Chapter Two

Where do we go from here?
How do we carry on?
I can't get beyond the questions
Clambering for scraps

In the shatter of us collapsed
The cuts me with every could-have-been

Wait it out - Imogen Heap

-0-

Being in Woodbury was almost like taking a step back in time.

Sara and Grace had been given a small two bed-roomed apartment. There was hot water for showers, though they were of course not able to take long ones, because the heat didn't last long and they had an entire town to keep running. There was a steady flow of food and water in the cupboards. They had electricity of all things, though again there wasn't much of it. Anything was better than nothing however; things like heat and electricity were for all intents and purposes extinct, so having even just a little was amazing.

Settling in should have been easy. With a warm bed, a roof and walls to protect them, it should have been so easy to feel safe. If anything Sara felt more on edge and was still looking over her shoulder every couple minutes just waiting for the other shoe to drop. It wasn't to say she wasn't thankful for everything they were being given, she was, incredibly thankful it was just after spending so long on the move it was hard to feel safe anywhere. Sara was doing her best to make it work though. Grace seemed happy and the people here were nice enough. Plus every wall was being guarded 24/7, so that was something, she knew she had to try harder.

Despite the blonde's issues, she was happy to be getting a chance to do nursing again. All in all, the town was turning out to be everything the Governor and his people had promised. It was nice, having a bed to crawl into at night. There were of course two beds, but Grace decided to stay with her Mom which was more than okay for Sara who didn't feel comfortable having her daughter out of reach at night. Things were close to being normal, with only two major exceptions, neither Carl nor Rick were here.

Memories followed her into her dreams and for that she was thankful, being able to remember in full detail the life they had all shared together though was both a blessing and a curse. Being able to dream was a blessing, she could remember family nights in and little insignificant moments spent at the breakfast table but as happy as those memories made her, waking up and realizing that was all over always brought back the crushing grief she felt. There was no escaping the pain, ever, except for those few moments when she could escape into her memories.

Grace was her anchor. The little girl was a constant reminder to Sara, to keep going that she wasn't allowed to wallow in her grief. They'd both lost their family, but they still had each other and it was Sara's duty to make sure her daughter was safe, and looked after. That had been her main reason for coming to Woodbury, there'd been no way she could deny a chance to keep her little girl safe and to give her the best possible chance.

"Mind if I sit?"

Startled from her thoughts, Sara looked up from her seat on the bench to see the Governor waiting patiently beside the table, a charming smile on her face. Returning the smile, the blonde nodded and shifted over a little to allow more room for him to sit. "Of course not, please, sit." She told him, glancing back towards where Grace was playing before looking back to The Governor.

"So tell me, how are you and Grace settling in?" he asked, sidling in next to her on the bench. Sara smiled and nodded her head, tucking a stray curl behind her ear.

"Great. I honestly can't thank you enough for bringing us here…it's been great for Grace, being around people again." Sara said honestly, sure she was still having a little trouble herself but Grace seemed to like it. Sara had feared that her babies smile had been gone forever; it warmed her heart to be seeing it once more.

"There's no need to thank me, we're happy to have you here. For a while there I feared we'd never find anyone with medical experience." He admitted and Sara smiled. She'd been a nurse before all this, with a couple years' experience in medical school before dropping out to be a Mom to Grace. When she'd found out she was pregnant and her boy-friend had left her, she'd made the decision to give up her dream, stay as a nurse and dedicate all her free time to Grace. It was a move she didn't react, not for one second.

"Well I'm happy to help anyway I can. Earn my keep and all." She only half joked. The Governor beside her shook his head and smiled.

"There's no need to worry about anything like that."

"No there is, I mean. We've been out on the road since it happened, constantly running and fighting. No chance to just stop and breathe." She admitted, looking down at her hands briefly before looking up and locating her daughter with her eyes, "I couldn't risk her getting hurt again."

"Again?" Sara felt the Governor shift beside her, his eyes following her own. Shaking her head, Sara stopped herself from saying anymore, that day still haunted her dreams, made her whole body ache.

"It was very early on, when this started. She's okay now though." She said, giving the Governor a look by way of putting a stop to anymore questions. She wasn't ready to talk about it, didn't think she would ever be and especially not with someone she barely knew.

"Well I will make sure that's always true. I'll personally make sure that you and Grace are always safe behind these walls, you have my word." His hand was now on hers as squeezed it, in what she assumed was supposed to be a comforting gesture.

Sara looked down at their hands and then back up to the Governor, to find him watching her intently and if she was being honest, it made her feel uncomfortable. Chances were she was reading way into the way he was looking at her; after all it had been a long time since she'd been around anyone. Maybe all he was doing was comforting her, reassuring her, living up to his role as leader and Governor of all these people. Offering him a small smile of thanks, she subtly pulled her hand free of his, as she did so, Merle, the man who had been the one to save both her and Grace that day walked over to the Governor.

She hadn't had much interaction with Merle since the day they'd met. His gruff appearance could be off putting, as could the contraption on the end of his right hand. Merle had obviously lost his hand at some point and had adapted a very clever weapon on the end of it. He was intimidating but he seemed to have the respect of people in the town and he had Sara's. He'd helped save her daughter by killing those walkers, as had Karen, she appreciated that.

"Governor, I have a word?"

There was a look shared between the two men, a look Sara didn't miss. Merle had obviously been able to convey something important to the Governor without speaking because the other man was standing up from his seat. "Of course." He said to Merle, turning to look down at Sara and plastering that charming smile of his back onto his face, "If you'll excuse me. I have matters to attend to." He told her and all Sara could do was smile and nod as he and Merle turned and began walking away.

Sara watched them in mild curiosity. There seemed to be a lot of that she'd noticed in the week she'd been here, a lot of hushed discussions between the Governor and his men. She pushed all that curiosity down though; she didn't want to over think anything. Right now she wanted to focus on trying to settle back into this way of life and make this work, not for her sake but for Grace's. She wasn't going to ask questions or nose about where she wasn't supposed to. Right now she had a duty and a promise to keep to her daughter, to make sure she was safe.

She would soon find however that keeping that promise wasn't going to be as easy as you would think.

-0-

Waking up alone was his least favorite thing in the world and after sliding his hand over the empty space beside him, it was clear it had been empty for a while. Rolling over he eyed the bedside clock for a moment before reluctantly pulling himself up into a seated position. Scratching his chest, Rick slipped his legs over the side of the bed and stood, stretching as he moved to open the curtains. The sun was up, the sky was blue, and all in all it was a beautiful morning.

With a smile he grabbed a t-shirt and pulled it on over his head, heading out of the bedroom. It was still early so he knew the kids weren't up and one deep inhale in, let him know his wife was in the kitchen and breakfast was on the go. Today was the first day of his time of work, the first day of Sara's time off and they were taking the kids away on road trip to the Grand Canyon. It'd been a trip Rick had been looking forward to it for a while now.

Yawning, he stepped into the kitchen and smiled tiredly. Standing over the stove was his wife, wearing his old academy t-shirt and a pair of shorts, with her unruly curls tied up in a messy bun. She swayed her hips in time to the radio and with her back to him; she hadn't even noticed his presence. So making his way across the kitchen, Rick slid his strong arms around her waist and held onto her, so her back was against his chest. He smiled when he felt her jump slightly and just dropped his head, to press a soft kiss to her neck. "Mornin darlin'." He said; sleep still lingering in his voice.

"Well good mornin' Officer." Sara replied, letting her free hand rest over Rick's as they settled in front of her against her stomach. Flipping the bacon again she allowed herself to turn in Rick's arms and offer him a proper kiss good morning, one which he eagerly returned. "I figured I'd let you sleep and get started on breakfast before we go…"

"I can think of more interestin' things we coulda been doin'…" Rick said suggestively, tightening his hold on the blonde in his arms. Sara bit down on her lip, and eyed her husband playfully before tugging him down for another kiss.

"Ugh do you guys have to do that."

Sara and Rick pulled apart, both turning to see Carl tiredly entering the kitchen, an excited little five year old bouncing at his side, swinging her poor teddy by one arm. Rick chuckled and pressed a kiss to Sara's lips before stepping back and bending to scoop Grace up in his arms as the little girl charged at his legs. "Well mornin' to you to Princess."

Sara turned back onto the breakfast, smiling happily as her daughter and husband interacted. "Need help Mom?" Carl had sidled up to her at the stove, stirring the scrambled eggs around the pan. Smiling Sara wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pressed a kiss to his head.

"Always my little prince." She said, ruffling his hair, making Carl laugh lightly. Rick watched them and smiled at the nickname Sara had for Carl, as he sat with Grace on his lap, listening to her tell him all about how excited Esmeralda, the rag doll in her arms was for this trip. Pressing a kiss to the top of his daughters head Rick once again thanked the Lord for the life he had been given. Little moments like this with his family were what he lived for.

What he wouldn't give for those normal, every-day, mundane moments of sitting down for breakfast with his family. He wished he could have it all back, yet now all he had were the memories of those times and the reminders of what had been and never would be again. He had Carl and for that he was forever thankful but he wanted it all back, he wanted his wife who fit so perfectly against him. He wanted the little girl whose laugh was like music to his ears. He wanted lazy family mornings, movie nights, family sick days, he wanted it all back and it killed him that he never would.

This was his reality now, running, losing people, again.

The group's stint at the storage facility hadn't lasted, like every other time they were forced out by the arrival of the walkers. They'd gotten a couple of weeks in the containers which was, Rick figured better than nothing these days. Still the mood surrounding the group was somber, as with the loss of the containers they'd also had to suffer through the loss of Patricia and Jacqui, both of whom had been cut off from the group by the herd and ultimately devoured. There'd been no chance for a mercy kill; both women had been taken down so fast they'd disappeared from view as their bodies became consumed by the walkers.

T-Dog and Carol were in mourning over Jacqui, being the closest to her in the group. The Greene Family were devastated to by the loss of yet another family member in Patricia and Hershel was having a difficult time comforting both of his daughters. Yet this was their reality, this loss, this pain. They couldn't mourn properly, couldn't bury their loved ones. All they'd been able to do was run, using the distraction to save the rest of the group.

"Rick, there's a housing estate a few miles up road, figure it's as good a place as any to regroup."

Rick felt Carl shift in the passenger seat. Eyeing the young boy who silently scoffed and stared out the window, Rick frowned and lifted the walkie in his hand, to his mouth, "That's if it's clear Shane, there's a reason we avoid the estates…." Rick reminded the man, his former friend with whom he was being forced to survive alongside.

"Well if ya have a better idea man I'm all ears…" Rick shook his head, not having to see Shane to know that the other man was trying to provoke him. The last few months had been tense and it was wearing on the group as a whole. Two alpha males couldn't co-exist peacefully in one group, right now Rick was on top but Shane was always pushing, trying to undermine him and it was taking everything in him to not tell Shane to take Lori and go but he couldn't turn them away, not with Lori pregnant. Both her and Shane sure did have awkward timing.

Looking to his left, Rick eyed Carl who stared back at his Dad, a deep frown on his young face. "What you guys think?" Rick asked the occupants of the truck.

"Might be worth it, we're low on gas." Carol pointed out from her seat in the back. The once softly spoken woman hardened in recent months by the loss of her family. Rick also felt the loss of Sophia and carried a huge amount of guilt were the little girl was concerned. He'd tried to save her but he knew he'd made the wrong call in leaving her alone, if he had only stayed and waited out the walkers, done something else then maybe Carol would still have her daughter. Then maybe perhaps he wouldn't be haunted by the image of her walking out of that barn…

"Should send his ass in first," T-Dog chimed in, referencing to Shane and making both Carol and Carl laugh in amusement. Rick chuckled and shook his head at T-Dog, but understanding why he said what he did. T-Dog didn't trust Shane, neither did Carol, they both supported Rick's choices and stood by him, which had him incredibly grateful.

"Let's just go Dad, Carol's right, maybe we'll find some gas there." Carl said, giving his Dad a single nod before looking back out the window, allowing his mind to wander. Rick watched Carl for a moment before refocusing on the road, his truck trailing at the side of Daryl's bike. Indicating to Daryl that they were heading straight on, Rick lifted the walkie to his mouth once more.

"Housin' estate it is. We're a few miles out." He said, before switching off the walkie and dropping it back onto his lap. Maybe the houses would work out, who knew; all he did know was that they would get where they needed to go, one way or another.

-0-

Five weeks had now passed since her arrival in Woodbury and Sara was finally beginning to feel like this was actually going to work. Five weeks and she'd settled in, gotten to know a lot of the other town members, slept better than she had in a long time, Grace was smiling more than she had in a very long time and life was seemingly good. They'd had a breach in the walls two weeks ago but by some miracle no one had been hurt thanks to curfew being in effect, everybody had been locked away in their own rooms.

The population of Woodbury had also risen to 47 after the Governor's men had brought in four more people over the weeks. Despite how quiet it was, Sara found she was kept busy. The Governor's men often came back with injuries from their runs, the newcomers had to obviously attend some regular check-ups and of course their newest addition had come with some health issues and had taken up some of her time over the recent days, but he'd pulled through by some miracle and Sara was adamant he'd make a full recovery.

"What do you mean he's dead? I left him three hours ago and he was fine, his vitals were good, he was awake and talking."

Sara stared back at the Governor with a look of disbelief, unable to believe what he was telling her about her newest patient and Woodbury's 47th member. The young man, Todd, had only this morning been talking about how happy his group would be when they got here. They had food and weapons, as well as a decked out school bus but they'd been unable to find a place to live. Woodbury would be perfect for them, or it should have been.

"I'm sorry Sara, I went in there to inform him about the rest of his group and…well…he was gone." The Governor explained, placing what was supposed to be a comforting hand on her arm. Shrugging away his touch, Sara shook her head beyond confused. Todd had been fine this morning, eager to get up and about, eager to begin pulling his weight.

"What about the others, from his group?" she asked, forcing herself to look up at the Governor, eyes narrowed somewhat as she carefully observed his response. The Governor made a show of sighing, looking pained about what he was about to say.

"They were dead when got there. The biters must have run through the camp." He told her and one could easily say his words had been scripted. She couldn't put her finger on it but something seemed off about the whole thing. The group that had gone out with the Governor, they'd all come back with boxes of food, bags of guns and the bus and none of this other group had survived, Todd included. It all just seemed off to Sara who although thankful for this chance of a normal life, was also cottoning onto the fact that not everything was what it seemed here.

"Well I should check Todd over, see what caused…" Sara made to step around the man in front of her, only he mirrored her actions, moving with her and blocking her way. He gave her one of his charming smiles, his hand back on her shoulder applying slight pressure as he guided her away from the infirmary.

"There's no need to do that. His bodies already been taken out." He told her.

"Just like that?" Sara asked, sure something was going on now. Only before the Governor could answer, Sara saw Grace running from around the side of the infirmary, tears staining her little face. The Governor forgotten Sara moved past him and hurried over to her daughter, scooping her up into her arms and cradling her protectively against her chest. "Hey there baby girl, what's wrong?" she asked softly, noting that the little girl squeezed her tighter.

"Hey now, you alright beautiful?" The Governor asked Grace, his hand on top of her head. Only as soon as he touched her, Grace violently flinched away from his hold, crying even harder as she held onto her Mom, her little body trembling. It was then Sara knew what the issue was, it was the man next to her, her daughter never reacted like this with anyone.

"I'm just goin' to take her back to our apartment." She said, not waiting for an answer from him before she began hurriedly making her way down the street, not stopping for anyone, but aware that the Governor was watching them go.

Once inside of their apartment, Sara locked the door and carried her daughter to the bed. Sitting her down she crouched down in front of Grace, forcing the little girl to look up at her. "Grace, baby what's wrong?" she asked, using her thumb to wipe away the tears. Grace shook her head and pursed her lips together, refusing to look at her Mother. "Grace, look at me…" Sara said firmly, lifting her daughters chin. Once she had her attention she gently caressed the seven year olds cheek. "Now, tell me what's wrong. What happened?"

"I only wanted to show him my doll." Grace said her bottom lip trembling. Sara frowned, looking down at the doll and then back up at Grace, shaking her head from not understanding.

"Show who your doll sweetie?" she asked, watching Grace play with the doll in her hands, the silence between them ticking on for a few moments.

"Todd. He said we could play cards and that he had some in his bag, so I went to get them when…" Grace trailed off, her eyes widening in terror as she recalled what had happened. Seeing this Sara gently placed both her hands on either side of her daughters face and forced her to look at her.

"Grace, when what?" she asked slowly and steadily, reassuring her daughter she was safe there.

"I dropped the cards so I had to pick them up and Mr Governor was in Todd's room." She said, making it clear Todd had been alive at that time. "I heard coughing so I went to see if Todd was okay and Mr Governor had his hands like this…." She showed her Mom by placing her hands on her own neck, "Todd was hitting but he didn't…let go…then Todd didn't hit anymore."

Sara's eyed widened and she dropped her hands away from her daughter in shock. Todd had been alive; the Governor had killed him but why? Shaking her head she quickly reached for Grace as another thought, a more urgent one hit her. "Did he see? The Governor did he see you?" she asked, her heart racing against her chest in horror at what this could mean for her daughter. Grace though shook her head, tears spilling over onto her cheeks again.

"I hid. I stayed very quiet." She told her Mom and Sara blew out a breath, reaching her arms around the little girl and pulling her in tight. "Mommy I'm scared." She cried and Sara held onto her tighter. Everything was making sense now, every little thing her gut had been trying to tell her from the get go had been right. This place had been too good to be true; the Governor was a dangerous man. Killing an innocent person and for what, what reason could there possibly be to justify killing Todd, a boy no older than 21.

"I know baby, I know but I got you." She assured her. Pressing a kiss to the blonde curls on her daughters head, Sara pulled back, holding Grace's face between her hands. Only taking a split second to make her decision now, knowing she needed to do something to keep Grace safe, at least out of the walls they knew what to expect. "No one's going to hurt you okay. I promise. We're getting out of here, we're leaving."

-0-

I said Wednesday I know but the truth is, the file I saved the original Chapter Two in became corrupt and I lost everything. So I had to start the Chapter from scratch and sadly it isn't as good as the original but still follows the same story. So, sorry for the delay, don't hate me.

Thank you to everyone following this story, all those that have Favorited it, and those that have took the time out to review. I really appreciate hearing your input. Now onto review replies.

Angie b – I am not going to give anything away in regards to how this will play out but hopefully you will like what I have planned for the next couple chapters. Thank you for the review, you were my first! Hope to hear from you again.

JoFrench22 – I updated, a little late yes but it's here and I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for a wonderful review.

Angelicedg – You wanted more and here it is. Hope you liked it, let me know what you think.

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Bnoell14 – Oh this story is going places just you wait and see, I have a lot of stuff planned and things will get incredibly intense.

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