With the recent happenings Tori decided that she would spend Sunday with Diana. She hoped the two of them would be able to roam around a little more and get a little more acquainted with the town and what it had to offer. She wanted to check out the YMCA and see some of the other shops, and hopefully talk to the residents and see what the place was really like, and not just what the 'officials' put out there. Early in the morning Tori rose first, as usual, and completed her morning ritual before waking Diana up gently. She kissed her on the cheek and slid her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. Diana smiled with her eyes still closed and stretched in her spot, slowly blinking to adjust to the light.

"Mornin' sunshine" said Tori.

"Hey."

"I wanna take you out today, is that OK? What do you say? Yay or nay?" Tori struck a pose and Diana burst into laughter.

"Yay, I say" said Diana, throwing back the covers so she could get up. "I'll be quick and we can get out of here."

Tori waited in the living room for Diana to finish up and off they went. They decided to keep going the direction of the store they had first stopped in and see what else they could find on that strip. The first place they came to was a clothing store that had signs in the windows advertising free clothes for children. Tori decided to duck inside and look around a bit to see if they had anything in her size.

The inside of the store was a little musty, which was to be expected. Rows of tables lined the floor from one side of the store to the other and all were piled high with different types of garments, split into gender and age sections. Adult women was in the back right so Tori headed in that direction. She found a few things at first glance that she might like, picking up a light blue shirt with a wide collar and holding it to her chest. She turned and modeled it to Diana, shaking her butt and twirling in a circle. Diana laughed and held up a shirt of her own, a pink and purple tank top with a flower pot on it. Tori burst out in giggles and the noise from their amusement drew the attention of the shopkeeper.

A younger woman, maybe mid thirties, stepped out from a back room with a smile on her face. She nodded to the girls and rounded her way to the front to stand by the counter next to the front door. Tori thought she had a familiar face, probably from coming to the stand at lunch time.

"Hi, I'm Sharon. If you girls need anything just let me know."

"Thank you" said Tori. "How much for this shirt?"

"Adult shirts are three white, pants are five. Older kids to teens are two white and four respectively, and younger kids and baby stuff is free."

"Awesome. What do you think, Diana?"

"I think it's perfect for you. You should get it."

"I suppose I will. Ma'am, do you know where we can get any laundry soap? We're kind of piling up a bit these days."

"There's a market-type shop around the corner from here that has stuff like that, but you're gonna pay for it."

Tori folded the shirt over her arm and continued to look through the store. She found a corduroy-style tank top that she thought would fit her well and grabbed that too, planning ahead for the summer months that would be coming rather quickly. Diana scanned the tables herself and came up empty handed, right up until they made their way towards the counter. She spotted a purple belly shirt that had a wand on the front and said 'It's Magic!" in gold letters. Tori saw what she was looking at and a huge smile plastered across her face.

"You're getting that, no question."

"Yeah I don't think I could pass that up" said Diana.

They carried their items to the front and the woman grabbed a plastic bag from under the counter to put them in. She had everything tucked away and wrote down what she'd sold on a clipboard, same as Tori did at her job, and slid it back in it's spot.

"So," said Tori, "who's got the dirt around here?"

Sharon's eyes lit up like Tori had struck one of her pleasure chords. "Well, gossip in a small town like this, especially in the state we're in, is dangerous, but if you keep your ear to the ground you can usually find a juicy piece or two."

"Like what?" asked Diana. "We just got here recently and found out that this place has been on the rise for over a few weeks now. There's gotta be some tidbits you can throw our way." She smiled her gorgeous smile and Sharon shook her head energetically.

"Well let's see. There was the first militia raid about a week and a half into it. We were just getting the rest of the area around your produce stand cleared out when they rode in. Two groups in big trucks with guns in the back. They moseyed on in and went straight for the food, of course. Del and his goons came out with their guns and threatened to take them head on but the militia ended up just taking off and going somewhere else."

"Did anyone get hurt?" asked Tori.

"No, not that time. But then there was Ron."

"We remember him," said Tori, "the day he was yelling in the street was the day we got here."

"He disappeared pretty quick. I think Del wanted to get him gone so people wouldn't start asking questions about his operation. Thing is, you gotta be careful who you talk to. There's a lot of people around that are loyal to the Honovi since they're scared of what will happen if this place falls apart and they have to go elsewhere, and if you say the wrong thing to the wrong person you'll end up regretting it pretty fast."

Diana thought about things to ask when the image of Shawn trying to stare her down floated back into her mind. "What about those kids in the park? Do you know anything about them?"

Sharon made a face and scoffed. "Those hoodlums. They're Del's 'quiet' goons. When he needs things done quietly that the Honovi shouldn't be a part of he calls Shawn and his crew."

"What kinds of things?" asked Tori.

"Well for one, I'm pretty sure Del had them kill Ron. He was a drunkard and a son of a bitch sometimes, but he was a good father and he kept his kids well cared for. Now they're here by themselves trying to get along on their own. It's a shame."

Tori felt a sort of yearning in her chest, that feeling you get when you remember something funny that happened with a friend that had passed away years before and you wish to see them again. She could tell Sharon was being truthful in what she said and that she truly believed Del and the Honovi to be pretty bad people. A family came into the shop and Sharon smiled at them, telling them the same thing she'd told Tori and Diana when they came in.

"OK well we don't want to take up anymore of your time" said Tori. "Thanks for filling us in. If you want to chat sometime we're in four sixteen in the new building."

"I'll keep that in mind."

The girls left the store and headed towards the market Sharon had mentioned around the corner. They needed laundry and dish soap both, and a few other things like trash bags. The boys hadn't had a chance to get any of that stuff either so Tori decided she would get doubles of everything and they could pay her back later. As they walked she wondered in her head what they would be doing if they were still in Chicago and none of this had happened. Or even if they went to Alaska instead of stopping here. Would they have made it? What would have happened when they got there and Diana didn't have anyone to find? There were a lot of variables in their lives as they were, but she couldn't help but wonder what if.

The street they turned on was much busier than the one they had just left. The market seemed crowded, probably because it was a weekday and everyone was trying to get all of their shopping done before they had to go back to work. Parents and their children and couples with dogs lined the streets on both sides as they hustled and bustled to where it was they needed to be. The girls crossed the street and made their way towards the market but as soon as they were about to walk in a voice sounded from behind them, stopping Diana in her tracks.

"Hey honey, still got that iron grip?"

Diana spun around and stepped right up to Shawn's face, staring at him hard before dawning a beautiful smile. "Hi sweetie, are you still afraid of girls? Cause you sure as hell backed away from me and that other woman pretty quick." She looked down and noticed his broken arm was tied up. "And nice sling, pull a muscle in the bedroom?"

Shawn looked angry and clenched his hands into fists. He looked at his two gang members that stood a foot or so behind him and then back to Diana, his jaw twitching as he clenched his teeth. "Circumstances are different when the fight ain't fair."

"Tell me about it" said Diana. "You're twice my size and there were five of you. How do you count that as fair?"

Tori realized who Shawn was and instantly became very protective. She stepped up next to Diana and eyed the two guys behind Shawn, letting them know if they tried to start a commotion that her and Diana wouldn't go down easily.

"I'm not too worried about it though," said Diana, "because you're right. It wasn't a fair fight, and even with the five of you you wouldn't be able to take me down."

"You and your little pack think you got it goin' on, huh?" asked Shawn. "Let me tell you this; you may have been the big dogs elsewhere, but not here. This is my town, not Del's. He may be the pretty business face with all the legal shit and the American hoorah whatever, but this is real. This right here."

"Do you really believe you're as tough as you act?"

Diana turned and grabbed Tori's arm, pulling her along into the store and away from Shawn and his friends. Tori caught one last look at them as they walked away quickly, looking around to see if anyone witnessed their confrontation. The store owner waved to them as they came in but they were both too strung out to notice. Diana positively seethed with anger and bad energy to the point it seemed she was almost vibrating. Tori could feel the uneasiness, but more importantly the fear that radiated from Diana's core. Tori took her hands and placed them on Diana's face, looking her in the eyes with a soft smile to try to calm her down.

"You did good out there. You should be proud of yourself."

"I am" said Diana. "I feel good about standing my ground, but I also feel like I'm egging them on by doing it. I don't want them to show up at our places or find us on the street because I can't keep my big mouth shut. I mean this town isn't all that big and we're bound to run into them again really soon."

"Don't worry about it" said Tori. "None of us would want you to back off from it and we all would have done that same thing in your position. We're in this together. If someone messes with you, they mess with all of us. As cliché as it sounds, it's one hundred percent true. I'll stand with you no matter what."

Diana searched Tori's eyes as she held her hands. They stood face to face at the side of the store feeling each other out emotionally. Tori leaned in and gave Diana a hug, pulling her in tight and not letting go. They held each other for what seemed like forever, eyes closed without a care in the world. Tori planted a kiss on Diana's neck, then another next to it.

"Is this real?" Diana whispered into Tori's shoulder.

"If it isn't I have no idea what is" said Tori.

They broke apart and Diana wiped tears from the corners of her eyes before they could fall. Tori brought their hands up to her mouth and kissed Diana's once before linking their fingers together. The moment stayed with them as they passed through the store, silently picking up the things they needed until they had to break their hold to free their hands. They got to the counter with two armfuls of items that ran a total of two blue chips, or twenty dollars. Each of them grabbed a bag and headed back out into the street with no real direction or purpose, just roaming around to see where their feet would take them.

Back at the apartment Marie woke up not long after Tori and Diana had left, throwing herself together quickly so she could head next door and be with Matthew. She hated leaving him the night before but he needed his rest and so did she if she planned on being of any use to him. Dom reminded her that he was going to need close care to make sure he didn't get an infection or that the wound didn't reopen so she would need to be sharp and in control. She brushed her teeth with haste and grabbed a biscuit before she headed over, going straight to Matthew's room and knocking on his door.

Dom came out of the bathroom freshly showered, toweling off his hair as Marie waited for an answer. After a minute with no answer Dom knocked again and cracked the door open, peeking in to see if he was still sleeping. The lights were off and he was still wrapped up in his blankets so Dom left the door open and waved Marie in, heading out into the living room himself. Marie walked in and closed the door quietly behind her before making her way over to his bedside. Matthew had sweated through his clothing and his sheets were a little damp, making Marie worry he would catch a cold. She touched his face gently and whispered to wake him up.

"Hey sleepyhead, I need you to sit up for me."

Matthew rolled over groggily and yawned into his pillow. "What for?"

"Your clothes are soaked and if you stay like this you'll get sick, and we can't have that. So up."

Marie helped him sit up and lifted his shirt over his head, tossing it into the corner where the rest of the dirty clothes were. She looked for his bag and grabbed a fresh shirt and some shorts and laid them on the bed. Matthew laid back and slipped his sweats off, tossing those into the corner as well as he accepted the shorts from Marie and put them on. She him his shirt and after he slid it over his head she pulled it down, leaning in to kiss him on the lips.

"I do declare, Mr. Beauregard! You are my hero!" Matthew chuckled and Marie slapped him on the arm.

"You're such a..."

"I know, I know" said Matthew, pulling the covers back up so he could get some more rest.

Dom sat out in the living room and was about to set up a game to play when the radio crackled to life and Del started speaking.

"Good morning residents of Wanagi! I am very proud to say that as I look over the reports from vendors and the field crews that we are doing phenomenally. This first year is going to be the hardest no doubt, but I have no fear that we will survive together as a big family. We are doing well with food and from what I see in the shopkeeper logs business is good, and that's what makes us happy. We want you all to feel right at home as you did before, shopping and socializing and having fun. Our situation may have changed but we don't have to give up the small things in life, and the Honovi don't want you to.

"Now to those of you who have been passing on the whisperings of travelers telling of violence not far south from us; yes, there has been a rise in militia activity that way, but I am confident that Wanagi will not fall victim to these barbarians. The Honovi are here to protect you and we will continue to do just that, from afar as always unless the situation calls for something different. We would ask that you refrain from passing on these stories, for all they do is create a stirrup. You are all safe here in our little town and there is no cause for alarm.

"We will be having a town festival of sorts this upcoming Friday. I've decided to announce it early so you may prepare in any way you need. We will congregate at the park around sundown and drink, dance and laugh away the stress of the work week. I will provide radios for the party so you can leave the ones you are listening to now where they are. For now I bid you a relaxed rest of the weekend and a safe work week ahead."

The radio fell silent and Dom continued setting up his game, chewing on the information in his head while he tried to see if any of it pieced together with what they already knew. He played a game of football and in the last minutes of the third quarter Tori and Diana came over after having dropped their stuff at the apartment. Tori placed the other bag for the guys on Dom's lap and sat on the other end of the couch.

"Trash bags, laundry and dish soap and a scrub brush" said Tori.

"Oh you are awesome" said Dom, looking through bag to check the stuff out.

"I know. We all have laundry to do and I imagine you've used some plates since we've been here."

"Yeah we have. How do we do laundry anyway? Old school it in the bathtub or is there a facility maybe?"

Tori shook her head. "I don't know. The clerk didn't say anything and I guess I forgot to ask."

Dom got up and put the dish soap and scrub brush in the kitchen next to the sink and the laundry soap underneath it in the cupboard. It seemed funny to be putting away household items again, even though it hadn't really been that long since he'd done so. It may have only been a week or so but to Dom it felt like an eternity. So many calculated decisions and worries of how to get what they needed really weighed on him each day. He worked tirelessly though, never letting anyone see his weakness. He needed to be a leader, someone strong that the rest of them could look to no matter what, and he would be that person no matter how hard he had to work at it.

Their dad had taught Dom from a young age that a good skillset and a level head would get you through any situation you could find yourself in. Prisoner of war, lost in the woods or broken down on the side of the road, if you knew the basics you would be able to help yourself and get what needed to be done accomplished. Dom took that mindset to heart; he always felt that he needed to protect Matthew and once their parents were gone he would have to look after him, he just never imagined it would be this soon.

Another day had gone by in their apocalyptic scenario and thankfully none of their group had fallen victim to the barbarism that human beings are capable of. Matthew didn't escape unscathed, but he was alive, and that's what counts. Dom knocked lightly on the door and poked his head in, smiling at Marie when she looked to see who it was. She sat on the edge of Matthew's bed, running her fingers over his arms while he slept. She looked at him so lovingly and protectively that Dom was almost jealous. It wasn't often that women crept into his thoughts, especially in the world they were currently living in, but when he saw the couples around him sometimes he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to come back to their apartment to the smiling face of some beautiful woman that cared about him. His dad had also thankfully taught him that those kinds of thoughts could throw a man off his game and likely get him killed, so he put them far from his mind and exited back into the living room.

"How was your shopping trip?" he asked.

"Good" said Tori. "Bought a couple shirts and the same stuff we got you for our place. Met a woman named Sharon that's a nifty little fountain of information."

"Oh yeah? What did she have to say?"

Tori adjusted her spot on the couch and leaned to the side. "Well she told us that there was militia activity here a couple weeks before we arrived, but apparently Del and his tribe scared them off without a fight."

"Interesting" said Dom. "Wonder how many people there were."

"She didn't say, but she also mentioned Ron, and I told her we were here for that. Then she said she thinks that Del had him killed."

"Really? Banishment seems like something they would do, sure, but murder? Who would do it?"

"According to Sharon, Shawn and his little gang are Del's wet work squad."

The wheels turned in Dom's head and he fought to pull some kind of answer out of all the mechanics. They had the business-shady Honovi, the street-shady Shawn and his gang and some reason for them to be working together. Shawn was definitely full of secrets but Del wasn't any different, talking a big game so he could cover up what was really going on. They were going to have to be careful around both groups until they could figure out what the dynamic was if they wanted to stay in town and be void of any drama.

"We also ran into Shawn again" said Diana. "He had something to say of course, but he looked a little less aggressive posture-wise with that sling on his arm."

Dom smirked. "I'm sure he's feeling pretty good right about now too."

"Diana was awesome," said Tori, "she told him off square to his face. She walked right up toe to toe and told him to step off. It was amazing."

Diana blushed and hid her face. "It wasn't that big of a deal, really. He was just trying to intimidate me and I told him I wasn't going to give him that power."

"Good for you" said Dom. "Show that prick who's boss and knock him down a peg or two."

Matthew's bedroom door opened and he and Marie stepped out, walking slowly to the couch while Matthew held his side. Diana and Tori both smiled at the sight of him up and walking around and the happy faces encouraged him. Diana moved and sat on Tori's lap so Matthew could have the corner spot and Marie could sit next to him, and Dom took a spot on the floor against the wall. They were all quiet for a little bit, wondering who was going to speak first.

"Well, I feel a little bit better today" said Matthew. "It doesn't burn as much as it did yesterday but I think that's just the painkillers talking."

"You're gonna be sore for a while" said Dom. He stood up from the wall and went into the kitchen to get Matthew some water. "The painkillers will make it sucks less and the antibiotics will hopefully keep you safe enough from infection but it's going to run your temp up a bit."

Matthew reached forward and accepted the water, taking a drink while Dom found his old spot. "I'm alright. I just know that work tomorrow is going to be terrible."

"You can't go to work," said Tori, "those horses will tear that thing right open."

"I can't not go either because they'll know I'm missing and probably send someone to see what's wrong with me. We can't let them find out about our little skirmish if we want to fly under the radar."

Marie got up to go to the bathroom with a soft kiss on Matthew's cheek as she stood. He smiled at her and when the bathroom door closed Tori and Diana both started giggling.

"So when did this little thing become a thing?" asked Diana.

"I guess it was coming for a while and this ordeal just made it official or something" said Matthew.

"Well you guys look cute together so don't screw it up, OK? I'm not going to be happy if I have to split my time between my two best friends." Tori pointed her finger at Matthew's nose.

"I thought I was your best friend" said Diana, making a pouty face.

"No, you're my girlfriend. That's a much higher position."

Tori realized they hadn't said that out loud yet and she was sure the surprise in her chest was painted beautifully on her face. Diana smiled so wide she couldn't contain it so she buried her face in Tori's neck. The boys both made mocking 'aww' faces with their hands over their hearts. Tori narrowed her eyes at them and stroked her fingers through Diana's hair. Marie came back from the bathroom and when she laid eyes on the scene she shook her head with a smile.

Tori's thoughts drifted off to her old life back in L.A. She remembered what it was like for her when she first realized that she had an attraction to girls. The feeling that something was wrong with her, that she was malfunctioning or something happened when she was born to make her think differently than normal people. She was so afraid that she was doing something bad that she kept it locked up tight inside for a long time, fearing people would run from her or tease her. There were gay couples around her and some on TV that she had noticed, and eventually she started to see that she wasn't alone, and what she felt was more normal than she could have imagined.

The first step was coming out to her parents. She got home from school on a Friday night and decided to cook a nice dinner. Steak and potatoes and side salads with dinner rolls and even a bottle of wine from the basement. Her parents came home and saw the elaborate setup and instantly put on their game faces, thinking that she was going to drop a bomb on them. They were right of course, but not on the content. David was worried that she was going to tell them she was pregnant and Holly expected to hear that she was dropping out of school to try and cut an album or something. With fears in tow everyone sat down at the table, wondering who was going to be right or wrong or who was going to be kicked out of the house.

It was funny to her now, thinking back on how scared she was to really tell her parents that she was gay. She shook and stammered and when she couldn't get it out, her dad came out and asked her if she was going to have a baby. Tori went from about to throw up to roaring with laughter in seconds, confusing both of her parents almost to the point of frustration. It really was ironic, her dad thinking she could be pregnant when she was about to tell them she liked women. When the news finally came out her parents were both very loving and understanding, instantly getting up from their seats to hug their daughter and reassure her that they accepted her for who she was no matter what.

Now things had changed so much. Her worries went from school work and coming out of the closet to rationing food and living on high alert twenty four seven. Some people liked to think they could relax in their new apartments and that the scary world outside wouldn't get them, but Dom taught the group that that mentality was what got people killed. They didn't have the luxury of relaxation anymore. They had to know and understand that the odds of any random person killing them for what they owned had skyrocketed with the conflict. Still, being heightened so much was taxing and the more stressed and tired you got the more you let your guard down.

"I've really been missing my family lately" said Tori. "Seeing families around here and with what just happened to Matthew, I just wish I could know they were OK."

Diana grabbed Tori's hand and linked their fingers together. "I'm sorry. It must be hard knowing they're out there somewhere and you can't get to them."

"It would be easier if I could at least talk to them somehow, but I don't think that's going to happen."

"We'll see what we can do once we figure out what's going on around here" said Dom. "I want you to be able to have your family in your life, and I think everyone else agrees with me when I say we'll do whatever we can to help."

"And that's why you guys are the best friends a girl could ask for."