A/N: hey guys! So here's Chapter 2, thanks for waiting! This chapter's basically just introductions, mostly dialogue. I promise it will pick up in the next blow, and I'll shut up now : )

Chapter 2 Fighters

Rick made some chit chat with the brother and sister as we drove back to the farm, but I didn't pay 'em no mind. Pretty soon we're making the right turn on the road towards the Greene farm.

"Right," he says. "So when we get there, I want you two to hush it and let me do the talking."

"No problem," says Scott indifferently.

"That mean I don't get my knife back yet?" Sarina calls from the back. "Feeling a little naked without it."

Why she have to say that? Now I can't help but picture—

"You want to gain our people's trust, don't you?" Rick answers. "You're gonna have to be unarmed. At least for a few days."

"A few days?!" shouts Sarina. "Are you serious?! We're in a middle of a war here!"

"War, what war?"

"Against the Roamers, duh!" Sarina exclaims. "When almost the entire human population turns on you and wants to feast on your insides, you arm up and shank some motherfuckers!"

Rick nods to himself. "Okay, see right there? You start swearing in front of my son and we got a problem."

Sarina lets out a frustrated sigh and goes quiet.

We round a bend and break through into the valley were the farm sits. Rick drives us past the barn and rolls the truck into a stop in front of the house. We get out, Scott letting out an appreciative whistle.

"A fella can get used to this," he says.

"Not yet," Rick points out. "Whether or not you get to stay ain't my call."

Right on cue, Maggie and Glenn step out of the house.

"Hey, you're back," he says. "Lori's been asking..uh.." he trails off when he catches sight of Scott and Sarina.

Rick clears his throat and starts up the steps to meet them. "Glenn."

Glenn pulls his gaze from us and turns back to Rick. "Um, what's with the newbies?"

"Glenn," Rick begins again. "I need you to bring our people here from camp. Shane, T-Dog, Andrea, everybody. I'll get the people in the house."

Glenn nods and starts coming down the steps. "Glenn," calls Rick. Glenn turns and looks at him. Rick gives him a meaningful look. "Quietly." Glenn nods again and hops into a jog.

Rick tosses me a Watch-Them look and goes into the house. Great. Babysittin'. I lean back against the truck as Maggie comes down the steps. Scott, however, straightens up, grinning.

"Wow, hey," he says to her, looking her up and down.

I shove his shoulder blade. "Shut it."

"Don't freak out," he says to me then turns his attention back to Maggie. "I'm just sayin' 'Hello.'"

Maggie walks up to us, crossing her arms. "And who are you?"

Scott bows deep. "Scott Matthews, at your humble service, humble Miss!"

"Idiot," I catch Sarina saying under her breath.

Maggie raises an eyebrow and turns to me. "Where'd you find 'em?"

I tip my head towards the road. "Walkin'."

Rick, Lori, Carol, and Hershel come outside the house and down the steps to meet us. Rick gives me a nod and turns to Hershel. "These are Scott and Sarina. They're siblings. We found them on the road a few miles out."

Sarina nods in greeting. Scott offers an awkward wave.

Rick clears his throat. "They, uh, they're defectors from Randall's camp. They ran into some trouble with them and they're on the run. I told them that we might be able to accommodate them here."

Hershel shakes his head. "Rick—"

"Look," Rick interrupts, squaring up. "I know one of the reasons we wouldn't keep Randall was because he'd be another mouth to feed, but these two, they're worth their salt. They'll fight as good as any of us, maybe harder. They're two more people who will defend this farm from Walkers. And they're two less people to fight against, and we got plenty of those."

Rick turns to Lori, sighing. "Lori, what are you thinking?"

Lori shrugs, hand on her throat. "I'm thinking we should make some room for them."

Rick looks to Carol. She nods. "Hershel?" he says, turning to him again. "Your farm, your call. I'll just say that I'll take responsibility for 'em, make sure they're in line."

Hershel looks at Scott. "You, boy, you're comfortable with a shotgun?"

"Yes, Sir," Scott says proudly.

"How about without one?" Hershel trains his eyes on him.

Scott shrugs. "Whatever you ask of me, Sir."

Hershel turns to Sarina. "What kind of trouble did you have with your group, sweet pea?"

Sarina stares him in the eye. "The kind of trouble that makes a girl's father afraid."

A flash of knowing crosses Hershel's eye. "And what is your father like?"

She blinks. "My father..was.. a military man. A patriot."

He nods, glancing at his daughter before turning to Rick. "They can stay." He heads up the steps and back into the house.

Rick breathes out. "Wow. That was-"

"Easy?" Lori finishes. "Good." She goes to Sarina. "C'mon. Let's go inside and get you cleaned up."

"Wait," Rick says, stopping them.

"What?"

"This is a group decision," he says. "We're still waiting on—"

"Da hell is this?"

We turn to see Shane walking fast towards us, with his characteristic ass look on his face, followed by Glenn, T-dog, and Andrea.

"Who are these people?" Shane demands, looking from Sarina, to Scott, then back.

"They're runaways from Randall's camp," says Rick. "Listen, they ran into some trouble—"

"You're kidding me, right?" Shane cuts in. "You leave with one POW and come back with two?!"

"These ain't prisoners, okay?" Rick answers loudly. "Look at them, they're practically teens."

"Uh, no we're not," Scott counters. Sarina whacks him on the shoulder and he shuts up.

"Randall wasn't much older, Rick!" Shane snaps. "And you're ok with this, in your state?" he demands Lori. "And you?" he turns to Andrea.

Andrea looks at Scott for a bit before asking, "You know how to use a gun?"

Scott smiles slightly. "Yeah."

Andrea looks at Sarina. "You?"

Sarina nods. "Yup."

"Great," Andrea finishes. "She can take my watch tonight. We done here?"

Shane's jaw drops slightly. "You agree to take 'em on the basis that they know how to fire a gun, what the hell is wrong with you people?" He glowers at Andrea disbelievingly, at Rick, then at me. "These are two more kids you gonna have to stick your neck out for!"

"Okay, let's get one thing straight," Sarina says loudly, stepping forward.

Shane frowns. "You got something to say, Maria?"

Sarina's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, I do. I'm half-Latina, thanks for picking that up. And we ain't kids. I'm twenty-three, my brother's a year older," she clarifies, pointing a thumb at Scott. "And you ain't gotta stick your ugly neck out for either of us. My brother was in the academy before hell spilled over so yeah, he can shoot, and well, too. He's an excellent marksman. And me?" she says, taking a step closer. "I can hunt and I can fight."

Shane shakes his head, chuckling. "I don't see your huntin' gear, Maria."

Sarina scoffs. "It's Sarina. And Cupid over there's got my knife."

What?! "I ain't Cupid," I say, pissed.

"What knife, lemme see," Shane says, coming over to me. I pull it out of my back pocket, handing it over, staring coldly at Sarina. She shrugs, in a "What chu gonna do?" kinda way.

"Okay, Shane," Rick says, pinching the bridge of his nose. "The point of the matter is—"

"You in the Army or somethin'?" Shane says, unsheathing and examining Sarina's knife.

Sarina presses her lips together and just stares at Shane coolly.

"Shane, give it a rest, okay?" Maggie speaks up, annoyed. "My dad says they could stay so it doesn't really matter—"

"Hey I'm just trying to figure out if these people could be trusted, see?" Shane cuts her off. "Cuz how I'm seein' it, we got another pair of Randalls."

"We're nothin' like him," Scott says coldly. "We didn't go on those 'shopping trips' he went on with the rest of the boys, lootin' people and shit. We've done alrigh'."

"Then how did you join their little group, then?" Shane counters. "How'd you survive so long without gettin' your hands dirty with 'em?" He turns to Sarina. "Huh, Maria?"

"Because we're survivors!" Sarina exclaims. She hit her breaking point, I can tell. Sarina huffs, clenching her fists, "Okay?! We're fighters! You think our group wanted to take in a pair of scrawny kids from the suburbs? No!" She lunges at Shane before anyone could react and punches him in the stomach. She uses his own weight against him to kick his leg out from under and flip him onto his back, then jabs his side with a sharp kick and punches him in the stomach again with the weight of her body, all in about two seconds. Her knife falls from his hand to the ground, and she swipes it up. She tosses it to me, blade pointing down, so I can catch it by the handle. She looks down at Shane, who was still struggling for his lungs to expand, and then at Rick. "I had to fight and nearly kill one of them with my knife to prove I could use it." She and I lock gaze. "Only until I proved I could fight I gained their trust. Or respect. Whatever." She looks down at Shane with contempt. "So what's it gonna be? I got your respect now, fugly?"

Shane staggers up, looking at Sarina like he wanted to push her head into a pile of cow shit. Yeah she's a bitch, but I got a high watchin' Shane get knocked on his ass like that. Then I sobered up when I remembered she kinda did the same to me.

He shakes his head at Rick. "You're an idiot," he says savagely. "You all are! Idiots!" He stalks away.

Sarina looks around at us staring at her. "Sorry."

Rick shrugs. "Can't say he didn't deserve it this time. But I do gotta say that fightin' with one of us? That ain't gonna roll."

Sarina nods. "Sorry again. Last time that happens. …Unless he calls me 'Maria' one more time. Then he's really gonna get it."

Rick grins to himself. "Alright then."

Lori steps up. "Why don't you all come in and wash up? Lunch is on the stove."

"And Scott," Rick adds. "You should have Hershel take a look at that cut, he can help."

Scott shakes his head. "I got it, I'm fine."

"I'll have lunch," T-dog says, heading up the steps.

"I'm..actually not that hungry," Sarina says. "I think I'm gonna go sit over there for a bit to cool my head. But, thank you, um.."

"Lori," Lori finishes with a brief smile.

"I'm Glenn," Glenn says, raising a hand. "Kinda cool what you just did, by the way."

Maggie rolls her eyes at Glenn then introduces herself. "Maggie."

"Carol, hi."

"Andrea."

"I'm Rick," Rick says.

"Rick," Sarina repeats. "Lori, Glenn, Maggie, Carol, Andrea." She looks at me. "Cupid?"

I scowl at her.

"That's Daryl," Rick says for me.

"Daryl," Sarina repeats. "Can I have my knife back, please, Daryl? ..No? It was worth a shot."

A/N: and finito, for now. Leave a review please if you wants : )

-aeonsoul