basically." He took the ribbing with a good humor Siva had only occasionally seen from Lex.

They talked for a while more before Lex and Siva said they needed to return to the mall.

Late that night Rose sat near the fire. Outside she could hear the sounds of the carnival continuing around her tent. They would be gone as soon as the residents of the city left. It was a pattern they had come to follow closely. Their tribe called themselves the innocents but she along with several others thought they should change their name to the gypsies. It suited their way of life far better. Seeing Xander earlier had come as a phenomenal shock. No, she corrected herself, seeing Lex. It was hard to mentally rename someone she had known so well. It made her remember too many things she tried so hard to forget.

Rose didn't look up when she heard someone enter. Nor did she look when the person sat beside her. She handed him the bottle in her hand as he settled in beside her. Lex took a long drink from it and handed it back.

"You didn't say anything earlier about…"

"She's you girlfriend, Lex. I'm not like that. I never have been."

"I know." He spent a few silent moments staring into the fire. "I really never thought I'd see you again, Rose."

"Ditto." She whispered before taking another long drink from the bottle.

"You also didn't really talk about anything that's happened to you since… everything."

"You weren't exactly baring your soul either."

"What can I say? I'm a self-centered, opportunistic, womanizing bastard. At least that's what they tell me."

"Well, I'm a cold, antisocial, morose bitch. Quite a pair we've become."

"You looked happy on stage."

"That's the only place I can be. You know it's all a show. I don't think anyone here's been happy for a long time."

"What happened?"

She was slow to begin speaking. Rose took a long breath and began her story. "We wanted to settle down, live in a city. People have this tendency not to want us around. We're just always outsiders. They can tolerate us for a while but… Anyway, we found this small city. It was perfect. There was a clean river, a forest nearby, good soil. We built a village outside this city. The people that lived there… They didn't mind us. They left us alone, we left them alone. It was… wonderful."

"I never thought you were the provincial type."

"I never thought I would be either. And I'm not anymore. But then… It was different. I was married. I had a new baby. I wanted her to have some semblance of the childhood I had. A real home and all that. Our tribe had been traveling so long by then it just seemed nice to stay in one place. And for almost a year it was fabulous. We were completely self-sufficient. We had crops and animals. We were even going to build a mill. Until…"

"What? Rose?"

Rose shook her head and continued. "The people in the city were always trying to get back the kinds of stuff they had before. They got electric going and water. They decided to start running a sewer system. Within weeks the river was ruined. Their people started getting sick. A few died and they blamed us. They forgot that they were emptying their toilets into it. Their people kept getting sick and we didn't. So they decided it was our fault and we should pay for it. We didn't even know they were coming for us till it was too late. They came with guns and they didn't give a damn who got in their way. They just kept shooting and all we could do was run for the forest. And they just kept firing while we ran away."

Lex moved closer to her side when he saw the tears running down Rose's face.

"We were asleep when we heard the shots. William grabbed Juliet and we took off with everyone else. We were running and they shot him in the back. He handed the baby to me and told me to run. And I did as fast as I could. Eventually they stopped chasing us. We all met in this clearing. Juliet was screaming and she was covered in blood. I thought it was William's but…the bullet went through him into her. We did all we could. There were so many people hurt. And she was starting to get better."

"The wound got infected." He guessed.

"We didn't have any medication so…" she stared looked over at him and wiped at her eyes. "I told my sad tale." She sniffled, "What tragedies have you befallen?"

He shrugged and looked away from her gaze. "I was married. She died in child birth. After her… I got married again. She was taken by the techos. I… I think they killed her." He said it almost as if he was just then admitting the fact to himself.

Neither spoke. They passed the now nearly empty bottle between them and listened to the crackling logs.

"Do you ever think…" she began, "that these things are the price we pay for surviving."

"What do you mean?"

"There is no good reason either of us survived the plague, Lex. We were both more than old enough. Remember my cousin, Lucy?" she continued when he nodded. "She was a year younger than me and she died. Most people I went to school with. They all died. And I'm still here. Everyone around me dies but I don't."

"Rose, I…" Lex had no idea what to say to her.

"I have to play another set." She suddenly stood and began walking around the room.

He nodded and stood turning to leave.

"Wait a second." She went to a chest in the corner and dug through its contents. She walked back to him an old looking envelope in her hands. "I always said when I saw you again I'd give you these. After… everything. I just couldn't get rid of them."

He looked in the envelope. In the picture he saw a much younger version of himself, his arms around a much younger version of the woman across from him. It surprised him that he actually remembered when these pictures had been taken. The small rock show had been Rose's first big performance. He realized it was only days before the virus that had killed several of their friends parents was declared a worldwide epidemic. "Thanks. You know, I remember this."

"Yeah, it was a great show." She smiled a moment at the memory. "Well, I gotta…"

"Yeah." He followed her outside and back toward the stage. On impulse Lex pulled Rose into a hug and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I hope things get better, Rosey."

"I hope you're wrong about her." She answered disappearing backstage.

Lex stood on the fringe of the crowd and watched Rose sing. She was right it was the only place she was happy even if it was just a show.

"Lex?"

He cringed at the sound of Salene's voice. She looked the direction of the sound and saw Salene and Pride approaching him.

"I thought you went back to the mall."

"I did."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I felt like coming back." It had been weeks since he had a good argument with Salene. After talking with Rose he was craving a fight.

"Salene didn't mean anything, Lex." Pride stepped in diffusing them both.

He shrugged and returned to watching the band.

Pride followed his gaze to the girl on stage. "Siva said you know her."

"In another lifetime." He answered, slipping away and disappearing back toward the city.

By morning there was nothing left in the field to even indicate the carnival had even been there. Had it not been for the pictures tucked in his pocket even Lex would have thought it had all been a dream.

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