AN: Here you go, another chapter.

This one is a Tyreese/Sasha chapter with mention of everyone else.

I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!

111111111111111111111111111111111

Tyreese pulled the car over into a parking spot so they could eat their drive thru lunch in the privacy of the enclosed vehicle. He'd only picked Sasha up about twenty minutes ago and he'd barely heard anything out of her except how foolish he was when he'd told her about thinking adopting Michonne's girls…and he'd told her about the dinner Michonne was planning too, which she didn't seem overly excited about either.

"Do you have to be so negative?" Tyreese asked, sorting through the bags to distribute the fast food between the two of them.

Sasha was his kid sister, but in a lot of ways he just thought of her as a kid. There was a ten year age difference between them, very nearly eleven years, and that sealed him firmly in his thirties while she was in her last year of college.

But the age difference had made him protective of his sister. It had made him view her as his little sister, yes, but as something a little more perhaps, as well. They hadn't had the same kind of sibling relationship that he'd heard so many other people talk about. He barely remembered squabbling with her over anything. By the time she'd come along he'd been fascinated with her. She'd been more of special little person made just for him than anything the typical kid sisters he'd heard others talk about who were a mere year or two older than their parents' other offspring.

And her relationship with him was different too. He didn't know exactly how she felt about him, but he knew that she'd always looked up to him as something of a super hero. That really cool brother who had a life long before she'd been anywhere near independent. It had been a role he'd doubted he could ever actually live up to…but he'd tried.

And now she was expressing, without a shadow of a doubt, that she was disappointed in him somehow. He had failed her in some way.

"Ty, you know this is crazy and you know if it was me you'd be having a fit right now! You hardly even know this woman," Sasha protested. "I'm not being negative. I'm pointing out the obvious."

Tyreese frowned and shook his head to himself. He'd thought that Sasha and Michonne got along. He thought that Sasha was genuinely happy for him. Now he realized she was just waiting for him to change his mind or something.

"You said you liked Michonne," Tyreese said.

"I do like her," Sasha said. "I didn't think you were serious about this, though. You barely know her. When you moved in with her, I thought it wouldn't last long. Now you're telling me that you really are going to marry this woman and that you're thinking of adopting her kids?"

Tyreese chewed the burger. It wasn't good, but however much time they wasted in the car was time that he wasn't going to have to hear this and know that Michonne might overhear it.

"I love her," Tyreese said. He didn't need to look at Sasha. He knew her facial expressions better than he knew his own and he knew what she was looking at him like while she dissected the burger she hadn't gotten around to biting yet.

"Ty…you don't do relationships," Sasha said. She laughed, though it wasn't sincere. "You've never done relationships. I always figured you'd end up…living in my spare room or something. You've hardly even dated a woman for more than a week before."

Tyreese shrugged. It was true. He didn't do relationships…not really. It wasn't that he was opposed to them in any way, not in the slightest. It was more that he hadn't ever found anything worth keeping. Most of the women he'd gone out with had lost his interest pretty much after the first few dates.

"Michonne's different…" Tyreese said.

"So you just start dating her…and then all of a sudden you're in love with her?" Sasha asked. "It's too fast."

Tyreese sighed. Maybe it was too fast. Maybe by all the rules established in the dating world, he was supposed to date Michonne for years…or at least for a year…before deciding he loved her, but that wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to be with her and he didn't need a lifetime to figure that out. He wanted to be with her and he wanted to raise those little girls. He hated being away from them all for the day…he didn't need to think too hard to fashion that into the fact that he didn't want to be without them entirely.

"It's fast," he admitted. "But I know what I feel. OK, Sasha? I know it's not lust…it's not even puppy love. I don't think Michonne's perfect, not at all, but it doesn't stop the fact that I love her."

Sasha sighed loudly.

"I don't even know what to do with you," she said. "You…you leave Atlanta to start some crackpot help the homeless venture in some nowhere town. You could have had a good life in Atlanta."

Tyreese chuckled.

"I've got a good life in Sweet Junction," he said. "I've got more work than I can hire hands to do…I can branch out to other towns in the area. The area needs to be built up. It's a small town…they're all small towns…that want to grow, they just don't have the resources."

"And where are you getting the resources?" Sasha asked. "You've got enough money to be some kind of benevolent benefactor to the small, backward towns of Georgia?"

Tyreese shook his head at her. She almost looked mad…like she might be considering an actual fight with him. He didn't know if it was really funny or if it was just striking him as funny right now because he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. Celine had something of a stomach virus and had kept both of them up almost the entire night.

"It's a case of simple math," Tyreese said. "Take low personal profits on a few jobs…get more jobs at a little more profit…help out where I can and make a name for myself. The more jobs I get, the more it adds up and the better my reputation is."

"Or you could do half the jobs in a better location for more profit," Sasha said. "And Michonne has two kids, Ty. Where's her ex-husband?"

"On the fast track to hell," Tyreese said with a chuckle.

"Have you even asked yourself why they're not married?" Sasha asked.

Tyreese frowned at his little sister.

"I know why they're not married. They're not married because Dean didn't want children…he thought he did, but he didn't. Apparently what he really wanted was to date children. His girlfriend isn't even your age, Sasha. She's just a kid. It wasn't Michonne's fault," Tyreese explained.

"And it probably wasn't all his fault either," Sasha said. "I'm just saying that before you go marrying someone who's divorced you need a pretty good idea of why they're not married anymore or you might be next. And if you adopt these kids, Ty, then you're legally responsible for them…even if your marriage doesn't work out."

Tyreese sighed. He'd forgotten, wrapped up in the circle of people that he now called his friends and considered some strange extended family, that there were people who actually analyzed situations instead of just shrugging and accepting what was going on in your life for what it was at the moment. It wasn't that he thought that Sasha was wrong, exactly, for worrying about the details…but maybe he'd gotten away from worrying about them all so much.

"I'm not planning on divorcing Michonne any time soon, thanks," Tyreese said. "But if I did…well…I wouldn't exactly hate that I still had some connection to the girls."

"They're not your kids," Sasha said. "You really want to take the responsibility for another man's children?"

"Yes," Tyreese said. "I really do. In fact, in a perfect world they'd just be my children and I wouldn't even have to have this discussion with you. If they were my children you wouldn't be saying this."

"If they were your children," Sasha said, "then this would be a case of you taking responsibility for the mistakes you made instead of making more."

Tyreese cringed a little at the thought of calling Anjelica and Celine mistakes. When he was sitting in the floor that morning, Celine in his lap watching Mickey Mouse in her footie pajamas and Anjelica feeding him Cheerios while telling him a story that consisted more of sounds and facial expressions than actual words, he hadn't felt like they were mistakes. And when Anjelica had insisted that he put her clothes on so Michonne could take them to Aunt Carol's house, he hadn't felt like he was making some big mistake by wanting to be part of their lives. When he looked at them, and thought about how much they'd grown in just the months that he'd known them, what he saw was how much fun it was going to be to watch what they became…what kind of little girls they'd be…what kind of women they'd become…he hadn't seen them as mistakes that had been made or a mess he was trying to clean up for someone else.

"The girls are good little girls," Tyreese said. "And I love them too. I love them just as much as I love Michonne…it's just different."

"I don't know what this town has done to you," Sasha said. She shrugged. "There's a girl in my dorms that's from there…she says it's one of those places that just gets to people. Her sister's like some kind of crack dealer or something."

Tyreese shrugged at the comment. He didn't know about the drug chain in Sweet Junction, but he'd never really thought it was a big deal. The only drugs in the town he was aware of, besides those that came out of the pharmacy, was the abundance of weed that Mrs. Watkins grew. And Mrs. Watkins was ninety years old at least with a greenhouse full of weed that even the police turned a blind eye to. The old woman didn't sell the stuff either…that wasn't her game. She "shared" with anyone who might want to come and keep an old woman company…talk about their problems…and leave at least feeling like they had less problems. If the visit was particularly good, like any nice old lady, she packed you a little doggie bag for the road. Everyone in Sweet Junction knew about Mrs. Watkins. She could hardly be considered to be a hard core drug lord, though…and he doubted she had siblings that were around Sasha's age.

"Maybe the town does get to you," Tyreese offered. "And maybe it's gotten to me…but the fact remains that I like it there. I'm happy there. I love Michonne and I love her girls. I'd appreciate it if you could be supportive of that."

Sasha sighed loudly and reached over taking some of the French fries out of the box balanced in Tyreese's lap. He picked the box up and offered it to her, not really having an appetite for the greasy food.

"I'll be supportive," she said, "but it doesn't mean that I'm not going to think you're making a huge mistake."

Tyreese nodded slightly.

"You think what you've got to think, but you might change your mind if you spend the weekend with us and you get to meet our friends. They're good people…just try not to bring your judgment with you," Tyreese said.

He was a little concerned about his friends meeting his sister. He didn't know that Sasha would mesh with them exactly. They were surely from different worlds, and the age difference had made a significant difference in world perspectives between him and his sister. He supposed that it was something like the difference between the Dixon brothers…though he wasn't sure how different in age the two men were. They were siblings, but they were siblings that had seen the world through very different lenses, no matter how similar their beginnings were.

"What kind of people are we really talking about, Ty?" Sasha asked.

The dinner party as Tyreese understood it at this point was more like a family reunion. It had seemed like it was Michonne's way of pulling off some sort of social bandaid. Here they are…all of them…if you can handle it all together, you'll really do stellar when you get them one or two at the time. Tyreese understood, though, sort of the idea behind it. If Sasha could make it through everyone…like going to a family reunion…then she would come out on the other side being much more acceptive of everything.

"Well, there's of course Michonne and the girls," he offered.

Sasha nodded slightly.

"And then there's Daryl and Carol…the dinner is going to be at their house," Tyreese said.

"Are they married?" Sasha asked.

Tyreese nodded.

"They're married and they have a baby on the way. It's a little girl and everyone calls her Lil' Bit," he said.

"What do you mean they call her Lil' Bit? She's not born yet…" Sasha said.

Tyreese chuckled.

"Just because she's not born doesn't mean that everyone doesn't talk about her and to her," Tyreese said. "It's almost like she's there, she just doesn't know it."

Sasha raised her eyebrows.

"And who else?" She pressed.

"Well, there's Andrea and Merle," Tyreese said. "Merle is Daryl's older brother…they live next door to Carol and Daryl."

"And are they married?" Sasha asked.

Tyreese shook his head, chuckling slightly.

"No, they're not married. They're…" he paused. "They just live together. And the Greenes are coming. I know Hershel and Jo are and I know their kids…or some of them…were invited, but I don't know who will come."

"Who are they?" Sasha asked.

Tyreese shrugged.

"Hershel and Jo are an old man and woman. Hershel owns a farm in Sweet Junction and Daryl works for them. I think they've sort of just…adopted…everyone really," Tyreese said. "Daryl and Carol call them Lil' Bit's grandparents."

"They don't have parents?" Sasha asked, raising her voice a little.

"Dead," Tyreese explained.

"All of them?" Sasha asked, her voice raising even more.

"Well they didn't kill them," Tyreese said defensively at his sister's tone of voice. "And then I know Axel's coming."

Sasha didn't say anything this time, she just tipped her head to the side and made a face like she wasn't amused with him. It made him chuckle.

"He's their neighbor," Tyreese said. "He's just a friend."

"Is that it?" Sasha asked.

Tyreese shrugged.

"Michonne invited a few other people, I think. She just wants you to meet everyone. She wants it to be really nice and really warm," Tyreese said.

"Is she making everyone name tags or am I just supposed to remember all of this?" Sasha asked.

Tyreese sighed, a little annoyed with Sasha.

"Listen, Michonne really wants you to enjoy yourself…and she really wants you to feel welcome. These people…they're our friends, but it's more than that. I want you to like them too, but if you can't like them then I expect you to at least act like you've had the upbringing to behave yourself. You'll see, they're good people," Tyreese said.

"So Michonne wants me to enjoy myself and that means you want me to enjoy myself?" Sasha asked.

Tyreese rolled his eyes.

"I want you to stop condemning them before you've met them," Tyreese said. "And I want you to go easy on Michonne. She's not the enemy, Sasha. She could help you out too. You're trying to get into law school…she could find you a good summer job, you know."

"So she'd help me to bribe me?" Sasha said, snickering at him.

"She'd help you because that's what Michonne does," Tyreese said. "She'd give someone her blood if she thought they needed it more than she did. And that's only one of the reasons that I love her."

Sasha sighed.

"Fine…if it's so important to you then I'll give it my best shot," Sasha said. "But I still think you're absolutely crazy to be wanting to marry this woman when you really haven't had the time to know her…and don't get me started on the kids thing."

"I know your opinion on that too," Tyreese said. "Try to be open minded. You might change your mind."

Sasha gave him a look and he chuckled. Sasha was, and he'd always thought this, extremely hard headed. Once she had her mind made up about something it was almost impossible to change it. Still, he hoped that she might change it over time…and he hoped that she might embrace the people that he'd learned to embrace in his life.

"Just try not to be too harsh on anyone, OK? They're all going to be doing their best to impress you…don't hurt their feelings," Tyreese said.

Sasha scoffed.

"Are you worried about me embarrassing you in front of your friends?" Sasha asked.

Tyreese shrugged.

"I'm just worried about you not being the sweet, warm, loving person that I know you can be so well," Tyreese said. "Just try to make sure that's the person that you bring out to play, OK? If you can do that you don't even have to get me a birthday present this year."

Sasha smiled and narrowed her eyes at him.

"I wasn't going to get you anything anyway," she said.

Tyreese chuckled but held his gaze on her until she smiled again.

"I'll try not to embarrass you around your friends," Sasha said, tipping her head to the side a little. "I don't want to mess up your life for you if it's really what you want for your life. It's just…you're my big brother, and I have to look out for you."

Tyreese smiled.

"I appreciate that, but I'm not a kid," Tyreese said. "And what did you always tell me about the person I said I wanted to marry?"

"What?" Sasha asked, chewing on the straw in her drink cup.

Tyreese knew she knew what he was talking about. It had been a running joke since Sasha had started dating and had begun to notice that Tyreese didn't have the same kind of relationship track record that she had.

"What did you always say about if I told you I wanted to marry someone," Tyreese said, narrowing his eyes at her because he knew she was playing dumb to keep her own words from coming back to haunt her.

Sasha tipped her head a little and stopped chewing. She smiled and nodded after a second.

"I said that if you ever told me that you wanted to marry someone, I'd know they had to be the perfect person because you'd already checked out every little thing about them," Sasha said.

Tyreese nodded.

"So I'm telling you that I've found the person I want to marry…" Tyreese said.

"But…" Sasha started.

Tyreese shook his head at her and she stopped with a sigh.

"Fine," she said. "Let's go and…do this."

Tyreese smiled and started to gather up the garbage so he could take the bag and throw it in the trash can parked near where they were.

"Thanks, Sash," Tyreese said. "I know you're going to like everyone…and you're going to see thirty or forty years down the road, that you were wrong to give me a hard time."

Sasha smiled and shook her head.

"I hope you're right…or there's going to be a very big told you so coming from me," Sasha said.

"I wouldn't expect any less," Tyreese said. He got out and gathered up the garbage. "Just remember…I already know about the relationships you've had…"

He closed the door, chuckling to himself while he walked to the trash can to get rid of the garbage.