Sasha loved the sound of Isaac's laugh, the low, deep rumble that arose when she tickled his ribs with the tips of her fingers.

"Cut it out, woman, or I'll have to discipline you."

"Try it." She continued her tickling. He seized her hand and rolled her on her stomach in the narrow bottom bunk before slapping her bare ass playfully. The second slap turned into a gentle caress, and then his lips were on the back of her neck and soon enough his hand was snaking between her legs.

After that second round of sex, Isaac rolled on his side facing Sasha and jammed himself against the wall so she could have the better part of the mattress. Sasha settled her head on the pillow and smiled. "It's nice you finally have your own room. Like a big boy."

"Thank the speedy work of Alexandria's construction workers." He reached up and pounded the empty bunk bed above. "And Santiago for leaving Green Acres and following that chick to the Kingdom."

"I bet Malik's happy about that, though," Sasha said. "No more competition for Rosita."

"Malik thrives on competition."

"What do you do these days, with so few threats? Are you farming?"

He chuckled. "Me? No. I'm still in command of the watch. And Malik and I scavenge now, like you."

"Scavenge up anything good recently?"

Isaac leaned over her and pulled out a drawer in his nightstand. He handed her a heart shaped locket. The gold chain was cool against her fingers. "Pretty, but you know I think jewelry is impractical. Gets in the way. Gets caught on things. Gives walkers something to grab."

"I can't win for trying."

She kissed his strong, bare shoulder. "I appreciate the thought."

"Even Rosita liked the jewelry Malik gave her."

"You mean the brass knuckles?"

He shrugged.

Sasha rolled on her back and dangled the necklace above her eyes. The tiny red jewels lodged in the gold heart twinkled in the sunlight filtering in through the lace curtains. "I'll hang it in my bedroom as a decoration. It's pretty. Get me six more and I'll make a mobile."

"Not getting you anything ever again, you ingrate."

Sasha chuckled. She turned and kissed his cheek. "When will you be in Alexandria?"

"Trade schedule puts me there in two weeks. But, you know, you don't have to go back home tomorrow with Daryl and Carl. You could stay here at Green Acres. There's room."

She looked at the narrow bed and at his big body wedged against the wall. "Really?"

"Well...you can have the top bunk when we're not going at it. Or I could consider moving to Alexandria. You've got a queen-size bed."

Sasha wasn't ready for what he was suggesting. She'd lost two men already, Bob and then Abraham, and she didn't want to risk attaching herself too firmly to a third. They'd had sex for the first time two weeks ago at the big Christmas party in the Kingdom. It had begun with a kiss under the mistletoe and had ended on the teacher's desk in one of the classrooms. But she was still telling herself this relationship was casual. "Tex isn't going to want to lose his best sniper. You never know when some roving gang might show up." She slid out of bed and pulled on her underwear.

"Suit yourself," he said. "But you're really missing out." He waved a hand from head to knee over his naked body.

Sasha chuckled. "Maybe I could stop by Green Acres again next week, though, if I happen to be out scavenging in this direction."

Isaac grinned. A silver tooth that had finally replaced his missing one glinted. "Well I hope you happen to be."

Sasha slid her sweatshirt on over her head.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I have to meet with Tex so we can negotiate for that tanker we brought y'all."

"Well, don't tell him I told you...but that steer finally got big enough to slaughter. Tommy butchered it up the other day. We've got three hundred fifty pounds of meat hanging in the smoke house. A hundred and fifty pounds are already promised in trade to the Kingdom, though."

"Good to know."

[*]

While Sasha met with Tex in his study to haggle over the price of the gas tanker, Daryl followed Isaac into a backroom of the storage cellar. He felt like a kid who had just walked into a candy store. His eyes drifted over an 18th century musket, and then he picked up an FG 42 that looked liked it had been plucked off a World War II battlefield. "These things work?"

"Some do," Isaac answered. "Some don't. But our gunsmith is breaking down the ones that don't for parts."

"Where the hell ya find 'em?"

"Malik and I raided the NRA headquarters in Fairfax. The National Firearms museum is there. The range store had been completely looted, of course, but no one thought to take the museum exhibits."

Daryl picked up another rifle, checked it, leveled it, and then dry fired at the wall.

"You are holding history in your hands, my friend. That's a Remington Model 1865. Breech loading."

"Damn," Daryl muttered.

Isaac looked around at the piles of guns. "Maybe I should have given Sasha one of these instead of that necklace."

[*]

Daryl had thought they would have the venison they'd slain for dinner, but instead they enjoyed juicy, peppery beef sirloin steaks and greens cooked in bacon grease, which they washed down with sweet tea. "Need to visit more often," Daryl said.

Isaac smiled across the dinning room table at Sasha. "Most definitely."

"Don't worry. You'll have steak again this week," Sasha told Daryl. "Tex is sending us home with one hundred pounds of beef."

"Is that what ya got out him?" Daryl asked.

"And thirty gallons of milk."

As the dishes were cleared by the kitchen servants, Tex invited Daryl to check out a "new addition"to the ranch. He led Daryl to one of the barns, leaned against the gray wooden rail of a stall, and pointed to one of his dogs, which lay in the hay with a litter of four puppies sucking from her teats. "Glad for these little guys," Tex said. "Lost my best cattle dog last month. General got in between me and a walker in the woods. Poor boy got bit pretty bad." He pointed to a little black-and-white pup. "That one looks just like him."

Daryl watched the pups jostling for position. "Could use me a huntin' dog."

"Thought you might say that. Junior's mine, but you can have your pick of any one of the other three. I was planning to wean them tomorrow, anyway. They're six weeks now. I'll send you home with one. I mean, assuming the Mrs. doesn't mind."

Daryl wasn't sure if he should say anything about Tex's use of the Mrs. He hadn't put a ring on Carol's finger, the way Glenn had once put one on Maggie's and the way Rick, more recently, had put one on Michonne's. He didn't even know if she would want him to. Carol hadn't exactly had a positive first marriage, and Daryl wasn't the best husband material. She hadn't kicked him out of her bed yet, but he wasn't sure she'd want to call herself Mrs. Dixon either. In the end, though, he didn't say anything about Tex's assumption. Instead, he scratched his cheek and asked, "What ya want for the pup?"

"Just want you to deliver something to Maggie for me." Tex pushed back from the wooden rail. "She mentioned wanting a Baby Bjorn the last time I was in Alexandria to trade. Isaac picked one up for me."

"What the fuck's a bee horn? And what the hell does a baby need one for?"

Tex laughed. "It's a baby carrier you wear."

The next morning, they loaded up the beef, the milk, and the baby carrier. Sasha took the wheel of the supply truck. Daryl had to tell Carl to "C'mon!" twice because he was flirting with Hope, who had walked him to the truck to say goodbye. Carl climbed into the back, and Daryl sat on the front passenger's side.

"I'm coming on all your trade trips from now on," Carl announced.

When Sasha started the truck, a small black nose poked its way out of the top of Daryl's leather jacket, and a rough little tongue licked his chin.

"You sure Carol's going to be okay with that?" Sasha asked as she popped the truck into gear and began driving.