Disclaimer: I do not own Walking Dead, its characters, or its plot lines. I do not make any money in the making of this story.

Time Will Tell

Hershel had come to me shortly after the scene in the front lawn.

"Are you alright?" He asked kindly.

I nodded, I really was okay even after all that stress and fear.

"Everything is settled with Rick's group." He informed me, giving me a smile. "You can resume chores whenever you're ready."

"Thank you, Hershel." I murmured, the last sentence echoing in my head.

He pat my hand and left the room. I was left alone to sort my thoughts and feelings.

I didn't like that Shane character. I had done nothing to deserve his treatment of me. He was quick to anger and violence, too quick for my comfort. Memories of a past life were rising to the surface, trying to drag me down, override the present. I forced them back into the box I buried them in, enforcing the chains that held it shut tight.

A part of me was afraid that history would repeat itself, that if I went back outside to finish my chores he would attempt to finish what he had begun.

Rick couldn't pay attention to him every second of the day. I would be alone-vulnerable. One day, one minute, that's all it would take for things to escalate out of control. All it took for Shane to become too violent and kill me by accident or on purpose.

On the other hand, I couldn't hide in the house forever. . .

I fretted for a bit before deciding to get on with my chores. Beth and the girls had done them enough for me already. If Shane tried anything, I'd scream for Jimmy or Hershel. Jimmy would be more effective, physically, but I wouldn't be picky on who came to my rescue.

I nodded determinedly, descending the stairs at a safe speed.

Patricia wasn't in the kitchen and I couldn't see Hershel. Patricia must have chosen to begin her chores or visit Otis and Hershel was most likely with the child or studying. I took the opportunity to prepare my drinks and snack. I grabbed the thermos and filled it with fresh ice water, packing it and a sandwich in a lunchbox with the spare ice packs.

Prepared, I slung the lunchbox over my shoulder and walked out onto the porch.

I paused once I picked up the feeding pail and the collection basket, checking that the people from the gathering of tents had remained at the campsite. A small group had convened around a pick up truck, the rest were scattered among the tents and R. V.

I sighed, relieved, and walked to the chicken coop.

I noticed that there were less hens than I remembered from my last trip out here, but I also remembered that we'd had chicken for dinner a few times while I'd been confined to my bed. I smiled when I noted that there were more chicks than the last time I'd seen the coop.

I loved the fuzzy little things!

They were fluffy, their fuzz was bright yellow-a happy color, they were soft if you were lucky enough to touch one and so small.

Before the world went to the dead, Willy and I were going to buy a farm. We would primarily raise chickens, but we would also have horses and cattle. We'd selected this gorgeous piece of land, and were five thousand dollars away from purchasing it. . .

Then the dead started to come back.

We had to give up our dreams of having a farm, leaving Louisiana and heading for safety.

I pushed the depressing thoughts of unfulfilled dreams away and finished dispersing the feed. I laughed when one of the younger chicks tripped over two of its eating brothers in its eagerness to reach food.

"Easy there, little fella. There's enough for all of you." I whispered, setting down the pail to watch them a few more minutes.

Time was flying here in the one place I felt safe. In roughly seven months, I would be a mother. Part of me couldn't wait, I could hold him and see his face. Another part of me was beyond terrified, he would be born in a world of walkers and dangerous trips for supplies. He could be bitten or eaten at any time, any of us could. Not all of the living left behind were good people, they could hurt him as well. Strangers were even more dangerous than before, there were no police broadcasts to warn others of their deeds if you met them on the road.

You were essentially walking into every encounter blind.

No. I wouldn't think like that. Willy would protect us. So would Hershel and his family. They were decent folks, despite us being strangers to each other at first.

I shook myself mentally and entered the coop.

The familiar motion of walking down the line and collecting eggs soothed me. It was weird, but whatever works. Right? I didn't do bad today, just one egg over a dozen. I dutifully filled out the clipboard and signed, humming a tune I'd gotten stuck in my head somehow.

Hush a bye, don't you cry / Go to sleep you little baby

When you wake, you shall have all the pretty little ponies

I never could remember what verse comes next. I think it was a few lines of species of horses. Eh. What I remembered was enough to improvise when the time comes. I would sing the parts of lullabies and nurseries rhymes that I could remember and make up the rest. It couldn't be too hard to make up child appropriate verses for a song, people did it all the time before the world ended. If you think about it, these songs didn't spontaneously show up, someone wrote them and before there were professional song writers there were mothers. So, therefore, I couldn't be the only person or mother in history to wing a lullaby or two.

"Hello there." A young, awkward voice murmured.

I jumped, turning on the spot. It was a stranger I'd seen with his group.

"Shane said that you can come back and meet the rest of the group." He stuttered, gesturing behind him.

I tensed. That was his name, the one who'd been so hostile. Fear pumped through my veins, I didn't want anything to do with the Chinese man, he knew Shane. He was following his orders, I couldn't trust him. He must have read my face and started forward a few steps.

"Whoa, whoa. Its okay-" He rushed out, a few more steps closing the distance between us.

Whoa, buddy, that's close enough! I thought, my free hand plunging into the basket. I'd taken an egg out and jammed it on his head before he had time to blink.

"Ah!" He jolted, retreating a few steps and blinked rapidly. He froze, seeing that I had another egg ready to launch in my hand. "Okay, message received. Sorry. Backing off."

He had backed off as he said he would, hands up. Strips of yolk and egg white dripped slowly down his face. Some cracked egg shell pieces were still stuck to his jet black hair.

I couldn't help it. I laughed. He looked ridiculous.

"Well, I'm glad you think this is hilarious." He muttered, wiping some egg whites from around his eyes. "I'm Glenn, by the way. Do you want to tell me yours? It's okay if you don't, but I thought I'd ask-you know, in case you did."

It was kind of adorable that he stuttered and ranted. I bit my lip, thinking about whether I wanted to answer.

He knew Shane, but he didn't have the others mans temperament. He was willing to listen, step back, be patient. Maybe he wasn't like Shane.

"My name is Abilene." I whispered, unsure of my decision.

"Abilene." He repeated, smiling in an awkward boyish way. "That's a pretty name."

"Thanks. So, Glenn, huh?" I inquired, curious.

"Yeah." He paused, seeming to think about something. "If you don't want to meet the group, that's cool. If you change your mind, at any time, let me know and I'll introduce you. Take care of yourself, Abilene."

"You too, Glenn." I murmured, turning to take the remaining eggs inside.

He seemed like a nice kid. I felt a little bad for cracking an egg on his head now, but only a little. Maybe not everyone in the group is like Shane. Maybe I was wrong about Rick Grimes.

Maybe. . . Just maybe. . . . I could be friends with Glenn and Rick.

Time will tell.

I thought more on my encounter with Glenn and whether or not it was a good idea to meet the rest of the group while I worked on the garden. Glenn was sweet, Rick seemed nice enough, it was Shane and the others I wasn't sure about.

I observed them a bit while I pulled weeds and worked the soil. Two groups of pairs had disappeared, Rick and Shane among them. The rest lingered around the campsite doing chores.

An older man with a slight beard had a kind, grandfatherly way about him. He mostly stayed around the RV, but he also walked and talked with everyone in the group. Not one ill look was aimed at anyone.

The tall brunette Willy told me about was in the group. She divided her time between the campsite and the house. I guess she is the shot boys mother or some other relative. I was tempted to ask what she was thinking just standing around staring in such a vulnerable time. It would've been different if she wasn't a stranger or if she'd tried to help Hershel, but she didn't.

I wasn't certain if I liked her.

A woman with hair cut closer to her head was more interesting, and heartbreaking, to watch. Something niggled at me each time I glanced at her, some instinctive intuition that told me she was hurting the most of the group.

A blonde woman paced on top of the RV or helped do chores.

I often caught them glancing or sometimes openly staring at me. I knew it was because I was pregnant and I got a little self conscious about how big I would get in the coming months. I wasn't comfortable with them gawking at me like that.

Other than the brunette and Shane, the group looked alright.

Maybe. . .I could introduce myself and see how it went. I'd wait until Rick was back so I only had to do this once.

I had finished weeding, pruning, watering and working the soil and still the two pairs had not returned to the farm. It made me nervous.

Did they go on a run? I though back and remembered them on foot, no packs with them. They carried guns, but knives as well, and cloth. They had also entered the woods. What could be in there that they'd want? Well, besides deer or rabbit. Maybe they went hunting and decided that pairs was safer because of the Walkers. It was actually a good idea, someone to watch your back while you stalked prey so you didn't become the prey.

I pat myself on the back, proud of my clear memory and deduction skills. Lately, I had less of a clear memory with my pregnancy brain, as I called it.

It was beyond irritating.

I pulled off my gardening gloves and double checked that I'd done all the tasks I'd needed to. Yep. I gathered the tools and put them in the wicker basket since nothing was ready for harvest just yet.

A flurry of activity drew my attention to the other people on the farm.

What on Earth? I frowned, walking a few feet toward the camp site, but not too close. The entirety of the group left behind ran for the wooded area, one or two shouted something I couldn't understand.

I understood why they ran toward the edge of the woods when four figures emerged from the shade. The pairs had returned.

As far as I could tell they were empty handed. So, bad hunters?

Okay. This meant that I had to honor my agreement with myself and go introduce myself to the group. Rick was there, which meant that Shane was also. Maybe Shane wouldn't attempt any hostile behavior with the other man present? I could only hope. I took a breath and walked slowly toward the camp.

Glenn's group had begun to make their way back to their camp and were talking among each other. Mainly the two pairs.

I paused, three feet away from their camp and let them reconnect with their people. I remembered the feeling; the relief that came with safe return, the anxiousness to hear reports on what was found or seen or heard while out there.

"Who's that?" A voice I didn't recognize asked from near by.

Apparently, I was noticed.

"Uh-" I stumbled over the words, taken off guard by the question. This wasn't going as I'd planned.

The familiar rumble of a pick up truck caressed my ear drums and put a huge, relieved smile on my face. Maggie and Willy. I twirled and walked as quickly as possible to the end of the driveway. The beat up pick up I'd known and loved since childhood was a welcome sight as it tore up the road. The large white loader truck that followed, however, was unfamiliar to me.

I waited impatiently while both vehicles came to a stop, then walked quickly to the pick up truck. I frowned when I reached the passengers door and didn't see Willy in the drivers seat. What?

The drivers doors opened and I backed away a few steps to glance between vehicles. I ignored the footsteps and voices behind me, all that mattered was the tall frame that exited the white loader truck. Willy.

Willy grinned at me as he walked forward, his face and clothes filthy but neither of us cared. As soon as he was within reach I was in his arms, my fists clenched in his dirty shirt and his face buried in my hair. He stunk, but underneath was a faint hint of his familiar smell, so I didn't mind. "God, I missed ya. How's little man?"

"He's great. We both are, even better now that you're home." I whispered back, happy tears trailing my cheeks.

"Here's some water. Wash your hands before you completely ruin her dress." Maggie interrupted, holding a bucket of water and a bar of soap.

We pulled apart and laughed, we had forgotten that he had dirty hands.

Willy obliged, washing his hands as quickly as he could with the bucket and soap provided. Once his hands were clean, he knelt in front of me and cradled my baby bump in his large warm hands. He rubbed his hands over it and kissed it twice before standing again and grinning at me.

"You've said hello to the little man, now you should start unloading." I told him in a voice that supposed to be firm, but relief and happy tears ruined the effect.

"Yes, ma'am." He replied cheekily, kissing my forehead and turning to do as I requested.

Maggie had already pulled the sliding door open and unloaded three boxes onto the ground. From what I could see, two had non perishable foods and one had extra blankets.

Excellent.

I walked to the pick up to see if there were lighter things that I could carry, make myself useful. It was strange for me to not be on runs with him anymore, but I understood. I was slowly getting used to the light schedule Hershel and Patricia made up for me. I hated that there were some things I couldn't do and the others could, but it was out of my hands.

I spotted a small bag in the middle of the seat. It didn't look like it had much in it, so weight shouldn't be a problem. I opened the passenger door and leaned in, maneuvering my belly carefully to avoid injury and dragging the correctly guessed light bag toward me.

"What do you think you're doing?" A hostile and familiar voice demanded.

I froze, tension flooding me. Shane.

I was spun roughly and I immediately grasped my bump protectively, the bag forgotten as I came face to face with the hostile man glaring down at me. I trembled, attempting to back away. "I-"

"That doesn't belong to you." He hissed, dark eyes darker than anything I've seen in quite a while.

I couldn't speak, even though my brain screamed at me to tell him that I was allowed access to any part of that truck at any time. That my brother considered it mine as well as his.

It turns out, I didn't need to.

Shane was yanked away from me, slammed hard into the hood and a gun jammed under his chin. Willy stood over him, body tense, face cooler than a glacier and eyes burning hotter than a thousand coals in his fury. "Ya don't have the right ta touch her. Ya don't have the right ta breathe the same air she does. Ya don't have the right ta tell her she did anythin' wrong, 'specially when she didn't. What's hers is mine an' what's mine is hers, includin' this truck an' whatever's in it. Now I don't care who the hell ya think ya are, ya touch her again, an' I'll kill ya."

I watched, grateful and a tad nervous that he would shoot the asshole right then.

Willy released Shane, practically hurtling him away from him, and the man had to hurry to brace himself for impact. He ended up rolling a few times before he could push himself up. He dusted himself off and stormed past the members of his group that stood a few feet away, having watched the exchange with varying expressions.

My brother waited until Shane was completely out of sight before he put away his gun and strode to me, checking me over for injuries.

I patiently allowed it for a moment, then grasped his hands to still them and stared him directly in the eyes. "We're fine."

He nodded and the tension left his body. A smile took the place of his hard expression and he kissed my forehead. "I have a few things for ya both. Wait here, no peekin'."

I rolled my eyes and dutifully remained where I was, excited about what he'd found on his run. He tried to find things that were special once in a while, to make this life a little easier. Something funny, something sweet, something unusual or just plain familiar. I appreciated anything he brought back, even if it was a small item like a hair tie or new shoelaces.

He walked around the white loading truck with his hands behind his back and a skip in his step. The excited and eager gleam he had in his eyes only escalated my own excitement. He only did this with the good stuff.

I waited very impatiently, with how slow he was going he may as well have been crawling toward me. Hurry up, I want to see what it is! I screamed in my mind.

Finally, he came to a stop in front of me and whipped the unknown item from behind his back.

Wait. . .was that . . .?

I squealed happily, throwing myself at him for an enthusiastic hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

He laughed, willingly handing over the half gallon tub of vanilla ice cream and large package of teriyaki beef jerky. His face glowing as he beamed proudly, he always felt good about providing these kinds of treats for me. It made him feel like a good provider.

I dug in to the rare delicacy, swiping the jerky through the slightly melted ice cream and biting off a healthy portion. I hummed happily as I chewed. Heaven.

"Hey! How is it fair that she gets ice cream?" Shane hollered from six feet away.

Willy turned his own glare on the jerk. "Ya shut yer mouth right now! There ain't no special treatment goin' on here, I just haven't distributed the rest yet. Ya forfeited yer share when ya touched her like ya did."

"That's horse shit!" The other man yelled angrily, storming closer.

"Come over here like that an' I won't hesitate ta put ya down." My brother warned him, his gun ready. "I've had just about enough outta ya."

Rick stepped forward, a restraining hand on Shane's chest. "He's right, Shane, you were wrong. Handling a lady, the way you did-a pregnant woman no less-can't go unpunished. Forfeiting your share of ice cream is just a start, we will work out the other part among ourselves."

Willy nodded. "Fair enough."

Maggie brought two coolers out and lay them on the grass. "There's one in there for each of ya. These two coolers can be kept in your camp. Ours in in a separate cooler."

Rick and Glenn took the coolers and placed them in the R. V. Dale stayed behind with a gun to make sure no one attempted to take their share early.

"Hang tight, lil lady, there's more where that came from." Willy grinned, gesturing to my ice cream covered jerky.

"More? This is nicer than we've had it in a while, and that's enough for me." I assured him.

It was true, not all of our scavenges were successful while we were on the road. Sometimes, we lost more than we gained or barely broke this new world equivalent of even. He always made sure I had enough to eat, though, even if it meant he didn't eat in a week.

He was good like that.

He ignored me in favor of climbing into the back of the white truck. There was a few noises I couldn't place, maybe shuffling or shuffling? Then he climbed out and reached in to tug on something. A closed box that had been bigger than the other boxes they'd brought out and a longer, thinner box lay on top of it.

"What's that?" I asked curiously, hearing my question echoed among the group.

He set the boxes down and opened the thinner one. "Your old one is getting a bit beat up." He mumbled, a shy shrug as I peeked in.

My breath caught. Inside the box was a sky blue summer dress from the maternity section.

I barely registered someone taking the ice cream and jerky from my hands so I could remove the dress from the box. I held it up to my body and happy tears flooded my eyes. It was so soft and beautiful. "Willy. Its beautiful. You didn't have to."

"I wanted ta. Yer down ta yer last dress an' I ruined the one yer wearing with my filthy self." He chuckled, his eyes honest and sincere. "Ya deserve better than this world, Abilene, an' I'll give ya all I can as long as I can."

I hurriedly placed the dress back in its box and hugged the man. "You're too good to me, Willy Pickens. I can never repay you for all you've done for me already."

"One more surprise." He cut open the next box and I wanted to cry all over again.

Rattles, onesies, tiny shoes and pacifiers were all I could see from the top of the packed box, but it was enough to know that he'd brought back stuff for the baby. A teddy bear was also there.

"You should know he took down twelve walkers just so he could get that box." Maggie spoke up from my left, nodding to the box of baby stuff. She smiled softly, rolling her eyes at me playfully when I shot her a questioning look. "He refused to leave without it."

My mind blown with his thoughtful stubbornness and heart threatening to burst with love for this man, I smiled and did the only thing I could. "Thank you. For everything."

It would never be enough, but it was all I had for him.

He kissed my forehead and gathered both boxes back up. "Ya enjoy yer treats 'fore the ice cream melts, I'll put this upstairs until yer ready for it. I know how important that whole nesting business is for ya."

"You have a good man there, if you don't mind my saying so." Rick said as I watched Willy walk to the house.

"Don't I know it." I sighed as I resumed eating. "So who's this?"

He followed my gesture to the short haired woman. "That's Carol. . ."

I listened to him say each name and greeted each in turn. Each responded kindly, giving me at least one compliment or kind comment.

Maybe we could all get along after all. . .

Time will tell.