A knock on the front door woke Riko from her slumber on the couch. She had slept there in favor of not having to be carried everywhere by her girlfriend. She threw her head back down to go back to sleep but the knocking continued. She huffed and sat up.

"My, you certainly are a fast healer." Kya commented when her patient opened the door.

Riko gripped the doorframe tight as she moved aside to let the doctor in. "Well, it has been a week."

Kya nodded as she sat down her bag. "And how do you feel?"

Riko gratefully sat back down. "Better than a week ago. I can walk for short periods of time but it still leaves a lasting ache."

"That's progress at least." Kya began pressing on the muscles around her knees to evaluate her level of pain.

Riko grimaced but it was tolerable. She decided to talk to her doctor as she worked. "So uh, Kya, how's the baby?"

Kya smiled knowingly and looked up. "She's doing fine. Why do you ask?"

Riko blushed and scrunched her face. She didn't have the guts to ask Kya any more.

"We would like to take her." A voice spoke up from behind. The duo looked over and saw Karina still clad in her sweatpants and t-shirt. The woman rubbed her face to get rid of the sleep and sat down with them.

Kya's smile never faltered. "I was wondering when you two would have the guts to ask. Even the council approved of it, surprisingly. Something about making up for your mistake."

The couple pouted and Karina crossed her arms. "I already said that it wouldn't happen again. I'm still angry that Riko went and got hurt without backup."

Kya spoke up before the couple could start bantering with each other. "Alright, stand up. I need to see you walk for as long as possible." Riko sighed and stood up, then waited for further instruction. "Just keep walking around the house until you can't keep going."

Riko finished her fifth lap around the first floor when she first grabbed for the wall. The other two rushed to her side. Karina tried to guide her away, but Riko stayed put. Kya noticed. "How bad does it hurt?"

Riko huffed and squeezed her girlfriend's hand. "Like an 8, but I could push myself."

"No, it's okay. I don't want you to hurt yourself more. Go ahead and sit down."

Riko let herself be guided back to the couch.

"You're recovering at a good pace. Just keep up what you're doing. Now, when do you want me to bring the baby over?"

Riko and Karina blinked. This was really happening. "Um," Karina spoke up nervously. "Is tomorrow okay?"

Kya smiled and grabbed her bag. "Sure is. I'll have Korra help with bringing over the supplies."

Once Kya was gone, the couple looked at each other warily. "We're doing this." Riko commented.

Karina smiled reassuringly. "We're gonna be parents."

Karina excitedly opened the door the next morning when a knock was heard. She gasped at the bundled up child in the carrier. A glint in her eye could be seen as she looked up at the doctor. Kya smiled and offered the carrier to her. She took it with a gulp.

Riko was watching this unfold from her spot on the couch. Now she was certain as she watched happy tears fall from Karina's eyes. This is what she wanted.

"Alright, move over! Crib coming through!" Everyone jumped away as Korra pushed the folded up crib in.

"Mom, what are you doing?!" Riko called over.

Korra huffed. "Helping transfer all of Olivia's stuff! Not like you're in condition to do any heavy lifting."

Riko was about to retort but Karina suddenly cut her off when she sat down next to her. She had the baby in her arms now. She motioned her to sit closer. Riko did warily and gasped when Karina motioned to give her the baby. She tensely held her arms out as the baby was gently laid in her arms. Her heart beat a mile a minute. She paid no attention as Karina left to help with the supplies and simply stared at the precious life in her hands. The baby had a small tuft of brown hair and a gentle smile on her face as she slept. She was going to be their entire life now.

It was the third night in a row and there was no way the couple was prepared for this. Olivia probably woke up a dozen times a night. Karina slumped out of bed. She yelped as she tripped over the heater's wire and the machine shut off. She fumbled in the darkness to plug the heater back in. She sighed when she accomplished that and walked over to the crib in their room. A putrid smell swarmed her nose and she gagged. Ugh, it was going to be a nasty one.

After a few minutes she finished the task of cleaning up their new daughter and putting her back to sleep. She eyed her girlfriend who continued to sleep peacefully thanks to the heater provided for them only because they had a child now. Who knew how much a heater could help in the middle of winter?

Karina sighed and crawled back into bed. 'What did we get ourselves into?'

Riko had just finish her ice treatment for the day when a rancid smell wafted through the house. She quickly covered her nose as her girlfriend marched into the room. "I've changed her four times so far! It's your turn!"

Riko gaped, but quickly shut her mouth from the smell. "O-Okay." She mumbled.

She firmly grabbed the baby from her and laid her across the couch. She gulped and hesitantly undid the diaper. She immediately coughed and shoved her nose into her elbow.

Karina smirked in victory as Riko yelled out at the disgusting thing that is a poopy diaper.

The back door was propped open, letting the cool spring breeze in. Riko had paced around the living room a dozen times. Olivia rested in her arms as she sucked on a bottle. Karina watched from the couch. "Don't let her drink too fast. She can choke."

The younger woman quickly adjusted so Olivia could drink at her own pace. She was learning to take care of her new daughter while also trying to rebuild her strength in her legs.

Soon Olivia finished the bottle and Karina stood up to help with the next step. "Okay, now you need to burp her."

Riko rose a brow. She had seen the other woman do it a few times. "How do you know what to do?"

Karina smiled and ruffled her hair. "Maybe it's just motherly instinct. Now place her here." She positioned the baby so that she laid on her chest, resting her head on her shoulder, and placed a cloth underneath her. "Just pat her back until she burps."

Riko began patting the baby's back, but nothing happened. "Am I doing it wrong?" She asked uncertainly.

Karina laughed. "Well, you aren't patting her that hard."

"I don't wanna hurt her!" Riko exclaimed.

Karina chuckled some more and held her hands out for them to trade. Riko eagerly handed her the child and watched in awe at her girlfriend's baby skills. She could hear the pat of her hand thumping against her back and after a few times a loud burp erupted from the child.

Karina saw the surprised look on her girlfriend's face and smiled. "And that's it."

Olivia grasped Karina's thumbs with her small baby hands and giggled loudly. Karina smiled at the simple joy. Riko was doing her daily jog around the first floor. After passing her family for the fourth time, Olivia noticed and fumbled in her mother's lap to go to her. Karina shook her head good-naturedly and whistled to her girlfriend. Riko saw her place their daughter on the floor to crawl to her. She smiled and kneeled down for her to come to her. They weren't surprised when she grabbed the couch, but they were shocked when she stood up completely on her own. The couple glanced at each other in shock and watched to see what would happen.

Olivia pulled herself to her feet and took a few shaky steps towards her younger mother. They immediately smiled bright when she made it to Riko before falling into her embrace. Riko cheered and hugged her tight.

Riko sat on the couch playing with Olivia while her girlfriend cooked dinner. The baby had one of the few baby toys anyone had ever found on runs. She giggled as she shook it and it rattled loudly. Riko smiled as the innocence of it all. Suddenly Olivia paused and looked up to the woman. "M…m…mmm…"

Riko went wide-eyed and grabbed her daughter in enthusiasm. She kept quiet but was going wild with joy in her mind.

"M… Ma-ee."

"Karina!"

The older woman dashed into the room with a ladle. She looked for a source of danger but only found her two favorite girls smiling at her.

"Ma-mee!"

Karina dropped the spoon and rushed to the couch. The infant raised her hands in a silent request to be held. Her older mom happily picked her up and spun her in her arms. "Mommy!"

Tears fell from both women's eyes at the sound of their child saying her first word.

The summer heat was starting to be a problem, but hopefully it would cool down as fall approached. It was another restless night for the family. The child's wails woke up the couple for the third time in an hour. Karina groaned and rolled over. She felt the bed move beneath her and sighed her thanks.

Riko carefully crawled out of bed and plucked their daughter out of the crib. She quickly changed her again and fed her a premade bottle. She then rocked her to back to sleep and hummed as the baby listened to her heartbeat, an act she had perfected as a mother.

Karina rolled back over after silence had returned but her girlfriend hadn't. She smiled sleepily.

Riko sat in the rocking chair, soothing their child even after she fell back asleep. She saw her girlfriend roll back over in search of her and winked at her. Riko thought that these moments were the best, when she got to soothe their aching child and Karina appeared oddly sexy to her with her hair thrown about and the careless way she reached for her body for comfort.

Karina chuckled and rested her head on Riko's pillow. Riko leaned back into the rocking chair and held Olivia close to her.

Karina gently shut the door to their daughter's room. The child was finally asleep after singing to her for 30 minutes. She sighed in relief when she heard no complaints about her leaving. She tiptoed back to her bedroom and slid into bed with her lover. Riko groaned and wrapped her arms around her. Karina sighed at the touch and relaxed into the cushions. Sleep began to take them for the night when a loud bang disrupted the silence of the night. Instantly Olivia was crying. Karina ran into her room and held her tight while Riko rushed to the closet to grab her survival gear.

"Just where do you think you're going?" Karina asked in the doorway holding their crying daughter.

Riko finished tying her boots and huffed as she threw on her bag. "We talked about this. If something goes down, you need to be ready to leave. I'm going to check it out."

"Are you sure you should go?" Karina argued and clutched onto Riko's shirt sleeve as she walked past.

Riko sighed and kissed her passionately. "Be ready. You never know when it'll be time to leave. If I haven't returned and it looks bad, you leave without me, understand?"

Karina looked shocked, then gulped and nodded. Riko kissed the top of Olivia's head and marched down the stairs.

Riko stomped down the street with a gun in one hand and a machete in the other. Whatever was the cause of that gunshot had hell to pay. She headed towards the west entrance where it seemed to come from. Other villagers were headed there as well with their weapons drawn.

"This is such fucking crap!" A familiar voice growled.

Riko looked behind her and saw her mother stomping towards the wall. "Mom, what's going on?"

"We have guests who were shooting walkers as they were approaching the town, at least that's what they told me over the radio." Korra growled. She marched up the steps to the wall and demanded to know what was going on. The guard cowered and pointed to the man and woman who were safe inside the wall and had their hands tied and their weapons taken away. They didn't seem to care, though, just happy to be safe.

Riko eyed them as she meandered through the small crowd. Something about them caught her attention, but she didn't know what it was or why. She shook it off as nothing.

"Alright, listen up everyone! We're probably gonna have a decent size group of walkers coming this way. I need a small group of fighters to stay. The rest of you can return to your homes."

Everyone looked around to see who was willing to stay. Riko realized that no one really wanted to stay but a few people stood up to the task. She knew that they'd need more help and followed them.

Korra scowled when her daughter volunteered to stay back. "What are you doing? You've got a family now."

"It's fine, mom. We're just going to clear any walkers that show up. Nothing bad is going to happen." Riko answered with a smirk.

Korra crossed her arms. "I don't like it, but fine. Just be careful."

"Hey, careful is my middle name!" Riko joked.

Korra rolled her eyes and handed her a spear. "More like careless."

Karina loosely held a gun in her hand. She was laying against the living room wall with Olivia asleep in her lap. Sleep was gaining on her, but she was determined to stay awake until Riko returned or be forced to leave otherwise.

She jolted awake when the doorknob jiggled. She quickly raised her gun.

"Put that thing down! It's just me!" Riko yelled when she stepped through the door.

Karina sighed in relief and relaxed completely, laying her gun on the floor. She raised her eyes in concern at her girlfriend. Riko was covered in blood and dirt. "What happened?"

Riko rubbed the back of her neck and sat down next to her. "Some outsiders where shooting walkers as they came up on the town. A small herd was drawn in and I stayed back to help. Don't worry, Kya already cleared everyone. She's working on the outsiders now." Riko said as Karina looked at her with worry.

"Okay… So do you know anything about them?"

Riko shrugged. "Not yet, but something felt weird about it all."

"Mommy?" The couple looked down at their daughter. "Mommy okay?"

Riko smiled and rubbed her head. "Yes, mommy's okay. She just had to take care of something. We're safe."

Olivia smiled and laid her head back down. The couple looked back at each other. "Can we go back to bed now? I didn't sleep at all." Karina asked.

Riko nodded happily. "Yeah, I'm a little tired too."

"We should go visit that new couple." Karina announced as she cooked dinner.

Riko looked up questionably from the floor where their daughter played. "I thought they were only staying to rest for a few days."

Karina chuckled and stood in the living room entrance. "Yes, that's what they initially said. But when I talked to them at the pantry, they suggested otherwise and I told them they would have to talk it over with the council."

Riko now stood up with her. "Wait, what did they say?"

"That they'd like to at least stay a few months now to ride out the winter that's coming soon, which is understandable."

"It also means they might get too comfortable here and want to stay permanently."

"But isn't that what we want? We need people to survive."

"We have a lot of people now, hun. It's not like when we first started and needed it. Now it's just another mouth to feed. And it's getting harder to find food as time goes on."

Karina crossed her arms and scowled. "You weren't thinking like this when you rescued Olivia."

Riko gaped. "What? That's different! She's a helpless child! They are two grown adults!"

Karina rubbed her forehead. "Maybe this is something you need to discuss with Korra."

Riko sighed exasperatedly. "I'm not on the council. Just because Korra is my mom doesn't mean I have any say in their decisions." Karina looked at her expectantly. Riko drooped her shoulders. "Fineee, I'll go."

Karina smiled brightly. "Great! You can help with cooking then!"

"Ugh…"

Karina knocked cheerfully onto the wooden door. "Is this really a good idea? We don't even know them." Riko asked nervously.

"It's fine. We don't really know anyone who enters here, but they all get a chance right?" Karina responded.

Riko sighed and gripped her daughter's hand. The child beamed up at her, cheering her up a bit. The door hesitantly pulled open and there stood a tall skinny man who recently showered and shaved. "Uh, can I help you?"

Karina perked up. "Oh, we just wanted to welcome you to our town! I made you some pie! I hope you like peaches."

The man smiled gratefully. "Oh, thank you! That's much appreciated. It's been so long since we had real food."

"Well if you need anything, we're just a few houses over, house number 12."

"Thank you so much. And who are you, child?" The man asked and kneeled down to their daughter.

"Oh, where are my manners? My name's Karina. This is my girlfriend Riko and our daughter-"

"Olivia?"

Both women instantly went wide-eyed. How did he know her name? Tears appeared in the man's eyes. Riko made the connection quickly and swooped up the girl in her arms.

"I-I can't believe it. Is it really her?" He cried and yelled for his wife to come outside.

"She's not yours any longer, not since you abandoned her." Riko growled.

"You don't understand! We did what we could to protect her, but it's not safe with a baby out there!" He yelled. His wife appeared and asked what was going on, which caused the man to become angrier. "She's ours! We made her and raised her for as long as we could!"

"You raised her for all of two weeks! We've been raising her for a year now!" Riko yelled in return.

"Riko, I think you need to calm down. The council will need to be involved with this." Karina whispered calmly. By now a few neighbors had ventured out of their homes to check out the commotion.

The man's wife was surprisingly calm as well and tried to soothe her husband before stepping towards them. "Is it true? Is that our child?"

Karina squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them to face her. "If you left a newborn baby in a basket on the second story of a house about 2 miles from here last winter, then yes."

The woman took a deep breath as she momentarily closed her eyes too. "Can we talk this through calmly? You seem like a reasonable person."

Karina gulped to quell her dry throat. "Ma'am, as calm as I am, I too am not willing to give up this child."

"This is absurd! She's our child! You can't just keep her from us!" The woman yelled.

Finally Korra and Asami had arrived after being called over. "What's going on?" Korra asked in confusion.

Riko growled and hugged Olivia tight to her chest. "They say Olivia is their daughter."

Asami gasped and Korra groaned. "Oh no…"

Riko growled continuously from beside Karina. She too was quite unhappy with their current situation. They stood at one end of the pavilion while the other couple muttered angrily from the other side. Korra, Asami, Tenzin, Suyin, and old man Iroh sat at the tables under the structure. Each had their names carved into the table in their respective seats. Some townspeople had gathered nearby to watch.

Tenzin was the first to speak up. "Tell me if I've got the situation wrong. Riko," he looked to their side. "You found this child last winter in a house not far from here. You risked your life to save her and you and Karina have been caring for her ever since."

Riko jutted her jaw out. "That's right." She mumbled.

Tenzin sighed and turned to the other couple. "You two are the child's biological parents. You left her in that house locked in a room with her supplies in hopes that someone would rescue her. You couldn't take care of her because of the risks it caused out there."

"Yes sir." The woman answered tensely. "It's not like we wanted to abandon our child. It's almost impossible to live out there with a baby."

Riko growled, but Karina put an arm in front of her to stop her and spoke up for them. "Why didn't you look for a group to take her at least? It's been years since everything happened. Larger groups are starting to form like we did."

The woman sighed exasperatedly. "We tried! We couldn't find anyone and we'd been traveling for two weeks without success."

"I'd never just abandon my child." Riko growled lowly.

Karina stepped in front of her to stop her, but the damage was already done. The other couple were yelling at them again.

"She's our child! We have our rights to her!"

Riko barred her teeth and leaned over her girlfriend. "You gave up those rights the moment you left her to be eaten alive! Who does that?! I risked my life to save the one you gave up on! We changed her diaper, heard her first words, saw her first steps! We're making sure she survives! She's safe with us. To you she's just a liability."

Now members of the council were getting antsy at the words Riko threw out.

"Quiet!" Korra ordered as she stood up. Everyone went silent and waited for her to speak. "You two arguing will get us nowhere. We are going to discuss what happened and how to proceed with this. I need both sides to stay calm and silent. Understood?"

Everyone nodded. "Good, now leave so the council can further discuss this amongst ourselves."

Both couples left quite unhappily.

Riko paced in their front yard while Karina sulked on the porch. It wasn't fair. They shouldn't even be having to use the council for this. It was a no brainer for her. She saved her while they abandoned her. She and Karina had raised her for the last year and making sure she survived. What had they done for her? Nothing! They brought her into this world and left her!

Riko's frantic thoughts were yanked to a halt when she felt her shoulders being grabbed. Karina looked into her eyes to reassure her that everything would be okay and began pulling her back towards the meeting area. Riko hadn't even noticed that Asami was standing nearby to let them know that the council was finished talking. The sad smile on her face did nothing to reassure Riko.

Riko refused to meet eyes with the people she now considered her enemy. She tensely held her girlfriend's hand and waited for the council's decision to be announced. Tenzin stood up wrapped in a shawl. "We've made our decision. I want both sides to know that no bias or animosity affected this decision."

Riko glanced up, wanting Tenzin to hurry up with the announcement.

"Majority voted in favor of the child remaining with Riko and Karina." Tenzin didn't get to say anymore before outbursts were made. The biological parents cried out in anger. Riko huffed and glared at them as they yelled. Karina grabbed her arm in a hurry to return to their daughter.

"She's ours, you hear me?!" Riko ignored their outburst and followed her girlfriend.

"Mommy!" Karina smiled brightly as the child ran into her arms.

"Hi sweetheart, were you good for Pema?" Karina asked. Riko had a hand on both of their backs as she went into protective mode.

Olivia pouted and hid her face in her neck. Karina rose a brow when Pema appeared. The older woman laughed and shook her head. "She thought she would be in trouble over spilled water on the floor."

Karina smiled and pulled Olivia back a little to look at her. "Was it an accident?" The toddler nodded. "Then it's okay. Accidents happen. You didn't mean to." Olivia smiled and hugged her mother tight around the neck. Karina coughed and chuckled. "Thanks so much Pema. We didn't want Olivia to be present at the meeting so we really appreciate this."

Pema waved her hand. "Oh its fine. I wouldn't want her there either. Don't worry about doing anything in return. You all have been through enough with this situation."

The couple smiled their thanks and returned home. Olivia held on tight to Karina. As they approached their house, they heard a small commotion a few houses over. Riko growled and protectively put a hand in front of her two girls. The older couple was being escorted home by Suyin and the man yelled out momentarily before the wife pushed him inside. Riko huffed and ushered her family inside their own home to escape the craziness.

Riko was glad that she decided for Olivia to sleep in their bed that night when she heard someone or something creep up the stairs. Karina was up in a flash and wrapped her arms around the young child while Riko slowly and skillfully grabbed her gun in the drawer and slid out of bed. Her feet slid quietly onto the floor and she aimed her gun with two hands at the door. The door across the hall could be heard opening. The footsteps were quiet but not silent. Riko moved her finger to the trigger as a heavy boot slid across the floor to their door.

The door slammed against the wall loudly. The man stood there shocked that Riko was ready, but he also already had his gun drawn. The two stood tensely. "You have five seconds to drop your gun and get out of my house before I shoot you dead." Riko growled. She had been in protective mode since the outsiders tried to claim Olivia and she would die before letting those idiots take her back.

The man stood still. Riko counted to four in her head before speaking up again. "You think I'm playing around?!"

Bang!

Karina jolted back, pulling Olivia with her to shield her eyes. Riko huffed in and out as her rage got the best of her. The man laid on the floor shielding his right ear with both hands. He groaned loudly as pain erupted in his eardrum from the gunshot coming so close to his head. Riko went wide-eyed and put her finger back on the trigger quickly as words replayed in her head.

"You'd think you had learned to go for the kill when an opportunity arises. You're still too soft." Zaheer chuckled.

No, she would not allow another enemy to get vengeance on her. She was about to press on the trigger but a hand lowered the gun for her. She glanced up and saw the terrified expression on her girlfriend's face.

As for Karina, she had never seen a brighter and scarier fire in Riko's eyes. She really wanted to kill this man. "Give me the gun."

Riko grit her teeth and tensed up, but then relaxed as she handed over the gun. Karina took it and aimed it at the man until help arrived.

Footsteps could be heard racing around the house. Korra rushed to their bedroom door, grabbing onto the doorframe as she stepped over the fallen man and peered into the room in fright. She sighed thankfully when she saw that everyone was okay.

"Holy crap, I couldn't have been more scared when I heard that gunshot." Korra sighed exasperatedly.

Asami was right behind Korra and gasped in relief. She put a hand to her forehead and ran her fingers through her hair. "Damn…"

Karina lowered the gun and Riko slouched to the floor with her back against the bed. She glanced over her shoulder to her daughter huddled in the corner. Riko didn't know if Olivia would be scared of her after seeing what she did, but they met eyes and the child rushed into her arms. Riko smiled tiredly and squeezed her tight.

"Where's the woman?" Karina asked tensely.

Korra kneeled down to the man to assess his injuries while Asami stepped over him to enter the room. "We sent the Bei Fongs over to their house. They should have her by now." Asami replied.

"I want them gone." Riko growled quietly. The other three women glanced at each other. "You already decided that Olivia is ours. If they're gonna react violently against us then they're a liability more than anything." Riko continued.

Korra began to pull the man up to get him out of the house. Asami dropped her head and sighed.

"You can't kick us out! It's winter!" The woman cried out. Her husband remained quiet as they were ushered to the gate.

"Walkers are slow in winter. You'll be fine. I'm sure you've done it for a while now." Korra persuaded as she handed over two travel bags.

"But the cold…"

"Tch, we don't have much heat here either. Only the young and elderly have their own heaters." Korra answered.

The woman sputtered as she tried thinking of any way that they could stay. Her husband laid a solemn hand on her shoulder and motioned to the gate. "It's not right for us to stay here, not after everything that happened." He struggled to speak as he was still recovering from his ear injury. The woman sighed tiredly and followed him.

Korra watched for a minute as they walked into the foggy morning. "Hey!" The couple glanced back. "If you make it another year out there, maybe you can return if we're forgiving."

The duo shrugged and continue on their new path.

Bonus Scene (Caution!)

Several years later…

"Mom, do we have to do this today?"

Riko smirked and tied on her boots. "We haven't been out in a while and you still need practice. Korra gave me today to take you out of the walls. Besides, we're getting low on supplies again."

A pre-teen Olivia pouted at the breakfast table. Karina laid a plate on the table for Riko. "Are you sure you don't want me to tag along?"

Riko waved her off. "Nah, it's okay. It's gonna be a quick and simple run for her to practice."

Karina leaned down and pecked her cheek. "Just be safe, please."

Riko smiled gently and leaned up to kiss her properly. "I always am."

"Ah, you two finally getting back out?" Bolin hollered from atop the wall.

"Yep, we'll be back in an hour or so. We're not going far." Riko replied eagerly.

"Got your flare?"

Riko whipped out the orange flare gun from the side pocket of her bag. "You know I always have everything."

Bolin waved his hands in the air in mock apology. "I know, I know. It's just protocol to check. I'll see you guys soon." He replied and started pulling a rope to open the gate.

Olivia had a scowl on her face while Riko looked quite excited to get out into the wild.

Mankind was slowly on the rise to make a comeback. With nature's selected humans left to live, the dead were diminishing as time passed. Humans were strong once again and formed packs which then eliminated the monsters.

There wasn't a walker in sight as the duo marched down the road.

"Where are we going?" Olivia asked.

Riko turned around and walked backwards. "To that old grocery store down the road to see if there's anything left."

Riko groaned and scowled at the sight of the store. It was hard to miss the herd that had gathered in and around the store. The mother and daughter stopped a few blocks away and watched.

"Damn it, now who went and caused that?" Riko huffed. "Whatever. Let's keep moving. It's just practice after all."

They kept walking until they reached the next plaza up the way. Riko surveyed the area and only saw two limping walkers in the parking lot. She motioned to the daughter and together they crept up on them. Riko was right behind her daughter as the girl swung her blade into the monster's head. Riko smiled and gave her a thumbs up, then moved to take out the other creature herself.

Riko huffed in excitement. "Wooh! Hopefully that's all of them. Let's check out a couple stores and head back."

Olivia chuckled at her mother's thrill of adventure. The duo clicked on their flashlights simultaneously as the entered the abandoned plaza. Years of scavenging had put a hurting on the local stores. All they found at first were a couple of expired candy bars. Then after closer inspection they found a box of cereal and a bottle of soda hiding underneath a rack.

"Jackpot!" Riko whispered happily.

"Um, mom?" Olivia cried out quietly as possible.

Riko stood up again and blanched immediately. "How?" She asked in shock.

Through the front window of the store, they could see that the herd was moving into the plaza. Several were already on the sidewalk in front of the stores.

Riko shook her shoulders, then grabbed Olivia. "Okay, next lesson: escaping herds. Just follow my lead and stay quiet no matter what."

Olivia nodded in fright and followed her with haste. Riko moved to the back of the store in search of an emergency exit. She found the old exit sign above a door and tried to open the door, but it was stuck. She pushed harder and the door budged a tiny bit, enough for her to see that a parked vehicle was blocking the door. "Shit. New plan: fight our way out."

Bolin sat in his lawn chair upon the wall while watching the clouds and daydreaming about his girlfriend. His guard partner was reading a book. He sighed. Nothing ever happened anymore, and while he knows it's a good thing, he's still bored. But this was his contributing job for the good of the group. He began twiddling his fingers when a loud hiss broke the silence. He knew what it was immediately and jumped to his feet. He shielded his eyes from the sun in search of the source. He gasped when he saw a tiny flare shooting through the sky in the distance.

"Oh no! Go get Korra!" Bolin yelled to the other man who instantly hopped down the wall to find reinforcements.

Riko looked to the front of the store and saw three shadows limp inside. She quickly put a finger to her mouth to tell her daughter to remain silent. She grabbed her hand and slowly guided her to the front door. A quiet gasp escaped the young girl's mouth and Riko grit her teeth.

Was this really the same herd? It had doubled in size in the journey from the grocery story to the plaza. Things were not looking good.

She guided them along the wall in an attempt to remain unseen. A few walkers noticed them and tried catching up to them, but they were running now. More began to notice and follow. One slid in front of them and Riko didn't hesitate to stab it in the head. She yanked Olivia forward and continued running, but the herd was closing in on them. Riko let go of her daughter to look around for an escape route. She gasped when she saw that an alleyway was clear of walkers. She went to grab Olivia's hand again. Riko suddenly had a flashback of trying to save her younger sister all those years ago in a similar situation. 'No, not again.'

She grabbed her gun as she hadn't anticipated the herd's speed. She fired her gun once at a walker approaching Olivia from behind. The girl seemed to be in a daze. However she jumped at the sound of the gun and quickly followed her mother. "Should we fire the flare gun?"

"No, not until we get out of here. Don't want anyone running into this herd." Riko dragged her towards the alley. She had to move fast as the herd was cutting off the only means of escape. She fired her gun repeatedly and scowled when she was out of bullets. She'd have to search her bag for more, but she didn't have time for that right now. Besides, they were already at the end of the alley and leaving the herd behind.

As the rounded the corner, they were shocked to find a walker waiting for them. Riko had no time to reload her gun. It was way too close anyway and was about to lunge at them. Riko did the only thing she could think of at the time. She pushed Olivia out of the way and took on the force of the impact on her own. She felt something dig into her shoulder but ignored it in favor of stabbing the monster after falling to the ground.

Olivia stood in shock at what just transpired in front of her and let herself be dragged further away from the herd by her mother. There were only a few walkers in the alley. They could get by without having to take them out at all. Riko urged her daughter along, wanting to get away from there fast as possible.

The duo panted loudly as they slowed down after a few minutes of running. Olivia straightened up, breathing in deeply, wanting to be back in the safety of the walls. She was about to move onward when she realized her mother wasn't following her. She looked back and gasped, quickly moving to her side. "Mom?!"

Riko breathed in coarsely and rested on her hands and knees. Olivia urgently pulled her bag off of her back to find a water bottle. She moved it to her lips but Riko moved away. "I can't…"

Olivia was about to chastise her when she saw blood drip from her neck. She crawled over to the other side of her mother and pushed the edge of her collar. Tears immediately appeared in her eyes and she cried out when she saw the deep bite wound in between her mother's neck and shoulder. "No… No! This can't happen! W-We have to…"

Riko chuckled tiredly and reached into her bag. She handed her daughter the flare gun which she quickly shot into the air. "H-Hopefully Bolin can see it this far out." Riko coughed.

Olivia wiped her tears and threw one arm over her shoulder. "I'll get you home, I promise."

Riko smiled weakly and dragged her feet along in an attempt to continue walking. "It'd be nice to see Karina one last time."

"Don't talk like that, mom." Olivia replied. She glanced over and stared at the deep gouge in the woman's shoulder. She dropped her head, questioning how all of this happened.

Karina's heart dropped into her stomach so fast it almost made her sick. "What do you mean something happened?"

Asami rubbed her forehead. "I don't know yet. One of the guards came running into town saying that a flare was fired. Korra and a couple of fighters went looking for them."

"Why didn't anyone come get me?! I need to be out there!" Karina yelled.

Asami followed her out of the house. "People were getting antsy. I'm sorry. I came here as soon as I could."

Together they marched to the eastern gate. A small crowd of worried citizens had formed on the street. "Move it!" Karina ordered and pushed through. "Bolin, what's going on?!"

Bolin looked over the inner edge. "I-I don't know. The flare went off and we sent a search team out, but that was some time ago now."

"I see something!" The other guard shouted suddenly.

Bolin jumped back around and held the binoculars to his eyes. "It's them! They got-them." The way Bolin went from upbeat to depressed scared Karina. Bolin slowly pulled the binoculars away from his face and they could see shock form. He took a deep breath and turned to the guard. "Get these gates open! Someone radio Kya!"

The tension and stress forming in the air closed in on Karina. She could tell that she was not going to like what she saw when those gates opened. Asami was standing right next to her when she pulled out a walkie-talkie but it sounded so distant. Her head started spinning and she had to steady herself. Asami quickly grabbed her shoulder and stared with concern on her face.

The gates screeched open and the crowd parted the road for them to enter. Karina started to run over to them but slowly stopped until she fell to her knees. She stared with wide eyes at the condition of her girlfriend. Korra and Olivia were doing a two-man walk to carry Riko inside. Blood covered the left side of Riko's shirt. Her head hung limply as if she was unconscious.

She was suddenly back on her feet and determined to be with her even if it was for the last time. Korra tried to tell her to stay back but Karina didn't care. She carefully lifted up the younger's girl's head. "Riko? Riko, look at me."

Riko's breathing was coarse and it took all of her effort to straighten up in order to meet her girlfriend's eyes. She licked her lips and gulped in an attempt to relieve her dry throat. "Hey…" She whispered out.

Tears blurred Karina's vision and she wrapped her arms around her stomach. Riko sighed and rested her head on her lover's shoulder. "It's okay."

Karina quickly picked her head back up. "No, it's not okay! I should've went with you! Things could've been different!"

Riko chuckled lowly. "Or you could be dead too."

Karina couldn't form a direct reply. Instead she took all of Riko's weight by herself and carried her to the infirmary.

"Heh, it's kinda like that time…when I saved Olivia…" Riko mumbled numbly from below.

Karina smiled sadly and nodded. "When I carried you home?"

Riko smiled and rested her head against her chest. "Yeah…"

Kya ran out of the house to meet up with them. "I got the call! What-" She cut herself off when she saw the bleeding wound in the girl's shoulder. "Oh no. Get her in here!"

Karina swiftly followed her in and gingerly laid her girlfriend onto a cot. Kya quickly cut the soaked shirt off and discarded it onto the floor. She inspected to wound with gloved hands.

Electricity filled Karina's entire being at sight of the bite. "What can we do? Can we amputate?!" Karina asked with her voice laced with fright.

Kya moved away and began pacing. "I can't believe this."

"No Kya! There has to be something!"

"I can't do anything!" Kya took a deep breath in and out. "That is not an area that can be amputated." She gulped. "I-I'm sorry. I'll give you some alone time. It doesn't look like she has long."

Karina gasped for air to calm herself for a minute before returning to her lover. She sat down on the cot next to her and laced their fingers together. Karina didn't know what to say to make things better. For a few minutes Riko coarse breathing was the only thing that could be heard.

Then the door screeched open as Korra barged in. She gasped and quickly slid to her other side. Korra shakily laid her hands on Riko's sweaty cheeks. "It's okay. You're going to be okay." She cried tensely, trying to hide her pain. Olivia ran in behind her and stood tearfully at the end of the bed. Asami followed them and stayed back a little to let the family have their moment. Tears already stained her face as well.

Riko's laugh turned into a cough. "I'm as good as dead." She tried to squeeze Karina's hand but she was weak.

Karina noticed and squeezed her hand tight. "I should've went with you."

"We can't change the past, my love…only learn from it." Riko sputtered.

Karina shook her head as more tears slipped down her face. "How am I supposed to move on from this?! I can't live without you!"

Riko smiled weakly. Blood continued to pour from her wound. Her face was pale. "Yes you can… I need you to…to keep living for me."

"How am I supposed to wake up every morning without you beside me in bed? How am I supposed to raise Olivia by myself? How can you expect me to survive in this world without you keeping me sane?" Karina cried out and carefully placed her hands on her cheeks.

"You're not alone." She whispered with her voice raspy. "Y-You have my family there for you… You're a part of us now." Riko turned her head to the other side to find the jet hair of her mother's lover. Asami went wide-eyed when she saw Riko reach out her other hand to her. She quickly dashed over to stand next to Korra. She grabbed her limp hand when it didn't retract. "My family needs you… Can you promise me to be there for them?" Riko asked.

Asami leaned over and pecked her on the forehead. "You didn't even have to ask. I will always be there."

Riko smiled and nodded her head in appreciation. She glanced up to her mom. "I love you guys… Thanks for taking care of me."

Korra couldn't hold it in anymore and cried into Riko's chest. Riko began spacing out and staring at nothing. "K-Karina?" She asked.

Karina rubbed her cheek. "I'm right here, baby."

"It's so dark…"

Karina hung her head. "It's okay, baby. You're safe now. Just relax."

"Yeah, it's going to be okay. It's not that painful." A voice said. Riko looked over and saw her sister standing in the background.

Riko smiled and chuckled. "I should've been able to protect you."

"You did protect me. You saved my life so many times and enriched my life so much and you were just a teenager at that time. You've done so much to help people, sis."

"Too bad she's still too soft. No wonder she's in this situation." A darker voice commented.

Riko's breathing was slowing down. "Maybe being soft is a good thing. Too many people harden themselves in this world." She replied.

Zaheer sneered and walked up to her. "Toughening yourself is the only sure way to save yourself."

"Then I wouldn't have saved Olivia that day. And she made our lives worth something. I wouldn't change what I did even now." Riko replied hoarsely.

Her family watched as it appeared like Riko was talking to herself. She was brought back to the present when Karina slipped a kiss onto her forehead. "Don't let me turn." She whimpered.

Karina sniffed and rubbed her own tears away. "I had no intention of letting that happen."

Riko sighed as her inhaling was becoming sparse. "Thank you…"

Karina hiccupped and abruptly pressed her lips into her lover's. Riko returned the kiss with all of the strength she had left. After a few minutes she pulled back and went limp.

Karina's eyes widened with realization. "No… No! You can't do this do me! I need you!"

Riko was unresponsive. Karina lowered her head and she finally released her pent up sobs. Korra stood up finally. "Asami, can you take Olivia outside?"

The older woman nodded and gently ushered the young girl away. Korra pulled on the curtain that separated patients. She held the gun by the barrel and looked to the younger woman. "Karina?"

She looked up with tears in her eyes but understood when she saw the gun in Korra's hand. She nodded and carefully took the gun from her.

Olivia cried into Asami's chest. The older woman cried quietly as she did her best to comfort her. A loud gunshot startled them and Olivia sobbed harder. After a minute Karina finally exited the building with some blood splattered on her right arm. She didn't even spare a glance at the others as she marched home.