Tara stood up, pulling Maggie with her and led her to the table. "We need to find her some shoes" Maggie said quietly, not wanting to wake Ava. Tara nodded in agreement "Yeah..in the morning I'll head over to that shopping center down the road…its like six miles back the way we came saw signs for it" she told her "may even get lucky and find some supplies". Maggie frowned "baby I don't like the idea of you going by yourself" she said worriedly. Tara smiled reaching over and taking Maggie's hand in her own "Baby I'll be fine…and we can't leave Ava alone you know that… I'll be careful.. I promise" she whispered. Maggie reluctantly nodded "alright…but you better keep your word" she told her. Tara brought Maggie's hand to her lips and kissed it "I will baby" she replied. Standing up, Tara pulled Maggie up with her "let's get some rest… Come sunrise I want to be headed to the store" she said as she led her to the bed. Maggie smiled as Tara laid down and climbed into bed next to her, resting her head on Tara's chest "Alright… Goodnight baby…I love you" she yawned. Tara kissed the top of Maggie's head and smiled "goodnight Maggie…I love you too" she said before drifting off to sleep. The next morning, when the sun was barely coming up, Tara was up and ready. Leaning over the bed, she kissed Maggie brushing some hair from her face "I'll be back soon love…I promise" she whispered.
Maggie opened her eyes and sat up, throwing her arms around Tara "please be safe…" She said kissing Tara's neck. Tara smiled "Aren't I always" she asked with a smirk. Once she was sure she had enough ammo, Tara walked out the door and started towards the store. It took her about 45 minutes after having to reroute to avoid walkers before she reached the store. Looking around and not seeing any walkers, Tara hurried to the back door of the store and opened it slowly. Knife ready, she turned on her flashlight and looked around. "Ok so far so good" she said to herself. Walking to the clothes..she rummaged through what was left. Luckily she managed to find a good pair of tennis shoes she guessed would fit Ava. After grabbing a few shirts and pants for Ava, Tara made her way through the aisles, grabbing what supplies she could find. Her focus was drawn to a hallway as the sound of something falling was heard. Holding up her knife, Tara slowly walked towards the hall. Ready for a fight, Tara pushed open the door and jumped into the hall. She slammed into someone and realized immediately it wasn't a walker. "Don't move" she yelled, holding the woman against the wall. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the woman speak "Tara?" The woman said.
Backing away, A smile flew to Tara's face "Rosita oh my god" she said dropping her knife and pulling her friend into a hug. Rosita laughed and wrapped her arms around Tara "Thank god you're alive…we've all been worried" she told her. Tara pulled back from the hug "who's we…who all is left" she asked. Rosita sighed "We lost Abraham and Carol..the others are fine…hulled up in a cabin a bit up the hill" she said. Tara relaxed. At least they hadn't lost everyone. "Is it just you" Rosita asked. Tara shook her head "No…Maggie's back at our camp with this little girl we found..its a long story" she explained. Rosita frowned "What about Glenn… Sasha..Ty… Have you seen them" she asked. Tara's eyes shut. She didn't know. "Those guys killed them…right in front of Maggie and I" she said softly. Rosita gasped shaking her head "oh my god…." She said looking down. She hadn't seen them when they'd all run from the burning house…but she had prayed they were still alive "Is Maggie…is she alright" she asked. Tara nodded "She…handled it..better than I expected" she said smiling.
Rosita sighed "That's good at least" she said softly "I have a truck outside…why don't we get to it…go grab Maggie and the kid..and head back to the others…they'll be relieved to see you alive" she said smiling at Tara. Tara grinned and nodded "That sounds…fantastic" she said hugging her again. Rosita smiled and walked towards the door. Pushing it open, she nodded "its clear…let's go" she said looking at Tara before leading the way to the truck. Once inside, Tara breathed a sigh of relief. They were getting the chance to reunite with the group. Rosita started the engine and looked at Tara "Where to" she asked. "There's a dirt road about a quarter mile down the main road…turn on that and follow it for about two miles…where we are is just off the trail" she explained as Rosita drove. Nodding, Rosita followed Tara's instructions "I'm glad you're alright" the Latina said flashing the other woman a smile. Tara grinned letting out a soft laugh "It's good to see you alive too Ro…" she told her "I'm sorry…about Abe" she added. Shaking her head, Rosita made the turn onto the dirt trail "It's alright…he died getting Carl and Ju-Ju into a car…I came right after and he insisted I take the keys and go….so I did…last thing I saw in the mirror was him getting shot" she replied keeping her eyes on the road.
Tara reached over and gently squeezed Rosita's shoulder "He loved you" she said smiling. They drove for a bit before Tara pointed to where Maggie was "There" she told Rosita. Once the truck was stopped, Tara climbed out just as Maggie looked out the window. "Tara what the hell" Maggie asked opening the door. She stopped seeing Rosita get out of the car and grinned before wrapping her arms around her in a hug. "I ran into Tara getting supplies…thought I'd bring you all back to the family" Rosita said smiling. Maggie laughed "That's the best thing I've heard all day" she said softly. The door opened more and Ava stuck her head out "Tara you're back" she said running into Tara's arms. Smiling, Tara picked the girl up, hugging her "Of course I'm back kiddo…I could never leave you and Maggie" she said kissing Ava's cheek. Looking at Rosita, Tara smiled "Ro…this is Ava" she said moving a strand of hair from Ava's face. Rosita laughed "Well hello miss Ava it's very nice to meet you" she said smiling at the girl. Ava nodded "Hi" she said shyly "Your hat is cool" she added. Rosita lifted her hat from her head "You wanna wear it till we get to the group" she asked. Ava looked at Tara who nodded "Thank you" she said smiling as she took the too big hat and placed it on her head.
Maggie smiled "I'm gonna grab what we have inside an we can get out of here" she said softly, kissing Tara on the cheek. Rosita raised an eyebrow as Maggie walked inside "Well it finally happened…guess that means I owe Carl a new comic" she said with a smirk. Tara narrowed her eyes with a grin "Making bets on my love life are we I don't find that fair" she said carrying Ava to the truck. Maggie came out and tossed their bags into the back "Ready when you are ladies" she said smiling. Tara opened the door and helped Ava inside and climbed in after her. Maggie took her place in the front and smiled as Rosita started to drive. She was going to see her family again. Even though they had lost so much, she knew it would be the best feeling just to all be together again…and she couldn't wait.
((So so sorry for the major delay. I got sick and was in and out of the hospital but Im back))