A/N: This is a Rick Grimes story, right? So where has Rick been? Hmmm? Thank you to those who review and take the time to read this! You guys are super awesome!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Walking Dead or Rick Grimes... Though that would be nice.

"Well, this isn't how I pictured this trip." Jacqui leaned against a desk with her arms crossed over her chest.

Andrea let out a deep breath. "Join the club." She looked out a small window, and then let out a frustrated growl, tugging on her hair slightly. "We're gonna die here! We're surrounded!"

"Don't say that. Glenn knows-"

"Alice!" she snapped, making Alice shrink back in surprise. "Glenn knows what?! If he even makes it back, that'd be great but how do you suppose we all get out of here alive?!" Alice stood quiet. She had no reply for that. Morales placed a friendly hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, we'll get out, all of us." She stood quiet and just gave a weak nod, knowing Morales was doubting the truth in his own words.

They all sat silently in the room, no one knowing what to say. Minutes passed before Glenn's voice was heard on the walky talky. T-dogs head shot up as he held it to his ear.

"We got 4 walkers in the ally. I can't get in till they're gone." Morales and T-dog nodded at each other before putting on helmets that shielded their faces and picking up baseball bats. They ran outside and quickly beat in the heads of the walkers. Glenn and a tall man walked in, followed by T-dog and Morales. "That was so close!"

Without missing a beat, Andrea pointed her gun at the new man's face. Anger and defeat blazed in her eyes as she clenched her jaw.

"This is your fucking fault! You've killed us! Thanks to you we're all dead!" a sob escaped her lips.

Alice slowly looked at the man, her eyes wandering from his feet to his head. In disbelief, her mouth opened and closed a few times. With everyone's attention on the new comer, no one noticed.

"What are you talking about?" he asked with a slight country drawl.

"When you fired your gun, you drew the attention of geeks for miles! They've surrounded us and now we can't get out!" Andrea hissed. She looked away, trying to keep her tears from falling.

"Look, Andrea put down the gun. Either you shoot him or you put it down." Morales tried to move the gun, but she jerked it from him. Alice slowly walked over to the woman's side.

"I don't… Alice?" the man stared at her in disbelief.

Andrea's eyebrows shot up. "You know him?" she questioned as she lowered her gun slowly and looking back and forth between the two. It did make sense when Andrea thought about it. The man was wearing a deputy's uniform like Shane had worn when he first arrived to the camp.

Alice gulped down the lump in her throat before answering. "Yeah."

In a flash, he grabbed her in his long arms and held her close to his chest. "Oh God, it's really you!" Tears stung at his eyes, it felt amazing to find someone he knew before the outbreak, someone who could help explain what had happened to this world.

Alice hugged him back tightly, whispering 'thank God' repeatedly.

Rick.

He wasn't dead, he had survived. He kissed the top of her hair.

"You're alive! I can't believe it!" she started to sob. "Ri-"

"As heartwarming as this is, we still have a situation." T-dog cut in.

"I still don't understand. How did I cause this with a gun?" Rick asked, still hugging Alice close, almost reluctant to let the familiar face go.

"They're drawn to any sound, our smell, movement."

"Smell?"

"Yes smell!" Andrea ran her fingers through her hair, frustrated. "They smell you like you smell them!"

Rick's eyebrows knitted together, clearly confused. "I don't… Understand."

Alice wiped her wet eyes before speaking. "They smell like death and we don't. They can tell who is alive based on smell and who is dead like them." she explained as simply as she could. She knew she should have pulled away from Rick's arms, but it just felt so good to be held close by someone.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Jacqui asked, still leaning against the desk. She was oddly calm.

"I followed a helicopter."

"There ain't no helicopter's Rick. I think you just thought you saw one." Alice placed a hand on his forehead, checking to make sure he was alright. Maybe the heat had made him delusional.

He gently pushed her hand away. "No, I saw one. I know I did." Everyone shot him a doubtful look. Before any more questions could be asked, another set of gunshots were heard.

"What the fuck now?!" Glenn whined slightly.

"It's coming from the roof and my bet is its Merle." T-dog wiped the perspiration from his forehead. "We need to get him."

"That crazy son of a bitch!"

Merle stood on with one foot on the edge of the roof, firing his shotgun at the walkers below. He kept cheering himself on every time he hit one. Merle was amusing himself, he was his own form of entertainment. He knew he was supposed to be quiet and not draw attention, but there were so many walkers and he was just itching to try out his new gun. The group busted through the door, not scaring Merle, who just kept shooting.

"Hot damn! Got another one!"

"Merle! What the fuck man!" T-dog ran over, ready to pull his gun away. Merle stopped shooting, faced T-dog, and pointing the gun at him without missing a beat. T-dog stopped walking and held his hands up. He gulped down the lump in his throat.

"Well look here, it's the rainbow group. You know, you should never run up on a man with a gun." His eyes landed on Alice, a wolfish smile crept on his face as he eyed her chest. Her breast weren't big like he liked, but they were still a pair of breast. "Hey sweet tits, thought about my offer?" he grabbed his crotch in a lewd gesture. "I got something nice waiting for you. We can repopulate the world and make pretty blonde haired babies." Rick moved in front of her protectively, his face giving no emotion away. He didn't know who this man was, but he didn't like how he spoke to Alice. He felt her small hands take hold of his bicep, but she stayed behind him.

"Merle, we don't have a lot of ammo. You're wasting it!" Morales hissed, but kept his distance. He wasn't stupid enough to go near the crazy man.

"Wasting it?" Merle started to grin. "Nah, I'm helping out you see. I'm getting in some target practice so when we need it, I'll be ready." All of a sudden, he busted out laughing. "I don't need no taco loving Mexican telling me what to do." Morales jaw tightened, but he stayed quiet.

T-dog stepped closer to him. "Merle, we're surrounded. You're just making it worse! Stop shooting the gun and hand it over!"

"I ain't taking no orders from no nigger!"

His eyebrows shot up. "What'd you say to me?!"

"You heard me! Need me to spell it out, cause I can do that too." T-dog's fist clenched before he rushed towards Merle, his fist balled up. Merle laughed as he grabbed the fist and started to punch T-dog in the face. Rick jumped forward, and landed a punch on Merle, but was shoved away, hitting his back against one of the pipes. Alice rushed over and helped him up slowly.

"Merle! Merle stop!" Andrea begged as he aimed his rifle in T-dog's bloody face. Jacqui grabbed her upper arm to keep her from doing anything stupid.

"Merle put down the gun." Jacqui spoke, her voice calm as usual.

"I could kill you, I'm the one with the gun!" he laughed as he stood up. He kicked T-dog in the side, wearing a smirk on his face. Merle backed up to allow T-dog to crawl away. He let the rifle drop by his side. Andrea, Jacqui, and Morales ran over to T-dog. "The way I see it, I should be leader. Now who here agrees?" Slowly, Morales raised his hand. He did not want to be on the receiving end of one of Merle Dixon's beatings.

"Oh come on!" Andrea rolled her eyes as she let T-dog rest his head on her lap. Jacqui raised her hand, but held up her middle finger. Shaking her head, Andrea raised hers followed by T-dog.

"So it's settled, I'm the leader!" Rick pulled away from Alice and lunged for the rifle. Before Merle noticed anything, Rick punched him then hit him in the face with the butt of the rifle. Merle fell, letting out a string of curses as Rick held him down and handcuffed him to a pipe. "Who the fuck are you?!"

"You can just call me officer friendly."

"Fuck you! Let me go!"

"You shouldn't talk that way to a man with a gun. You need to calm down." He mocked, holding the gun to Merle's head.

"Fuck you twice you damn pig!"

"Listen here, there are no niggers or crackers anymore, its white meat and dark meat, those things versus us! If you get in the way of me finding my family because you can't act like you got sense… Well that's just a problem you don't want."

Alice was about to tell him about Lori and Carl, but decided not to. It wasn't because she wanted to keep them away from him. She wanted to see his smile and the look of relief on his face when they got back to camp. She looked over the roof and frowned. If they got back to camp. She didn't care about Lori any more, it was about Carl and the smile on his face he would have when he saw his father.

Rick reached into Merle's pocket and pulled out a vial of cocaine. He threw it over the roof.

Merle watched, his mouth hanging open. "What the fuck?!"

"You got some on your nose." Rick taunted before walking over to Alice, rubbing the hand he used to hit Merle earlier.

"Let me see." Her voice was just as he remembered, soft. He let her take his hand and study it. He noted that her delicate hand was so much more softer than his large calloused ones.

He genuinely smiled for the first time since waking up. "What's the diagnosis Nurse Walsh." She laughed a little as she let his hand go.

"Nothing serious, feels like a small fracture."

"Sounds serious." He said playfully.

"Hate to break you two up, but we really gotta figure something out officer friendly." Morales joked.

"Right, we need to get out of here."