Jack awoke early the next morning with a start, something was harshly sticking into his ear and it really wasn't comfortable. He sat up and shook his head, dust and hay falling before his eyes. He gave the hay a scowl and stood, stretching for a moment and listening to the soft footfall of people outside as the farm started another day.

Lex, Jay and Ram were still fast asleep and Jack left them to it as he quietly exited the barn. He frowned as chickens scattered about under his feet, all heading in one direction following a young girl who carried a bucket and clucked softly to them.

"Morning," she smiled to him as she turned and waited for the chickens to catch up before they went through a gate into the field behind the farmhouse where a hen house sat in one of the corners.

Jack ran a hand over his faceand yawned as he looked up into the sky. Clouds were slowly crossing it, but the sky was blue and the sun was slowly rising.

"Hey," said a voice from beside him, before a soft kiss was planted on his cheek. He smiled and turned to his girlfriend who was looking as chipper and happy as ever. Ellie was most certainly a morning person. "Good morning sleepy head."

"Yeah isn't it though," replied Jack a little gruffly. He most certainly wasn't a morning person.

"Why don't you get yourself into the farmhouse, breakfast is already starting," said Ellie with a smile.

"Where are you off too?" asked Jack as Ellie stepped past him and headed for one of the outhouses.

"I'm off to help milk the cows," she replied with a shrug and wide smile.

Jack watched her open-mouthed as she ducked into one of the outhouses, before swiftly turning to head towards the farmhouses.

"Milking cows?" he muttered under his breath.

The farmhouse was buzzing with activity, the farmhands were wandering throughout rooms or heading outside to do their work and some milled around the kitchen and dining room eating their breakfast.

Slade and Ebony sat eating toast as Salene poured everyone sitting at the table steaming cups of tea. Amber was buttering a slice of toast for herself while Trudy started moving jugs of cream up the table for everyone's cups of tea.

"Good morning Jack," smiled Salene as she sat down on the long bench at the dining table next to Amber. "Want some breakfast?"

Jack sat down by her, still half asleep and wondering how long everyone else must have been up for, so many people were already heading outside to do their daily chores. The mouth-watering smells coming from the kitchen also confirmed food had been cooking, or rather frying for a while. Jack picked up his cup, put his head to one side and frowned a familiar frown to the rest of the group again.

"Bacon?"

"I know, tell me about it, bacon, eggs, fresh bread for toast, fresh cream for cerealand all home grown off this very farm," said Amber before biting into her toast.

Stealth and Kes appeared from the kitchen with plates laden with bacon, eggs, tomatoes, and mushrooms, enough for everyone, placing them in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves. The Mallrats just sat open mouthed for a moment taking it all in. They'd been able to provide for themselves over the years, even thrown a few parties with plenty of food to offer, but this was a breakfast for kings and it had been a while since anyone had sat down to such a sight.

"Ah look who decided to join us," said Ebony as Jay, Ram and Lex appeared at the doorway. "Cows finally kick you out of their barn?"

"Ebony," sighed Lex quietly, sitting down by her. "Is that any way to refer to our hosts?"

Salene poured out more tea for the new arrivals and everyone busied themselves filling their plates with the food they'd been presented with.

Ellie was in her element, to be back on a working farm was instinctual to her and she couldn't help but get involved. Although she'd adapted to city life and felt more at home there, she still missed working a farm sometimes. Milking the cows was easy enough and she was fascinated by how they ran on such an old routine. The farm was back to its basics, they milked the cows, churned the milk by hand, sifted the cream, they even made their own cheese. It was hard work, but everyone seemed to enjoy it. They had created their own little world almost; they ploughed the fields using shire horses, of which they had four, plus two horses and three ponies.

They sheared their own sheep and she found out there was a woollen mill not far off which they traded wool to, although they also wove some of their own when they had a spare moment, as well as made rag rugs to trade at market. They planted crops, harvested, tradedand made their own food. As she carried two buckets heavy with milk to the outhouse to the small dairy they had, one of the out skirting outhouses, she thought about how Dal would have been in his element here.

As she placed the buckets down and a farm hand took them off her, Ellie felt a small stab of guilt. It had been a long time since she had thought of Dal, he wasn't forgotten, but neither was he ever mentioned nor remembered much. Being on the farm reminded her a lot of how life used to be, herself, Alice, the other farm girls as they tried to make the farm work. Dal also had that streak inside him, he was a natural at farming and he understood the essence of it. To run it, work it; see the produce of your labour. Farming wasn't a lifestyle it was life.

"Hey," said Jack from the doorway, watching her as she stared off into space.

"Hi," she replied with a soft smile and walked over to him, taking his hand as they walked into the farmyard. The chickens were back from their feeding and were scratching around at the dusty ground and clucking by their feet.

"You ok?" asked Jack, she'd seemed to be lost in thought when he found her in the dairy.

"Yeah, I'm great, this place just, brings back a few memories that's all."

"About the old days?"

"Yeah, I guess, about days before the virus, after the virus. Alice, Dal."

"Yeah, it does get you thinking. Dal would have loved this place," sighed Jack; it still hurt sometimes when he thought of his long dead friend. Although he never spoke much about it, he missed Dal a lot, and had learned within himself that he'd never appreciated him as much as he should have when he had been around. He'd taken their friendship for grantedand the guilt had lodged itself into a crevice of his heart, which would never be moved. Jack had just learned to live with itand cherish the memories.

"That's just what I was thinking," agreed Ellie, pausing and turning to face him, sliding a hand around his shoulder softly. "This place is amazing."

"Yeah, it's certainly quite something," said Jack, looking a little wryly at a chicken as it pecked at his feet. "We're about to head off, Stealth said we should get an early start, we won't reach the monastery till midday, which means a few hours of walking. Everyone is packing up getting ready to go."

They'd set out once more, fresh food and water in their bags provided by Kes and the farm. They'd promised to return the same way and spend another night there and gotten on their way. The morning was spent walking along the valley until they turned and headed up a dirt track, which took up the hills, it was slow work as the hills got steeper and the road went on a continuous climb. By the time they reached the top of the hills, it was mid-day and they paused for a bite to eat. The sight at the breach of the hills was breathtaking and Stealth pointed out some of the lay of the land. An old farmhouse stood in the distance, looking toy farm size and she explained it was the old Parkland farm.

Turning to face the opposite direction another building could be made out, half hidden by a large forest, which grew to one side, as well as large walls, which surrounded it. Stealth explained that it was the old monastery.

"It's a great view of it from up here, by the time we get down to it; we'll hardly see it from those walls." She said, before sitting down in the springy moss and heather that grew on the hilltop. "We'll have a bite to eat and then head down."