A/N: This chapter has some action... Finally! It's a little longer than the others so enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Walking Dead

It had been decided by Shane that Jim needed to be tied to a tree because he was a danger to himself and everyone else at the camp due to his outburst.

Jim sat against the tree watching the kids writing in school books that the others had managed to find. The mothers, to keep some sense of normalcy, were tutoring them. He didn't say a word, he just watched. He missed his boys. He missed his wife. He hated himself for being the one that got to live. His kids deserved to live more than he did.

Maybe it was a good thing, no child should have to see this new world and try to survive it. It was hard enough on him having to witness what he had and he was an adult. He had to do things he never imagined, things that almost made him feel as if he had lost his humanity.

He had a dream the night before, but what had it been about? For the life of himself, he could not remember, but he knew it was what had made him begin to dig. But why three holes?

Jim looked to his right when he heard a few leaves crunching under someone's foot. Alice squatted next to him and for a moment, they enjoyed the silence between them. He liked the girl, but he couldn't help but feel that she had a certain weakness about her. In this new world, one can only rely on themselves, she hadn't seemed to learn that yet.

"Hey." She muttered, drawing in the dirt with her finger. "I just wanted to apologize."

"For what?"

"For bring up those memories."

Jim let his head rest against the tree trunk. "It's alright. It's not like you knew."

"I can't imagine-"

"Then don't." he replied rudely. Instantly, he felt guilty when he saw her bite her lower lip and look away. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap. You're a good kid, you know that?"

"Kid?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow. He chuckled a little.

"Well you're younger than me."

"Don't make me a kid though." She replied as she watched Lori and Carl. Jim's eyes followed hers.

"Lori." He called. The woman looked at him. "Keep an eye on your son. Keep him close." Lori's face contorted into confusion, but she nodded anyway, returning to Carl's schoolbook. Jim let out an auditable sigh before speaking again. "Do you know what love is?"

Alice frowned, looking at the older man, caught off guard by his question. "Sure I do." She replied, not really thinking about it.

"What is it?" he questioned, still looking at Lori and Carl. Alice stayed silent. She knew what love was in the sense of how it was defined in the dictionary, but really, she had no other way to define it. "You kids now a days. Don't know what love is, but are so quick to run down the aisle."

Alice smiled. "You ain't that much older than me Jim."

"That may be so, but I do have more wisdom, that's for sure."

"Alright, so tell me what's love."

"Love is…" his mind wondered to his beloved wife. "Love is unconditional. It's when you never have to go through good and bad times alone. It's an unspoken understanding and bond. When you have a shitty day, just knowing you have someone waiting at home to make it better is enough." He felt his eyes get misty. "Love is sharing every fear and knowing it's alright to be vulnerable. You'll never fall and hit the ground because someone will catch you."

They both sat in silence for a moment, Jim's word sinking into Alice's head. If that was love, she couldn't relate, but it sounded wonderful.

She knew what love was for her family, but for a significant other? She had never felt what Jim had described.

Jim looked up to the sky and wondered if his family was up there. Were they watching him?

Shane walked over, carrying some water and kneeled in front of Jim. He offered a smile to the man.

"You thirsty?" Jim silently nodded. "Here," he held the cup to Jim's lips, allowing him to drink. "Wanna tell me what that was all about earlier?" He moved his lips from the cup.

"Had a dream last night. Don't remember what of." Jim answered truthfully.

"Well, I think you've calmed down now. How about I untie you?"

"That would be great." Shane reached for his pocketknife and cut Jim loose, earning a grateful nod as he stood up and stretched.

"Wanna go for a walk?" Shane asked, looking down at Alice. She stood up, giving him an apologetic smile.

"I'd love to," she lied "but I have to help the girls with dinner." Her husband frowned, but nodded before walking away quickly. His pride was hurt. Alice watched him walk off, but just shrugged her shoulders and walked over to Andrea, Amy, and Carol. Jim had watched silently. He knew what was happening, and a part of him was surprised. He had expected Alice to agree and leave with him like she normally would, but this time was different.

Alice was getting a backbone.

They all sat together in a circle, smiling and laughing together. It almost felt as if the world hadn't ended. It was rare that the group had moments as carefree but when they did, all cherished it. The only ones missing were Ed and Shane. Alice placed her empty bowl down and gave a knowing smile to Andrea who smiled back. She had Amy's gift tucked away in her pocket.

It meant the world to Andrea to make her little sisters birthday special more than ever. She had stolen a mermaid necklace for Amy when they had gone to the department store. If there was one thing she knew about her kid sister, it was her love of mermaids. She just never outgrew it.

Alice felt giddy knowing the surprise Amy was going to get from her sister. She had helped in trying to find something nice to wrap it in, and though they had been unsuccessful in finding wrapping paper, Alice had managed to make a pretty wrapping from some pink tissue paper.

Much to everyone's surprise, Carol came over bring Sophia with her. She sat down next to Alice, holding her daughter close. Everyone noticed Ed was absent, but no one really cared. It wasn't like he was a joy to be around. Carol had tried to convince her husband to come join the others, but he refused. Normally she'd stay with him, but she finally saw what it was doing to Sophia.

For the first time Carol understood just what the young girl was going through. She hardly ever got to be a child before the world ended, Ed had taken that from her and the guilt still ate at Carol. Every day the little girl lost more and more time to be carefree and innocent. It just wasn't fair to Sophia. Carol made a promise to herself that she wouldn't let Ed dictate her and Sophia's lives anymore.

That little girl just didn't deserve the hand she had been dealt. Ed stole so much from Sophia, more than anyone around them would ever know. She looked down at her daughter, who was holding the one doll she had managed to save when they left home. She looked so innocent. Carol couldn't let anything else happen to her.

"I wonder if Rick's alright." Lori mused aloud, looking down at her bowl. She had almost felt guilty having so much fun while her husband was risking his life for a second time. Then again, he had made the decision himself to go.

"It's alright mom, dad's ok. I know he is. Aunt Alice is right; dad's good at figuring stuff out." Lori looked down at her son. Rick was so selfish, how could he not think of his son before leaving. It was one thing to turn away from her, but it was a whole different story to leave his son.

She kissed the top of her sons head, glancing at Alice. "You're right." Alice looked away. Lori longed to talk to her friend, to set things right, but Alice made it so hard. She couldn't exactly blame her, but it wasn't like she knew her husband was alive when she had done what she did. Besides, it wasn't like Alice loved Shane anyway.

"Where are you going young lady?" Andrea asked her sister as she stood up from the group.

Amy rolled her eyes. "I was trying to go take a piss, but I can't even do that discreetly." Everyone laughed as she playfully smiled at her sister before walking to the RV. A few moments later, Amy's voice was heard again. "We're out of toilet paper. What am I supposed to do-" a piercing scream interrupted her sentence.

"Amy?!" Andrea shot up and ran towards the RV. What she saw changed everything forever.

"We got a problem!" Dale yelled as he spotted walkers coming from the woods. Alice shot up, knocking her chair from under her. "This isn't good."

Alice reached for her gun, but felt nothing. She wanted to face palm herself when she realized she left it in the RV.

The walkers were coming closer and Alice had no idea what to do.

It was as if everything was happening in slow motion. She could hear Andrea's cries of anguish and pain; she could hear Lori yelling for Carl to stay close to her. She could see Shane running over to the group. She was jolted back to reality when saw just how close the walkers were to them now. She knew what she had to do. It was kill or be killed.

Alice spotted a piece of wood that had been meant to feed the fire they had going. She grabbed it, grateful that the log had been sliced in half and easy for her to lift up. Her mouth hung open; a large number of walkers were coming from the woods. She could hear her heart beating wildly in her ears.

A walker staggered just a few feet from her, and she froze. Did she really have it in herself to kill it? She knew it was stupid to even stop and think about what to do at that very moment. Everyone was fighting around her to live and her she was wondering if she even had it in herself to fight to live.

The walker lunged at her, knocking the blunt object from her hand and toppling her to the ground. Her forearm pressed against the geeks neck, barely keeping its open mouth from biting her. Her eyes stared into the walkers. They were dead eyes, nothing like she had ever seen before.

If she survived this, what would it even matter? Was it even worth fighting? Everyone at the camp had something to live for. What did she have?

The walker's mouth was getting dangerously close to her face. Just one bite, one scratch and she would be like that creature, but what had made them so different? They were both lifeless, just surviving but not really living. Numb.

Something suddenly flared up in Alice when she saw her sister's face and then she knew. She had always envied her sister for being brave, outgoing, never holding her tongue. Jessica would be ashamed if she saw how her sister was getting along. She had always told Alice she could do better in life.

Here she was, feeling bad for herself, wondering if she should just die. The thing above her would never again get a chance to pity itself or turn its life around.

She had a choice still, which was what Jessica had been trying to tell her for so many years.

Alice had to live so she could change. She had to live for her sister, the girl who deserved life more than Alice had. She wanted to make Jessica proud of her.

Alice had something to live for, she had to live for Jessica.

This was life or death, and without another thought, Alice chose life. It had been decided at that moment that she would always choose life, and stop thinking about the easy way out.

A sudden surge of strength went through Alice's body as she brought her knee up to the walker's stomach and used it to help shove it off her. She rolled over quickly and grabbed the log. She was in survival mode. She wasn't going to die, not like this. For the first time in a while, she felt alive.

This was her rebirth. Alice was no longer going to be afraid.

She brought the log down against the walkers head, crushing its skull. She heard the sickening crack as she smashed it repeatedly until it no longer moved. She heard a gunshot behind her. The exposed skin of the back of her shoulders felt wet. Alice wondered if she had been shot. She swung around. Daryl Dixon had a rifle aimed at her, resting on his shoulder. She looked in front of her and saw a walker that was close to making a meal out of her on the ground, motionless.

He saved her. Daryl Dixon had saved Alice.

More gunshots rang out, bringing Alice back to reality. She spotted Rick, running to protect his wife and son.

"You ought to stop day dreaming Walsh." Daryl hissed before running away to shoot more walkers. She nodded, even though he had already left. She ran over to Rick, dodging a few walkers.

"Gimme a gun!" she yelled over the gunfire. Rick looked surprised, but threw the bag of guns down from his shoulder.

"Take your pick." She randomly grabbed one and began to fire. She had always thought Shane's lessons would never go to use, but now, she couldn't have been happier he forced her to learn how to use a gun. Lori watched Alice. Something was different about the girl, she just wasn't sure what.