Rose took in a steady breath as she followed behind then men, Carl, and Michonne close behind her. Things have gotten harder, the winter was finally over, and Lori was already in her third trimester, due maybe a month from now. Jamie had changed quite a bit over the months, her little girl was no longer full of innocence and childlike behavior, she had grown up, she knew how to handle a gun a bit better, and she knew how to kill a walker without flinching… she was only seven. Rose twirled her machete in her hand when Rick kicked the door down, firing his gun and killed a walker, T-Dog following after him, Daryl going to the right, and Rose followed after him while Michonne went after Carl who headed into the kitchen.
"Huh, we could play mommy and daddy in here." Rose whispered behind Daryl, seeing him glance over his shoulder at her, "What? I'm just saying, or we could play doctor." She teased, smiling when he rolled his eyes.
"We are in a middle of killing a bunch of geeks and you want to get in my pants?" Daryl asks as he kicks another door down, and shoots an arrow, getting a walker right between the eyes and she shrugs.
"Seeing you all sweaty with your biceps flexing is totally turning me on, what can I say." Rose joked, chuckling a bit when Daryl flat out said 'no' before he went on his way. Rose stayed close behind him as they made their way through the room, hearing footsteps on the other side of the door. Rose glanced behind her, making sure no walkers were sneaking their way through the back as Daryl opens the door, his crossbow aimed high, ready to take out the freak on the other side, chuckling when he saw who it was.
"Fourth time now," Daryl says and Rose turns, smiling a little as she saw Rick, and the three made their way back out of the room. Rose parted with Daryl now to head back into the main room of the house as the other group members made their way in, Jamie making her way over to her mother, her small handgun holstered safely to her side. Rose ran her hand over her daughters ratty, dirty hair, frowning a bit as she tried to wipe some of the dirt off her daughter's cheeks making her groan and swipe her hand away before she leaned into Rose's side.
Rose had tried to convince Jamie over the few months to let her cut her hair so it be easier to manage, but the girl would never let her, she said she liked it long, and that she would just keep it up out of her face, which she had been doing, but Rose was still worried about some walker grabbing a hold of her long locks. Rose had chopped her hair off a month ago, all the way to her chin but now it had grown down to right above her shoulders, framing her face. Rose turned when she heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs and she raised an eyebrow seeing Daryl ripping the feathers off an owl. Jamie made her way over to him, and let him pull her onto his lap when he took a seat on one of the tables, Jamie helping him pluck the feathers off the bird while Rose searched through a few drawers for anything they could use.
The group hadn't been doing to good as of lately, they still weren't able to get into the prison due the large heard of walkers that were taking up the roads, keeping them from getting into it, so Michonne and Rose had been taking it upon themselves to find another way in, even when Daryl argued and tried to get her not to go. They were running out of food, they only had a limited amount of ammo, but even with all the problems going on, the group had grown closer, and even Lori and Rose were getting along again.
Rose made her way over to Lori, and took a seat beside the much larger woman, smiling weakly, "How you holdin' up?" She asked, her hand going to Lori's stomach, feeling for anything abnormal, but finding nothing luckily.
"Just as well as the rest of us..." She mutters, looking over at Carl as he opened a can of dog food, probably thinking it would be a good enough meal for the entire group. Rose turned when she heard Rick's feet stalking over to them, watching as he bent down and took the can of dog chow from Carl, inspecting it carefully before he walked over to the fireplace and tossed the can into it, making a loud clattering noise, causing Daryl to flinch as he looked at Rick confused. Rose sighed, standing up from her spot beside Lori, glancing out the window to see walkers filling the yard, groaning inwardly at the sight before tilting her head towards the window, catching the group's attention.
Daryl stood up, setting Jamie down before grabbing her hand, Rose making her way over to the two before he snatched her hand and dragged her and the girl down the hall towards the back door, the rest of the group following close behind with their belongings. "Get to the car, don't stop for nothin'." Daryl said quickly once he finally let go of the girls hands, Rose nodding quickly before Daryl pressed a quick kiss to hers, then he ran off in the direction of his motorcycle. Rose looked down at Jamie as he daughter pulled her gun from its holster, and she shook her head quickly, telling her daughter not to fire at anything. Jamie gives her mother a quick nod and the girls head in the direction of their car, Rose letting Jamie climb into the driver's side, and crawl into the passenger side, closing the door behind her and started the car up, and took off after Glenn.
It had been like this for months now, they'd find a new place to stay, then get chased out of it by the heard of walkers that had been on their trail. It was exhausting, Jamie was always tired of moving, Lori was to pregnant to be moving so often, and Rose just wanted a safe place to raise her daughter until all this hell was over… if it would ever end. Rose had replaced her SUV with a nicely sized truck, the owner had killed themselves, shotgun to the head, and the keys were still in the ignition… Her car was her home as of lately, just like how the SUV had started out, her and Jamie had been living out of it during the winter, and now even Daryl slept in it with them..
"Momma, they're pullin' over." Rose looked over at Jamie as she pointed ahead of them, and saw the cars stopping in front of her, and she did the same, turning the car off, sighing when Jamie ran out to go be at Carl's side. Jamie had been sticking to Carl like glue lately, she had formed a crush on the boy, and he wasn't mean about it at all… Though Rose was sure it was getting annoying, especially since Carl had taken over the role of being a 'protector' of the group, even though Lori had fought against it. Rose climbed out, and making sure her gun was in its holster, and carried her machete in her hand, walking over to the group as they plotted out a new plan, the map laid out across the hood of Glenn's car.
"We got no place left to go," Rose looked over to Rick as he spoke and she rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest as Michonne and Andrea came to stand by either side of her, glancing over a Carl who was watching the perimeter in front of them, Jamie at his side matching his stance, her handgun held up high just like his.
"If this heard meets up with us we're gonna be cut off, we'll never make it south." Maggie explained as she smoothed out the map, and Rose moved to stand by the car, glancing down at the map as she scanned for the prison, and tapped its location on the map.
"The prison guys, do I really need to go over it again? It's our best chance for survival." Rose said, hearing a few sighs from the other members of the group who were against it.
"There is a heard the size of Dallas there Rose," Hershel said as he scratched at his beard, "We don't have enough manpower or ammunition to take the place over."
"We do if we wait, and take them out in groups." Rose groaned, getting frustrated again as she looked up at the old man, "We set up camp, take out a portion at a time, these prisons are closed off, different cell blocks, if we just keep at it we can clear all the fuckers out, and take the place for ourselves."
Rose felt a hand go to her back, and she glanced to her side as Daryl moved to stand beside her, giving her one of those looks that told her to drop it and she sighed, hanging her head down in defeat. "Maybe next time we run into town Rose, if we can get enough ammunition, we'll make a move on the prison." Rick said sadly, looking over at her as she met his gaze.
"You said that the last time," She muttered as she pushed off the car, "And the time before that, and the time before that time." She grumbled moving away from the group to go stand back by Michonne and Andrea, the two women giving her small sad smiles.
Daryl glanced back at Rose as she stood beside the girls, then over at Jamie who was whispering something to Carl before she giggled, "What did you say, there about 150 ahead?" Daryl asked as he turned to look at Glenn, leaning against the car as the Asian shrugged.
"That was last week," He said as he squinted, trying to block the blinding sun from his eyes so he could look at Daryl, "Could be twice that by now."
"This river could have delayed them, if we move fast we might have a shot to tear right through-"
"Yeah but if this group joins with that one, well they could spill out this way."
"So we're blocked." Rose heard Maggie say to Hershel and T-Dog's observations, and she sighed, running a hand over her dirty face, really wishing she could just shower… or eat a good meal instead of owl and squirrel.
As the group started to argue about going in circles and moving west instead, Rose let out another groan, "The prison." She said again, making everyone turn to her, "The prison is in the west Rick." She said, giving him a shrug, "Why not try? I mean, what else do we have left to lose?"
"Uh, our lives?" Glenn said quickly, making her turn to look at him, an eyebrow raised.
"I say we at least try," Rose looked to see Daryl, who gave the group a shrug as they looked at him, "Rose is right, you all know that, that prison would be secure."
Rick bit his lip, nodding slowly as he looked at everyone else in the group, seeing a few of the group members mauling it over, "We hit the prison then." He said, and Rose smiles, looking over at Daryl who returns it, "We'll go check it out, do a head count of the walkers, then decided from there what we do next."
"Alright," T-Dog said as the group started to move back towards the cars, "Is it cool if we head down by the creek real quick, it won't take long, we need to fill up on water." He asked Rick who gives him permission before he turns to speak with Hershel.
Rose walks over to Jamie, putting a hand on her shoulder, "Come on Jamie, we gotta go get some water, leave Carl be." She said and Jamie sighs before telling Carl bye and follows after her mother, both stopping when Daryl comes to stand in front of them.
"You go down to the creek with everyone else," He said and Rose nods, taking Jamie's hand, "Me and Rick are gonna' go huntin' some, should be back soon."
Rose sighs, and smiles at him, "Make it fast, we've got a prison to get to." She mumbled, and he smiles at her before nodding, pressing a quick kiss to the side of her lips, then goes off to meet with Rick.
"You and Mr. Daryl are so gross now." Jamie said, making a face and Rose laughed before hitting her in the shoulder gently.
"Now be nice," Rose said and Jamie shook her head, pursing her lips as her mom lead her down the hill towards the creek. Rose finally let go of Rose's hand once they were close enough to the other members of the group, seeing Andrea, Maggie, and Michonne all down a ways, and made her way towards them, smiling when they greeted her.
"What are ya'll gossiping about?" Rose asked as she pulled her shirt over her head, and went to wash it out at the creek, smiling when Andrea laughed a bit.
"Just 'bout how you and Maggie seem to be the only girls getting any around here." Andrea explained, and Rose laughed looking over at Maggie who blushed, brushing her hair behind her ear as she avoided the girls eyes, but the smile on her face never fading.
"You mean Maggie is the only girl getting any," Rose explained as she knelt down in front of the water, and tried to rinse out the dried blood that was in it.
Andrea scoffed, and Michonne laughed as Maggie looked over at Rose, who simply rolled her eyes at the girls, "Right, I see you and Daryl with each other, there's no way you haven't sealed the deal." Andrea said, splashing a bit of water towards Rose who sat up.
"We haven't had sex," Rose said with a shrug, ringing her shirt out as she leaned back on her heels, "Daryl's never brought it up, and we're always on the run… or with Jamie." She explained, slipping her wet shirt back on, knowing it dry soon.
Andrea shook her head, still not believing it but Rose sound sincere, and they really hadn't gotten any alone time together, "Who would have thought Daryl Dixon was a gentleman."
Rose smiled a little at the though, and moves so she's sitting on her bottom, and stretched her tanned legs out it font of her, "Maybe when we get to the prison he won't be such a gentleman." She mused looking over at Andrea who raised an eyebrow and Rose smirked, "Hot, rough, cell sex; that is what I need." She said nonchalantly, everyone looking at each other before the girls all started to laugh loudly.
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It was about midday, the hot Georgia sun was beating down on Rose's shoulders, and sweat was dripping down her face as she kept her eyes Jamie, who stood a in front of her, her gun raised. Rose heard the sound of a walker's moan, and she turned to her right, seeing Glenn ram it into the fence surrounding the prison, before Rick called out to watch their backside while he broke open the wired fence. "Go on Jim Jam," Rose heard Andrea call out, and looked forward as Andrea ushered Jamie through the fence, before gesturing for Rose to follow. Once everyone was inside the fenced off area, Daryl and Glenn sealed the hole back up, and Rose looked to her left as the walkers on the other side of the fencing made their way over, moaning hungrily as they slammed their rotten, bony hands against the fence.
"Stay by my side Jamie, don't go near the fence." Rose said quickly as she gripped her daughter's hand, glad they had decided to tie her hair up in a bun. Rose took off after the group as they started to jog down the trail, walkers coming up to the fence, pushing themselves against it, groaning, and wailing as they watched the group of survivors run to safety, out of reach of their deathly hands. Rose looked down at Jamie when she heard her whimper some, frowning as she saw her daughter doing her best to hold back her fear, the girl clutching onto her mother's hand like she was afraid of being left behind. "S'okay sweet pea," Rose murmured as she picked her up in her arms, once they reached a larger sealed of area where the gate to get inside the other field that was just outside the prison itself. Rose held Jamie to her, running her hand down her daughter's back as she looked around, hoping that those walkers couldn't get in, that they could be safe.
"It's perfect," Rick breathed out as he scanned the field, looking towards the gate the walkers from the prison were coming out of, "If we can shut that gate, prevent more from filling the yard," Rick turned the group speaking with confidence and determination, "We can take out these walkers, and take the field by the night."
"And how do we shut the gate?" Hershel questioned, and Rose bit her lip as she looked across the field, trying to think of a good plan.
"I'm the fastest," Rose said quickly as she interrupted Rick from answering Hershel, "I can run across the field… shut the gate, as long as you guys cover my ass." Rose said, looking over at Daryl when he stepped forward.
"Nu uh, no way in hell Rose." He said as he shook his head, "Your leg has been jacked up since the fall from the cliff, you ain't gonna be able to make it that far, and then back again without gettin' hurt." Daryl said, and Rose sighed when the group agreed with him.
"I'll do it then," Glenn said, "You guys cover me." Rose looked at Maggie as she shook her head, disagreeing with him, calling it a suicide run, and it was, but it had to be done… if they wanted to be able to take this place over.
"No," Rick said as he walked over, "You, Maggie and Beth draw as many as you can over there, pop them through the fence." Rick said as he pointed to his left, the group's eyes following in the direction as they took the plan in, "Daryl, you go back to the other tower, take Rose and Jamie with you." Rick said, and Rose glanced over at Daryl as they all nod, "Carol you've become a pretty good shot, take your time, we don't have a lot of ammo." Rose looks to Carol as she nods at him, and the four took off in the direction of the tower, Jamie still in Rose's arms.
"You ready for some target practice Jamie?" Daryl asked as he opened up the door leading to the tower, Rose setting her daughter down as she laughs. Rose was the first one to go up the stairs, shoving her machete back into its holster on her side and pulled out her colt, checking the ammo before she kicked the door open to the tower and made her way to the side, peering out over the rails as she examined the yard, doing a quick head count to where all the walkers were. Some were traveling towards Andrea and Michonne who were on the right, while the others followed after the Greenes, T-Dog, and Glenn. Rose made a face, before shoving her colt back into its holster, and slung the rifle that was hanging off her back around, and gripped it tightly in her hands.
"You can't even see over the edge," Rose titled her had back to see Daryl laughing a bit as Jamie glared up at him, her head only a few inches under the top railing, "You ain't gonna be able to shoot nothin'."
Rose chuckles when she sees her daughter put a hand on her hip, something she picked up from her mom and pointed the gun at Daryl, "I could shoot you." She says smugly, her southern accent dripping off the words and Rose laughed loudly before shaking her head, Daryl chuckling himself.
"And I don't have to be able to see from the top, because I can see from the middle so ha!" Jamie said as she turned back to the railings of the tower, and got ready to fire, squinting her eyes as she held her gun tightly in her hands.
Rose fired away at the walkers, getting all the ones closest to Rick, or anything that tried to go after him, counting at least twelve dead because of her. Rose eyes widened when Rick stopped suddenly when a bullet flew right in front of him, and she looked to her left, Carol shouting out a sorry as she reloaded, and Rose smiled as she shook her head. "Gotta work on that aim Carol." She called out to her, glancing to her briefly before moving her rifle to the left, taking out a walker with a shot to the head, showing off just a little as Carol rolled her eyes at Rose's smugness.
Rose cheered when Rick had locked the gate up, and made his way into the tower, "Light it up!" Daryl called out to the group, and everyone started to open fire on the walkers that filled the yard, taking out every one of them, until the yard was filled with dead corpses, and Rose lowered her gun, smiling a bit as she heard Jamie shouting and cheering.
"I got some! I took down three! Three!" Jamie said happily, turning to look at Rose, a huge grin on her face and she smiled back, proud Jamie was able to protect herself but at the same time she couldn't shake of the dread of knowing her little girl was always going to have to live like that, to kill to survive.
"We did it Rosie," Rose looked up when she heard Daryl's voice, smiling weakly as he made his way over to her, wrapping his arm around her waist as he let out a loud whoop, pressing his lips to her cheek, his stubble tickling her and making her laugh a little, Jamie running over and jumped into Daryl's free arm, and he held her up high as she cheered some more Rose glanced over at Carol who watched the three, a look on her face Rose couldn't quite place.
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Rose was sitting by the small fire Carl and Beth had put together for the group, Jamie sitting in between her legs, Rose's thigh's on either side of her as they ate the small amount of food they had been provided for the night. Rose wasn't entirely sure what animal she was eating, but it had been a lot better than the owl Daryl had tried to get her to eat with him earlier that day, and she was grateful for being so close to the woods that was full of animals Daryl could hunt. Rose sighed as she handed Jamie the rest of her food, her daughter going to argue before Rose told her it was okay, and that she wasn't hungry anymore. Rose leaned back against her bag and pillow, looking across the field at Daryl who was walking atop of an overturned van, watching the perimeter for any intruders or walkers that were attempting to break the barrier.
"Mm, just like mom used to make." Rose moved her eyes over at Glenn as he chucked a bone into the distance, and she smiled, Jamie looking over at him confused.
"Korean mommies make rabbit for dinner?" She asked, her head tilting to the side in confusion, and Rose laughs as she shook her head, wrapping her arms around her daughter's waist pulling her closer as Glenn tried to explain to her what sarcasm was, "That's just dumb… If you don't mean what you're saying then why say it? That just makes things… frustrating." She said, grinning over at Rose when she pronounced the word correctly, the group laughing a bit.
"Truer words were never spoken before Jim Jam," Andrea laughed from her spot by Michonne, Jamie smiling proudly as she leaned back against her mom, yawning some as she set her plate to the ground.
"Tomorrow we'll pull the bodies together, wanna keep them away from that water." Rose looked over at T-Dog as he spoke, nodding as she took in the plan for the next day, "if we can dig a canal underneath that fence, we'll have plenty of fresh water."
"And if the soil is good, we can plant some seeds; grow some tomatoes, cucumbers, soy beans." Rose smiled at the thought of fresh vegetables, remembering how back on the farm they had a variety of vegetables and fruit… her mouth watered a bit as she remembered the peaches. "That's his third time around," Rose snapped out of her dreaming of getting a peach again, and looked to where Hershel pointed, seeing Rick walking the along the fence, two walkers on the other side following after him. "If there was any part of it compromised, he would have found it by now."
Rose watched Rick closely as he walked along the fence, and she bit her lip before standing up slowly, looking over at Beth and Lori as they began to discuss the baby, "I'll be right back Jamie, you should try to sleep." She whispered, pressing her lips to the top of Jamie's head before turning around, and headed in the direction of Rick.
"Hey there sheriff," She said, catching his attention and smiled when he smiled at her, "You find anything interesting yet?" She asked as she walked along his side, glancing back at the walkers following after them.
"No," Rick said, sounding a bit relieved, "This place is secure, just like you said." Rose smiled over at him as she nods, glad that Rick seemed to be chilling out some. Ever since the farm was attacked he had been tense, he hadn't treated Lori the same, for reasons that were obvious, he had been a lot harsher, more prone to shoot first and ask questions later, and had done nothing but anything that was good for the group… Rose looked up to him, he did things to protect the group, not just his family… while Rose, Rose always put Jamie before everyone else, before herself, before the group, hell she was sure she would even put her before Daryl.
"You and Daryl doing okay?" Rose looked over at him, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion as she shrugs a bit.
"Yeah, why wouldn't we be?" She asked and Rick smiled a little as he shook his head, stopping to look at her.
"Just wondering," He said as he looked down at the young nurse, "He's changed a lot… since he met you." He said, and Rose smiled a little, "He seems… happier. I haven't known the man that long, but before you came along he spent most of his time alone in his tent or in the woods… But now, now he spends most of his time with you… and your girl."
Rose laughs a little as she shook her head, "That's only because Jamie forced herself on him, she's got a way of winning even the hardest of hearts over."
Ricks laughs as he nods, "She sure does, she has grown attached to my boy huh?" He asked and Rose grinned as she rolled her eyes.
"She's got a think for them freckles, girl takes after her momma." She chuckled as she crosses her arms over her chest, shivering a bit as Rick sighs, both of the survivors turning at the sound of a soft voice singing, realizing that it was Beth, her voice echoing throughout the field.
"We should head back," Rick said quietly, and Rose nods in agreement, the two making their way over to the group, Rose seeing Daryl walking over to them alongside Carol. She smiles at him as she take her place back by Jamie, pulling her little girl into her lap as she yawned, whispering to her mother about how pretty Beth's voice was just as Maggie decided to join in, making Rose smile as she closed her eyes hearing Daryl sit down beside her, Jamie moving so she laid in between the two, drifting to sleep.
Rose leaned her head against Daryl's shoulder once she had pulled a cover over Jamie, and yawned as she wrapped her arms through his, Hershel commenting on his girls' voices once they were done singing.
"Better all turn in," Rick murmured, looking around the faces of the group, "I'll take watch over there, we got a big day tomorrow."
"What do you mean?" Glenn asked quietly and Rose looked over at Rick, a little confused as she stifled a yawn, feeling Daryl's hand moving up her back some, making her relax a little as she heard the sound of Jamie's soft snores.
"Look I know were all exhausted, this was a great win." Rose nods to herself as she listened to Rick speak, knowing where he'd be going with this, and knowing that she'd be all for it. "But we got to push, just a little bit more." Rick looked around the group, trying to gather his thoughts and Rose sat up a bit, watching him carefully, "Most of the walkers are dressed as guards and prisoners, looks like this place fell pretty early."
"That means it's full of supplies," Rose looked over at Michonne as she finished to where Rick was leading, the leader nodding in agreement with the woman.
"They'd have an infirmary," Rick lists of, and Rose bites her lip as she looked around at all the other members, "a Commissary."
"An armory," Rose turned her head to look at Daryl as he spoke, and she raised her eyebrows hadn't thinking about the fact that the prison would most likely be full of guns and other weaponry.
"That'll be outside the prison itself, but not too far away." Rick said and Rose grinned, "The warden's office would have information on the location; weapons, food, medicine. This place could be a gold mine!" Rick said, and Rose made a face, recalling the months prior when she and Michonne had been pushing for the prison, saying the same thing to the group but no one took a bite.
"We're dangerously low on ammo," Hershel said and Rose sighs as she turns to look at him, "We'd run out before we'd make a dent."
"That's exactly why we need to take a shot of going in there," Rose spoke up before Rick could, "We've been surviving out in these woods for months… freezing our asses off for what? A few days in an abandon house with no supplies? A nice charred rabbit's foot to snack on?" Rose said shrugging, hearing Daryl muttering something under his breath. "We go in there; we have a place to live, to survive… A place to call home and raise our babies until all this shit blows over." She said, looking around the group, taking in all of her friends, her family's, faces. "We need to do this… We need to take the risk."
Rose gives another shrug once she had her say, then looks over at Rick who smiled at her, glad she was on his side, "We go in hand to hand," He said looking back at the other faces of the group, "After all we've been through, we can handle it, I know it." Rick looked around, taking in a breath as he tried to keep his spirits high, knowing the danger of going in, but know it had to be done, "These assholes don't stand a chance." Rick said as he glanced down at Carl, the son smiling up at his dad and Rose smiled herself looking back down at Jamie when Rick stood up and walked away. Rose yawned as she stretched her arms over her head, and pulled her pillow form her bag, and placed it down beside Jamie's, snuggling up against her daughter, wrapping her arms around her waist while Daryl pulled a cover over the two.
"You think we'll be able to do it," Rose whispered quietly as Daryl lays down on the other side of Jamie, his arm behind his head, and he shrugged a bit as he stared up at the sky, listening to the hungry moans coming from the walkers nearby.
"Maybe," He murmurs looking over at her, "As long as we work together, don't let anyone get bit." He whispers and Rose nods, smiling a bit as she feels Jamie's fingers curl around her hair, and she yawns again, moving closer to her daughter, pressing her lips to the top of her head. "Sleep Rose, like Rick said, we got a long day ahead." Daryl whispered and Rose nods slowly, looking over to him as he turns his head to look back up to the night sky, feeling his hand in her hair, and she sighed, closing her eyes as he twisted, and curled her hair around his fingers, making her drift off, until she was finally asleep alongside Jamie.
So yes, I know this isn't a full episode, but I've decided to split the parts into two chapters. I had to change a few things around due to the fact I had said Andrea and Michonne showed up at their camp, so things are a little different but I doubt you all mind. Also, next chapter I'm bringing a new character, who you all might be surprised about… Let me know what you think! Don't forget to review and thank you all so much for reading!
-Monique