Okay! A little background info! I am tweaking my story like I said to have a more Rickyl angle so they will either be super close or a slow burn couple. I haven't decided yet! But I do know that I will be writing a separate story that could stand as a oneshot, but will be the scene where Daryl drags Rick out of his despair and makes him whole again. AND THAT'S ALL IMMA SAY!

With any major flashback scenes that separate from the show's plot (AKA I made up) that is how I will treat it, as a read along story so it can have its own fame and not take away from the current story and timeline.

Rick's POV

With the arrival of Michonne I felt a bit more at ease, the three of us could take care of business now. But I knew there was no getting away from answers and the utter confusion on Lori's face was enough to realize that she would have to know.

"Rick, who is this woman? Honestly you are scaring me! First you two treat me like you haven't seen me in months, then my son has a gun, now you are letting in a woman I have never met that is carrying a sword!" She held her hands out in exasperation and waited for an answer.

Michonne is watching the exchange with confusion at first, but soon realises who Lori is and gives a knowing look to me and I reply with a slight nod in exchange. Later.

"Lori, I don't really have time to explain, Carl, Michonne, and I have a place to be and we have to leave as soon as possible, you can come along, but I will have to give you answers later okay?" I'll give her answers once I know what answers to give.

I didn't give her time to argue with me, because I knew she wouldn't understand, if I was in her place I would think I had gone insane. But we needed to see if Hershel, and Daryl and the rest were back too. We needed to keep the group together.

I walked outside to the car and realised I needed keys, where did I always keep my keys before? When I glanced over at the house again I saw Lori locking up the house and when she looked over at me she held up the car key. Oh yeah, I haven't had to worry about locking up the house in a while, normally it's the prison and the process is much more involved.

When she reached me she handed the keys over and looked up at me, "I'm trusting you Rick, but you are being really strange."

"I know, I just have to get where we are going and then we will talk once I clear my head alright?" I gave her the best answer I could, and kissed her forehead, I still couldn't forgive her for something she hasn't done yet, and couldn't open my heart fully to the someone it already shattered for. At least not yet.

"Rick where you think you goin' without me, any answers you have I deserve too, I'm your brother, your partner..lemme ride along, the patrol car is gonna be full with your haul I'll follow behind with Lori."

"You will not go anywhere with her!" I could barely hold in my anger as hard as I tried. I knew he had done nothing wrong, he was my brother the man I had been friends with for years, but I am not the man he's known and he is not going to lay a finger on my wife.

"Dude calm down" He said holding his hands up in a placating gesture, I shook my head, I was overreacting, they were friends, they had been friends ever since the first time we double dated, that's why we all got along so well.

"You know what, you're right, just follow along, it's not a long trip." With that I turned and walked to the patrol car letting Carl and Michonne in the back since it had to be unlocked, and then got in the drivers side prepared for the trip to the farm. To my family.

Shane's POV

We had been driving in silence for a good fifteen minutes both too confused to really say something, Rick was Rick...but something was off, or different about him. Not only was he and Carl completely filthy, and smelly, but they both had a look about them that was the same. I couldn't think of how to describe the look other than hard.

Plus Carl looked like he grew twice his size and seemed less like the child that he was the last time I saw him. Which was yesterday. Rick, Carl, and I went fishin' and it was a normal day. And now all I see is a field of ice when Rick looks at me.

I was about to break the silence with a deep in thought Lori who has been looking out the window the whole drive, but before I could we turned on a dirt road that went for about a minute or two then another dirt road that led to a farm house. The closer we drove to the house the more I saw, there was more than one car outside, the old truck that probably belonged to the farmhouse owners was accompanied by a station wagon and a motorcycle.

The front door to the House was open with only the screen keeping the bugs out and there was a large group outside on the lawn and three people standing on the porch. An old, white haired man who had a bad limp, two young girls one brunette and the other a petite little blonde smiling over at a woman with short grey hair hugging a girl that was about Carl's age, and last was a scruffy looking guy holding a baby, with a crossbow on his back, it was all a strange thing to look at. If I had gotten a disturbance call to this house I would assume that the scruffy man was the troubled person. But instead he was holding a baby and the old man's hand was resting on his shoulder.

We soon pulled up to the strange meeting place and Lori and I slowly got out of the car, still confused at what we were walking in on, but as soon as everyone saw the police car the air lightened up and there were smiles all around. But nobody moved towards Rick who, when I glanced over, was frozen in place looking at the grey haired young woman hugging the little girl.

I watched as Rick brought a hand to his face and dropped to his knees behind the girl crying and I heard a broken voice that I never have heard come from Rick, "Carol?" The voice was a tired one that had some hope in it.

I stepped closer, and Lori followed, for us both to get close enough to hear his next words to the mysterious woman who finally looked up with tear filled eyes. She looked at who I presumed to be her daughter and said, "Honey, you won't remember him, but this is Mr. Rick, he knew you a long time ago." Her voice cracked as she spoke, full of emotion.

When the young girl looked at Rick his face was full of sadness and joy, both at the same time, "Sophia, hello, I know you don't remember me, but I just want to say how pretty you look...I knew you a long time ago, but I lost you..but I'm happy to see you again. And I won't ever lose you again, okay?"

"Mr. Rick, what do you mean you lost me?"

"I just mean I haven't seen you in a very long time, and I miss you is all." He looked at her with tears and ran his hand down her hair in a paternal way, then smiled at her, a real, genuine smile.

"I'm sorry I don't remember you..I am trying but I can't." She said with her brow furrowed probably going through memories.

"It's okay Sophia, how about we get to know each other all over again?" He said still smiling holding his hand out for a handshake.

She glanced over at her mom, clearly a bit shy, but when her mom nodded and smiled through her tears the girl said "Okay!" with a grin, I could tell she was still confused at what was going on around her but as a child with her mother beside her smiling they could be resilient.

"Oh, and just so you know that's my son Carl, wanna go say hello?"

Sophia just shrugged and walked over to Carl and he just smiled and said, "Hey." But that smile was much like everyone elses, sadness and joy.

When I glanced back over to Rick he was helping Carol stand up and once they were both up fully they hugged tightly and Carol started crying again, Rick just rubbed and patted her back, giving her comfort that she needed.

A glance at Lori had her face full of the same confusion and a glint of hurt and uncertainty that the display obviously insinuated, but before she could say anything Carl looked up with eyes more wet than normal and quietly said, "It's not what you think, just wait for the explanation."

When Rick parted from Carol with a genuine smile shared between the two he looked at the rest of the group with hello's all around, the two young women ran and gave Rick a hug, and I heard the brunette ask about a man named Glenn, Rick just shook his head with a glance around, then he was met by the limping old man who clasped his shoulder and Rick did the same sharing a look that he usually reserved for me, the look that explained everything without a word. The old man then nodded over Rick's shoulder to the scruffy looking guy with the baby.

As Rick turned the younger guy said, "Now you can't go forgettin about lil asskicker now can ya?"

And again Rick's face lit up at the scruffy guy and the baby held in his arms. From beside me I heard a yell and realised it was Carl, "JUDITH!" Carl flashed over to where Rick now held the baby grinning ear to ear and when he met Carl's eyes they shared in their joy of the mysterious baby and Rick knelt down to ease Judith into Carl's arms. When Carl sat down and started talking to the baby joined by the younger blonde girl I saw Rick look up at the guy with the angel wing vest, "Daryl."

"Rick."

That was all they said, and Daryl put his arm on Rick's shoulder in the group's greeting but instead of reciprocating Rick instead crashed agiainst the man in a hug that Daryl seemed surprised by but quickly reciprocated before they separated and Rick looked around. "Almost everyone from the main group is here, except for Glenn..he was in Atlanta right? Before?"

The woman known as Michonne spoke up and said, I left right when I got back, and I'm on the edge of the city, so it was easy to leave, but if he was in the middle of the city he probably hit traffic, don't worry."

"Can someone please tell me what the HELL is going on here? Rick who are these people and why are we here!? I am getting to the end of my line!"

At that the entire group stopped and looked over at the woman who just exploded beside me and I saw a lot of the same looks cross over peoples' faces much like when Rick saw the little girl.

"Lorie?" The woman who spoke up was Carol and she looked like she had seen a ghost.

"Yes, but how do you know my name?"

It was the old man who spoke up this time, "The time for answers will come, My name is Hershel Greene, and my wife and son are confused as well along, but we would like to have everyone together to figure out what we will all discuss, so if you could please be patient you will have your answers."

"Well I dunno about that we have been through the spinner seein' Rick miss people we have never met in our lives and you just want us to wait, till what? How many more people have you not explained to us, what the hell Rick?" my temper was short and the confusion only made it worse.

The gazes that flickered in my direction had less sadness and more anger in their eyes, but they still held recognition which was unsettling.

Rick turned quickly and walked up to me fuming, "You will calm down and wait like Hershel said, answers will come, but we need ours as well now you can be quiet or go back home." He left no room for a reply as he turned and stalked away in Daryl's direction and the younger man gave me a look of severe distrust, so I decided to wait it out, no way in hell were they gettin me outta here.

Before we all cooled down from the anger levels we heard a car coming up the driveway and when a small, muscular asian, stepped out of the car he was immediately tackled by the brunette in a kiss.

The groups all here it seems.

Okay there are the few apology chapters, I hope you enjoyed them! And I decided not to do a Michonne intro chapter because she is always keeping her secrets and this is one of them, there will be a reveal just at a more opportune time!

I hope you are still enjoying it and that I didn't lose you guys in the wait! Leave a review to give me joy! And I will see you soon!