Gareth's POV

As I was getting Alex ready for the remainder of the drive up to Aaron's alleged community the next morning, Sadie's voice surprised me from behind. Considerably more than I'd care to admit.

"...so, I was thinking…" She suggested, rolling over to look up at me from our little makeshift bed. "..why don't I ride up with you and Alex in our car? Give you a little break from the driving today? T can drive them in the RV."

"Didn't know you were up yet." I chuckled. "...and anyway, I'm pretty sure you were driving last night too, so unless Alex learned to drive, who takes over for you then?"

"Very funny!" She snickered, chucking the pillow at me.

"I thought it was."

"Well, maybe I just wanna give you an excuse to ride with me. Is it such a crime to wanna ride with my husband? Hmmm?" She teased with a purposely pitiful look on her face.

I rolled my eyes as I tossed her her jacket. "..no, but making me feel bad about it should be."

"..as should being a baby about it." She added with a smirk, slinging her crossbow over her shoulder as she stood up. "...now, you comin or what?"

"..or what." I snickered as I followed her out.

I decided to give another couple hours or so, most of it spent on the road, before I bothered her any further about why she really wanted to switch up the driving arrangements.

As happy as I was to be back on the road with just her….and Alex, I was having more than a little trouble buying that she was just that willing to give up giving Aaron anymore shit simply for my sake.

"How much longer would you say we have left again?" I asked, sort of casually, as if I'd just purely zoned out up until now.

She seemed to chuckle a little at the thought of that as she glanced back at me.

"...little more than halfway now. Another hour and a half maybe, give or take."

"Pretty good timing then." I nodded, gazing back at her before raising my real question.

"I'll say."

I sighed at how much more nervous she seemed to get after she answered that, as if my pointing out what little time seemed to be left made this whole thing just a little too real for her.

"...what?" She finally asked

I glanced back at Alex in the backseat, to see that he'd fallen back asleep, before I finally asked it. "...So, when are you gonna tell me the real reason you wanted to change things up today?"

"I don't follow…"

"I mean…." I offered a slight chuckle. "...there has to be another reason you let Aaron off the hook so easily. I didn't seem to stop you before."

"Well, you never even tried to before…" She chuckled back, rolling her eyes. "...anyway, if you'd really have rather finished the drive by yourself rather than spend the time with your wife, why don't you just say that? I'll try not to be too heartbroken about it."

"Hey, who says I'd be by myself? I'd still have Alex with me, wouldn't I?" I teased.

She shoved playfully at my shoulder for that one. "Very funny."

"Sadie come on though…" I finally said a little more seriously. "...I think you and I both know if you really just wanted to spend the time with me, Theresa would be the one taking Alex separately and you and I would be in the RV with Aaron and Eric. You like the idea of a captive audience too well."

"Yeah, well, maybe I just wanted the time alone with you, is that such a crime?" She tried to insist.

"Sadie- "

"Look, what do you want me to say, Gar?" She cut me off, clearly trying to hold herself together. "...look, I stand by what I said about wanting to give this place of theirs a real shot, but I stand by what I said last night too, when I said we don't really know them still….." She paused as she tried to collect the rest of her thoughts before going on.

"...I guess what I'm trying to say is…." She finally added with another sigh. "...that I just felt better about pulling up to this place with just you…" She chuckled a little as she glanced back at Alex, nodding toward him when she looked back at me. "...and him…..now, is that such a crime…"

"No…" I smiled gently back at her. "...No, I'd say that's more than understandable."

She smiled back at me, taking my hand briefly before releasing it again to place hers back on the wheel. "...Thanks, Gar….."

"Don't mention it." I replied just as softly.

As we finally approached what appeared to be the front of this alleged community Aaron and his boyfriend had been hyping up so much, their RV trailing not too far behind our own vehicle, I watched as Sadie sat beside me in silence, assessing the immediate surroundings and attempting to process just what the hell we were really getting ourselves into.

It seemed nice enough, at face value anyway.

There were a couple small houses just outside the gate, not completely unlike the one we'd been holed up with Theresa in, that seemed a little worse for wear, but otherwise fairly decent.

Then again...one, present company included, could've made the same assumptions about Terminus.

I sighed as I looked back up at that damned front gate again which, from the look on Sadie's face, was not doing any concerns she'd had or was currently having about this place any favors.

"Hey…." I finally said, gently, as I placed my hand up on the steering wheel and over her own. "...we don't have to go in there until you're ready….you should take your time."

She shot me a smile as she shook her head slightly to herself and unbuckled her seatbelt. "Thanks Gar, but uhhh…..if we did that, we might never go in.

She chuckled somewhat nervously at the thought.

"That's still an option too, you know." I reminded her.

"Hey, I said I'd try, remember?" She pointed out, reaching to open the trunk before she got out to pick up Alex out of the backseat. "...besides…." She went on as she made her way around to grab her crossbow out of the trunk and sling it over her shoulder with her free hand. "...far be it from me to turn down the chance to star in my own Twilight Zone episode."

I chuckled at the little smirk to her own joke. "That would be out of character for you."

She chuckled back, placing a hand over my shoulder to pull me closer, but paused when she heard the sounds coming from the other side of the gate.

That same look from before returned to her face as she pulled her hand gently away from me as she walked slowly towards the previously considerably intimidating gate, stop near dead in her tracks as she stood there trying to process what it was.

She turned her head to look at me curiously. "Do you hear that, Gar?"

I smiled as I stood in place, looking back at her, as the distant sounds of childrens' voices and laughter continued to fill the surrounding air.

"Sounds like kids….." I finally answered, albeit a little more casually than I'd intended.

Almost as if he too could understand, if just barely, Alex's face seemed to light up in her arms.

She chuckled softly, even somewhat more relaxed. "...What do you say, Bud? Hmmm?" She asked him. "...Should we go in?"

"Should go in?" His small, cheery voice tried to mimic.

"I'll take that as a yes then." She laughed, turning back toward me as she reached her hand out and motioned me to come take it as we walked up together.