"Mommy, are we there yet?" Olivia asked for the tenth time in an hour.

Sarah took a deep breath as she navigated the twisty back roads to the quarry. "Almost sweetie."

"So why are we camping?" Noah asked, giving his mom a look in the rearview mirror.

Sarah looked at Christy in the passenger seat and they exchanged a look. Christy turned to Noah with a smile plastered on her face. "Because Rick invited us...it should be fun!" she said over-enthusiastically. Sarah smiled at Noah over her shoulder. She glanced at her mom and Olivia in the backseat and her mom gave her a timid smile. Olivia was watching a DVD since the radio was only playing the emergency broadcast.

They had been in the car for four hours - it usually took only three from Savannah to Atlanta, but since Sarah took all backroads as Rick had advised her, it took longer than what the kids were used to. Luckily, he was right and the drive was pretty steady, people preferring the interstate during this time for whatever reason.

"We should be there in about 10 minutes," she assured her children. "I'm so glad I got gas yesterday," she said to Christy. "The few gas stations we've passed looked crowded..."

Christy nodded, chewing her thumb nail - her nervous habit. They had seen a few of the undead along the way, always managing to distract the children from seeing them. Sarah knew things were getting worse and she could see fear reflected in her best friends eyes.

A few minutes later they began seeing the terrain changing and becoming more mountainous. "The turn should be up here on the right," Sarah told them, slowing down to look for the sign. She turned onto the steep drive cut into the side of the mountain. She wound her way up and around, driving slowly since the guard rail was all that stood between her car and the steep drop off. She came to the clearing where they had camped before with Rick, Lori, Carl, and John, seeing several cars and trucks, an RV and more than a few tents.

"We're here!" Olivia squealed. "I can't wait to see Rick and Lori and John and Carl!" Sarah smiled at her daughter, suddenly feeling a wave of sadness roll over her. Her daughter was so young and innocent and it broke her heart that the world may never be the same. She shook her head as she parked the car and saw everyone at the camp turn to look at her. The sun was starting it's descent and the place looked beautiful with the city in the backdrop.

"Lord have mercy," Christy whispered. "How many people are there?" Sarah shook her head, seeing Rick approaching the SUV, her heart leaping despite her awful day. Sarah waved to him as she turned it off and unbuckled in a hurry to get out of the truck.

"Rick!" His handsome face held a look of complete joy and relief as he pulled her into a tight hug. Her stomach immediately filled with butterflies as it often did when Rick was around.

"Sweet girl...Thank God you made it!" he said, pulling back and looking into her eyes and then placing a hand on the side of her face, the other on her hip. "No snags along the way? How was the drive?"

"It was as good as could be expected," she shrugged. "We're so glad to finally be here." He smiled at her and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. She smiled and leaned into him for a brief moment, closing her eyes and feeling calm for the first time that day.

"Sarah!" a voice called. She looked over Rick's shoulder seeing Lori making her way to them. She stepped around him and grabbed her cousin in a tight embrace.

"Lori!" Olivia squealed as she ran over. Lori broke their embrace and reached down to pick Olivia up.

"Wow! You've grown so much since we saw you last month over Spring break!"

"Mommy says I get bigger every day! Pretty soon I'll be a giant!" Lori laughed and smiled at her, hugging her tightly.

"Aunt Lisa," Lori said, pulling Sarah's mom in for a hug too. Noah walked over to Rick, who ruffled his hair and smiled at him.

"Rick, Lori," Christy said as she approached. Rick smiled, shaking her hand as Lori enveloped her in a quick hug.

Sarah looked past Lori to see John, Lori's husband of 6 years, walking over.

"Thank God you're here!" John said as he hugged the kids. When he got to Sarah, he pulled her into a tight embrace and whispered, "I thought Rick would wear a ditch into the dirt where he was pacing. You sure you're just friends?"

She nodded, her face turniing red as they pulled back and smiled. "Yes, sir. The best of!" He grinned and shook his head.

"Let's go to camp and introduce you to the others," he said. "We can unpack your stuff after that."

Lori put Olivia down, who ran to her Nana and grabbed her hand. Noah held Lisa's other hand. They started toward the camp when Rick stopped Sarah for a second.

"Look, Sarah…There's something you should know…" he grabbed her elbow, looking into her eyes.

"DADDY!" they heard Olivia scream out. Sarah's blood ran cold as she turned to camp and saw Olivia running to her father, Noah stopping in his tracks. Lori looked at Sarah with worry in her pretty features.

"Sarah," Lori spoke up, "Rick didn't want to leave him behind. We picked him up on the way here." Sarah watched as her ex-husband embraced their daughter and motioned for Noah to come to him. Noah shook his head and stayed next to his Nana.

Sarah nodded. "Of course. I wouldn't expect you to leave him there alone, Rick." She looked at him and Rick frowned. "You were friends once upon a time and that's just how you are..." Rick ran his hand down her arm and grabbed her hand.

"I'll make sure you have as little contact as possible." He looked concerned as she nodded.

They made their way to the fire, hand-in-hand, Lori leading the way. Sarah walked past her mother and son toward her daughter. Olivia was beaming at her father who held her tightly. Rick stood by Sarah's side and dropped her hand, placing it on her lower back. The others stopped what they were doing to watch as well.

Sarah walked up to her ex-husband, her mind going a mile a minute.

"Sarah," he said, quietly, "it's nice to see you."

Sarah sucked in a deep breath, memories of verbal, emotional, and physical abuse at the hand of this man rushing back to her. She looked up into his eyes.

"I wish I could say the same, Shane."