For anyone reading Holly Golightly, fear not, it will be updated tomorrow, until then enjoy this chapter.

Five Years Earlier

She watches the news constantly, sitting in front of the TV like a stone, her eyes wide with worry, clutching her mouth in fear. He wishes she wouldn't do this to herself, how many doomsday scares have their been during their short lives? Y2K, 2012, he knows that this is just another one of those things that the media is blowing completely out of proportion. He's nobody's idea of a skeptic, but thinking the end of the world would happen in his lifetime seemed a bit arrogant, the thought that life couldn't possibly go on without him just wasn't a belief he subscribed to, but Rachel, as kind and good as she was always did hold herself in rather high esteem. If anyone was going to legitimately believe that the world would end with them it would be her.

"Come on babe, let's go for a walk, It'll get your mind off things," he say, giving her shoulders a firm rub. It's to no avail, she's so rigid and tense he fears she might break. "Or maybe a drive into the city?" he suggests.

"How could you think about taking a drive right now Finn?" she says, tears brimming in her eyes. "People are dropping dead overseas, for no reason, young people, younger than us. They're just dying without any explanation. Doesn't that scare you?"

"Of course, but you can't worry about things you can't control."

"I'm sure you wouldn't be so nonchalant about this if it were happening here," she scoffs.

"But it's not," he reasons.

"But what if it does? What if it happened to me? What would you do then? Would you just write it off as something you couldn't control?"

"Rachel-

"What would you do?" she says, more firmly, cutting him off.

"I don't want to think about you dying okay!" he snaps. "I can't think about that. Now can we please just take a walk, It will make you feel better, I promise."

"I don't want to go for a walk Finn I just want to watch this," she says, reaching for his hand and pulling him down toward her. "Can you please just sit with me?"

"Rachel-

"Please Finn," she's crying, she gets so emotional over this type of thing, and it makes him feel like crap, so he obliges, sitting next to her and taking her into his arms, rubbing her back and feeling her tension melt away even as she watches the horror onscreen.

"We'll be okay Rach, I promise," he whispers softly into her hair. "I would never let anything like that happen to you, ever."

"What if it's like you said, what if you can't control it?" she says tearfully.

"All I know is that you're safe here, you're safe with me, no matter what."

She snuggles in closer to him, letting him wrap his arms tighter around her. "I love you Finn."

"I love you too sweetheart."

The city is six miles away, their old home away from home. He knows she wants to see it, see what's come of it since the outbreak. He doesn't want her to, it will only make things worse for her to see what's left of her beloved city, and there's always the underlying threat of more of the living coming after them, trying to take their food, their weapons, his Rachel. These days you could walk for one hundred miles without ever coming across another person, but the risk still feels too great, especially in an area once so densely populated. She argues that they may be able to find more supplies, food, weapons, medicine if they need it, maybe even a place indoors to stay for the night. He knows the real reason, he can see it in her face, she misses it. He makes her promise to stay close and move fast, to hide if he tells her to hide, run if he tells her to run and shoot if he tells her to shoot. She promises and he reluctantly agrees.

It's warmer today, the sun is out, peeking through the clouds and casting a bright glow on the beautiful face of his lover. They eat together in silence, a shared can of beans warmed over the fire, and they contemplate the day ahead. They both know that everyone fled the cities when the outbreak first started but whether they all left or whether some of them drifted back or not remains to be seen. After their paltry meal he melts some gathered snow in a pot, warming the water that results and soaking the small towel carried in his pack. She removes her clothes and stays close to the fire, and his heart sinks a little at the sight of her naked body, mere skin and bones now. Excuse or not he hopes she's right about there being food in the city, they both need to eat more, he knows it, but she's the only one he's worried about, she insists she's fine, but he knows better. He makes her stop more than she wants to, it irritates her, but she doesn't fight him too much, either because she doesn't want him to worry or because she just doesn't want to admit how much she wants to rest too.

She sighs in pleasure as he bathes her, the warm water feels good on her skin. He wipes it away with the dry towel immediately, not wanting the cold air to freeze the water on her. She looks at him the whole time, right in the eye as he washes the grime from her body, running the towel over her thin shoulders, her flat stomach, the small curves of her breasts, until she's all clean. She puts her layers of clothes back on then does the same for him and when they're both clean and dressed they gather their things and begin their travels once more.

"Do you think Barbra Streisand is still alive?" she says as they walk hand in hand by the side of the road

"Wouldn't she be like 80 by now if she were?" he replies.

"83 to be exact."

"I think she probably went along with the others babe," he says carefully.

"Yeah, but we're still alive, not everyone died Finn, maybe Barbra was one of the immune, and who knows, maybe people as famous as her had resources we didn't have."

"You were famous,"

"I wasn't Barbra famous," she argues.

"Well if she is alive I can't imagine we'll be running into her any time soon."

"Maybe she's in DC with the other survivors, maybe she puts on big concerts for them every weekend. Wouldn't that be amazing?"

He squeezes her hand and smiles at her then, he loves this girl, he really, truly does. "That would be amazing."

"What are you going to do when you get there? What's the first thing?"

"I don't know, I haven't really thought about it," he says. It's not true, he has thought about it, but every time he lets his mind go to that place he forces it on something else, he won't take Rachel's hope away from her, but he's never been like her, he's never been as certain of anything as she is, thinking about that place, allowing himself to believe that it's really out there just makes his heart ache. Hope gives her strength, but the only thing that gives him strength is her, she's the only thing he really believes in anymore. When he thinks back to five years ago, when all this started, he's amazed by how much everything's changed, back then he was the one who was so sure that everything would work out, now he's not sure of anything anymore.

"When I get there I'm going to take the longest, hottest shower ever taken, with actual soap" she says. "I always thought that was such a cliche in those zombie apocalypse movies you used to like, the world crumbles and all anyone can think about is wanting a hot shower, now I finally see what they mean."

"A shower does sound awesome," he agrees. "And a burger, I miss burgers."

"I know what you mean, not so long ago I was a vegan, now I would kill for a fat, bloody steak."

"And pizza, with ham and pineapple," he chimes in.

"And a turkey the size of a buick."

"And a rack of barbecue ribs with meat so tender you could eat it with a plastic spoon." he continues, almost dreamily. "Maybe we should talk about something else."

"Yeah, you're probably right," she agrees.

They're about a mile off and they can see the skyline even more clearly from here, in some ways it looks the same, the same shapes and buildings, but there is a certain eeriness about it that builds the closer they get. There are no sounds of traffic, no images on the electric billboards, just gloom, a ghost town. He looks at her face as they continue to walk towards it, she's pensive, quiet. It's the first time she's seen New York in the last five years. He brushes his thumb over her knuckles as they continue to walk, neither saying a word. It's worse up close, the empty streets, the broken windows, the suffocating quiet, but she doesn't stop, they keep walking into the city that no longer resembles itself.

"Rachel?"

"I'm okay," she says shortly. he nods, not wanting to push it anymore.

They salvage a few things throughout the day, some cans of food from a Walgreens, others from a Ralph's, the labels missing from most of them. He gets a little excited when he finds a can of beefaroni, they find a few boxes of tylenol and some bandages, but no antibiotics, which they both know they may need at some point. It's not much but it will last them awhile if they ration properly. The sun has started to set again once they finish scouring the grocery stores. He feels a little more anxious about being here at night, and he knows that they have to either get out of the city or find a place to stay for the night before they find themselves in total darkness. They continue to walk the empty streets, staying close to each other and keeping their eyes open for any signs of the living. He can't help but wonder if she secretly hopes for it, for some signs of life in a city once so full of it. He can understand why she would, still, other people pose a threat, it's just the way it is now.

He thinks they might be okay, it's been hours without so much as a sound or a voice, they'll crash somewhere tonight, maybe somewhere with an actual matress, and they'll get out of the city in the morning, she doesn't need to be seeing any of this. To tell the truth it upsets him too, He never cared too much for New York City, but seeing it in this state almost brings tears to his eyes, especially seeing places he used to go with Rachel all the time, reduced to ruins. He can only imagine what she must be feeling right now, but he thinks she's kept it together better than he ever would have expected, at least until he continues to walk and finds some resistance on her end, she's stopped.

"What's the matter Rach?" He says, looking back at her, but he doesn't need to wait for his response as he sees it, and as he sees her face at the sight of it.

"Rachel we need to keep moving," he says firmly but sympathetically, it's to no avail, he knows what's coming, and he knew if any place in New York would cause her to break down it would be this one. She isn't loud or hysterical as she falls to her knees and begins to weep bitterly in front of the Gershwin, but seeing her like this breaks his heart all the same.

"Rachel?" He says softly, kneeling down beside her, rubbing her back in wide circles.

"I knew," she says tearfully. "I knew it would all be gone, I just... I wasn't prepared for this."

"I know baby," He says, kissing her hair and holding her close.

"We shouldn't have come here, you were right," she says.

"He was right, you shouldn't have come here."

Finn's blood runs cold at the sound of the unfamiliar voice and the feeling of cold metal pressing against the back of his head. His hands in the air, he turns his head, slowly, so slowly, until he finds himself staring into the face belonging to the voice, belonging to the person holding a gun in his face.

Stay Tuned Folks.