AN: Another I wrote and posted to Tumblr that I forgot to post over here. Sorry about that! I'm just slowly working my way through getting both on the same page, promise.

Disclaimer: I do not own Z Nation.

"Wait."

It was Addy who whispered the alert, her gun raised as she half turned towards the sound. 10K turned with her, though he kept an eye on Murphy- after the things he had done, he'd refused to completely turn his back on him.

Even with Warren and Doc there to keep the ropes tight, none of them trusted him.

For a long moment, all five of them stood there, frozen, waiting for the sound to come again. It wasn't a zombie, it didn't seem entirely human from what she had caught, so all that left was animal. And even with their earlier catch that day, they could use the meat.

"Let's go," Warren finally said, breaking the silence and tugging on the ropes, forcing Murphy to stumble a few steps forward, only kept upright by the anchoring line Doc held behind him. "We're wasting time, and it'll either attack us or run away. Either way, we need to get going."

"Are these ropes really necessary," Murphy complained, righting himself as best he could- ropes covered him from neck to hips, bindings that were only slightly removed when they stopped to eat. "I have nowhere else but California to go. It's not like I'm going to try and push you off a random cliff anytime soon."

"No can do, Murphy," Doc said, wrapping the anchoring line around his hand again so he had a better grip on the rope. "You won't tell us what you did with little Lulu, and after everything else we've seen you do? I'm not taking chances, man."

"Addy, come on."

Addy jumped slightly, turning back towards the group- they were already a few feet ahead of her, increasing the distance with every moment she stood still. Shaking her head, rolling her shoulders to get rid of the overwhelming sensation that someone, or something, was watching her, Addy started after them, her gun swinging up to rest against her shoulder. Or to drop when the noise came again, a sound that was almost like...

"Addy..."

"Who are you," Addy screamed, twisted around as she tried to land eyes on whoever had spoken, her gun in one hand while the other moved to grab her Z-Wacker. "Answer me!" She was aware of her friends telling her to stop, telling her to calm down, pointing out that she was going to bring down every single fucking Zombie nearby, but she couldn't care.

Someone had said her name, and she needed to know who, because everyone who knew her name was right behind her or dead. And she was sick and tired of the dead coming back to haunt her.

"Come out and face me so I can shoot you!"

"Please," the voice said a third time, this time closer, stronger, as if reacting to her words. "Please, Addy. Don't shoot."

Then, before she could give the order again, a set of bushes off to her right rustled, and the woman she never thought she'd see again limped out.

She was a mess. Still wearing that messed up go-go dancer get up Murphy had picked out for her, though this time it was more covered in dirt and blood and some other mess Addy didn't care to name. She limped as she came closer, her left leg half failing under her weight as she walked, every step closer seeming to pain her. She was obviously starving and dehydrated, her skin slightly blue around her lips and eyes and along her hands, but still she was there.

Cassie stumbled forward, only stopping when they were less than an arm's reach apart, stopping to stare at her with wide eyes and trembling lips, the most human Addy had seen her in months. So when Cassie broke down crying, her bad leg finally giving out from under her, Addy was there to step forward, to gently lower the other woman to the ground, pulling her into her lap, curling around her and clinging to the sobbing girl like she was a life line, the only stable thing in this destructive world.

With Cassie sobbing into her neck and her own hands slipping under the disgusting fake fur coat, clutching at warm skin that actually seemed human, for the first time in months, Addy smiled. Smiled at Warren and 10K and Doc and even at Murphy as they came running back to her, back to them, though their forms were blurry and indistinct from the tears running clean tracks down her face.

They set up camp right then and there, Murphy tied to his tree while she stayed sitting there, Cassandra curled up in her lap while she wrapped around her protectively, whispering soothing comforts as the sobs faded into hiccups and the hiccups into sniffles. Even after Doc had cooked them some food, Cassie still stayed in her lap, devouring her food in moments- how long had it been since she had woken up, Addy wondered with a clench of her gut? How long had she trailed after them, trying to catch up, scared and alone? Without any means of hunting or protecting herself or anything? At least they had been able to hunt, to fish, to get enough food to keep their bellies mostly fully on most nights.

But Cassie alone?

"Doc, another," Addy said, gently taking the stick from Cassie's hands and throwing it over her shoulder. It was quickly replaced with another, a large piece of fire-roasted meat from the pig 10K had shot earlier in the day dripping fat, down her fingers and onto Addy's clothes, though she couldn't really care.

Because when Cassie turned towards her, the first real smile she had seen from her in over a year on her grease-coated lips, Addy couldn't help but smile back.

She had no clue how, but Cassie was safe and whole and finally home, and weeks later, when Cassie pulled her out of camp and pressed her lips to her own, finally calming the ache Addy had had since Cassie had come back to them alive and herself, Addy was thankful. She didn't understand it, but the Cassie she had fallen in love with all that time ago was finally back, so she was thankful.