A/N: Warning, extensive use of character thoughts and flashbacks will abound in this chapter.

"You know what I used to wonder about?" Tara asked. It was early morning and the group had all uncharacteristically gathered together for breakfast after creeping back from all corners of the building during the night. When nobody responded to her question, she continued talking. "How is it that deranged killers in movies always knew how to do everything?"

Most of the rest of the refugees in the breakroom just stared at her in silence. "What? You never thought about things like that?" she asked innocently.

"Why...What... You really spend a lot of time pondering stuff like that?" Emily asked at last.

"Well..yeah. I mean, think about it. That Michael Myers guy from the Halloween movies. Okay, they locked him up when he was just a kid. You know what that means? When everyone else was taking driver's ed, he was in the psycho ward, so how'd he know how to drive when he stole those cars and stuff in all the movies? Sure, if it was an automatic, I guess it's not that hard to figure out, but what if it was a stick shift? It took me forever to get the hang of that, so how would some crazy psycho figure it out? And what about Friday the 13th? Don't you think by the third or fourth time all the camp counselors got sliced and diced someone would have realized that camping there was a bad idea?"

"Seriously, you really think about stuff like that?" Emily said doubtfully.

"Sure. Why not? Can you honestly tell me that you've never wondered about stuff like that?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. I've never wanted to know where Michael Myers learned to drive. He's a fictional character, in a movie. Same thing with the turbo slut camp counselors in the Friday movies. Not real. Reality usually gets suspended in movies, in case you hadn't noticed."

While the two of them debated fact and fiction in the movies, Natalie tuned them out and lost herself in thoughts of her own problems.

'Shit. What the hell happened last night. One minute I'm trying to get the upperhand on Richard the next I'm waking up naked, with Sean's arms wrapped around me. What the fuck did he do to me? Was it the wine that we'd found up there? Did the sonuvabitch drug me! But that's impossible, he can't possibly suspect me of anything. Maybe he was afraid I'd turn him down, which I would have. He was drinking outta the same bottle though, it couldn't have been drugs. So what happened then? And how will Iever make Richard understand. WillI even have to? God, if there was ever I time I wished I could see into the future, it's now.'

She glanced around the room quickly, but most of them weren't paying her any attention, too entertained by another of Emily and Tara's arguments to notice her. All except Richard, he looked at her knowingly, the only one to suspect what had happened last night, or so she thought. Across the room, half hidden behind the warring duo, Sean's gaze may have appeared to follow the two arguing, but his eyes were all on Natalie. He'd learned a lot about her the night before.

'She's beautiful, but lethal. My very own little Black Widow. She's a true actress, I can't believe I didn't see it sooner. She doesn't give a damn about me, much less those kids. Not even Richard scares her I bet. The only thing she fears, are those creatures on the street. God, if there was ever a time I needed to see into the future, it's now. I wish I knew what was going on in that devious little mind of hers. But even if I could, would I want to see.'

Sean looked away, down at the table as the realization hit him. He wanted her to give a damn. About him, about the others. There was no reason they couldn't all live to reach this walled in city Richard, in all his secrecy, had more or less dangled in front of them all like the proverbial carrot.

Aaron looked with concern at Sean's face, the flicker of pain, uncertainty that flashed across it as he stared at the food before him. He glanced over at the source of his former Lieutenant's pain. The bitch. Looking up slightly, he caught Emily's eye and gave her a barely perceptible nod. They'd worked it all out the night before, after Natalie had lead Sean away.

"Emily, they're gone," Aaron whispered softly into her ear. Her eyes opened in a flash.

"I know, I heard them too."

"Come with me," he insisted, gently tugging her to her feet.

"Where?"

"Trust me."

She followed him in silence, not towards the roof as she'd expected, but into the security office. Once inside, he turned on a lantern.

"What are we doing in here?" she asked, squinting as she was momentarily blinded by the light.

"Spying."

"How? We don't even know where they're at, and hello, the power's off so those surveillance cams don't work either!"

"They're on the roof, it's where we all wander to when we want to be alone."

"Not always," she argued, thinking of their little love nest in the sporting department downstairs. Something in her voice betrayed what she was thinking and he smiled.

"Okay, I'll give you that one, but that's us, not the rest of the group. Have a little faith," he said, turning and moving towards the locker room. "Bring the lamp," he called.

"Bring the lamp," she mimicked, smiling as she moved to do just that. Inside the locker room, Aaron opened up the locker that had been Thomas' and pulled out some tools.

"What've you got in mind?" she asked.

"Sean told me about this vent, it's his favorite way of getting up onto the roof without being detected."

"Wouldn't the stairs be easier?"

"Not if you don't want to be seen. He can move pretty silently, but that steel door still makes plenty of noise no matter how carefully you open it."

Aaron made quick work of the vent, opening it up and setting the grate aside. "You ready for this?"

"Crawling through dirty ventilation shafts to spy on people, in the middle of the night, in a city crawling with walking dead corpses. You sure know how to show a girl a good time."

"Next time I'll let you make the reservations," he quipped, handing her a small flashlight. "Now, just stay behind me, and be ready to shut the flashlight off when I give you the signal."

"Let me add 'in total darkness' to the list of how you plan on showing me a good time."

"Normally you don't complain when I sneak you off to dark places," he laughed as he climbed inside the vent.

"Normally those dark places are much roomier and more comfortable," she grumbled, following him closely.

It was hard to determine how long they'd huddled there on the roof, listening the Natalie's tale about Richard and the children, Sean's reassurances that he'd help her. When their clothes had started to come off, the two of them returned to the security office, deciding there wouldn't be anything else for them to hear.

"Tell me he wasn't just getting naked up there with Pandora," Emily demanded, almost as soon as Aaron emerged from the vent. He was quiet for a moment, putting the grate back in place first, before he turned to face her.

"Pandora? Very appropriate. He's just playing her, the same as she's trying to do to him," he replied, sounding none too convinced himself.

"So what's her game? She's definitely not the frightened female she makes herself out to be."

"The only time she pretends to be frightened is when she gets him alone."

"You're right! I hadn't even thought about it. Jesus. And she thinks he doesn't notice that?"

"Sean told me that she's playing some kind of game, like she's the poor helpless female to Richard's super-villain."

"Nice analogy."

He grinned. "Sean told me he suspected she'd approach him tonight, when she thought we'd all be asleep."

"Which is why you were still awake."

"We were both waiting for her to make a move. You want to tell me what you were still up for?"

"As odd as it may seem, I couldn't sleep."

"Not so odd really," he said, brushing her hair back from her face.

"So what else did Sean tell you?"

"Aaron, you need to bring your little girlfriend here back to reality before I do some serious ass-kicking," Tara's voice cut through his reminiscing.

'Wha..What?" he asked, totally at a loss for what had just transpired.

"Oh, don't tell me you didn't hear what she said to me."

"Tara, you're just over-reacting," Emily said quietly. "I didn't mean it that way."

"You just said I was some kind of fucking nutcase!"

"I did not!"

There was the sound of a pistol cocking, then another, before a voice spoke over the din. "I think that that's just about enough of that. Play time's over children. Time to get down to business," Richard said. He had his arm wrapped around Jesse's throat, across the room stood Justin, with a similar hold on Jamie. Both men held pistols which were pressed against the children's' heads. Justin looked like he was going to be sick.

"Now, I have a deadline to keep. That means, the bus is leaving. Anyone who wants to live, to go back to a normal city and a normal life, come quietly with us now. Anyone who wants to resist, well, the lives of these kids will be on your conscious. Your choice."

"And what if we were to say, fuck you?" Matthew asked belligerently.

"Then I shoot you first."

"I don't think so," Sean said quietly, so quiet they almost didn't hear him.

"Don't test my patience, it'll be a pleasure for me to kill you."

"So do it. Shoot me. And in the time it takes you to aim and shoot, I'm willing to bet that there's at least three people in this room who will drop your ass. Are you willing to take that chance."

Richard smiled. "Natalie darling, now's the time to use that little gift I gave you this morning." She stood, pulling a pistol out from where it had been tucked in the waistband of her pants. It was time for the moment of truth, which side would she choose. She pointed her weapon towards Emily.

"Justin, be a good boy and cover our friend the medic," Richard ordered. "Allen, cover our little Sergeant. What do you think of your odds now Lieutenant? It's going to feel good to watch you die!" he nearly shouted the last, squeezing the trigger.

Nothing happened. He squeezed it again, looking down in astonishment at the weapon. Its safety was clearly off. Natalie answered the question that was written all over his face.

"I'm sorry Richard, I had to do it. When you made your call to the city this morning I, uh, replaced your pistol with one Sean gave me. It looks perfect doesn't it, full load, safety off. You'd've really had to look to find out that the firing pin is missing."

"You Bitch!" he snarled, lunging towards her. He was brought up short by a short, hard jab to his windpipe,executed by Barry of all people. He snatched the useless weapon out of the older man's grasp while he was bent over, stunned andgasping for air.

"It's like you said Richard, back at the Fort, stick with him, he'll keep you alive until the end," Natalie told him, gesturing towards Sean.

"Now, I think we need to have a little chat, someplace real quiet-like," Sean said, pulling Richard to his feet. About boats and safe cities. How you picked me out of the crowd to get your little whore girlfriend to the bus garage. What exactly it is you know about me."

"Sean? What are you saying?" the girl in question asked, shocked at his calling her a whore.

"Tara, Em," he said. Tara snaked a hand out, grasping hold of Natalie's hair and yanking it back hard. Caught off guard, she let out a shriek of pain, distracted long enough for Emily to wrestle the gun from her grasp. Just that quick Tara relaxed her grip, setting the other woman free.

"I knew right from the start you were using me Natalie. I just figured I'd use it to our advantage," Sean said softly, not meeting her eyes. He tightened his grip on Richard's arms, pausing as Aaron joined him. Together, they each grasped hold of one of the prisoner'sarms.

"You didn't really think you were that good of an actress did you?" the teen asked her. "Bet you didn't realize we were on to you. And me and Emily, we're pretty damn good at that whole acting thing, if I do say so myself." She smirked, high-fiving Emily.

Natalie was silent, refusing toreplyas she watched Aaron and Sean push Richard from the room. She looked at her watch, not quite three hours left to meet up with the boat. They'd better get their answers from him soon, otherwise, they'd never be leaving this place. All her dreams of being safe at the Green were disappearing right before her eyes. It was time for a new plan.