Sleep comes hard that night.

Its weird. We're safe for the first time the two months we've known each other and yet that very safety is causing sleep to elude me. Carl and I's bed is extremely comfortable. More comfortable than any surface I've slept on in the entirety of the past two years. It was only made better by the fact that I had Carl snuggled up beside me. Finally, a bed we can call our own. We don't have to leave it and search for another place to sleep tomorrow. Gone are the days of sleeping on the cold ground outside. And yet, still no sleep. Beside me, Carl stirs. I can tell he's not sleeping either. He's trying, but, like me, he's failing. I prop myself up on my elbow, giving up on my fruitless attempts to search for that blissful darkness, and decide to check on Carl.

"Can't sleep?" I speak out in the darkness.

I hear him shift and then there is his voice:

"Not at all." he croaks. "Its too normal here. Makes it hard to sleep."

I chuckle lightly, "I know how you feel. It'll take awhile to get used to this."

He goes silent for a moment. I know he's still awake. Something must be on his mind.

"Anything you want to talk about?" I try. "Something seems to be bothering you."

"Did you see those other kids?" he replies.

"I saw a few, yes." I think back on the day.

There were several kids around when our group first arrived in the Safe-Zone. When we got to dinner, however, there seemed to be a lot more. I was too busy tearing into my plate of food to take much notice of them, but Carl is always more observant than me, so I suspect something about them must be bothering him. At least, that's what his words and current demeanor suggest to me. I decide to press further to find out.

"What about them?"

"They kept staring at us." Carl blurts out.

"We're new here." I point out. "Kids are curious."

"Some of them were our age, Tanner." he counters. "They seem so... different than us."

So that's it.

I take the initiative to wrap my arms around Carl's thin frame and draw him up close to me. He offers me no resistance and soon we're snuggled even closer to each other. Close enough for me to feel his warm breath against the skin of my neck. For a moment, we're silent. I take my time hugging him, not hard, but firmly to soothe his anxiety. Like me, Carl has been around very few people our age. Those he has known have died gruesome deaths. Aside from Sophia and I, he hasn't had a real childhood friendship since the apocalypse began. And me? I've been a loner since before this whole thing started. Kids or no kids, it didn't matter to me. Carl was the only person my age I am even vaguely concerned with. Nevertheless, I can tell he needs comforting on the matter, so I hold him close and tight, hoping that it will reassure him.

"They may be." I finally reply. "We don't know what these past two years have been like for them. We'll make friends, but, more importantly, we have each other. I'm your friend. You don't have to worry about what they think."

"I don't." he replies. "Its just..."

"Relax," I whisper, cutting him off. Everything is going to be fine. For once, I think I can say that without it backfiring. This place... seems nice."

"Dad and I are thinking about joining the wall team." Carl interjects, changing the subject. "I want to keep myself fresh. Just in case."

I nod thoughtfully, "Nothing wrong with that."

Carl squirms within our little huddle of an embrace and manages to turn himself in such a way so that he is looking straight up at me. I can see the glint of his sapphire eyes in the moonlight drifting in from the nearby curtains on our window.

"What about you?" he inquires.

"What about me?"

"Douglas says everyone has to pull their weight." he continues. "What will you do?"

To be honest, I haven't given that much thought. I have several options. I can join Rick and Carl on the wall, keeping walkers away from the community. Option two is to join up with the group that does supply runs. Michonne, Glenn, and Daryl have already volunteered for that. The downside to that would be the length of time I'd be away from Carl. Some days it could only be a few hours. Some runs could last days, depending on how far out we go. The third option is to learn from the doctors at the infirmary and establish myself as a medic. I've weighed that option more heavily than the others. I was going to school for medical practice back before the plague, so it only made sense.

"I'm thinking the infirmary." I reply.

This actually manages to make Carl smile. "Well, you'll certainly do well. You did a good enough job taking care of me that one time at the funeral home."

I chuckle, "I did. Didn't I?"

He sighs.

Perhaps now would be a good time to "ask him out", since I lacked the opportunity required earlier, before dinner with the other survivors. A date may be the perfect ice-breaker to get him to warm up to this new home of ours.

"Carl," I breath after a minute or two of silence.

"Hm?"

"I was thinkin'..."

Its funny. Two months with Carl, almost three, and he can still make my heart pound like a high-school teenager talking to their crush for the first time.

"What is it?" Carl's voice is ripe with concern. Probably because I stopped mid-sentence.

"Well, we get a tour of this place tomorrow and we don't have to start working until the next day." I stutter slightly. " I was wondering if, maybe, you'd want to go on that date I promised you awhile back? After its all done. Just you and me."

Carl goes still for a moment.

Perhaps he's completely forgotten that I even proposed that. I can't exactly blame him. Its been awhile since we've spoken about it. There for awhile, it didn't even seem like it was a dream that would ever come true. Now, however, there is a chance. Hope. We can do it. I want to. For us. But mainly, for his sake. Carl's answer doesn't come vocally, however. I feel him shift in my arms and then there is warmth on my lips. The sweet warmth of his own lips. His hands are suddenly on my cheeks and he is aggressively pressing into me. I don't fight him. I actively seek his kiss, threading my fingers through his thick brown mop even as I press him back into his pillow. Its a wonderful moment that is painfully short, for my tastes. I suddenly remember the day I asked Carl to be my boyfriend. He answered my question in the exact same manner as he just has. I don't think he did that purposely, but its interesting to me to see that, even though we've been through so much, things really haven't changed. I'm still his and he's still mine.

"I can't believe you remembered that." he finally says after we've come apart. "After all this time?"

"I have a good memory." I reply, settling back into our former cozy position of cuddling up against each other. "And I think we both need this. So, I'm thinking tomorrow night. Let me make the arrangements. Tomorrow night is just for us."

Carl sighs again. This time, though, it is heavier and seems to be full of relief.

"Tanner?" he says eventually.

"What is it?" I reply, my mood improving every second this conversation continues.

"Where were you when this whole thing started?" he elaborates. "When Sophia disappeared and I felt alone? When I was at the prison and Mom was gone, Dad was half-crazed, and I was even lonelier?"

He says it seriously and it really is touching that he wishes I was there for all of those things. I decide to handle this with my unique brand of humor, hopefully to help lighten the burden on his mind.

"Well," I begin. "Knowing me, I was either sleeping in some tree like a trapped cat, or hiding out in some godforsaken abandoned gas station."

My sarcasm has its intended effect. I hear the boy I love snort a fairly loud laugh.

Even I grin at the image that presents. Its entirely true, though. Before Carl, I was just another loner prolonging my life on mere survival instinct alone. Moving from place to place simply because I had to. Using high trees as a refuge from walkers at night, gas stations where I found the scraps I used for food. I talked to myself for company and many days I went entire days without saying anything. My life was quiet, lonely, and hardly worth fighting for. I, too, had entertained the thoughts of what life might have been like, back in those days, if Carl had been around to keep me company. Would things have seemed so bleak back then, if he'd been there? Even as bad as some of the situations we've been in have been, I have never completely lost hope.

I drape my arm over his chest. As I do so, my hand brushes up against the ring I gave him for his birthday, still hidden protectively under his shirt. I grasp the metal artifact through the fabric of Carl's t-shirt and gently roll it around between my fingers.

"Besides," I finally speak up again, gently pressing the no-doubt cold metal of the ring into the flesh of his chest, so he can feel is presence. "I'm here now. That's what matters."

He smiles and takes my hand, preventing me from moving it away from his chest. We fall asleep like that, finally, after almost no renewed effort. Its a wonderful note to end the night on.

And, more importantly, a wonderful note to begin a new day on...

####

The morning moves quickly.

Before meeting Douglas for our tour of the Alexandria Safe-Zone, Rick acts on some advice given to him by Aaron and Eric the night prior and takes Carl and I to get our hair cut with him. My hair hasn't been cut for over two months, so, I admit, it looks rather shaggy. Nothing like Carl's, but its beginning to get there. Getting my hair cut by another person is probably the weirdest experience that I've had since the apocalypse began. Not because getting your hair cut is a weird thing, but because its a tie in to the old world. Something I'd never given thought to, except in passing joke with Carl. And when its done, I feel... lighter. Well, my head feels lighter, that is. When I take my first look at it in the mirror, I nearly fall over. I hardly recognize myself. It looks... good. My hair still covers the top portion of my forehead and the top half of my ears, but only barely. Furthermore, its been thinned out, which allows for more air to pass through. It feels as good as it looks.

Carl is next to come out and he looks...

Hot.

Handsome would probably be a better term, but the sudden rush of heat that sears through my veins and skin demands the use of a stronger term. Like me, his hair is cut much shorter than its ever been. Even shorter than when I first met him. His hair completely covers his forehead, almost half of his ears, and ends about a fourth of the way down his neck. Still long, but not nearly as long as before. I can actually see those perfect blue gems he has for eyes without having to sweep the hair from out in front of them. When he puts his hat on, it only makes him look better.

"You look handsome." I tell him as he approaches me.

Carl blushes hard.

"Thanks," he replies. "You don't look too bad yourself."

Rick emerges third and his haircut is by far the most drastic. In addition to a shaved beard, his shaggy hair, which had begun to curl this past month, is cut even shorter than mine is. Upon seeing it, Carl indicates that he hasn't seen his father's hair this short since they first reunited back in the Atlanta camp, nearly two years prior. To me, its like looking at an entirely different man. But, in a way, Rick looks... fresh. Its a very outward expression of how much this place has already begun to relieve our burdens from the outside world.

After having our hair cut, the three of us rejoin with our group outside of Douglas's house, where he awaits us to begin the tour of the Safe-Zone. Carol promptly hands Judith, whom she has been caring for all morning, to Rick and, shortly thereafter, Douglas begins.

"Its good to have you all back here." the older man greets us. "I imagine you're all pretty curious to see the whole place, so let's not waste anytime."

The tour is extensive.

The Safe-Zone is much larger than anything I could have ever imagined. Michonne mentions to Carl and I, at one point, that it is even bigger than she remembers Woodbury being. In total, the Alexandria Safe-Zone encompasses four to five blocks of the former town of Alexandria, Virginia. As more areas are cleared by Douglas's men, the Zone grows bigger, but currently includes twenty houses, a general store, and a church. Two of the aforementioned houses double as an infirmary and armory respectively. The Zone also consists of a small, hilly, field just outside the town, which, like the rest of the Zone, is walled. In all honestly, its perfect. By the time we all return to Douglas's house, I'm completely amazed by how well the community is put together and structured. Its hard to imagine a place like this could actually exist, but, then again, Rick's group was able to accomplish something similar, on a smaller scale, with the prison.

"You all can return to your homes for the time being." Douglas says at the conclusion of the tour. "I'll get with Rick in the morning and we'll get you all integrated into our little community. If you have any questions, feel free to stop me before you go."

Rick lingers, obviously wanting to talk to the elderly man about something, but he's not alone.

I have a question myself.

"What can I do for you, young man?" the Safe-Zone leader acknowledges me when I approach him. "Tanner, was it?"

"Yes sir," I reply politely. "This may not seem like all that important of an issue, but I have to ask."

"Speak your mind."

"Is there any place in Alexandria I could use to take my boyfriend on a date tonight?" I ask boldly. He cranes an eyebrow at me, so I elaborate. "Being out on the road, there isn't a lot of time for such things. I was thinking that now that we're here, in a place we can feel at ease in, I might..."

He cuts me off.

"Say no more." Douglas chuckles. "Why don't you use The Park? Its rarely used in the evenings. What you'll do there is up to you, but its about as good as we've got.

The Park is the grassy area on the edge of the Zone I previously mentioned. Its not exactly what I had in mind, but I can make it work. For Carl, I can make anything work.

"Thank you, sir." I reply.

"Tanner?" the man calls out as I turn to leave. "Just call me Douglas. 'Sir' sounds much too old fashioned for me."

I smile and nod in return, then bolt to find Carl.

As it turns out, my boyfriend is waiting for me on the sidewalk, and immediately perks up upon seeing my approach.

"What took you so long?" he inquires as we begin walking back towards our new house.

"Just making sure everything is set for tonight." I grin at him.

His entire face brightens up at just the mere mention of tonight.

We cross the street directly in front of a group of about three boys our age on our way back to our place. This time, I take notice of the stares. Carl's little chat with me last night makes me more conscious of their expressions and I finally see what he's talking about. Only I know that stare. Carl was younger and more naive than I was when the apocalypse broke out. But I'd been to high school. I knew those glares all too well. That isn't the glare of a kid curious about a new arrival. Its not friendly at all, either. Carl doesn't seem to notice this time, but I make a mental note to keep an eye on them. I suspect I know what their problem is, but I can't be too sure.

Not yet.

####

"Rick!" I call out in the house. "You around?"

Carl is off with Michonne, examining the backyard and, I assume, the houses of our group mates. I purposely stayed behind to prepare for Carl and I's date that night. First order of business: Find Rick and let him in on my plans. I don't know why I feel the need to do so, but the more Rick is included in his son and I's relationship, the more supportive he tends to be, so I figure it can't hurt. He hears the sound of his name and emerges from the hallway containing his room. Something is immediately off about his appearance, though. He has some sort of gunk across his shirt. Whatever it is, it looks slimy. The same filth is on his hands and he's purposely holding them away from his body to prevent it from spreading to other articles of clothing. As I've said in the past, my mouth lacks a filter, so the first thing that comes to mind is immediately blurted out;

"What the hell happened to you?!"

The elder Grimes stares at me blankly, "Judith." he says.

He need say no more.

Its now apparent to me what happened. He must've been tending to his youngest child and she spit up all over him.

"Care to give me a hand?" Rick pleads.

I set to work wetting him a wash cloth in the bathroom sink to use to clean himself up. As he does so, the two of us travel to his bedroom, where Judith still lays sprawled out in her crib, and we begin to clean her up as well. I'm not stranger to baby duty. Ever since Judith reunited with the Grimes, I've been assisting both Rick and Carl care for her. She's taken quite well to me and me to her. We'll definitely make a good brother and sister-in-laws to one another later on in life. That's for certain.

"What is it you needed?" Rick asks me as he sets about changing Judith's diaper.

My mind suddenly returns to the present and I remember why I sought him out in the first place.

"Mind if I borrow Carl tonight?" I ask, handing him a fresh diaper to place on his daughter.

Rick shoots me a puzzled expression, but grins no less, "For what?"

Now its my turn to grin. "A date." I say plainly.

Two words and Rick stops what he's doing completely.

"A date?" his grin widens.

"What?" I ask, feigning frustration. "What are you grinning about?"

Rick laughs out loud this time, "I never imagined I'd be having this conversation." he replies, returning to work on Judith. "I'd put Carl dating out of my head after I woke up in that hospital to find the world in its current state."

"I think it'd be good for him." I explain. "Just to get out and have a normal date."

"I have to agree with you there." Rick agrees. "He seems... distracted since we got here."

"He's not adjusting well to the normalcy. Got too used to being on the road." I reply, letting Rick in on a little of Carl and I's conversation from the previous night.

"Well then," Rick continues. "I think a date will be just the thing he needs. You have my blessing."

I smile, "Thanks. Once we're done here, I'll probably set out to get everything else ready." I tell him.

With that out of the way, Rick and I set about finishing cleaning off both himself and Judith. Excitement is slowly rising in my veins. Rick seems to see this, which only heightens his good mood. I nearly bolt from the house upon completing our clean up, but Rick isn't to hasty to let me go and stops me on my way out the front door.

"We're you taking him?" the former sheriff's deputy inquires, standing in the doorway.

"The grassy knoll on the other side of the Zone." I reply. "Far enough for us to be on our own, but close enough in case something happens."

Rick nods his approval.

"I'll be back to get him around dinner time!" I call out as I dart across the street.

Rick waves and then vanishes from my sight.

My next destination is simple.

Tara.

Over the past month, Tara has become a very good friend of mine. Aside from her sarcasm, which rivals Carl and I's combined, she's witty and funny. More importantly, however, she is gay and understands me a lot better than some of the other members of the group. She is my go-to person when it comes to relationship issues and I want to get her to help me out with something I have in mind. She shares a house with Glenn and Maggie, as they have also become close friends of hers, and it is fairly easy for me to locate their house from ours; being only a block away.

The streets are bustling as I make my way across the Zone towards her abode. Its been a good long while since I've seen a settlement with this much activity in it. Living activity, I should say. People walk the sidewalks, chatting with friends and family, completely oblivious to the horrors of the outside world. In a way, to me, its perplexing. Perhaps Carl's paranoia has finally rubbed off on me, but it seems dangerous to me to completely forget about what's going on outside the Zone's walls. Bandits could attack this place, or even walkers. To be completely oblivious is to be caught off guard. I won't allow that to happen to myself, no matter how much I'm beginning to enjoy the normalcy of this place. I round another street corner and immediately spot Glenn and Maggie's house, where Tara lives, and make a beeline straight for it. Its Maggie who answers the door when I knock.

"Tanner?" her thick Southern accent fills the doorway. "What brings you over here?"

"Is Tara around?"

"She was out back with Glenn and I." she replies with a nod. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," I nod in return. "Would it be possible for me to come in to speak with her for a sec?"

Maggie pushes the front door open further and steps aside to let me in.

"Of course," she smiles. "Come on."

We find Tara right where Maggie said she'd be. She and Glenn are basking in the pleasant heat of the afternoon sun on the back porch of the couple's home. They both stir as Maggie and I step out of the house and onto the porch. Both seem rather surprised that I'm the one Maggie has brought along with her, but Tara is quick to greet me.

"What's up, Tan?" she says, offering me her fist for a fist bump.

Tan.

How or why that nickname stuck with her, I'll never understand. I'm just glad none of the others have picked up on calling me that. It made me sound like some sort of a skin condition. I'd told her this once and that only made her call me by that name more insistently. Nevertheless, I extend my own fist and return her gesture of good will.

"What brings you by here?"

"Carl been here today?" I ask.

"Earlier with Michonne." she replies. "They left awhile ago to go see Carol and Daryl. Why?"

I shrug. "Just wondering." I reply. "Mind if I ask you for some advice?"

"Sure, kiddo." she replies with a grin. "What's the spiel?"

"Well," I glance up at the crystal clear sky, as if searching it for the right words. "I'm taking Carl on a date tonight."

Three heads snap around to bring me into view. Maggie and Tara are both grinning devilishly. Glenn looks rather indifferent, though I can tell he's at least mildly intrigued.

"A date?" Maggie chimes in. " That's so sweet of you, Tanner! What's the occasion?"

"Its kind of a promise I made awhile back." I explain, scratching my chin in embarrassment. "Plus, he's been kinda out of it since we arrived here. Thought it might cheer him up."

"Now that you mention it," Glenn says. "He did seem rather quiet earlier."

I nod.

"So what kind of advice do you need, kiddo?" Tara returns to our original topic.

I take a moment to gather my thoughts again before speaking.

"I've never been on a date before." I admit. "I'm... I'm not sure what to do."

She scratches her head and thinks for a moment. "I don't think there really is any thing in particular you're supposed to 'do'." she replies. "Every couple dates differently."

"Before Glenn and I were married," Maggie hops in again. "Back at the prison? We'd sneak off to the guard tower and enjoy a night under the stars. Talking, joking around, sometimes we'd even bring our dinner with us."

Now, I haven't known Glenn and Maggie for a terribly long time, but going by Carl's numerous tales about them and my own observations after I had met them, I am nearly positive that they were doing a little more than sneaking off to go stare at the stars all night. The thought of that makes me grin internally. I know Glenn and Maggie weren't that innocent. Still, it seems simplistic enough. I'd always been taught that a date was a big occasion and couples back in high school seemed to have all these rules for dating one another. It seemed terribly complex back then.

"The point is," Tara continues. "You know you and you know Carl. Do something you both like. There aren't any set formulas or anything stupid like that when it comes to dating. It sounds cliche, but just be yourself."

I kinda figured she'd say something along those lines.

Its not much to go off of, but at least my anxiety is abating.

"I hope its as easy as you make it sound." I reply after some time.

"You and Carl are pretty close." she says. "It'll work out. Trust me."

The four of us go silent and return our gazes to the sky, where the sun has begun to slope down on its descent towards the horizon. Anticipation is rising in my chest and I suddenly am struck with a profound urgency to go and find Carl. I haven't been with him since the tour this morning, and, truth be told, I miss him. After awhile, I say my goodbyes to Glenn, Maggie, and Tara and take off back towards the house I share with Michonne and the Grimes. At this point, the sun is now halfway down in the sky, evening fast approaching. The sky turns a brilliant shade of reddish-orange as I come up on the doorstep of our home. As I approach the door, I can hear the voices of Rick and Carl chatting back and forth inside.

It brings a smile to my face.

I've lost a lot since this all began, but, finally, I have a family to return to. Finally, I have a place to call home. With that warm thought in mind, I firmly grip the doorknob, twist, and step inside.

####

Carl and Rick abruptly stop talking as I walk into the main room of the house and my breath immediately catches.

Carl.

He looks different and it takes my brain a moment to register everything fully. Aside from his haircut, which we'd gotten together, he's changed clothes since I last saw him. Carl Grimes is now wearing a light blue and white, button down, plaid shirt, his signature skin-tight jeans, and a pair of sneakers I hadn't seen him wear before. Clearly somebody got a new wardrobe while he was out today. Most importantly, however, is the lack of his signature sheriff's hat, which almost always adorns the top of his head. Not that I mind it. As long as it took me to register all of this, it takes me a second more to realize my palms are sweating. Profusely. Carl has always looked handsome to me, but now...

He just...

He smiles at me before I can even finish my train of thought, cutting off any chance that I'll ever come back around to it.

"Been waiting for you." Carl says, breaking the rather awkward silence.

"Tanner," its Rick. "If you clench your fists any tighter, you'll bust an artery."

He means it in jest, but I hadn't realized just how tense I'd suddenly become. The warm feeling of my face turning completely cherry-red sweeps over me and I quickly unclench them, stuffing both of them into my pockets to prevent myself from doing that unconsciously again. Carl chuckles at my embarrassed reaction and moves to join me by the door. Now I feel bad. I should have come home early and gotten all dressed up myself. Not that I looked bad, nor did I know what I could possibly dress in, but Carl looks ready for a date. I, on the other hand, look ready to go out and kill walkers. Even so, Carl doesn't seem in the least bit bothered. He's beaming, in fact.

"Ready to go?" he asks.

"Y-yeah.." I stutter. "Rick?"

"Try to be back by a decent hour?" the elder Grimes implores me.

"We will, Dad." Carl chirps, clasping his hand around my wrist. "C'mon Tanner!"

As usual, Carl doesn't wait for a response from me. When he's got his mind set on something no one, and I do mean no one is about to keep him from it. The door to the house slams behind us and before I know it, we're back on the street. Of course, only I know where we're going, so I quickly pull myself out of my daze, slip my hand from out of his wrist to clasp his hand more properly and then I take off we take off down the street, hand-in-hand, with me leading the way. Neither of us says anything as we cross the Zone to the sparse area Douglas refers to as The Park. The sun is setting quickly, but soon we reach a small grassy hill at the edge of the field to settle down in.

The view is breathtaking.

The sun sets in the west, further painting the sky an array of vivid colors. To the east, the housetops of Alexandria are visible. We can also see the wall surrounding the camp in its fully glory. Its the first time I've seen the entire settlement from one viewpoint. Carl and I turn back towards the west to watch the sun set, still tightly clasping the other's hand.

I'm the first to break our silence.

"You manage to visit everyone today?"

He nods.

"Everyone except Tyreese and Sasha." he replies. "They weren't in when we went to visit."

"Its unreal." I comment. "Everyone with their own place now. We have to 'visit' each other. I'd almost forgotten what those kinds of boundaries were like."

His eyes narrow. "Yeah..."

There's a sense of sadness underlying his voice. Perhaps the somewhat-separation from our group, since we've been in Alexandria, is part of what is causing Carl to withdraw so much. Before we all came together at Terminus, all that drove Carl was the desire to be with his friends again. Now, even though we are still together, we're scattered. I don't think he likes it. I move quick to change the subject, releasing his hand and stepping around in front of him, so that I can place both hands on his shoulders and look him in the eyes.

"But enough about everyone else." I say. "Tonight is for us."

He smiles softly.

"I have to ask." I say, smirk coming across my face. "Where'd you get the outfit?"

Carl chuckles softly, "Eric came by while you were out. Said they had some extra kids clothes my size if I wanted a change of clothes. I thought this would look alright since I knew we had this planned for tonight."

"Its perfect." I snort. "I feel bad for not dressing up myself."

Carl moves quick as a snake and slides his arms around my waist, leaning his head into my chest. Its an embrace I've been waiting all day for. Warm. Cozy. Soothing to the soul. Just his aroma is intoxicating. Its the most powerful drug that I've ever encountered. More potent than any narcotic. It surrounds me, fills me up, warms my chest, and cools my skin. I'm so enthralled by it that I bury my nose into his soft, freshly cut hair, just to get a stronger scent of him. Eventually, he releases a loose string of chuckles into my chest.

"Don't feel bad." he says. "I think you look fine."

The sun continues to set and, before long, night falls over the East Coast.

Carl and I settled down on the hill, with him seated comfortably in between my legs, knees drawn up to his chest and his back resting gently against my own chest. From our vantage point, the night sky comes completely alive. That's one advantage to the loss of modern civilization. No longer do the lights of big cities and massive nations cover up the natural beauty of space. The heavens can open up and reveal their true majesty in the darkest nights. Stars rule the heavens, the faint flicker of distant planets accent their beauty, and the moon shines in all its pale glory. Nothing even comes close to the natural beauty stretched out before us. I tighten my grip around Carl's torso as we continue to watch night take hold of the planet.

"This is nice." he eventually says.

"Sorry its not much." I say to him. "I wanted a romantic evening away, but..."

"This is nice." he repeats. "No walkers. No fear of bandits or bad people. We can be together without sneaking around. I've wanted this... for awhile."

His confession is heartwarming.

Carl can be romantic when he wants to be. That's not often, but its extremely sweet when he does. I agree with him with all my heart. All I've wanted since the moment I first fell in love with him was a normal relationship. One that didn't bear the marks of the suffering on the outside world. One that was dependent on love and nurturing one another. On the road, it wasn't possible. We had to constantly be on our toes and sometimes we had to sacrifice our desire to be lovers in order to survive. Here we have a chance to rectify those things.

I'm not missing that opportunity.

And that's when I realize that everything Maggie and Tara said was true. In high school, most couples I knew went on movie dates, parties, expensive dinners, game nights, or even back to their houses to shack it up. They missed out on the simple things. Just being here with Carl wrapped in my arms is enough for me. We don't have to do anything fancy. All I need is him. If I can have just that, and I do, then it doesn't matter what we do on this "date" or any others like it in the future. It'll be enough for me.

"Me too, Carl." I reply at last. "Me too."

Taking that as incentive, Carl swivels around, wrapping his arms around my neck while leaning up closer to my face. I can feel his breath on mine, brushing the surface of my skin ever so lightly. Finally, he turns around fully, propping himself up on his knees, and then presses his lips onto mine. Something else I'd been waiting to do all day. The kiss lacks all the hot and heaviness of sexual pursuit. I don't believe that was his intent from the get-go. He seems to simply want to be close to me. To touch me. To feel me here with him. I'm all too happy to surrender to his desires. I return my arms to their place around his neck and pull him into me. I fall back into the grass of the hill below us and then we're kissing passionately. Our tongues dance around each other, as they've become so accustomed to doing; almost playfully brushing against the other, before darting away only to be pursued by the other in return. When we both finally let up, I release a giggle from the back of my throat.

"What?" he asks with a confused grin.

"You've become a good kisser." I reply, licking my lips playfully.

"Well, I did learn from the best." he counters.

I laugh out loud and hard at this one. "Liar." I joke. "I just do whatever the hell comes to mind. "

"Then you're a natural." he jokes in response.

I reward his flattery with a quick peck to his lips.

Carl rolls off the top of me and lays beside me in the grass, staring up at the stars. I quickly rectify our lack of touch by scooting over and resting the back of my head against his chest; that way we can both stare at the stars again. This is my favorite position to be in. Where I can feel him against me. Hear his heartbeat. Hear his breathing. As if my body has become accustomed to his, I can feel our breathing sync up and then our heartbeats. Its several minutes before he speaks up again.

"We start helping out in the community tomorrow." he mentions.

I sigh out loud. "Yep, we sure do."

"I'm gonna miss you on the wall." he says.

"We both have jobs to do." I respond responsibly. "But we'll still be together. I'll come see you whenever I get a break and we'll have the entire evening together everyday."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Carl admits.

I snort. "Of course I am. Aren't I always?"

I can visualize him rolling his eyes in my mind. I know that's what he's doing, even though I can't see his face from the angle I'm laying in.

"Don't even get me started with that." he quips.

"We'd better get back soon." I mention, changing the subject. "Your dad will start getting worried."

Carl huffs, "Just a few more minutes?"

In that instant, Carl sounds five years old, begging to stay up just five minutes later. Its cute and hilarious at the same time and I'm not even sure he's aware he's done it.

"Sure, dork." I reply in jest. "A few more minutes it is."

A few minutes, as it turns out, turned into half an hour. Half an hour into an hour and a half. Its late by the time we finally make ourselves get out of our cozy position and begin the walk back to the house. The streets are completely devoid of activity when we return, as is to be expected. We cross in to the populated area of the Safe-Zone and immediately locate our street before taking off int he direction of the house. Before we can fully cross the block, however, shadowy movement catches my eye and Carl and I both freeze. Across the street, several of the teenage boys I'd seen earlier were gathered around chatting with each other in the yard of one of the adjacent houses. They'd spotted us and will occasionally glance over at us before resuming talking amongst one another.

Carl glances at me.

He's noticed this time, where he hadn't this morning.

Their expressions haven't changed. They're still icy. There is venom to them. My eyes narrow instinctively and I immediately move to get Carl back to the house. Once we're a safe distance away, he begins to speak to me again.

"See what I mean about them?" he asks.

I nod. "Yeah," I reply. "I noticed earlier too."

"What's their problem?"

We turn the corner and start coming up the driveway towards our house at this point.

"I don't know." I reply honestly to him. "But from now on, let's keep our eyes on them. Avoid them as we can. At least until we know more."

He nods and drops the issue.

We reach the house and push our way in. Michonne, Rick, and Judith must already be in bed, because all the lights are off and its dead quiet in the house. Carl and I silently make our way to our own bedroom, closing the door lightly behind us. As we dress for bed, my heart is torn between two conflicting emotions. One, immense happiness and joy that our first date, while slow, was a huge success. The other, creeping suspicion and anxiety that there is something not right about a certain group of kids in this community. Carl and I crawl into bed next one another and immediately resume our snuggling. Even so, I can't get the feeling out of the pit of my stomach...

That something is about to come to a head...

A/N: And there we are! The date I hinted at twice ages ago finally happened. That's been one plot point I've been looking to tie up for sometime now. Alexandria really seems to be a safe place, but what is this sinister feeling cropping up? Guess you'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out! xD I know, I'm terrible. To continue my countdown, we are now in the final four chapters! I'm excited to show guys what I have in store for the next few chapters. It'll be a surprise, I promise!

Now to the reviews! There were quite a lot this chapter!

Hellraiser1701: Hahahaha! I get that a lot. There are plenty of female OC stories for Carl, but not many males. It definitely makes me feel good that this story offers something different for you guys to read and enjoy and I'm glad you enjoy it so much! Thank you for your comment!

tentails: No spoilers! You'll have to wait and see! :D Anything is possible in the TWD world.

Obtained: That would be freaking scary! When I read this review, I immediately thought of walkers turning into The Creeper from Jeepers Creepers. If walkers EVER do that, I'll have a heart attack! All the PMs I got also are suspicious of Alexandria. No place is truly safe in TWD, so who knows what threats could be lurking around the corner! xD Thank you for your comment!

bvbarmyrocks: Yus! Alexandria Safe-Zone, just like I promised! I've been excited to write about this place because a lot of cool things happen here. Plus, its a cool new setting. We've seen them on the road, in neighborhoods, in Terminus, etc. But we've never seen them in a place that could actually be safe. There are several things that go a long with that, which present new problems to the group all on its own, and I really wanted to explore those issues. Now I have a chance! Thank you!

Guest: I'm super happy to hear that! I hope you continue to enjoy!

HeadedCoffee: Then you're in for a treat! These last four chapters will be full of it! I'm glad you're still enjoying it so much :) Stay tuned! The stuff I have planned for the remaining chapters is going to be great! I promise.

Guest: You can definitely expect more from me in the future! I promise! Thanks for the comment!

I also want to give a special shout out to the awesome PM Review I got from JustAGent. Its great to know there are UK fans out there that read this and that you enjoy it so much! I really enjoyed reading your PMs! Thank you so much!

Thank you all!

From the bottom of my heart, this is the best readership ever! I hope you all stick with me to the end!

See you guys next chapter!

Later!