I don't own anything pertaining to the Walking Dead, as sad as I am about that. However, Sid and her men are mine, all mine! (cue the evil laugh...)

Summary: Our favorite little group of survivors get found, and it turns out the government isn't as defunct as everyone would believe. What happens when they learn secrets they didn't know, and come across people who actually want to help?

No slash, possible Shane/OFC pairing, and more... haven't gotten that far yet. But the little Shane-voice in my head keeps screaming at me to help him get the girl, and I always try to accommodate him. He's just too cute not to. Amy is alive, Ed is dead (bastard), and Rick and Lori might mend their relationship if she gets her head out of her ass. Rated K+ for possible future scenes, we shall see.

Rate if you want, no pressure. It does help me get an idea where to go if you send suggestions, and I'm always open to it. Flames, however, help no one and it kinda stings. Keep that in mind, thanks!

They didn't see Sid the rest of the evening. Parker appeared a while later to take everyone but Rick and Lori down to dinner and Carl went with his grandparents. Once down in the cafeteria, Shane saw Daryl and Merle sitting with a large group of similarly scruffy and burly men against the wall, and he sat with the rest of their group on the other side of the massive room, watching people chat and laugh at the tables around them.

The food was good, nothing too special but there was plenty of it and they all ate quickly.

"So, what do you guys think of all this?" Amy asked them between bites.

"I think it's a lot to take in." Andrea said, and they nodded.

"But it looks real. I mean, they look happy enough, and Lori got her family back, Daryl got his brother." Dale said.

"I thought we were looking at the positive stuff." Amy snickered and they chuckled.

"I know, I know, but Daryl looks happy." Dale said, smiling. "I think we've found what we were looking for."

Shane didn't disagree, but he stayed quiet, finishing his food, deep in thought. After dinner, he didn't stick around to socialize with the others. Going back to his room, he crashed into the bed and pulled a pillow over his head. He thought about Sid and wondered why she didn't come back. It occurred to him to wonder why he was wondering about her and he groaned. He wasn't used to really strong women, the fact was he has always gravitated toward women who needed him in one way or another. Meeting Sid and her men has seriously thrown a wrench in his thinking, and not just because she had the President on speed dial and an anecdote in her pocket.

The next morning came sooner than he expected. He hadn't even remembered falling asleep, but when he opened his eyes the sunlight was pouring in through the light shades on the window and Dale was snoring softly in the bed next to him. He got up and went to bathroom, splashing water on his face. There were new toothbrushes in packages on the counter that he hadn't seen before, and he grabbed one and used it quickly, dropping it into a cup on the counter and walked back out into the bedroom just as Dale was sitting up, yawning widely.

"I'll see ya." He said shortly and ducked out the door before Dale could speak. He went right for Rick's door and knocked lightly, and he was surprised when Rick answered the door. He grinned at Shane when he saw him.

"How you feelin', man?" Shane asked tentatively.

"Never better." Rick grinned. "Can't get Lori to stop smilin', though."

"I bet. You wanna head down, see what's goin' on?" Shane asked, jerking his head toward the hall.

"Yeah, hold on. Lori, I'm going down with Shane, you and Carl coming?" Rick called back and she poked her head out from the doorway, her hair wet. Shane looked at the floor when he saw her, the time they had together before Rick came back was heavy in his heart. Almost losing Rick by the gorge had affected him more than he cared to admit, deepened his feeling of regret.

"I'm meeting Momma and Daddy in a little bit, you go on." She said cheerfully and ducked back in the bathroom.

"Well, let's go, then." Rick said, his eyes sparkling a little more than usual, and though Shane was glad to see it it made him wonder a little. He noticed as they walked down the hallway that Rick's step was a little lighter, his gait a little straighter, and his face had lost that worn look a little. He almost looked like his partner again.

"You do look like you feel better." Shane said as casually as he could as they got into the elevator.

"Yeah, I do." Rick said, holding up his arm, the white stuff they had put on it in the woods was still there, but he shook the arm a little. "This doesn't even sting anymore."

Huh, Shane thought. That anecdote seemed like it had worked above and beyond. The doors slid open again and they were both surprised to see Sid waiting on the other side.

"Oh. Good, I was coming up to see you." She said, blinking at their appearance in front of her. They got out and she waved a young man away that had been showing her a folder of some sort. "You look better, Rick." She said, stepping back so they could get out of the elevator.

"I feel fine. Better than I have in a while, actually." Rick nodded.

"That's one of the positives. You feel like you want to roll over and die for a little while, then you rock out." She said, turning and walking with them down the corridor. "It's a little different for everyone, but some people find it lasts for days. Enjoy it."

They stepped outside and Shane put his hands over his eyes against the bright sunlight. She fell into step between the two of them comfortably, looking out over the yard of milling people and playing children. "I wanted to apologize for last evening, surprising you in MTAC."

"Yeah, that was wild. I still don't think Carl believes me." Rick chuckled and Shane grinned.

"If I'd have told you, would you have come?" She asked, almost playfully.

"Probably not." Shane said. "It's a little intimidating."

She looked at him in surprise. "Intimidating I think you can handle. I took a look at both your service records last night. Medals, fast promotions for both of you. Excellent capture and retention rates, even if you do have one or two fights under your belt." She raised an eyebrow and he held up his hands in defense.

"None of those were my fault."

She chuckled. "No, it's good. Means you don't stand down easy. That's what we need here. It's hard, you both know it, trying to live while all this crazy stuff is going on. Your priorities get messed up, you start thinking about people as targets instead of people." She paused and turned to face them both. "You know what I mean?"

"Yeah." Shane nodded, his hands going to his hips. "Seen it, it stays with you."

She nodded. "So have a lot of these people. It's skewered their thinking. Problem is, they look at me differently, they know I'll act fast, my men will act fast."

"They don't do the same things they would when you're around." Rick said, his posture immediately going into cop mode, same as Shane. It was instinctual, he couldn't help it any more than Shane could.

"I want you two to back me up, if you'd like. You're with the others in the hallways, in the cafe when I can't be. You'll see things I can't. What do you think? You ready to be cops again?"

Rick looked up at Shane and ran a hand over his face. He raised his eyebrows in that unspoken communication they always shared and Shane chuckled and shook his head, turning his eyes back to Sid. "Where do we sign up?"

She grinned and they returned it with wide smiles.

"I didn't think we'd be doin' this again." Shane said in the locker room of the control building as he and Rick changed into the black pants and tee shirts Sid had given them.

Rick pulled his own shirt over his head and had a grin on his face when it reappeared. "I know. Feels good."

"Like old times." Shane agreed, buckling his belt. "I still don't know just what we're supposed to do, though. They're soldiers, man. You mean they can't handle this?"

Rick shrugged. "They've got more to worry about than fist fights and arguments. I think it's smart she's designating responsibility."

"She's got a lot on her plate, but she can handle it." Shane said, tying his shoes, but he looked up when Rick laughed lightly. "What?"

"I think you might like her." Rick said with a knowing gaze. "Hey, look at that."

Shane watched as Rick shook free of the white bandage thing they had put on him. He held it in his hand and inspected his arm.

"How does it look?" Shane asked, getting up to see. Rick's arm was healed, a scar in the shape of a human bite the only thing to even hint that something had happened. "How'd you heal so fast?"

"I guess it was the cure. Doctor said it wouldn't take long, just didn't think he meant the next day."

"Huh. Does it hurt at all?"

"No." Rick shook his head and stretched his fingers. "Can't feel it at all."

Shane shrugged appreciatively. "She's waiting for us, we better get goin."

He started to walk away but saw Rick's smile. "You do like her."

"Will you shut up?" Shane sighed as they opened the door and went back out into the hall. Parker was waiting for them, and motioned for them to follow.

"Hey, Parker?" Shane said and the young man glanced back at him. "I get that you go by nicknames, Nixon, Hawk. But why do you call her Sid?"

Parker laughed loudly. "You remember Sid Vicious?"

"Yeah."

"He got that name for a reason, so did she. She gets mad enough and the name doesn't do her justice."

"Oh, come on, man." Shane said as Parker got to her door and paused. He shot Shane a look as he pushed the door open and they walked past him and into the office. Rick looked around in awe at the plush surroundings.

"Very nice, gentlemen." She said, looking up at them from her papers and smiling. "Official."

"Gotta look the part." Rick said, looking down at his black attire.

"Very true. I have something for you." She said, leaning back and opening her drawer. She pulled out two sidearms in holsters and held them out to them. "You most likely will never use them, but I think officers feel a little more secure when they're armed, am I right?"

"Something like that." Shane said as they stepped forward and took the weapons, clipping them to their belts. She stood and walked around the desk, stopping in front of them and crossing her arms over her chest.

"I think it's best if you spend the day with me, get a feel for the place. I've arranged our breakfast already, I hope you'll forgive the assumption." They nodded and she smiled. "Good, follow me."

They left the office and she looked back at them as they walked. "MTAC is off limits to civilians in any way shape or form, so if you see anyone poking around here that doesn't belong you should chase them off. It's happened a few times. They're curious, and I don't blame them, but we are way too busy for that."

They listened as she spoke, following her through the hallways and up a few floors to a conference room where a young man was standing outside the door. He held it open for them and they saw three places set up on the end of a long table, high backed chairs at each place.

"I was going to take you to the mess hall but it's loud. I wanted to get a chance for us to know each other, seeing as I'll be relying on you fairly heavily. Please take a seat." She said, walking to the end of the table and sitting down. She grabbed a carafe from the center of the table and poured them each cup fulls. They sat down on either side of her and followed her lead as she pulled a silver cover off her plate and sat it aside. They looked down at the bacon and eggs, toast and fresh strawberries on their plates. Orange juice and milk with cereal sat off to the side, and it all looked and smelled delicious.

"How is your wife?" She asked after she took a bite, looking up at Rick.

"Over the moon. I don't think I've seen her this happy since the day Carl was born." he grinned and she chuckled.

"Meeting family you think you lost has that effect, I've found."

Shane frowned as he chewed a piece of bacon. "Do you have any family?"

"Sure. Parker is more like my brother than anyone, I suppose. The men and women here are my family."

"But, I mean..."

"Blood?" She asked, taking a drink of her orange juice. "No." She didn't seem sad at all, and Shane felt a strange kinship with her. He didn't have any blood anymore either, just a surrogate in the Grimes'.

"I checked the transport logs. We're expecting the young Ms. Martinson tomorrow, noon." Sid said and Rick smiled over his eggs.

"That still floors me. I haven't seen Cindy since she left for college. That was... how long ago was that, Shane?"

She shrugged. "A year and half or so."

"Yeah. She had the biggest crush-" Rick began, but Shane shot him a look and he took a quick bite. Sid chuckled and finished her orange juice. She didn't eat much, Shane noticed. Picking at her food as she spoke.

"You two won't be alone in your duties. There are four other men and one woman I've chosen to do the general duties, but they aren't trained officers with your records. I'd like you to take lead."

"You think they'll be ok with that? Us just comin' in?" Rick frowned and she looked at him with a blank expression.

"They'll be ok. If I say it, they'll be more than ok." She perked up a little. "I've been waiting for people like you. I just didn't think I'd get two for the price of one."

They chuckled and Shane tilted his head a little at her. "So, just doing what we were doin' before? Cut and dry?"

She nodded and put her coffee cup down. "You got it. Somebody gets out of line, drinks a little too much, whatever, you do your thing. I'm not going to micromanage. I always hated it when someone did it to me. I think you do your best work when you're trusted."

"And you trust us? After just meeting us?" Shane asked with a little smile and she shrugged.

"I like to think I'm a good judge of character."

"That's the same judge of character that armed Merle Dixon?" Shane said, and he knew it was a rude thing to say as soon as he said it, but she just laughed.

"Merle and I have an understanding. He got out of line when he got here and I showed him the door. He decided to follow my wishes after that."

"Got out of line?"

She turned to Rick when he spoke. "He grabbed my ass."

They wanted to laugh, so hard, but they held back. "So you... did what?"

"Showed his face the lettering on my door. He had the imprint on his face for a week."

They did burst out laughing at that, nearly rolling off their chairs. She gave them an amused smile and waited for it to die down. "He was much more amicable after that. Besides, he gets all the whiskey he wants, a chance to talk up the ladies that allow him to, and a very comfortable place to stay, just as long as he keeps doing his job. I'm a very easy person to get along with, I hope you believe that."

Shane gasped for breath as his laughter died down. "You didn't get that on tape, did you? 'Cuz I would love to see it."

"I think we'll try and preserve what's left of Mr. Dixon's dignity, if you don't mind." She said lightly and he shook his head with amusement. "Are you two finished? I'd like to show you our holding quarters."

"You have a jail?" Rick asked, surprised.

"Don't look so shocked, we have everything you'll need here to do your jobs. And the others are waiting to meet you."

They left the room and walked quickly through corridors and down elevators, and out of the the building, going back into the one building they hadn't been in yet. Down another elevator and when it opened they thought they had walked back into King's County holding facility, in the bottom floor of their tiny precinct back home. There was a metal desk with a man sitting behind it, dressed in the same clothes as Rick and Shane. He stood when he saw them enter and tipped his head at Sid.

"Mark, this is Rick and Shane. I spoke to you about them." She said, stopping in front of the desk and looking back at them.

He grinned, a friendly face of about 35, lightly lined with tan and laugh lines. "Sure, good to meet you boys. It'll be good to get some actual cops in here." He stuck out his hand and they both shook it firmly.

"I can't believe all these people and you haven't yet." Rick said, and Mark shook his head.

"Oh, we have. But Sid here doesn't do much for power trips and that was all we were getting for a while."

"Well, you won't have to worry about that now. I think we're going to have a damn team now. Where are the others?" Sid asked and Mark pointed to a doorway next to them. She went to it and pulled it open, standing back to allow Rick and Shane to pass. She stepped away and Mark propped it open so he could stay in the doorway.

"Thank you for meeting me this morning, everyone. I'd like you to meet Rick Grimes and Shane Walsh. They'll be heading up the team."

Three men and a woman walked toward them and shook hands, murmuring greetings, and Shane took a moment to take them all in. The woman struck him first, she was very tall, almost up to his height, and her arms were muscular, evident even in her tee shirt. She was plain looking, but he thought she'd very well be able to hold her own.

"This is Beverly." Sid said, coming up beside him. "She was a security guard, and a roller derby girl, right?"

"Glad you're back, ma'am." Bev nodded to her and stepped back.

"This is Trucker." Sid said, gesturing to a burly man with a long beard streaked with gray.

"Another nickname." Shane said and he grinned.

"Drove an 18 wheeler for twenty years."

"And nearly through our front gate." Sid chuckled. "This is Adam, he was set on joining the Army when we found him in Charlston."

"Nice to meetcha." Adam, a young man with a buzzed cut and narrow brown eyes half saluted them, a deep country accent marking his words.

"And we can't forget Tom. Good old Tom." Sid said with a smile as she nodded to the last man. He was a big guy, muscular with a long red scar that ran down his left cheek. "Tom was a bouncer in the toughest bar in Detroit, but we've found a much better use for him here, haven't we?"

"Damn straight, Sid." He said in a low, gravely voice, and sized Rick and Shane up. They couldn't tell if he approved or not, but he sat down and put a heavy boot up on the table and they let it go for the moment.

"Rick and Shane were with the Sheriff's department in Georgia." She said to the small group. "So I want you to take their lead. They know policy and procedure and I'd like to become a little more constructed here. Sound good?" She said and they all nodded from their various perches on the table and chairs.

"Uh, Sid?" Mark said from behind them and she turned. "4-A is calling for us."

Her face went from friendly to stony in an instant, and the change was so sudden and extreme it gave Rick and Shane a start. "Rick, Shane, and Tom, you're with me."

Tom grinned a devious grin and they followed her out of the room. She walked fast, not taking the slow elevators and opting instead for the staircases that opened out into the bright sunlight. She darted through the door at the base of the dorm building and Rick gave Shane a 'what is going on?' look as they followed, Tom close on their tail. Guess they would find out soon enough. She flew up the stairs and they had to take two or three at a time to keep up. Shane noticed, when they emerged on the marked 4th floor, that Rick wasn't even a little out of breath like he was.