A/N: I have begun my rewatch today. From "Days Gone Bye" to "A," I will be entirely rewatched before the season 5 premiere on Sunday! I am so completely pumped for this!

::::
::::

Back in the camp. All is quiet. All are silent. Jenna awakes to a chilly night air and can't get back to sleep.

Jenna slipped her nearest t-shirt over her head and slipped her arms through the holes in her jacket. She just needed enough warmth to keep a barrier between herself and the brisk air of the night. She closed the flaps of their tent and exited, slipping her boots on before stepping towards the nearest tree to lean against.

Mallory and Sam were silent in their tent, a sure-fire sign that they were well-asleep. Jenna had left Caroline sleeping peacefully on their cot, warmly tucked beneath their blanket. Scott was snoring before she had zipped the tent shut. She rather enjoyed the silence of the night.

Merrill was nearby, his post firmly held as he kept watch. Jenna made her way over to him, zipping her jacket halfway up.

"Hey," she spoke as quietly as possible, keeping her voice low so that she couldn't be overheard.

"Lines are secure. Everything is peaceful."

"That's a relief." She sighed, folding her arms across her chest. "Frankie and Clairanne aren't back yet?"

Merrill shook his head. "No sign of them. They should've been back by now. I'd go out and look for them, but by the time I do that, they'll be back and you can stop worryin'."

"It's dark out, Merrill. You and I both know that, in the darkness, an expedition drops everyone's life expectancy - "

" - to zero, I know." Merrill glanced over at his sister and nudged her playfully. "They'll be fine, Jenna. I'm sure of it."

Jenna nodded after a moment of silence. "I'm fine. I just wish they'd get - "

"Jenna!" Clairanne said from nearby, jogging to where her leader and Merrill were standing. "Hey."

"Where the hell have you two been?" Merrill questioned, receiving a stern eye-roll from the blonde.

"We were out in the woods, asshole." She turned her blue hues to meet Jenna's. "Frankie's in the clearing yonder. There's, uh, somethin' you should see."

::::

Yonder clearing. Jenna follows Clairanne to it, weapon out and ready, preparing her for, what she hopes isn't, the worst.

"Why the clearing?" Jenna questioned as she trailed behind the apt and capable blonde.

"Frankie couldn't risk it. It was all too risky to drag them - "

" - them? What the hell did you two bring back here?"

Clairanne stopped, facing Jenna for a moment. "Take a look for yourself."

Jenna peered into the small clearing just up ahead. She could see Frankie's outline against the moonlight and made her way to her sister. "Frankie, what the hell is going on?"

Frankie approached her sister, her face stern, but full of promise. "Don't get pissy with me, Jay," she said, her tone actually pleading. "I did what I could, but these people need a place, a safe place and a chance to keep on living."

Jenna could hear a small group of people approaching - she didn't need her eyes to tell her that much. She sighed, her eyes remaining on Frankie. "Frankie, how many of them are there?"

Frankie thought for a moment. "Thirteen. Six women, seven men. Three above the age of fifty. They're all healthy and willing to pitch in."

Jenna thought for a moment, pondering what ramifications would arise from allowing newcomers into the group. She thought of what Caroline would say if she were there, her bleeding heart reaching out to those who, in her eyes, deserved just as much of a chance as their already established group did. Another sigh escaped her lips.

"Why are you suddenly all-for new people joining in on what we've done? We've only just made ourselves safe, Frankie. Why are you now an advocate for survivors?"

Frankie cracked a gentle smile as the group approached them. "You'll never believe who we found amid these people..." Gesturing to the approaching group, all seemed a bit tired.

Jenna's eyes scanned the cluster of survivors, her eyes falling onto a particular figure who caught her attention. Auburn hair. Thin frame. Loose ponytail. An oversized henley shirt, skinny jeans, and boots. Another auburn-haired figure beside her. Taller. Leaner. Muscled biceps peeking underneath the hem of a white t-shirt. Dog-tags around his neck. Military cut. There were only two people in her world with looks like theirs, and Jenna's heart sunk.

"Bevin...Will..." she exhaled, a smile crossing her lips as she jogged to meet her older sister and younger brother, enveloping both of them into her arms simultaneously. The tears began to flow from both women as they embraced. "My God - we thought you were lost."

Bevin shook her head, loose tendrils of flaming hair framing her narrow face as she pulled back, slender hands cupping her dark-haired sibling's freckled, tear-stained face. "We're fine," she said, the coo of her voice confirming that they were not a hallucination. "I was with Will when everything went to shit."

Will nodded. "She was with me," he affirmed, his deep voice giving Jenna hope. "We're fine - just fine. These people took us in, let us survive with 'em."

Jenna smiled, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. "I'm thankful. I owe them." She gestured with her head in the direction of their camp. "Follow me, y'all. We'll take roll in the morning."

::::

Jenna refused to lay eyes on the newcomers until the sun rose. Regardless, she couldn't get to sleep again, not under the knowledge that her brother and sister were alright after all. She stayed awake, inventories recounted with Frankie and with Clairanne. They wanted to make certain that the supplies that they currently had. Once Mallory and Sam were awake, she was able to take a more accurate calculation for projection counts.

"We need to keep moving - that much is clear," Jenna mentioned in a huddle between herself, Clairanne, Merrill, and Sam. Frankie was busy assisting Mallory with a few things. "We have doubled our group and then-some, so we need to be more rational with decisions and in plans."

"I agree," Merrill chimed in. "I want to be able to train all those who haven't handled weapons before. Every one of the new people will be put onto the watch list. It's our responsibility, and if they want to remain in our group, it's theirs, too."

"Y'all got that right," Clairanne added.

"Mallory and I will continue making our homemade concoctions and finding edibles from nature, but we'll need to make sure that we have enough tents and enough gear for each of these people," Sam suggested, to which the others agreed.

"Noted," Jenna said, taking a note on her notepad. "I'll go introduce our group and lay out the rules for them. Meanwhile, Clairanne, talk to Frankie and see how many people will need to be placed in each tent. Merrill, check guns and ammo, not weapons. We'll deal with that part later - they'll need gun training no matter what. Sam, go be with your wife. I know her back is bothering her today."

Breaking apart, the members of it moved on to their assigned stations, each of them doing exactly as Jenna had instructed.

Meanwhile, she crossed the crunching ground beneath her boots towards her tent as her daughter and her husband emerged.

"Good morning," Caroline greeted, her tender voice still a bit groggy. Her wide eyes opened even moreso upon sighting the group of strangers. "Who are they?"

"Why is there a group of people we don't know in our camp?" Scott inquired.

Jenna explained. "Frankie and Clairanne found them all during the night. I'd object, normally, but these people had Bevin and Will - they're alive and they're well. I feel like I owe these people something. I owe it to them to give them a chance."

Caroline looked past her mother, eyes scanning the strangers. "So, who are they?"

Jenna stuck out her hand to take her daughter's into her own. "Let's find out, okay?"

With a bright smile, the brunette thirteen-year-old took her mother's hand and walked with her towards the cluster of unfamiliar faces.

The motley crue eyed their new leader with a strange kind of complacency.

"My name's Jenna Sumner," she began. "This is my daughter Caroline, and the man back there is my husband Scott. This is our group. You've already met Frankie, and you've known my sister and brother for a time, so I hear." The group seemed to cower as a collective, all save for a select few. Jenna took a mental note of this. "We do things more organized than you're probably used to. We run a tight machine around here, and, if you're wantin' to stick around, each of you needs to do your part." When Merrill came near, Jenna gestured to him. "This is Merrill, my brother. He is in charge of weapons and ammunitions - he also decides who needs gun training and the watch list. Each of you will be put onto that list, and that's non-negotiable. Are we agreed?" The silence spoke volumes. "I'm gonna take roll. I don't know any of you, so I'll need to meet each and every one of you personally, assess strengths and weaknesses and determine who will live with whom. That, too, isn't negotiable."

::::

A single line holds each newcomer. Jenna is poised to meet each one of them and make judgment calls based on testimonies from both Bevin and Will.

"First up, you," Jenna said, gesturing to the young woman in the front of the line to step forward.

The young woman did, nodding politely as she made her move to be closer to Jenna's position. She was smallish in frame, but had a striking appearance. She almost had the look of a Navajo Indian, a woman of both hispanic and Native American origins. Her eyes were a beautiful brown and her teeth straight, white, perfect.

"And you are?"

The woman cleared her throat. "Evie. I'm Evie - "

" - last name isn't necessary, Evie." Jenna could sense that the girl was nervous - wringing hands and white knuckles proving her to be correct. "Relax. I promise that I don't bite, but I can't speak for the infected."

Evie placed her hands behind her back. "I'm trying to. I'm always a bit tense."

"Start by telling me your strengths. Is there anything about you that I should know of - allergies, diseases of any kind, special talents - "

"I'm fluent in eight languages." Jenna was silenced for a moment.

"I'll keep that in mind. How about weapons - are you trained?" Evie shook her head and Jenna wrote that down onto her notepad. "Thanks, Evie. If I need anything else, I'll send for you." Evie half-curtsied before biting her thumbnail and walking away.

"She's a sweet girl," Bevin commented. "Smart as a tack. I'm sure she'll be more willing to help once she relaxes."

"Let's hope so. Next?"

A man stepped forward. Handsome and tall, this man couldn't have been much older than Scott. His glasses were well-suited to his disposition, and even at that moment, he removed them and wiped them off on the hem of his sweater.

"First name only."

"Todd," he answered, his voice warm and gentle. "I'm a divorced man trying to survive with his brother-in-law. Things you should know? I'm, uh, I'm legally blind."

"Without your glasses?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Let's make sure you don't lose 'em, yeah? That's all, Todd."

Bevin folded her arms across her chest. "Todd's good, strong, healthy - he's been handling basic knives for a while, but he could use gun training."

Jenna proceeded to interview each one of the remaining newcomers. Her recorded stats for them were as-follows after Evie and Todd:

3.) Zeke. Mid-thirties. Easily defensible. Already has basic gun training. Wields a long-handled hatchet. Calculating (left-handed). Group-oriented. Bevin says he's smart. Will thinks he's capable.

4.) Jem. Older, but not old. Reminds me of Mom. Cheery. Handy. Retired State Trooper. Weapons training unnecessary. Missing a lung. Uses inhalers and techniques to strengthen her remaining lung. Bevin thinks she's strange. Will thinks she's not worth a dime.

5.) Minnie. Beautiful, but looks can be deceiving. Former professor of the Classics in Wales. Welsh disposition. Blonde like Clairanne, but much more feminine. I think she has eyes for Todd. Willing to learn. Requires all survival training skills. Fast-learner. 'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure' is tattooed on the inside of her left wrist - good to see a Harry Potter fan around here. Bevin thinks that Minnie is a femme fatale. Will thinks she's a diva.

6.) Sid. Handsome. Serious, but not overbearing. Possible dark past. Worked in a sporting goods store. Very familiar with knives - possibly a bladesmith. Seems more skilled than he lets on. Bevin wants to fix him up with Clairanne. Will thinks that there are too many similarities between the match to work out.

7.) Miriam. Old. Not capable of much. Gifted seamstress. Believes in past lives and reincarnation, but also believes this outbreak to be the wrath of God. Superstitious. Pacifistic. Untrained. Bevin doesn't like her much. Will finds her to be more of a hindrance than a help.

8.) Kahlan. Young. Feisty. Eager to learn - almost too eager. Impulsive. Headstrong. Needs some taming. Training will come easily for her. Bevin thinks she's too on-the-job to be much of a help. Will finds her attractive. I think it's the red hair.

9.) Giles. Former professor of logic and philosophy at the metropolitan college in the city. Logical, of course. Perhaps too ethical. Is not accustomed to the harsh realism of our existence now. Bevin thinks he adds a balance to the group. Will thinks that he reads too much into things.

The last two to be interviewed by Jenna were the Puckle twins. She immediately took to Chad, finding him to be a good match for the leadership the people he led required at the time, though she wasn't surprised in the least when he was excited at the prospect of forfeiting his lead.

His brother, on the other hand, was far too boisterous in the fact that he preferred to stay within the camp confines, not good at weaponry and far too cowardly for his own good. Jenna didn't like that, but she couldn't force him to do anything. She had suspicions about him, but kept those thoughts to herself.

She assigned tents to those she interviewed, matching them to one or two others who would be able to live together comfortably. Zeke, Todd, and Minnie were placed into the first tent. Kahlan, Sid, and Jem were placed into another. Giles and Miriam took another. Evie was put with Clairanne, and Bevin would, of course, bunk with Will.

Frankie was not at all pleased to learn that both of the Puckle twins would be boarding with her.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," she said, abrasively approaching her sister. "Why are they staying with me?"

Jenna shrugged her shoulders. "Everyone's having to make sacrifices, okay? Merrill has to move in with Sam and Mallory just so we have enough tents. Even Clairanne now has a roommate. You're not getting special treatment, sis."

Frankie stormed off, wanting to make sure that her preferred room in the tent of three rooms was still all to herself. Entering her lodging, she was not surprised to find the brothers moving their things into the tent.

"I'm guessing you want the far room, yeah?" Chad asked, keeping his tone certain but serious.

Frankie's eyes narrowed. "You two can argue however fucking much you need to. Where my bed is is where I'll sleep. If either of you tries anything, or even thinks about trying anything, I swear to God - "

"Don't worry, Toots," Chip snickered. "I ain't even interested."

"Shut up, you colossal asshat," Chad snapped, turning back to Frankie. "We won't bother you. Scout's honor."

"You were a boy scout?"

Chad grinned. "Not at all. I just like the phrase."

Frankie rolled her eyes, slipping into her section of the tent to turn on her boombox and attempt to find a radio signal of any kind.

Chad watched her, his eyes fascinated by the fact that her radio was still working. "How is that possible? Are there batteries in that thing?"

Frankie shook her head, eyes fixated solely on the dial as she turned it to and fro. "No. Clairanne invented solar-powered batteries. I charge it in the daytime, run it in the night. Works just fine."

Chad was fully impressed. "Clairanne doesn't strike me as the genius type."

"Smartest damn blonde this side of the Mississippi. Don't underestimate her."

"I won't from here-on-out. I swear. She exceeds expectations...as do you all."

Frankie stopped turning the dials, her eyes meeting his for a moment and narrowing as she thought through what he'd said. "Was that actually a compliment? I didn't think Lymie bastards were capable of saying kind things."

Chad's expression became solemn. "I'm sorry if I offended you. You all have been more than gracious in integrating us into your already established collective. I think it's only fair that - "

"Fair? You're fucking with me, right?"

"No, I - "

"Since when is any of this fair anymore? The world went to hell in a hand-basket, in case you haven't noticed. People are dying, are being infected, and with what? Death. We're forced to try and live through this shit every single day to the best of our fucking capabilities, but, in the end, we're all extinct. We will all die in the end, or we'll become undead. Either way, we'll end, so, please, explain to me how any of this is fucking fair."

Chad could hear the emotion backing her words, though he couldn't decipher much outside of a twitch from her face. "Listen, Frankie, if you need to cry or something, I won't judge you - "

"Cry?" Frankie scoffed out a kind of dark chuckle, her eyes meeting his with a difference in clarity. "I haven't shed a single damn tear since shit went down. My father was killed by the infected. I haven't cried over him. I haven't cried over what could've been. No tears have even come into my eyes. That well is dried up." She shook her head, a sick kind of sneer twisting her lovely features. "Piss off." With that, she pulled the divider to her section closed and shoved the radio aside, leaving Chad to a stunned silence he'd never experienced before.

Frankie had that effect on people sometimes.