The sunlight shimmered off the leaves while Daryl used the binoculars to scope out the depot and he counted the soldiers. Hornsby stood next to him as Daryl handed him the binoculars and Hornsby used the binoculars to look at the soldiers. He was surprised when Daryl had removed the zip ties, but Daryl warned him he'd kill Hornsby if he ran.

"Know where that train's goin'?" Daryl asked.

"Not sure," Lance said, handing the binoculars back to him. "The fact they're here means they're either refueling, waiting for orders or there's something wrong with the track."

"We need to get closer," Carol said.

"Not a good idea. They'd likely shoot anything that moves."

"Like that?" Caroline asked after she saw some Walkers moving along the train tracks.

"Yes. Like that."

Daryl used the binoculars as he looked at the soldiers and his heart jumped in his chest when he saw Connie being shoved by one of the soldiers.

"Carol," Daryl said and he handed her the binoculars. She used the binoculars when she saw Connie and Carol lowered the binoculars.

"What's wrong?" Caroline asked.

"Connie's down there," Carol said.

"Shit."

Daryl took the binoculars back when he saw Connie being placed on the train and the train started moving.

"We have to go," Daryl said, handing the binoculars to Carol.

"Our best bet is at the junction," Lance said and they headed for the jeep. They got in the jeep as he pointed to their right and Daryl started the engine. Carol saw the worried look in Daryl's eyes as he put the jeep in gear and he steered the jeep down the road.

The junction

The jeep sat at the junction station while Daryl looked at the steering wheel and Caroline and Hornsby searched the buildings for supplies or soldiers. As they exited the main building, Caroline saw Carol and Daryl talking and she stopped Hornsby from going closer. She could feel the mixed feelings coming from her twin as she saw Daryl sighing and she pressed her lips into a thin line.

"Everythin' ok?" Caroline asked as they finally walked closer.

"We're goin' after the train," Daryl said.

"They'll open fire the moment they see the jeep," Lance said.

"That's why we're going after it on foot," Carol said.

"Seriously?!"

"Move," Daryl said and he got out of the jeep. He watched Hornsby walking next to Caroline as they started walking down the road and Carol walked next to Daryl.

A short time later, Daryl saw Maggie sitting on the road with what looked like a little boy lying next to her and the little boy's head was on her lap.

"Maggie?" Daryl called out and she looked at him. He walked closer when he noticed the little boy was a Walker and he saw the knife in Maggie's hand. He knelt down next to her as she locked eyes with him and he sighed. "What happened?"

Maggie looked at the boy when she told Daryl what happened and he leaned her against him. They sat in silence for a few seconds when Daryl stood, picked up the boy and Maggie rose to her feet. They walked back to the others as Carol and Caroline looked at the boy and Carol felt the tears in her eyes.

"Oh," Carol sighed, blinking the tears away.

"Where should we…? Where should we burn him?" Caroline asked.

"I think over there would be a good place," Daryl said.

Hornsby watched while they headed for a small clearing and Maggie, Carol and Caroline made a small pyre. He was amazed with how careful they were with the body and he thought about the reports he had read about children Walkers in swarms.

"Can…? Can I help?" Lance asked while walking closer and Daryl looked at him.

"Need some more wood," Daryl said.

Nodding, Hornsby went to find some more wood and they stood in silence after Daryl had lit the wood on fire.

They headed back to the jeep when Rosita and Gabriel walked toward them and Maggie, Carol and Caroline hugged Rosita. Daryl explained to Gabriel why Hornsby was with them and Hornsby saw the anger in Rosita and Gabriel's eyes.

"Where is my daughter?!" Rosita demanded as she stormed toward Hornsby.

"She must have been taken to one of the outposts," Lance explained.

"Do you know which one?" Gabriel asked.

"No," he said then looked at Rosita. "But I assure you they will take good care of her."

Rosita wasn't sure, but she saw the honesty in Hornsby's eyes and she nodded.

"We better get goin'," Daryl said and they headed down the tracks while the smoke from the pyre floated in the air.

The train had stopped after the soldiers had learned the junction switch was jammed and Daryl hushed Carol, Caroline and Hornsby. Carol was sure Hornsby would alert the soldiers they were there, but he kept silent and Daryl motioned for them to crouch down.

Maggie, Rosita and Gabriel had gone further down the track toward the junction switch and they silently attacked the guards and Walkers near the switch.

Caroline and Hornsby confronted the engineer and the guard as Hornsby pushed the guard's body off the train then wiped the bloody off his hands on the legs of his pants. The engineer held his hands up in surrender while Caroline pointed a gun at him and the engineer rolled his eyes.

Carol and Daryl cautiously moved along the train when Daryl saw Connie with one of the soldiers and the soldier seemed angry with her.

"I don't think he knows she's deaf," Carol said and Daryl nodded. He looked at the flatcar when he saw the motorcycle and a small smile moved across his face. He then saw Caroline looking out from the engine and he pointed to the motorcycle. Nodding, Caroline glanced back at Hornsby and he wondered why she was holding the gun out to him.

"Just point the damn thing at him," Caroline whispered as she pointed to the engineer and Hornsby took the gun. He pointed the gun at the engineer as Caroline crouched down and she headed for the flatcar. She carefully headed for the motorcycle while headed for the solider and Caroline smiled when she saw Daryl grab the guard, spun him around and punched the guard in the face.

Carol had climbed up onto the flatcar as she helped Caroline remove the motorcycle then Caroline headed for the engine.

"Let's go," she said to Hornsby and he slowly backed up, pointing the gun at the engineer. Hornsby walked by her then handed her the gun and Caroline looked at the engineer. "Sit!"

"Yes, Ma'am," the engineer said and he sat on the floor. She used the zip ties she had removed from the pocket of her jeans and she tied the engineer's wrists and ankles. She picked up the gun when she headed for Carol and Hornsby and Caroline hopped off the flatcar. She walked to Daryl and Connie as Connie smiled at her and Caroline nodded her head.

How are you? Caroline signed.

I'm fine, Connie signed.

Was really worried.

No need. I'm a superwoman, remember?!

Caroline softly laughed as Connie smiled then she saw Hornsby.

What is he doing here? Connie signed.

That's a long story. Do you know where the others are? Caroline signed.

I told Daryl all I know.

Caroline nodded and Daryl headed for Carol and Hornsby.

"Do you know where the radio backup station is?" Daryl asked Hornsby.

"Yes, I do. It's that way," Lance said as he pointed east.

"Let's go back to the junction station and tell the others," Carol said and Daryl nodded. They headed for Caroline, Connie and Hornsby and Caroline felt the anger coming from her brother.

"We're goin' back to the junction station," Daryl said.

"Are you takin' the bike?" Caroline asked. She knew it was a dumb question as Daryl led Carol to the motorcycle and he helped Carol onto the seat. Connie tapped Caroline's right upper arm when she pointed to the jeep and Caroline nodded. Caroline lightly shoved Hornsby as she pointed to the jeep and he nodded. They walked to the jeep as Hornsby got in the back and Connie sat on the passenger seat. Caroline slid onto the driver seat as she started the engine and she watched the motorcycle heading down the path. She steered the jeep to follow the motorcycle and Hornsby looked back at the train.

The Commonwealth

Pamela looked out the window as she watched the protestors and she could just hear their calls for freeing Eugene. She thought back to the devastated look in Max' eyes during the trial and how Yumiko had decided to defend Eugene instead of letting him be found guilty.

"Why didn't you do as I asked?" Pamela grumbled as the door opened and her new assistant entered the room. She couldn't remember her name as the woman walked to the desk and the assistant had something in her hands.

"Sorry to interrupt, but this message just arrived," the woman said as she placed the piece of paper on the desk and Pamela arched an eyebrow.

"Thank you."

The woman nodded then quickly left the room and Pamela slid the piece of paper toward her. She turned the piece of paper around as she looked at the message and she frowned.

PAMELA.

I AM IN DIRE NEED OF THOSE BODYGAURDS YOU PROMISED ME.

PLEASE SEND THEM IMMEDIATELY.

A

"If you had only sent this sooner…," Pamela said in a soft voice and she crumbled the piece of paper into a ball, tossing the ball onto the floor.

The junction

The sun was setting while Maggie explained what happened to Hershel and the others and Carol slid her right arm around Maggie's shoulders. Daryl looked down at his feet while Caroline felt the regret and sadness coming from him and she barely nudged him. He glanced at her as she gave him a small nod and he sighed.

Rosita and Connie had found the radio station and Hornsby went to help them get the radio working.

Carol stood near the edge of the platform when she heard the soft sounds of drums, flutes and chanting and she glanced back at Daryl and the others. She walked down the small steps when she headed down the track, but kept her eyes open for Walkers.

The drums, flutes and chanting grew louder as she headed into the woods and she scanned the area with her eyes.

"Over here, Earth Mother," made her head to her left and she walked by the trees. She knew who she was meeting, but she wasn't sure why and she slid her hands in the pockets of her jacket. She stopped when she saw Jeb sitting on a log and she sat next to him. They sat in silence when he sighed and shook his head. "Shit. This is why I don't like bein' around people. I always disappoint them."

"You disappointed us?"

"Wasn't able to stop all this shit."

"Everyone has their limits."

"Yeah, you're right. I also had boundaries I couldn't cross."

"Are you talking about the Commonwealth? I found out it's located in Ohio."

"Yep. I can only go as far as what you call "West Virginia"."

"Who's in charge of Ohio?"

"I have no damn idea. Never felt comfortable talkin' with the others."

"Others?"

"What? You thought I was the only Old Man of the Mountain?"

"Well, yes, I did."

"This country has a lot of mountains, Earth Mother," he said with a grin and she smiled.

"Do you know if the others are safe?" she asked.

"Yeah, I know that. Just like I know the little ones are bein; well taken care of," he said.

"So, what do we do now?"

"What you always do. Go and kick ass."

"But you can't help us?"

"Sorry. I can't."

"Can you tell me why?"

"It has to do with keepin' things on their path."

"Their path?"

"Right. For things to run smoothly, certain paths have to be walked. If I change yer path, you end up with somethin' which shouldn't have happened. Doesn't matter if it was good or bad."

"Like if you had steered Sophia back to the Interstate," Carol said while she held the tiny bead in her left hand.

"Who's Sophia?"

"She was… She was my daughter," she said then told Jeb what happened to Sophia. She heard a soft growl and Jeb shook his head.

"Not sure who the son-of-a-bitch who protects that part of the country is, but, yeah, what happened to yer little girl had to happen or things might have changed," he said. He saw the sadness and pain in her eyes and he lowered his head.

"Good or bad."

"Yep," he said with a nod.

"What about our other friends? You couldn't save them?"

"You mean like from that crazy bitch in the skin mask or that really big guy?"

"Yes."

"No, I wasn't able to stop that."

"One of the people they killed was... Was my son, Henry."

"Yeah, I know."

"And what I did...? What I did to get even with Alpha was something that had to happen?"

"Yep."

They sat in silence when Carol stood and he watched her walk away. He made a low growl as he vanished and the sound of the drums, flutes and chanting faded.

Carol walked along the platform while she thought about what he had said as the sounds of drums, flutes and chanting faded and she walked faster. She arrived at the platform when she saw Daryl waiting for her and he looked worried.

"Where'd you go?" Daryl asked, walking to her.

"Jeb needed to talk to me," Carol said and she told him what Jeb had said. "What he said makes sense. Imagine how different things would have been if he or the others like him were able to change things."

"Don't wanna think about it," he said as he slid his arms around her and he pulled her into a hug. She placed her head against his right shoulder and he rubbed her back. He thought of a few more things which would have changed if Jeb or the others like him had interfered in their lives and Daryl sighed.

"Carol?! Daryl?!" made them move back and Caroline half-ran to them.

"What's wrong?" Carol asked.

"Rosita's got the radio workin'," Caroline said.

"Come on," Daryl said as he took hold of Carol's left hand and they headed for the radio station. He opened the door while Rosita, Gabriel and Hornsby looked at them and Rosita lightly tapped Connie's left shoulder. "Caroline said you got the radio workin'."

"Yeah, I did," Rosita said with a smile.

"Have you heard anything?" Carol asked.

"Not yet."

They walked to the table where the radio was located and Rosita sat on the chair. She powered up the radio as she moved the channel knob and the sound of static filled the air. She picked up the microphone when she pushed the button and she looked at Daryl. He nodded and she licked her lips.

"This is Radio Station 4. Anyone out there?" Rosita asked then let go of the button.

"This is Control. Where the hell have you been?" the s voice asked over the speaker.

"Been right here. Damn radio shorted out. Took a while to get it fixed."

"Shit. Well, guess I should update you on what's been going on."

They listened to her telling them about what happened and Caroline could feel the anger coming from her brother.

"Just so you know, the rebels were taken to Outpost 22," the s voice said.

"Got it. Uh, just to be clear… Where is Outpost 22?" Rosita asked then let go of the button.

"It used to be some place called "Alexandria"."

"Shit," Carol mouthed and Daryl snorted a breath of air.

"Thanks," Rosita said and she let go of the button then turned off the power to the radio.

"Now what are we going to do?" Lance asked and he saw the slightly stunned looks on their faces. "What? You really think I'm not going to help you?"

"Well, seeing how you were trying to kill us just a little while ago, yes," Gabriel said.

"Thanks a lot."

"Look, it's late. How about we get some sleep and figure out what to do in the morning?" Maggie asked.

"Sounds like a good idea," Carol said.

"Don't like the idea of sleeping with him running around loose," Rosita said as she looked at Hornsby.

"Would you feel better if you tied me up?" Lance asked and Daryl removed the zip ties from the pocket of his jeans. "I was kidding."

"Sit down," Daryl said and Hornsby sat on the chair. Hornsby places his arms behind the chair when Daryl tied Hornsby's wrists with the zip ties then he tied Hornsby's ankles with the zip ties to the legs of the chair. Daryl stood when he walked to Carol and Rosita stood in front of Hornsby. He looked at the rifle in her hands as he sighed and titled his head to one side.

"I meant what I said about your daughter. She's being well taken care of," Lance said and she glared at him.

"I should be the one taking care of her," Rosita growled.

"I understand that. If you had…"

"Do me a favor," Gabriel said and Hornsby looked at him. "Shut up."

Nodding, Hornsby sighed and he lowered his head then closed his eyes.

Carol and Daryl headed for the edge of the platform as they stood next to each other and Daryl looked up at the dark sky.

"If whoever was the Old Man of the Mountain back in Georgia had saved Sophia, would we have gotten together?" Carol asked as she glanced at Daryl.

"Yeah, we would've."

She moved closer when Carol slid her arms around his waist and Daryl leaned his head down for a kiss. She lightly rubbed his back as he held the back of her head in his right hand and deepened the kiss. Slightly breathless, they moved back and she placed her hands against his chest. She felt the quick rise and fall of his breathing and he lightly stroked her left cheek.

"I really wanna make love to you right now," he said, softly.

"I can see that," she teased after she looked down and he felt the burn of the blush moving across his cheeks. He cleared his throat while lowering his head and she lightly patted his chest. Moving back, Daryl took hold of her right hand and they walked along the platform. He tried to figure out where to go when he saw the storage building and they walked to the door to the storage building. Daryl reached for the doorhandle when he felt something move across his mind and he stopped his hand. "What's wrong?"

"Caroline," Daryl said.

"Yeah?" came from the side of the storage building and Caroline walked around the corner. She had a rifle in her hands and she stopped in front of them. "Just walkin' the perimeter."

"Is the door unlocked?"

"Dunno," she said. She looked from Daryl to Carol then back and she smiled.

"Stop."

"I didn't say anythin'."

Daryl opened the door as he looked for the light switch and he flipped the switch. The lights flickered on ad they walked inside and Caroline stood in the doorway. Carol headed for the windows when she moved the blinds down and Daryl saw a few sleeping bags on the floor.

"I'm goin' back to my walk," Caroline said as she went to close the door then stopped. "Unless you want me to stand guard."

"Go," Daryl grumbled and Caroline snorted a laugh. He watched her closing the door as her footsteps walked away and he went to check to make sure she was gone. He turned to see Carol standing in the middle of the room and she was smiling. "She is such a brat."

"But you wouldn't want her any other way," Carol said as she walked to him and she took hold of his hands.

"You're right," he said then he lightly kissed her lips. "Are you sure you wanna do this?"

"I know this isn't the perfect setting, but, yes, I wat to do this."

He kissed her again as she placed her hands on his shoulders and he pulled her against him. She slid her arms around him while reaching for the edge of his poncho when something moved through her mind and she smiled.

"What's so funny?" he asked after moving back.

"Just thinking about when we were on top of that school bus after we left the farm."

"You mean when you wanted to screw around?"

"Yes. If I knew the real reason you didn't want to…."

"I couldn't just come out and tell you I was a virgin."

She slid her arms back then she moved her fingers through his hair and she sighed.

"There are times when I miss that short hair of yours," she whispered.

"I could use a trim," he said with a grin.

"Nah," she said with a shake of her head.

"The other reason I didn't want to was because you seemed too willin' to do it. Like what we would have done didn't really matter."

"Maybe. I don't know what I was thinking back then. What I know now is that I love our private times together."

"Then….," he said as he looked over to the sleeping bags that he had spread out to make a small bed and she smiled. She helped him off with the poncho and she carefully folded the poncho before setting the poncho on the top of crate. She helped him get undressed as she moved her hands down his chest and Daryl made a staggered sigh. "Carol…."

She allowed him to undress her before he lifted her off her feet and they headed for the sleeping bags. He lowered her onto the sleeping bags then carefully knelt over her and she reached for him. He smiled then kissed her lips and her hands moved down his shoulders, along his arms and he moved back, placing his forehead against hers.

"Wanna screw around?" she teased and he snorted a laugh.

"Yeah," he said with a nod and she lightly kissed the tip of his nose.

"Are you going to be quick or are you going to take your damn time?"

"The second one."

"Good. I want to take my time, too."

He gently climbed on top of her as Carol smiled up at him and Daryl leaned down to kiss her lips.

A short time later, Caroline walked back to the storage building when she felt peace, contentment and love coming from her brother and she turned and headed the other way. She reached into the inner pocket of her leather jacket when she removed the photograph of her, the man she loved and his brother and she could barely see their faces in the moonlight. Memories of her time with them filled her mind as she blinked the tears out of her eyes, placed the photograph back in the inner pocket of her leather jacket and she wiped the tears away with the back of her left hand.

"I love you."

"I love you, too," she whispered then walked away. She didn't see the red eyes glowing in the darkness as a soft growling filled the air and the red eyes vanished.