Hey guys! So, I'm almost finished with this whole actual fic; it should be around 25 chapters... So, I'll continue updating at least pseudo-regularly for the next few weeks :3 Once I actually finish it, I plan to start a sequel! So, if you like this one, stay tuned for that... I plan to leave this off on a cliffhanger, so hopefully that will make you all come back for the next part *MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA*

But yeah, the semester has started and I have craploads of work for my Lit classes (not to mention my philosophy class, and German...) so I'm going to try to update 1-3 times a week, depending how much I write that week/the week before and assuming I don't forget...

'How often do you do this?' Abby grunted as she helped Anne and Maggie lift one of the cots from the Masons' tent onto the top of the med-bus where Ben and Jimmy were waiting to pull the wooden frame up.

'Every few days, usually about a week to a week and a half,' Anne replied with a shrug. 'When we're on the road, we don't usually unpack like this, but we needed time to check on the terrain ahead, so we set up camp in this clearing.'

'Huh,' Abby nodded as they hoisted the next cot up. 'Man, these things are heavier than they look.'

'Please,' Jimmy teased. 'You could probably carry one single-handed.'

'Yeah, carry,' Abby shot back. 'Not tote them around over my head like a water jug.'

'A water jug?' Jimmy repeated as he and Ben grabbed the cot and pulled it up.

'Yeah, you know, like in Africa?' Abby replied. 'The stereotypical woman walking around with a big jug of water or basket of fruit on her head.'

'Oh, yeah,' Jimmy nodded. 'Totally get the analogy.'

'Mom!' called Matt.

'What, Matt?' Anne replied.

'Lexie has a cut,' Matt yelled back.

'Is it bad?' Anne called.

'Not too bad,' Matt replied.

'I'll look at it in a few minutes,' Anne decided. 'Just keep an eye on her, okay?'

'Yeah,' Matt called.

'Hey, Mom, is there anything else that needs to come up here?' Ben called down from the top of the med-bus.

'Uh, no, I don't think so, Ben,' Anne replied. 'You guys can come down now.'

Ben and Jimmy easily leapt from the top of the bus to the ground, landing beside Abby.

'Hey, Abby, you wanna come help me strap some tarps over that pickup?' Maggie called, pointing towards a pickup piled with tents and other gear.

'Yeah, sure,' Abby agreed, following Maggie over to the truck.

Ben watched the two girls walk away, and Jimmy watched him. 'Hey, watch it,' Jimmy teased, whacking Ben in the ribs.

'What?' Ben asked, looking at his friend.

'That's my sister!' Jimmy laughed.

'Wha—' Ben started. 'I wasn't—you know—augh, shut up.'

Jimmy laughed and ducked away from a swat from Ben.

'I wouldn't do that,' Ben grumbled, aiming another series of blows towards Jimmy, which the latter dodged easily.

'Whatever you say,' Jimmy laughed.

'Jimmy!' Weaver called, standing a few feet away from the boys. 'There's someone I'd like you to meet.'

Jimmy glanced at Ben before joining Weaver near the dismantled fire circle. 'Jimmy, this is my daughter, Jeanne. Jeanne, this is Jimmy.'

'Nice to meet you,' Jimmy smiled, extending his hand to shake Jeanne's.

'It's great to meet you too,' Jeanne said genuinely. 'My father's told me so much about you. You have no idea how happy he was last night.'

Jimmy glanced at Weaver in surprised. The man shifted slightly, turning slightly red at the comment. 'It's good to have you back, Jimmy,' Weaver admitted.

'It's great to be back,' Jimmy grinned.

'Everybody, load up!' Weaver called as the last few pieces of gear were being fastened down onto trucks.

'Come on,' Ben prompted Jimmy, leading him towards the med-bus. 'We have to figure out where you guys are riding.'

'Ben, Jimmy!' Anne called. 'Come on.' The two boys hurried over to where Anne was standing with Tom, Hal, and Maggie at the front of the med-bus. 'Okay, so, most of the kids are riding in the med-bus,' Anne explained. 'Alexis, Matt, Summer, Amanda, Mariah, and Colm definitely, and I think Harlem too. I'm not sure about Abby or Dallon, or the two of you, obviously.'

'Jimmy!' Weaver called, approaching. 'I was wondering if you'd like to ride with me and Jeannie.'

'Uh, sure,' Jimmy nodded, glancing at Ben and Anne. 'If that's okay.'

'Of course it is,' Anne said. 'We're short on room in the med-bus anyways.'

'Okay,' Jimmy nodded.

As Jimmy walked away, Hal suggested: 'Why don't Ben and Abby ride with me and Maggie? You should have room for Dallon in the bus, right?'

'Yeah, that would work,' Anne nodded. 'So long as you two don't mind riding shotgun on the motorcycles, at least until lunch. Maybe then you can switch out with someone else or we can find somewhere else for you.'

Abby nodded. 'I'm fine with that.'

'Yeah, same,' Ben agreed.

'Dallon, do you mind riding with the kids in the bus?' Abby teased, elbowing him in the ribs.

'Nah, it's fine,' Dallon shrugged. 'Harlem and I could switch out with you two when we stop, if that's fine.'

'Yeah, that would work,' Hal nodded. 'Let's go; we need to move out.'

Ben and Abby followed Hal and Maggie to where their bikes were waiting as Tom, Anne, and Dallon boarded the bus. They mounted the bikes, Ben behind Hal and Abby behind Maggie, as the other vehicles roared and chugged to life around them. Maggie and Hal kicked their bikes to ignition, the motorcycles giving off sputtering roars as they started.

'Have you ever ridden a motorcycle before?' Maggie asked Abby over her shoulder.

'No,' Abby replied, wrapping her arms around Maggie's waist.

'It's fun,' Maggie grinned. 'Just don't hold on too tight.'

'Okay,' Abby gulped, loosening her grip slightly. 'Is now a good time to mention I get motion sickness?'

'No,' Maggie called as they roared to the front of the caravan, the wind stealing her voice from Abby's ears.

'Oh,' Abby said. 'Well, I get motion sickness sometimes, Maggie.'

'Hey!' Anne smiled as Hal, Maggie, Ben, and Abby joined her, Tom, and the rest of the kids at the med-bus when the caravan stopped for lunch. 'How were the motorcycles?'

'Bumpy,' Ben sighed, plopping down on the ground between Matt and Alexis.

'Well, they weren't actually made to carry two people,' Hal laughed. 'They're one-person dirtbikes. Sure there's room for two, but there's not supposed to be two on them. At least not for any length of time.'

'Oh, now you tell me,' Ben replied sarcastically.

'Here you go,' Tom grinned. He handed bowls of food to his sons and Harlem handed some to Abby and Maggie. 'Eat up.'

'Do you want to switch out with Dallon and Harlem?' Anne asked, glancing between Ben and Abby.

'Yes,' Abby answered immediately.

'Yeah,' Ben nodded.

'I'm not sure I want to switch out anymore,' Dallon sighed, earning him a death glare and punch on the shoulder from Abby. 'Ow. I was kidding.'

'Right,' Abby rolled her eyes.

'On the bright side, we've found a good campsite for the next few days,' Tom informed them. 'There's a big clearing a decent way off the main road that we'll be stopping in. Scouts say there's a water source nearby and there's no fresh signs of skitters.'

'That could just mean a patrol hasn't been by in a while,' Hal cautioned.

'Yeah, but that in and of itself means that they don't pay much, if any, attention to the area,' Tom defended. 'It'll be fine for a day or two; we'll just have to stay alert.'

Ben nodded. 'I agree. When we get there, I can check and make sure there's nothing close.'

'Good idea,' Tom nodded. 'I'll let Weaver know.'

'Do you mean with your spikes?' Harlem asked. 'By listening for the skitter's radio waves?'

'Yeah,' Ben nodded. 'Can you guys hear them too?'

'Uh-huh,' Harlem nodded. 'We can help.'

'Sure,' Ben agreed. 'That would be great. We can cover more ground faster.'

'Yeah' Abby nodded. 'We can each take a direction and go a few hundred yards. We can go out further than if it's just one person. We'll all help.'

'Thanks,' Ben smiled.

'Yeah, thank you,' Tom nodded. 'That'll make the whole group safer. I'll tell your idea to Weaver and just clear it with him, but that should be fine.'

'Come on, hurry up and eat,' Anne prompted. 'It looks like Weaver wants to get moving.'

Tom stood up, collecting a few empty dishes from the kids, and walked towards Weaver, presumably to suggest the scouting idea to him. The rest of the group finished up their lunch and cleaned out their bowls as well as they could before returning the bowls to the half-full sack that carried them. The dishes would be properly washed when they made camp that night, but for now they would have to wait. Once the dishes had been loaded into the bag, the Anne herded the smaller children to the med-bus and Hal and Maggie returned to the bikes, taking Harlem and Dallon with them.

'Hey,' Ben said, catching Abby's attention.

'Yeah?' she replied, her distant expression focusing on his face.

'Have you ever ridden on top of a bus?' Ben asked.

'Um, no?' Abby replied with a laugh. 'Why?'

'Well, the inside of the med-bus is pretty cramped right now,' Ben explained. 'Sometimes my dad lets me and Matt ride on top of it. I figured that, even though it's kind of cold, it would be better to ride up there. If you want.'

'Sure,' Abby agreed. 'How do we get up?'

'Jump,' Ben shrugged.

'Yeah, I can't jump that high,' Abby laughed. 'Damaged spikes, remember?'

'That's right,' Ben nodded thoughtfully. 'Do you think you could jump high enough that I could grab your hands and pull you up?'

Abby stared at the bus. 'Yeah, probably.'

'Okay,' Ben grinned. 'I'll just check with my parents and borrow some blankets from Anne.'

YAYYY! I hope you liked it :3

Also, I know you guys are reading this, so I'd really appreciate it if you reviewed!1!1! So far, only BrokenSky49 has reviewed... And she's my roommate, so she doesn't have a choice, which is why the word 'awesomesauce' is in 3/4 of them... ;P So, this is my shameless pleading for reviews...

ALSO, I may soon be the proud mother of a fish. This is exciting. =D Take my word for it.