My apologies for the delay; first, my The Walking Dead: Compendium One showed up in the mail, and that pretty much took over the next two days of my life (good God, it's good - but Andrea's choice of romantic partner: REALLY? SO unsettling), then a friend from out of town came in, and I've been playing with him for the last few days. But there's two more chapters ready to go after this; all they need is a final read-through. Thanks once again for all the feedback - I'm sincerely very grateful!

Morning came far too soon, as far as Andrea was concerned. After quietly letting the group members know that she was back last night, and answering an onslaught of sleepy questions, she had lain for what seemed like an eternity near the dying embers of the fire, blinking up at the stars and trying to stop replaying her encounter with Rick over and over in her head. The few hours of sleep she did manage to get were fitful, and she felt wholly depleted as she struggled into a seated position while the sun crested on the horizon. Her eyes felt scratchy and sandy, and even the hushed tones of the other group members in their various conversations were grating to her ears.

Kneading at a painful knot in her neck, she looked around and spotted Rick in quiet conversation was Daryl, just outside the crumbling rock walls of their camp site. She heard a slight rustle to her left, and turned to see Carol sit down next to her. Without speaking, the older woman offered Andrea one of two meagre breakfasts she held, and Andrea gratefully accepted the meal of mushrooms and wild berries served on a strip of bark. The two women sat and munched in silence for a time.

After popping her last berry into her mouth, Andrea gestured towards Rick and Daryl with a nod of her chin and asked, "What are they talking about?"

Carol sighed. "Glenn, Maggie, and T-Dog went scouting this morning, and couldn't find any gas. I think those two are trying to figure out what our next move is."

Andrea nodded absently, her eyes falling on a nearby canteen, which she grabbed for a quick swig of water. She spied Lori and Carl off to one side, and felt sharp pangs of guilt in her stomach.

Before she could dwell upon the feeling, the group members began to get to their feet, and she swivelled her head to see that Rick and Daryl were gesturing for everyone to join them. She stood, her stiff body aching in protest, and followed those around her towards the two men.

Once they were all assembled, Rick began to speak. "You all know the gas situation. Until we find more, we won't be able to go too far from here. Those cars are too valuable as a resource to leave behind, so we all need to pull together and find some kind of nearby shelter we can use as an HQ while we look for more fuel. Carol, Lori," he paused to look at the two women. "I need you two to see what kind of food you can find around here. Mushrooms, berries, you know what to look for. Beth and Carl will help you." All four of them nodded. "T-Dog, Hershel, you'll stay with them and keep them safe. We came from the east, so Glenn and Maggie, you'll head west. Daryl will head south, and pick up whatever meat he can along the way while he searches. Andrea and I will take the north."

Andrea groaned inwardly and glared at the Sheriff. She considered refusing the directive, but she knew the group would take notice, and she didn't feel like answering questions.

Ignoring Andrea's blatantly annoyed expression, Rick continued. "I want you all to notch trees as you go so you can find your way back. We'll meet back here this afternoon and see where we stand." Looking intently at the men and women surrounding him, Rick finished with a stern warning. "I want you all to stay sharp out there. No unnecessary risks. Use you guns as a last resort. This group doesn't need anymore losses."

Though the faces that looked back at Rick did not hold the same blind trust in their leader that they once had, they all nodded, accepting his plan for the time being as they dispersed to complete their assigned tasks.

Feeling that it was her only means of protest, Andrea took her time equipping herself, dawdling as she strapped a knife to her waist, and loaded her weapon from the nearly-depleted supply of ammunition. Rick remained infuriatingly patient, looking almost pleased at the delay.

When she eventually started making her way towards him, he nearly laughed at the exaggerated scowl she wore, but quickly thought better of it. She stormed right past him without stopping, muttering, "let's go" as she headed north towards the tree line. Rick made a cursory check of his Python and swiftly caught up with her.

She maintained a stony silence until they were ensconced within the trees, where she whipped around to face him and barked, "Damn it, what the hell, Rick?"

He rolled his eyes and lifted his hands in a sign of surrender. "This is purely logistical, Andrea," he offered. "We needed to cover three directions, and this was the best way to do it. If I split up Glenn and Maggie, they'll both be distracted by worrying about each other. Daryl's our hunter, and he can handle himself alone. That just leaves you and I for partners. So let's just work together, okay?"

She considered his explanation for a minute, then sighed. "Fine, we'll work together. Just keep your mind on the job."

Rick suppressed yet another smile and nodded.

The pair began their methodical search, picking through the dense brush in silence. The leaves had begun their autumn transformation, the trees painted by a permanent sunset. They plodded along without speaking for nearly an hour before Rick decided to say something. "Wanna talk about last night?"

"Nope. Wanna talk about your wife?"

"Nope."

"Good." Andrea spoke with a finality which implied that she considered the subject closed.

Rick ran one hand through his hair. "Come on, Andrea, there's no reason we can't just talk to each other."

Andrea shot him a suspicious look. "Alright," she returned cautiously. "What do you wanna talk about?"

The Sheriff offered her a slow, lazy grin in response, and she hated that it made her heart skip a few beats. "Well," he said, ducking under some low branches as he moved. "You used to be a lawyer, right? How about you tell me about that."

Despite herself, Andrea couldn't help smiling in return. "I loved it," she said. "I was a civil rights lawyer."

"Like the kind that helps people sue McDonald's when they spill hot coffee on their… business?"

Andrea laughed for the first time in days. "No," she answered. "Like the kind who goes after CEO's when they fire someone because they're gay, or defends bloggers when someone tries to censor their freedom of speech. That kind of thing."

"Sounds like you did some good."

"I did." Andrea's voice held unmistakable pride. She looked over at Rick and arched her eyebrow. "Even went after some overzealous cops."

He nodded. "Yeah, I've run into some of those types before. Every force has at least one."

The image of Shane beating the holy hell out of Carol's husband Ed a long, long time ago had her hoping he wasn't that 'one' on Rick's force. She scoured the horizon ahead of her, and when she spoke again, her tone was wistful. "God, I miss it." She shook her head. "I miss scouring law books and finding that one argument, that one precedent, that makes everything fall into place. I miss seeing the wobbly, fat jowls of rich old men when they realized that their bullshit was about to cost them. I miss… I miss the fight. Goddamn, I miss the fight."

Rick feigned surprise. "You like fighting? No kidding."

Andrea threw him a sidelong glance. "Oh shut up," she tossed back with a smirk.

As they continued their search forward, an easy camaraderie sprung up between them while they talked about their former lives, the ebb and flow of conversation fluid and effortless.

They had just crested a small incline when a pair of quail exploded from a nearby bush, swiftly vanishing into the forest canopy above. Rick held up a hand to signify the need for silence as they both halted abruptly.

Andrea cast her eyes about the woods surrounding her, and spotted a pair of walkers stumbling through the trees towards she and Rick; fortunately, the beasts hadn't seen them yet. Spying the walkers at the same time she did, Rick pressed his back flat against a nearby tree and gestured for her to do the same. One hand hovered over his knife, while he pressed a finger to his lips with the other.

She swiftly nodded and mimicked Rick's move to cover against her own tree a few feet away. She kept her eyes trained on him, waiting for his prompt to attack as the inhuman groans grew louder

The reanimated corpses were almost on top of them when he finally gave the signal, and she and Rick leaped simultaneously out from behind the trees, knives at the ready. In a flash, the Sheriff jammed his knife up through one walker's nose, while Angela plunged hers into the forehead of the second creature, and in the blink of an eye bother walkers were on the ground, unmoving.

Breathing hard, they both scrutinized the area around them, and were relieved not to find any other geeks nearby.

Rick wiped his knife on his jeans and rasped, "You okay?"

"Yeah," Andrea managed, her heart racing. "You?"

"Yeah."

The pair took a moment to catch their breaths, watching the bodies in front of them for any sign of movement. When it became clear that the threat of the two walkers had been fully eliminated, Rick lifted his eyes and squinted into the distance.

Andrea followed his gaze. "See something?"

He nodded and held out his hand. "I think so. Give me the binoculars for a minute." Andrea pulled the requested item from where it hung around her neck and passed them to Rick. He held them to his eyes. "I think there's some kind of building up ahead," he explained.

He handed the binoculars back to Andrea, and when she looked through them she could just make out the lines of a structure through the trees. "I think you're right," she agreed.

Rick turned to her. "Let's head for it quietly," he instructed. "No telling what's up there."

"Right."

Slowly, cautiously, they moved through the woods, careful to maintain their cover as they went. As they drew nearer to the large, dark shape, Andrea could see a clearing, and within it was an old stone church, complete with a tall bell tower reaching towards the sky. They stopped and crouched; she again raised the binoculars. She counted about a dozen walkers milling listlessly about, and noted a second structure peeking from behind the main church. A hearse was parked ominously off to one side. She passed the binoculars to Rick, feeling a jolt of electricity when his fingers inadvertently brushed against hers.

He carefully surveyed the site, then lowered the binoculars and spoke to Andrea in hushed tones, "Looks like it might be a good place to lay low for a while. I think that's a rectory out back, and that means a place to sleep. Could be gas in the hearse too."

Andrea nodded. "Plus the bell tower would be a great place to keep watch, and those stone walls should help us defend the place if need be." She tilted her face towards Rick. "How do you want to play this?"

He thought a moment, rubbing his stubbled jaw. "Let's head back to camp. We can bring Daryl and Glenn up here, maybe T-Dog, and clean the place out. We'll bring the rest out when we're done."

Happy with his answer, Andrea bobbed her head in agreement, and together they slunk back into the foliage.