A little bit later, Davy left the pad to go see what Heather and Micky were up to down at the beach while Mike showed Isaac and Ronda how the kitchen was organized. Walking down to the beach Davy spotted Heather a foot or so out from shore. She was swimming around in her undergarments, enjoying something she thought she'd never get to do again. Micky was laying on his back in the sand. As Davy drew closer, Micky appeared to be asleep. His eyes were closed,

"Hey, you're not sleeping are you?" Davy asked, plopping down next to Micky.

"I wish," muttered Micky as he opened his eyes and sat up.

"How are you sleeping, by the way?" Davy wondered. Micky gave him a look.

"You and I sleep just fine most nights. It's Peter and Mike who have the trouble," Micky corrected. Davy shrugged his shoulders.

"We all have trouble sleeping," he admitted, "All for one, and one for all, remember." Micky nodded his head. The two watched as Heather went under a wave and popped out the other side.

"Think we made the right call on bringing them here?" Micky asked. He had been chewing on what Mike had told him earlier. Davy contemplated the question.

"I think… I think we did. We've fallen into a routine and, at least I think so, I think that a change is just what we need right now," Davy answered. A frown creased Micky's brow.

"Routines aren't bad," he pointed out, "Our routine has worked, why change it up?"

"No one can live doing the same thing everyday Micky. They'd go insane. A human brain wasn't structured for that," Davy argued. Thinking about it, Micky could find no argument with that. Again, there was a lull of silence, the only thing to be heard being that of the waves crashing against the shore and Heather's laughter.

"Ronda, that silent woman, she and Isaac said that things seem to be getting better," Davy informed Micky.

"Getting better where?" questioned Micky.

"I dunno. Out there, I guess," Davy shrugged, waving an arm in a semicircle as a gesture meaning the world, "But Isaac said that we were the first survivors they've met." Davy moved sand around with his foot (he'd came down barefoot).

"What does that mean? They haven't met anyone 'sides us?" Micky frowned.

"I guess…," Davy trailed off.

"What's wrong?" Micky asked. Davy nudged one of his feet underneath some sand.

"What if we're some of the only people left alive Micky? What if you, me, Mike, Peter, and these new folks are the only people left alive on Earth? I… and what about England? I never was able to get through to my family there, you know. What if everyone's gone Micky?" Davy blurted. He sounded on the verge of tears. He hadn't meant for all that to come out in one go. Micky placed a hand onto Davy's back. For a moment, it seemed as if Micky was going to pat Davy but he began rubbing his palm along Davy's spine instead.

"Look man, that's real heavy, ya know," Micky began, rubbing circles into Davy's back, "Now, I dunno what's happening out there. I don't think anyone knows. But I can say for sure that we aren't the only ones out there. I feel it in my gut, we aren't. Just keep on trying to hold it together. That's all we gotta do. You, me, Mike, and Pete, we all just gotta keep on holding it together, and I think if we do that long enough, we'll all get out of this together." Davy swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded, wiping away the few tears that had escaped during Micky's consolation with the back of his hands.

"Yeah, I think so too… thanks Micky," Davy gave Micky a tight squeeze. Before Micky could say anything in response, though, Heather came splashing out of the ocean.

"Hey, you guys said you had a bath or something right?" she asked, wringing water out of her hair as she did so. Micky glanced at Davy, to double check that he was alright now, before jumping to his feet.

"Yeah, it's real neat," he confirmed. Davy clambered to his feet as well.

"Micky's very handy you know. He's rigged up a lot of interesting things around here," commented Davy.

"Wow, you guys are really cool," grinned Heather.

"Well, you're pretty groovy too," Micky answered. Heather blushed and hid her face.

"Oh c'mon Micky, let's get back up. Remember we can't stay on the beach at night," Davy rolled his eyes, giving Micky a shove. Micky shoved him back and then took off.

"Do you wanna help me tackle him?" Davy asked Heather. The girl was only a little shorter than Davy and he reasoned that the two of them could bring Micky down. Heather looked a bit confused.

"What?" she asked. Davy gave her a wide grin, grabbed her hand, and they took off after Micky. They did catch up to Micky but no one was tackled. The trio walked up the stairs, back up to the pad. Ronda was in the kitchen, using a mere handful of the supplies (a mix of both their own and the guys') to make dinner. Mike and Isaac were talking in a corner. Heather didn't notice the curious looks that passed between the two men, but Micky noticed. He wondered what exactly they were talking about.

"Mike, sorry to interrupt, but Heather wanted to know if she could take a bath?" Davy asked. Mike glanced or to them.

"Sure, the bathroom's right behind you," he answered.

"Thank you!" Heather chirped and then went upstairs to get a change of clothing. Micky slunk down onto the lounge chair, sprawling out. Davy picked up Micky's left leg and moved it over so that he could sit down next to Micky. A few more hushed words were exchanged between Isaac and Mike before they dispersed.

"How was the water?" Isaac asked Micky.

"It's always great, although sometimes it gets a bit too cold," Micky shrugged.

"You all have a very nice place here," Isaac commented. Mike sat down on a chair and pointed out a free one for Isaac to sit down in.

"Thanks man," Micky grinned, sitting up, "Heather's real sweet."

"She can be… a handful sometimes. Irritating, but I'm glad you think she's sweet. She's very young and I don't think she fully understands the implications of what is happening around here," Isaac sighed.

"Well hey, we're all cool here. Everyone deals with this stuff differently," Micky pointed out. Davy gave him a nudge with his shoulder.

"Plus, it isn't like we all have stellar personalities," he added. Micky gave Davy a look that said "wow rude, I have the best personality ever" but no words were exchanged.

"It's good to see such spirit here," laughed Isaac.

"And we got a lot of it," puffed Mike, glad to see that some good was already coming out of this sudden arrangement. Micky and Davy seemed to be having some fun, they were getting what Mike hoped was an excellent meal (even with their meager supplies, anything would be better than lukewarm soup again), and Mike had to admit that Isaac was interesting to talk to. He felt bad about getting angry with Micky earlier. Even though it had been a risky move, Micky was only trying to do what he thought was right and that's all anyone could do these days. A little while later, Heather came out of the bathroom.

"I forgot how good it feels to take a bath!" she exclaimed.

"You can thank Micky for that," grinned Davy. Heather did indeed and then the conversation bounced around from one topic to the other. These topics didn't consist of much though, just unimportant questions and a few stories that Davy wormed into said questions.

"The dinner is finished," Ronda announced after a couple of minutes. Micky jumped to his feet and cheered.

"Come on, man," Davy rolled his eyes. Mike shook his head at the both of them, a smile playing on his face.

"Woo! I'm with Micky!" Heather smiled.

"I think we should get to the table," Isaac pointed out.

"Yeah man, I'll grab some more chairs," Davy said. Micky helped him bring over extra chairs so that everyone was able to sit down at the table comfortably enough. Ronda brought over what she had made. It was stew.

"This smells great!" Heather chirped.

"Apologies if I used more than I should have," Ronda said to Mike as she ladled out stew for everyone.

"Nah, it's fine. I think we're all too hungry to care too much," Mike assured her.

"It's very kind of you to do this, thank you," Isaac said. Davy, after getting enough chairs for everyone with the help of Micky, had gone to get Peter (who was still in the downstairs bedroom) and now returned with the taller blonde.

"Wow man, this is something good," Micky complimented Ronda. He was already eating, which wasn't a surprise. Ronda thanked him. Peter sat down between Davy and Mike, and then everyone else began to eat as well. Isaac asked about supply runs and the usual chores. Mike and Davy answered these questions, with Micky chiming in on occasion when he could bring himself to talk. Heather chatted amiably, hands going this way and that. Mike made the comment that Heather spoke like Micky, with her hands.

"I don't always talk with my hands," Micky pouted, but there wasn't any heart behind it because he knew Mike was kidding around.

"I do," Heather said, almost proudly, "You can ask Isaac. I'm always throwing my hands around. I just don't know what to do with them."

"You could always put them in your pockets," Davy suggested. Heather shrugged her shoulders and waggled her fingers at him. Isaac gave Heather a warning look. Nothing too unfriendly of course, he just wanted to make sure she did not cross any boundaries.

"You should come down to the beach tomorrow, Isaac, it's a lot of fun," said Heather, changing the topic.

"We could all go down, if it's all clear," agreed Davy.

"After rounds then," Mike smiled. It was good to see that Davy and Micky were getting along well with the newcomers. He hoped that maybe his change would get Peter out of his funk… speaking of Peter, Mike leaned over and whispered into Peter's ear, "Hey man, this is some good eats, right?" Peter, who hadn't eaten very much of his bowl of stew, glanced up and nodded his head. He gave Mike a thin smile.

"It's very good Mike," Peter agreed.

"Then try to eat all of it," Mike suggested. All three of the guys had noticed a while back that when it came to food and rations, Peter would eat half (sometimes even a third) of his share and then give what was left to one of them. Ronda ignored the exchange, Heather barely seemed to notice, but Isaac did. He had kept a close eye on the mental and physical state of his little group. Heather had posed the most trouble in the beginning but he had managed to keep her in better spirits. Now faced with four new people, Isaac couldn't help but try and evaluate their states, both mentally and physically. He hadn't gathered much though, but he could clearly see the concern on Michael's face.

"Alright Mike, I will," Peter assured. Mike patted him on the back. The conversation flowed from mundane talk then to more technical things like rounds. Everyday, at 9:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 6:00 PM there was to be rounds. Two of the guys (four people equaled a constant buddy system) would walk around the house and see what was happening. Supply runs happened on Saturdays or Sundays, and consisted of a buddy system a well. Mike said that Ronda and Isaac could both accompany himself and Micky on tomorrow morning's round. By the time that was explained, mostly everyone at the table had finished.

"I can do the washing up… if you do the washing up," Heather offered.

"Sure, I'll show you how," Micky grinned. They collected the plates, all except Peter and Ronda's. Micky and Heather both found it odd that Ronda said she wasn't finished though, because her bowl was empty. So they went over to the sink and Micky showed Heather how to do the washing up.

"Micky, do you want to play one of the board games?" Davy asked as he wandered into the living room area.

"Oh can we?" Heather exclaimed, looking at Micky.

"Yeah, sure. What'd ya say Mike?" Micky grinned.

"Sure, sounds like a good plan," Mike agreed. Micky gave a whoop of excitement.

"Let's hurry up with these," he whispered to Heather who nodded her head vigorously. Then they began to speed up their washing process.

"Ronda, do you want to join?" Isaac inquired.

"I think I will finish my food here with," she paused a moment to remember Peter's name, "Peter and then I think both of us will join." Peter glanced up at the mention of his name.

"You don't have to do that," Peter said immediately. But Ronda shook her head and answered with, "It's no trouble. I still have to finish eating as well." Mike mouthed the words 'thank you' to Ronda who simply bowed her head slightly in return. Isaac was glad that Ronda definitely seemed to be warming up to their newfound friends. The game commenced shortly after Micky and Heather had finished up the dishes. Fifeteen minutes later, Peter and Ronda joined in, although neither of them said or did much. Still, it was an overall fun time. Heather was more than overjoyed to do anything that made her feel like a normal kid again. And Mike enjoyed watching his two friends seem to be getting back into their old selves. The game was won by Isaac, who gave the title to Micky (who had come in second place), but then Micky gave the title to Heather and Davy eventually had to suggest that they just share the title. Once the game was over, it was time for bed. Isaac, Ronda, and Heather headed upstairs after bidding goodnight to their kind hosts.

"You seem to like these guys, Heather," Isaac commented as he clambered into the bed closest to the door. Ronda and Heather were already settled into the opposite bed.

"I like them a lot. Micky's funny and Davy's really sweet. Mike seems… okay I guess, kinda like you Isaac, all business and no fun," Heather responded. Ronda smiled at the comment.

"Isaac is all business and no fun? Then what am I?" she asked in a teasing manner. Heather gave Ronda a tight squeeze.

"You're more fun than Isaac. He's stuffy and boring," she giggled.

"You will never cease to amaze me," chuckled Isaac, climbing underneath the covers.

"I think Peter's cool too, but I didn't see much of him today. I wonder what his problem is," concluded Heather.

"We do not know what these people have been through Heather," Isaac pointed out.

"Everyone's gone through horrors. Some day, perhaps, they might tell you their stories, but for now you must be grateful for their kindness," Ronda agreed.

"So you don't think this was a bad idea, do you, Ronda?" Isaac prompted, hoping that Ronda really had had a change of heart.

"I must admit Isaac… this was not a bad idea," Ronda confirmed. Isaac smiled to himself.

"I'm glad to hear that," he said, pausing to sit up slightly, "Can I turn the light off?" Ronda and Heather said 'yes' in unison and then Isaac turned off the bedside lamp.

Meanwhile, downstairs, the guys were still getting settled.

"Peter, why don't you sleep with-," Mike was beginning to say when Davy cut him off, quite firmly.

"Peter is going to sleep with me, in my bed. You, Mike, need to try to get some actual proper rest, so you'll sleep with Micky in Peter's bed," he informed Mike, who didn't seem pleased with this arrangement. Micky and Davy had decided this in secret, when they had been leading Ronda, Heather, and Isaac back to the pad. Although they had all dealt with terrifying nightmares that would be expected from such an experience, Davy, Micky, and Mike had all seemed to mellow out (dreamwise, of course). But Peter continued to experience them. Sometimes, he would scream or call out in his sleep, other times he would cry. What it was Peter dreamt about was a mystery, because he refused to speak about them. Usually, since he and Davy slept in the same room, Davy would be the one to wake Peter up. However, Davy had noticed that Mike had taken to getting only a handful of hours (2-4) of sleep and then being awake around the time when Peter began voicing his discomfort.

"You aren't serious are ya? I get enough sleep man, I'm fine," Mike protested but Micky pulled him onto Davy's bed. He had already crawled under the covers, beat after the excitement of the day.

"Don't fight it Mike, me and Davy decided this so long ago, it's history," Micky joked.

"They're right you know, Mike," Peter agreed. Mike gave Peter a sympathetic look. Micky and Davy, he had no problem arguing with, but these days especially Mike found it hard to argue with Peter.

"Oh fine, y'all win," Mike grumbled, laying back down onto the mattress.

"Woo, I'm glad we have gained this victory, now Davy turn off the lights," Micky yawned. Peter climbed into Davy's bed as Davy clicked off the lights before settling in next to Peter. The four exchanged their usual good night's, each saying goodnight to the other, and then they went to bed.