"Damn" Akisho whispered, in shock at what she was seeing. The middle of the lake was a pit of mud that looked fowl smelling and rotten. The dirt around the edges of the lake had been dry for a while, maybe weeks, although some plants that had roots deep enough to tap the small amount of water under the ground were still hanging on to life. She didn't see people anywhere, or signs that they were near.

She glanced downwards at Rick and Kaleb who were looking up at her expectantly. She shook her head slightly and their faces dropped.

"What do you mean, no?" Kaleb asked, confused, as Akisho shimmied her way through the tree branches and down the Willow tree. "No people? No animals? No..."

"Water" Akisho ended his sentence as her feet finally touched the ground. "There's no water in the lake. Just mud. Looks like it's been like that for at least a few weeks."

Rick placed his hand over his mouth in shock. Kaleb shook his head in disbelief. "No way!" Kaleb shouted, "Akisho, are you serious?"

"Yea, 'cuz I'd really joke about that" Akisho said, rolling her eyes. Rick, needing to see what Akisho was saying for himself muttered "stay here" before he promptly turned around and headed off towards the lake. The teens both turned and followed him.

Rick cautiously followed a game trail that led into the clearing where the lake lay. Viewing the dry landscape ahead of him made Rick feel as though a knife had been plunged into his heart.

Rick ran his hand down his face, and gazed into the expanse of mud. The rotting and dying vegetation, and mold that had formed on top of the slightly moist soil, bathed the area in the smell of decay. He needed a moment to think. It was all for nothing. There was nothing here, nothing that would keep his family alive. He'd failed. He had put all of his eggs into this basket. He had counted on this lake being the key. Tony had died to get the family here, and the truth was he had no other plan. There was no backup.

"So, what now? What do we do?" Kaleb asked his father, "what's plan B?"

"Dad?" Kaleb called again when his father didn't answer, and it took the boy a moment to realize that there was no plan B. Akisho looked from Kaleb to Rick, realizing the gravity of the moment.

Rick turned back towards the lake, just as Carl met up to them with the same pale, distressed face that Rick had.

"Now, we tell everyone else" Rick sighed.

XXXXXXXXXX

"What if we start digging in the mud? There's got to still be some water underneath the surface. We might be able to tap into a spot where the water comes up from underground" Michonne said, crossing her arms across her body as she paced back and forth.

"The mud around the lake is rancid and full of bacteria. Even with boiling, it'll likely make us sick. And, there still wouldn't be enough water for the animals" Rick countered.

"So, what do you suggest?" Michonne asked, the pitch of her voice raising higher. "We can't go back, and there's nothing here! We checked the area on the map before we came. There are no other large bodies of water anywhere near here. Certainly not close enough for us to get to before our water runs out, and right now we're looking at two more days for us if we cut into the pack of water I found in the car wash, and one more day for the animals, if we half their ration. We're out of options."

"We should just go" Judith muttered, and everyone turned around to look at her as she sat on the back of Peppermint. Everyone was startled that she'd spoken, she had been quiet for hours. Judith wasn't even looking at them, she was staring straight ahead as if she didn't realize she was speaking out loud. "We should just go die, and it'll be over. There's nothing left."

"Judith" Kaleb said softly, "how can you say that? Your kids are right here…"

"There's nothing left!" she said a little louder. "I didn't want to come out here, I begged… I begged you not to come out here. Now my husband is dead, and we have nothing. And we're going to die anyway. We could've died at home, and I could've had my husband and…" Judith sniffled as tears clouded her eyes, "I don't even have him to die with. So, if we're gonna go, we should just all go together as a family, and end it now."

Tabitha and Selena watched their mother, stunned. Kaleb reached out and pulled the two girls towards himself in a protective gesture.

"Judith…" Rick muttered, stunned.

"I'm thinking clearly" she responded. "I'm not going to watch my daughters die of dehydration."

"No one is dying of dehydration" Rick said flatly.

"Well if you guys have a plan, let me know. Because right now, it seems like we're stuck out here, and the only thing we have a lot of is bullets" Judith said.

"The Welcome Center!" Carl said suddenly, and he jogged over to his bag as he spoke excitedly. "There were a bunch of maps that I took from there, of like, attractions and things to do in the area. I remember one of the nearby attractions was Washington Caverns. Like… like a little cave system. Maybe there's water there?". Carl dove into his bag, moving things out of the way until he found the booklet of nearby attractions. He flopped through the pages until he came upon the advertisement.

"Washington Caverns, underground natural cave system and family fun area. Come explore fifteen miles of underground caverns, and view our world famous stalagmite shaped like George Washington. Take a 15 minute walking tour that ends with a boat ride through our underground river…" Carl read out loud.

"That's it, that's it! There's a river there" Michonne said excitedly. Rick nodded in agreement, "that's it. That's where we're going. How far away is it Carl?"

"It says two exits past the Welcome Center. We'll have to go back the way we came. Getting there will use up all of our water. We'll have nothing left" Carl responded, shaking his head.

"If we stay, we'll have nothing left" Rick said softly. "This is it, this is our last chance."

Michonne nodded and hoisted Selena up onto Judith's lap, startling Judith who was staring at Rick. "If we leave now and pick up the pace, we can make it back to that exit in three days" Michonne said as she simultaneously made her way over to her mare.

"Mom, you said we have two days of water left" Judith reminded her.

Michonne shrugged and hopped up on her horse's back. "I guess day three will be rough. We can do it. Tabby, call the dogs" Michonne ordered Tabitha. The small girl nodded and whistled at the dogs who were with the herd of livestock. As soon as they heard Tabitha's whistle they perked up and began to herd the sheep.

"You're getting better at that" Rick complimented. She had been practicing with the dogs ever since Tony had taught her the whistles, and the dogs took to her seamlessly. Tabitha smiled at her grandfather and then walked over to Judith, who pulled her up on to the pony as well.

XXXXXXXXXX

For hours, miles, and days they walked and rode, limiting the number of breaks to every five hours. The children were exhausted, the animals on the verge of collapse. On the second day of walking back to the exit for the caverns, one of their goats lay down and refused to get back up. After a quick debate as to what to do with it, Carl killed it, and the family feasted on the meal that night. Although the fresh meat gave them energy to push through to the next day, they finished their last few mouthfuls of water that night, and the none of the adults slept as they worried if they'd ever drink a mouthful of water again.

The third morning was hazy and brutally hot. Even though they started on the road well before sunrise, the heat was oppressive. By the mid afternoon it was unbearable. They were all covered in sweat, losing the precious moisture stored in their bodies. The goats, cows, and horses were foaming at the mouth, as they also had not consumed water for hours and were suffering. Tabitha, Selena, and Collin were hiding underneath the car seat covers Michonne had found in the burned down carwash, just to stay out of the blazing sun. Their lips were chapped and dry, and their fair skin had been burned a bright shade of red, and everyone was concerned for their most vulnerable family members. The adults also wore the furry covers on their heads and shoulders as a sunblock, and Akisho had fashioned one around the head of the horse pulling the wagon, just to give it a little reprieve from the blistering sun.

As much as they needed to speed up the pace, they were steadily slowing down. Rick was limping heavily from his old injuries, and the unrelenting walking that they'd done for the past few days. Michonne's knees were screaming for her to sit down or get back on her horse, and the dehydration was bringing on another migraine, but she wanted to give her thirsty, exhausted horse a break from having a rider on her back. Kaleb and Akisho were faring the best out of everyone due to their young age and good health, but Akisho had a severe sunburn on her cheeks and shoulders that looked painful. Kaleb's darker skin saved him from Akisho's fate, and he now had a tan that made him the same skin color as his mother.

As the family traveled, Carl and Judith were the most pensive of the group, both of them in their own worlds. To some degree, they knew how the other was feeling. They had both lost their spouses and were single parents trying to survive in this hellish world. The loss of Tony had made Judith realize that life was random, and brutal, and no matter how many people were around her, and no matter how vigilant she was, or thought she was being, she wasn't safe. Ever. Not even in Alexandria. Not even with her parents. Not even with her husband. The sudden way he'd gotten bitten shook her to her core, and she didn't know if she'd ever get over it. Suicide felt like a better solution than going through life waiting for the day when she'd trip and it'd be over for her too. She didn't want to die, but she preferred that over getting bit. As they traveled closer to their final lifeline, Judith decided that it was easier to expect the worse, and she already began planning how she and her daughters would die.

Carl's approach to the situation was the opposite of Judith's. He knew that their situation was dire, but he had memories of being in this situation before and surviving. He remembered not having food and water, having no home, having no hope. He remembered the hopelessness he felt when he came upon Judith's bloody car seat after the prison fell. He remembered believing that his mother died for no reason, because now his little sister who he was supposed to watch and protect was dead. And he remembered the exhilaration he felt when Tyrese came out of that cabin carrying his sister. At that moment he knew that you could lose everything and gain it back. And with his son here, with his family here, he knew that they could get everything back again. If the worse happened, and there was no water in the caverns, he would drink cow, horse, and goat blood until rained. This wasn't the end for him or his son. He'd make sure of it by any means necessary. Carl looked ahead at the children in the wagon. He could see Collin's messy hair poking out from underneath the car cover over his head. The sight of his son solidified the feeling he had in his heart. Carl silently spoke to Enid. We'll be okay. Don't worry.

XXXXXXXXXX

An hour after the sun set, they finally arrived at Washington Caverns. They usually would have stopped for the night, but this was an emergency, and they had to know if there was water or not. The campgrounds were black, the only light coming from the flashlights that each of them were carrying so that they could safely navigate the trees. They steered the wagon and cattle through the parking lot which was once made of gravel, but now had trees, bushes, and weeds sticking up through it. The uneven terrain jolted and shook the wooden cart, until one of the wheels became jammed in a ditch, stopping the vehicle from moving.

"We can push it out" Kaleb whispered, keeping his voice low to not attract walkers or people that could be hiding in the woods in the dark.

"No, leave it for now" Rick said, beginning to unhook the horse attached to it. "We don't have time. We can get it in the morning. Take our remaining food and anything else we need for the night. We have to get in the caverns."

"In the dark?" Akisho asked. "Mr. Grimes, we can barely see out here in the open, wouldn't it be a bad idea to go into the caves in the dark?"

"Rick, she's right" Michonne cut in. "We don't need anyone getting injured."

"I'll go" Rick said. "I'll find out where the entrance is, see if there's a way to get in. If I can I'll try to scope it out."

"We can wait until the night is over. We're all thirsty, but no one will die if we wait until morning" Michonne said.

"And what if we wait until morning, spend the whole morning getting into the caves, the entire afternoon trudging around looking for the river, and we find out there's no water tomorrow night. That's two days without water. If it's a lost cause I need to know now, so we can…"

"So we can do what, Dad?" Judith muttered. "If there's no water there's nothing we can do. That's it. So, you might as well wait until morning. Mom's right."

Rick paused unhooking the horse, to stare at his daughter who was leading Peppermint by the reins, as her daughters rode. Her eyes were half closed with fatigue, and her small frame was drenched with sweat. She had had enough. It was time to rest for the day.

Rick nodded. "Ok, we'll find the entrance first thing in the morning. We'll have to sleep out in the open tonight. I have first watch."

Michonne made her way over to Rick as the others unpacked what they needed and set up their tents. She stood next to him and they stared off into the darkness together.

"You should sleep" Rick said.

"I'm fine" Michonne answered.

"You need to get rest, I know your head is hurting"

"I'm fine" she repeated. Rick didn't try to convince her again. He knew Michonne did as she pleased, it was one of the things he loved and admired about her. He also knew, that she knew, he needed to talk. He was too tired to pretend that wasn't true.

"I think Judith blames me" Rick said softly as he looked at the ground, "and she's not wrong. We're out here because of me. Tony… it was because I brought us out here. It… it's my fault."

Michonne nodded while continuing her stare into the dark. "You're right. It is your fault we're out here" she said softly. Rick's head snapped towards Michonne. He honestly didn't expect her to agree with him. His face dropped and his skin paled. Did she blame him like Judith did? Did she think he got Tony killed? The thought of Michonne being disappointed with him hurt more than any wound he had experienced. He felt shame and anguish wash over him before she slowly turned and looked him in his eyes. Her look of love made all of that disappear as quickly as it came.

"It's your fault that we have a chance, which is more than we would've had if we'd stayed in Alexandria. It's your fault that there is even a possibility of us finding water tomorrow. But it's not your fault that Tony died. That had nothing to do with you. You know that. Judith is angry, and grieving, and scared. She is going to blame anything and everything, including herself. Don't take that to heart. You weren't the only one who agreed to leave, we all did, Tony included. Even if… even if we don't make it through this… you did everything in your power to save your family. You can be proud of that."

Rick shook his head. "I can't be proud of that unless it actually saves my family."

Michonne nodded. "I know."

A rustle in the trees made everyone freeze. Rick and Michonne cocked their guns, as did everyone else who had one. Michonne squinted into the darkness and could see a glint of metal in the dim moonlight.

"You're surrounded. Put down your weapons now or we'll shoot you" a voice called from the darkness.

"What do you want?" Rick asked, his ears straining to hear if there really were other people in the woods.

"Put your weapons down now. I won't say it again" the voice demanded.

Rick glanced from Michonne to Carl who was behind him. If whoever it was in the trees was by themselves, there was no way they were going to harm this family. But if there was a group of them, he didn't want them to shoot. Michonne looked at Rick briefly before lowering her gun and placing it on the ground. The rest of the family followed her.

"Put your hands up" the same voice yelled.

"What do you want?" Rick repeated.

"You answer my questions. That's how it goes. Why are you here?" the voice asked.

"We were looking for water. We didn't know anyone was here. Water was all we wanted."

"What makes you think there's water here?" the man asked.

"It was just a hunch. Look, if you have water do you mind sharin'? We've been walkin' for days searching for some."

The voice didn't answer for a few seconds. Michonne could hear a soft conversation happening a few feet away. So, there were others in the woods.

"You need to get out of our territory" the voice commanded. "You can look for water somewhere else."

"Please" Rick said. "There is nowhere else. We've been traveling for a week. We have children. If there's no water here then there's no hope. We're going to die."

"How did you find us?"

"I told you, we were just looking for water. I don't know anything about you. We figured there might be water in the caves."

Now, there was a longer muffled conversation in the dark. "Get on your knees" the voice demanded.

"Look, we put our weapons down. We're no threat to you. If you come out of the bushes we can talk."

"Get on your knees. Now!"

Michonne nodded at Rick again, and then sank to her knees, the rest of the family following suit. Rick's head swiveled around to keep all of his family members in view, as a large group of people stepped out from the tree cover. They immediately came over to the weapons and snatched them from the ground, leaving the family defenseless. People began going through their belongings, searching their bags and the wagon. A man stepped forwards and approached Rick. He had a large brimmed hat on his head and in the dark all Rick could see was shadows covering his face.

"Where did you come from?" the man asked.

"North" Rick answered.

"No, where did you come from?"

"I don't know, we travel a lot" Rick said, trying to stare underneath the man's hat and see his face.

"You're lying" the man declared. "You have canned food, and hay for the animals. You came from a community, a farm at least. Tell me where you came from, or you can go back there."

"Okay" Rick agreed. "We came from a community in Virginia, but there's no water there, so we had to leave. The only thing we need is water. We're no threat to you."

The man slowly surveyed Kaleb, Carl, Akisho, Judith, and the three children that were on their knees behind Rick and Michonne. He then looked back down at Rick.

"Please. I know you have water. We can help out your community here, or, we can just take some water and go on our way. But if we don't get water for ourselves and our animals, we'll die. That will be on your hands."

"Find anything?" the man asked his people who had finished ransacking their belongings.

"No" someone called.

The man placed his hands behind his back and circled Rick and Michonne as everyone else waited silently.

"You can stay here for the night. You will be watched. In the morning you can speak to our leader" the man said.

"Okay. Thank you" Rick said. At least they weren't asking them to leave. The group stepped away from the Grimes' belongings, and the man gestured for them to stand. Rick got to his feet, and helped Michonne up.

The man whistled, and the group backed into the tree cover, leaving him alone with the family.

"Thank you for letting us stay" Rick said again.

"It's not decided if you're staying. I said you can talk to our leader"

"Okay" Rick said. "What's your leader's name?"

"Double A" the man said, before he also disappeared into the trees.

XXXXXXXXXX

Knowing they were being watched, no one slept that night, except for Judith and the kids. Judith had tried to stay awake, but the fatigue from the pregnancy and the journey took its toll on her. When dawn began to light the sky, they could glimpse people in the tree line. They had been there all night, keeping tabs on what the family was doing.

When it was bright enough to see, two men entered the overgrown parking lot area where Rick's family was camping out. They held three bottles of water which they offered to Rick.

"Thank you" Rick said, slowly accepting the water before turning around and passing it to Carl who divided it up amongst the whole family.

"Thank you so much" Rick said again. The men nodded and gestured for Rick to follow them. Rick nodded to his family before walking off with the men through the overgrown parking lot area, and to a run-down building that was labeled 'Gift Shop'. They walked up the five steps leading to the door, and when they got to the top, both men surprised Rick by immediately removing their shoes. When they were done, they looked at Rick expectantly, and he sheepishly did the same, placing his boots by the front door. They knocked twice, and a young man opened the front door.

The first thing Rick noticed was the man's hair. He allowed his hair to grow into quite an impressive afro, that circled his head like a halo or crown, with occasional curls sticking out of his afro like jewels. His afro merged almost seamlessly into a growing beard and mustache that was patchy in some places, and newly growing in others. From this, Rick concluded that the man was very young, even younger than Carl. Rick's eyes then fell to the man's dark brown skin which was flawlessly smooth, and his deep brown almond shaped eyes that lit up the rest of his face. There was something familiar about those eyes that Rick couldn't place. As Rick studied the man, he took the time to study Rick as well, the two of them observing the other until the man spoke.

"Come in" he said, and Rick immediately recognized the voice that was speaking to him yesterday in the dark. Rick stepped past the man, into a front room that was bare, except for a remarkably clean rug and two metal chairs that were facing each other. The man gestured to one of the chairs and Rick sat down, still not knowing what to expect. He decided to wait before he said anything. The man nodded to the other two men who had brought Rick there, and they walked past Rick and through a door on the opposite side of the room, closing it behind them. The leader continued to look out the front door for a few seconds, before closing it behind him, and leisurely making his way to the metal chair opposite Rick.

"I… I just want to thank you, for giving us water" Rick started. "We haven't drunk anythang for a while. My name is Rick."

The man looked at Rick, still studying him, before he nodded slowly. "Are you Double A?" Rick asked.

"I am" the man said.

"You were out there with us, last night" Rick said.

"Yes. You said you were in a community in Virginia, before you came here. What was the name of it?"

Rick hesitated for a moment. He didn't know this man, and what his intentions were. What if he planned on going to Alexandria to attack it? What if he wanted to take over?

"It was called Alexandria, but I don't know if it even exists anymore. There was no water there, that's why we had to leave. Hopefully everyone did" Rick explained.

"But now you want our water?" Double A asked, his voice increasing in pitch.

"We don't… we don't want to take your water from you. We'd like to share if you have enough. We just want to survive. We only need to be here until it starts to rain again" Rick said.

"What can you do for us?" Double A asked, folding his hands across his lap.

"Well, what do you need? We can work, help you out. We'll pay for our stay however we can" Rick said.

"However you can?" Double A repeated.

Rick's eyes squinted at the way the man asked the question.

"We'll be helpful if it's something we can do" Rick said.

"Everyone in your group, are you related? Friends? Traveling companions?" Double A asked.

"Something like that" Rick answered.

"Which?"

"Why does it matter?" Rick asked, getting suspicious.

"I'm the one asking the questions" Double A said, "how are you all related?"

"We're family" Rick said.

"So, if I asked for one of your women as payment for you to stay here, would you accept my offer?"

Rick jumped out of his seat so quickly, Double A was genuinely surprised and jumped backwards, almost knocking over his chair.

"We're done here" Rick said, turning and heading towards the door.

"Wait!" Double A said, making Rick freeze in his tracks and spin back around.

"That was hypothetical, I just wanted to see what you'd say, but I know the answer now. You won't sell out a family member, I appreciate that loyalty. You'd be surprised how many people we have come across who would have said yes to that offer, and with that being the case you can't trust any one of them. You and your family can stay here, until it rains, but our water is not free. You will receive enough water for yourselves and your livestock, but in exchange you will provide us with livestock for food. One animal every four days should be enough to feed us. Our water helps us to grow vegetables, but the hunting around here is bad, and we need more sources of protein. You have many animals, and that's something we would trade for" Double A said.

Rick took a moment to think about the offer. If he said no and left, his family and the livestock would die on the road. If he stayed, at least he knew his family would survive. They couldn't provide water for the cows and goats anyway, it was kinder that they go with a purpose then die of dehydration in a ditch.

Double A waited patiently as Rick considered his plight. When Rick was done, he nodded at the young man and reached out a hand to shake Double A's. "It's a deal."

XXXXXXXXXX

That same day, Rick gave Double A one of the family's cows, and then the Grimes' picked out their own spot on a plot of land in Double A's community. The community consisted of the cave system, the parking lot, and a few acres of grassland and forest around the cave. The community had been named after their location, Washington Caverns or WC. Although it hadn't been disclosed to them where the water was coming from, Rick assumed that Carl was right, and there was an underground river inside of Washington Caverns. Rick could tell it was a small, close knit community. Some of the people lived in the buildings surrounding the caverns like the Gift Shop, Historical building, and a few other shopping areas that were spread about the WC property. Others decided to camp in the open areas like Rick's family was doing.

The best thing about this new community, was that there was now enough water for the family to bathe. Even when they were back in Alexandria, the water situation was so bad that bathing was off limits, so they hadn't washed in at least a month. Rick had built a makeshift shower next to a tree, with a holey bucket that could be filled with water and then dripped down on the person below.

Michonne, as the matriarch of the family was the first in line for her shower, and she sang songs loudly as she washed the ground-in dirt from her body and hair with just water and a rag. Once the entire family got their time in the shower, they did something they hadn't done in months. Relax. At least slightly.

There were other children in WC, and the day the Grimes' were accepted into the community, children started showing up to ask if Collin, Tabitha and Selena wanted to play. Thinking their children needed a reprieve from survival and constant worrying, Carl and Judith went to supervise as the children played tag, and catch, with their new playmates.

The next day, Kaleb asked Rick if he could work in the community fields during the day. The teen had seen many of the teens and young adults in the fields, keeping the growing crops weeded and watered. He was bored, and it was an opportunity to get to know more people in the community. Rick was skeptical about it, but Michonne wanted to let him socialize with others besides their family members, and she gave him permission.

XXXXXXXXXX

"You're pretty good at that, weeding the plants? I haven't seen a newbie do them that fast before" Double A called to Kaleb, who was going from plant to plant, weeding each one. Double A was surprised when the young boy from the new group asked to join field duty. He was still suspicious of the leader of the group, and although there had been no problems with his family as yet, he still had people keeping an eye on the new comers.

"That's 'cuz I'm not a newbie. I did this all the time in my old town. It's not like it's hard" Kaleb said, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Hmmm, cocky too I see" Double A said, smirking and rubbing his chin.

Kaleb shrugged and continued his back breaking work. "You guys should really use tarps over the dirt. It blocks the light, then you don't get weeds, plus you don't have to water them so often 'cuz the water doesn't evaporate."

Double A stopped working on his plant and stood up to get a better look at Kaleb. "That's a great idea" he said, nodding. "Is that what you did at your old town too?"

"Yea, my Aunt Maggie, she knew all about that stuff and she taught me all about farming" Kaleb said, not even looking up.

"Well unfortunately no one here knows that much about farming, we're just doing what we can, but we can use a few farming experts. Before this drought, most of our food came from hunting. There were lots of herds of deer, and rabbits, and racoons, but unfortunately they've all moved on or died because there's no water anywhere else but here."

"That sucks, but at least you have water. It's bad out there. We almost died. If you didn't let us stay, we would've been dead by now" Kaleb said, taking a moment to stand and stretch his back. "Thanks for letting us stay."

"No problem little man" Double A said, sticking out his hand for Kaleb to shake, "my name is Double A"

Kaleb shook Double A's hand. "My dad said Double A is in charge of this place. I'm surprised you're out here in the fields. How'd you get that name? Sounds like batteries."

"You sure say what's on your mind, don't you?" Double A asked, unable to hide his amusement at the boy's bluntness.

"Sorry" Kaleb said, "my dad taught me to speak my mind."

"I see that. Your dad is the leader right? Rick?"

"Yea"

"Is the woman with the dreads your mom?"

"Yea she is" Kaleb said. "And my brother and sister are here too."

"What's your name?" Double A asked.

"Kaleb Andre Grimes" Kaleb said proudly, realizing he'd never had an opportunity to introduce himself to anyone. Everyone in Alexandria knew who he was, as well as at the Hilltop and the Kingdom. He was the youngest son of the famous Rick Grimes, and those who didn't know him personally, knew of him.

Double A's eyes opened slightly in recognition when Kaleb said his name.

"Nice to meet you Kaleb Andre Grimes. I think we have some things in common, and I have a feeling we're gonna be good friends. But besides that, I think we may need your gardening expertise over here. If your family plans on staying a little while."

"I wouldn't mind" Kaleb said, happy to be needed. "But um, I gotta go now. My dad asked me to be back by midday."

"Yea no problem little man" Double A said, "see you later."

Kaleb turned and began to walk away from Double A when he stopped and looked back. "Is your name really Double A?" Kaleb asked.

Double A laughed at the boy's curiosity, and stood, wiping his dirty hands on his jeans.

"No. It's a nickname my dad came up with for me. He used to say I had so much energy I ran on batteries. But Double A stands for my real name, same as your middle name. Andre Anthony."

Author's Note: Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your readership and sticking with this story, even though I've been unable to update as frequently as I'd like. Please review and tell me what you're thinking, I'd love to hear from you!