It was a visibly happier Daryl that returned to the castle after processing the buck he'd tracked and hunted before hauling it in with Ms. Josie's help.

After a lifetime spent doing for himself, it just didn't sit right living off the labor of others, even if Harry would tell him that learning the security set-up and his future help with killing any walkers – or hostile survivors – that came within their perimeter was more than enough to earn his keep if he'd mentioned it.

Merle was the same – and different – as Daryl when it came to the issue.

His big brother was more at ease with helping in the ways that suited him best – like his sniper skills or gettin' all greased up in the machine shop – and letting others take care of making sure they had enough to eat. Merle was a hunter, don't get Daryl wrong, he just didn't have the same need as Daryl to provide for himself. After all, when Merle was gone so long, there'd been no one else to do it for him, their Da being more likely to drink the grocery money than spend it on his favorite punching bag.

Walking back to the castle – and that was what it was no matter what anyone tried to tell 'im – Daryl shook his head thinkin' about the "processing" area Harry and his dads had built. It was clean enough and big enough to pass for a small factory. The three of them had done everything they could think of – from what Daryl could tell – to make livin' off the land as simple as they could. Both with and without magic.

Which made sense, none of their workers – even before the world ended – could do what the three of them did with wands.

Daryl thought – and what he'd heard from the others reinforced the idea – that Harry and Sirius had taken the "home farm" ideal from their noble backgrounds and ran with it in figuring out how to house and feed a bunch of people through the end of the world. Right down to the pasture lands and massive castle. It was what they knew, and what they knew worked.

Daryl had a hard time finding fault in the set-up, aside from the obvious divide between Harry's family and everyone else. It was the sorta thing that his Da had ranted about all his life. Rich privilege and all-a that.

But then, his Da was a dumbass.

He had a hard time swallowing most of what his Da had tried to beat into his thick skull – usually with his belt or the back of his hand.

Merle fell into step with him as he passed the machine shop, the work-end bell having rung while Daryl was lost in thought. A look and a nod was all the greeting they needed as they walked back to their rooms in lock-step, catching sight of the Grimes family hot-footing it to the mess hall. Harry wasn't done yet then.

Splitting up when they hit their shared rooms, Daryl dropped off the package of venison steaks he'd cut for them and wrapped up separately from the rest of the animal which he'd cut and wrapped before putting them in the cabinet in the processing area as Max had shown him, then went to shower and clean up. Between him and Merle they should be able to fix supper, after a long day of dealing with health issues, he was sure Harry would appreciate the break from both cooking and some quiet instead of eating with the rowdy bunch he called family. Daryl had told Remus not to expect them when they'd passed him in the halls, now he just had to make good on the idea.

Dressed in a fresh pair of black jeans that rode low on his hips and a plain t-shirt in dark blue, Daryl washed his hands in the kitchen before starting on his preparations, rubbing down the steaks with salt and the spice mixture he put together before leaving them to dry marinade as he peeled and cut sweet potatoes before throwing them in a pot of water to cook for a mash, deciding to pair the two with some green beans fried up with bacon that he found in the chill cabinet. Merle came out and eyed him before joining in, testing the grill-pan on the stove with a flick of water that instantly beaded and rolled. Nodding, he grabbed the steaks and slapped them down with a stomach-growling sizzle, the door opening as he moved to wash the blood and juices off his hands while Daryl chopped onion, garlic, and bacon for the beans.

Harry just stood there a bit bemused at the far-too-domestic sight the Dixons made, biting back a cooing tease of a comment.

He was well aware that if he gave them any shit – any at all – over being sweet they'd never do it again, the prickly bastards.

"Go get cleaned up." Daryl told him without lookin' away from his knife. "Foods on in fifteen or so."

"Okaaay…" Harry drawled, snatching a kiss from Merle as he walked past the kitchen area taking the long way to his room, pressing a buss to Daryl's scruffy jaw as the other man focused on his chopping. "I'll do that. Be right back."

While Harry got cleaned up and Daryl fixed the veg, Merle moved to set the low coffee table in the living area with plates and silverware, tossing cushion from the couch onto the floor for them to sit or recline on. There just wasn't enough room for them to have a nice sit-down together at the breakfast bar. It worked when they were just trying to fill their bellies, but not so much for a private meal together.

Testing the doneness of the steaks, Merle gave a nod then set them over on a cutting board to rest, grabbing matches from a drawer to light the fireplace as Daryl finished frying up the green beans and mashing the sweet potatoes.

Satisfied with the set-up, the elder Dixon gave a nod as the wood caught with a crackle, grabbing out a water pitcher and a trio of Harry's ciders from the chiller and setting them out as Daryl dished up the plates, Harry coming back out of his room in time to help Daryl move them over to the low table.

Harry sat with a sigh, Merle and Daryl flanking him, and stuck his legs out under the table resting his back against the couch as Merle and Daryl half-turned towards him while keeping their legs extended down the sides of the table towards the fire rather than sit cross-legged and end up with their legs asleep.

"I needed this." Their third admitted as he rolled his head on his shoulders, cracking his neck with a pop and grabbing for the already-opened alcoholic cider. "So much. That woman…" He wrinkled his nose – adorably to his audience – in disgust as he remembered the demands of Lori Grimes.

"Hi, honey." Merle drawled, cutting into his steak. "How was your day?"

"Shit with a lot of repetitive b.s." Harry snorted, rolling his eyes. "Thank you for asking…and the quiet meal. Your twos?"

Merle shrugged. "Worked on my bike and Daryl's truck, nothin' to write home about. Got to know whats-his-name, Axel? A bit. Talks too much without really sayin' anything."

"Sounds about right." Harry nodded, digging into the fresh venison and giving a guttural moan as the rich taste of the meat and excellent seasoning danced on his palette, Daryl flushing at the sound of hearty approval. "He's one of the prisoners who out-lasted the riot that we saved when this all started. He tries a little hard but all-in-all not a bad guy. Daryl?" He arched a brow before pointing his fork at the steak on his plate. "I can taste for myself how your hunt went."

"Yeah." Daryl shrugged, not really seeing the big deal. "Caught me a buck in-between the first and second fence lines. A four-pointer, 'bout two-hundred pounds."

"There's a couple super bucks out here." Harry told him, well-aware of the local wildlife from his and his dads' roaming. "But we leave them alone, and they only come out at night. Smarter deer like that are what the population is going to need to maintain despite the outbreak. I'd like to think that between the wards we've put up and extended into the national forest, here at least the wildlife population won't be decimated before this is over."

"I've noticed you've got a kinda Noah's Ark thing goin' on here, Pretty." Merle commented, before polishing off his steak and digging into the sweet potato mash and green beans. "Dogs, barn cats, cattle, horses, sheep, chickens…" He circled his fork in the air a moment. "And more. Plus, us." He smirked. "You tryin' to save the world?"

"Not really." Harry snorted, thinking about his reputed "saving people thing". "More just trying to weather the storm and help those we can. I can't to shit for a lot of people – and animals as it comes to that. But we do what we can and when this thing ends we'll still be standing – hopefully with enough others alongside us and surviving in other places that our species and others aren't lost entirely."

Daryl nodded thoughtfully, sitting back as he'd finished with his meal. That made a lot of sense from what he'd seen of Harry's behavior. "You really believe that, don' ya?" He asked, putting into words the feeling he'd gotten from the other man since they'd met. "That this is only temporary."

"I know it is." Harry stated passionately. "I don't know if it's a bio-weapon run amok, or an experiment that escaped the lab, or even Mother Nature's response to a species that was not-so-slowly killing her. But in time, this will end. And I intend for myself and everyone I care about to still be standing when it does."

"So…" Harry drawled hesitantly after the plates had all been cleared away and the dishes were washing themselves in the sink. "Are we going to talk about this or…?"

"I don't know if you've noticed, Pretty." Merle said with a smirk. "But neither one of us is all that much for talkin' if we don' have to."

"Believe me, I noticed." Harry commented dryly. "But that doesn't quite cut it when we make a jump from friends to more without figuring out exactly what the fuck we're doing. I mean…" He gave a helpless shrug, desperately not making eye contact with either man. "What are we doing?"

"If you don't know, Magic Man." Daryl smirked wickedly. "I'd be more than happy to show ya, again and again, until ya figure it out."

"I know that part." Harry whopped Daryl with one of the cushions laying around them as they all lounged in front of the crackling fire. "It's the other part of things I'm trying to get a bead on here. For starters: do you two want to be public about us being a thing…whatever kind of thing we eventually decide we are?"

"Don' plan on hidin' it." Daryl said after a minute of exchanging glances with his brother. "Ain't like we got anythin' to be ashamed of, even if us sharin' wasn't looked kindly upon before the world ended. 'Sides." He growled, narrowing his eyes as he thought about a particular hand. "I wan' people knowin' you're with us."

"What he said, Pretty." Merle agreed with a firm nod. "Yer ours now. Ain't wanna have ta take someone apart for poachin' a man they didn't know was taken already."

"Okay." Harry nodded, blowing out a relieved breath. That, for him, was his major worry about jumping head-first into this thing the way they did without working out the finer details first. He wasn't about to be anyone's dirty little secret. "I'm good with that." Really good with it. "So we're…something. And we're not going to hide it. What are we?" He asked almost timidly, voice quiet. "Friends who screw around sometimes? Or more? And if we're more, how much more? Are you guys going to sleep in my room every night or keep to yours or…?"

"Hey now, Magic Man." Daryl said soothingly as he moved to wrap his arms around the visibly freaking-out Harry. "Calm down now. It ain't anything that's life-ending, now. Calm on down for me. That's a good 'un."

Daryl whispered softly in one pink-shelled ear, as Merle moved and picked up a set of fisted hands, rubbing his thumbs over the backs until Harry gradually unclenched, twining their hands together as he let them soothe him and talk him down from his anxious spiral.

Harry had never felt so out of his depth in his life. He'd never expected the little crush he had for the Dixons to turn into anything, let alone have them living with him and discussing an actual relationship. Something he didn't have the best track record with, having been turned off the idea after Cho and mostly sticking to casual flings or one-night-stands after leaving for college.

This was something else entirely.

And for all his normal calm and commanded, he was freaking the fuck out.

Sucking in a breath, he blew it out, repeating the action three or four times before relaxing back into Daryl, keeping his eyes locked on a gentle ice blue gaze.

"We're all pretty temperamental." He whispered, taking charge once he'd snapped out of his freak out. "I think we should keep the separate bedrooms just so we all have our own space to calm down if we need it."

"But yer ours." Merle growled, Daryl nipping lightly at Harry's neck in silent agreement with his brother's claim.

"I'm yours." Harry nodded. "And you're mine. Any time you want to sleep in my bed – or do other things – you can, and same goes. We're…partners. And everything that implies."

"Sounds good to me, darlin'." Daryl whispered against ebony hair, hands running down Harry's chest as his brother watched, fire lighting in those icy blue eyes. "Sounds just 'bout perfect to me."

"I need to do an Atlanta run tomorrow." Harry murmured that night into Daryl's chest as they cuddled – not that the macho Dixons would admit that was what they were doing – after sex in his bed. They still hadn't "gone all the way" but they were taking their time exploring, Harry splitting his focus between them and the brothers lavishing him with their own.

For a couple of men he'd pegged as straight, they gave damn good blow jobs, he'd say that much, it made him excited for when they took that next step.

Merle was snugged up against Harry's back and side in an echo of the night before, as Harry laid with half of his body covering Daryl's own from where they'd collapsed after coming for what seemed like the dozenth time.

Running for their lives had certainly done their stamina wonders, along with the soft beds and good food of the estate.

"Why?" Merle grunted, peeling open an eye to half-stare half-glare at the other man from over his shoulder. "We jus' got back from bein' on the move, an' your gonna head off again?"

"Not alone, he ain't." Daryl rasped out, tugging Harry in with a possessive arm around his waist. "I'll go with. Though shithead over there has a point, why you goin' back out so soon?"

"Guillermo and the Vatos." Harry answered with a shrug. "My dads are good but they don't understand mundane medicine the way I do or know what to look for. Besides which now that we have more men I want to try and convince them to move here since we can run a convoy without hamstringing the estate."

"Saving people thing." Merle rolled his eyes with a soft snort, hunkering back down into the silk sheets and fluffy pillows. "That bleedin' heart of yours is gonna kill ya someday, Pretty."

"Didn't hear you complaining when it got you off that rooftop, now did I?" Harry snarked back, digging one finger into sensitive ribs and making the other man jump. "I'll be careful…" he gave Daryl a sweet grin. "And it's not like I'll be alone this time." His eyes lit up. "I bet with two of us we can double the haul from the run!"

"You have serious hoarding issues, darlin'." Daryl shook his head in mock chagrin. "I think we need ta stage one-a those interventions for ya."

Harry stuck out his tongue childishly at that charge. "Some of the things I've taken to 'hoarding'," he rolled his eyes at the term. "Are things that will likely never be made again: not in our lifetimes. Things like vaccines and medicine, feminine hygiene products, shit." He snorted. "Even toilet paper. We stockpiled literal tons of supplies before the outbreak, but there no sense in just letting things rot. And," he drawled the word. "We don't pick places completely clean unless we're going to raze it like the prison or the CDC. I clear a building, take most of the supplies, and then cast a ward that'll keep out walkers: supplying a semi-safe place for other survivors. I work Atlanta, Siri does New Orleans, and Remus Savannah. Once we've done what we can in those cities, we'll start branching out."

He thought for a moment before giggling.

"Wha'?" Merle asked groggily despite having his face buried in the pillow that smelled like Pretty. All fresh herbs and leather.

"Just remembering what we did when I came back from school." He laughed helplessly into Daryl's chest. "We knew whatever it was was starting, so Siri, Remy, and I hit a series of supply chain warehouses like UNFI and Sysco and cleaned them out of things like the drums of freeze-dried food and pallets of dog food and toilet paper. All over the country." He gave another giggle. "It was called one of the oddest series of crimes in the last decade: warehouses all over the place being raided. There was even talk of a task force to find us but then the shut down started." He sighed, relaxing down into the bed as his tiredness finally caught up with him. "We went back once the riots started and cleared their freezers and chilled goods, as many as we could before the lights went out and..."

"The world went ta hell." Daryl chuckled at the thought of the magical trio playing toilet-paper bandits. "What all did ya steal, anyhow? An' why with all-a yer money?"

"The why was easy: the world as we knew it was ending." He shrugged. "Same reason people turn to looting during riots and blackouts. Only in this case we actually knew things weren't going to be the same afterwards. Why keep forking over our cash to corporations that weren't going to weather the storm anyway? As for what all we've stockpiled…well." He gave a smirk. "After we run Atlanta tomorrow I'll take you two down to the warehouses in the basement and let you help me process our haul. It should be very enlightening…"

"Guess we better get some rest then, Pretty." Merle grumped. "Unless you two little girls wanna stay up and chat some more…"

They landed in Harry's Atlanta base with a soft "pop" much quieter than the standard loud gunshot sound that Harry had heard both Sirius and Remus make when apparating, which was due to his power level according to Remy. Part of apparation was breaking through the sound barrier, resulting in the trademark "crack". But with Harry's power, it was more of a slipping through time and space instead of forcing himself through, hence the softer pop.

Daryl and Merle both stumbled a bit on landing, before hunching over and taking several deep breaths.

He'd warned them that magical transportation could be sickening – especially at first – but they'd both refused to take stomach soothers.

The macho idiots.

"How's those 'stomachs of steel' treating you now, lovers?" He asked with no little amount of entertained sarcasm in his voice, Daryl shooting him the finger accompanied by a glare from his bent over position, Merle too busy keeping his breakfast down to respond.

Rolling his eyes with a sigh, he dug into the inside pocket of his leather jacket which was enchanted – as just about all his clothing and bags were – with expansion and cushioning charms. Taking out a pair of the aforementioned stomach soothers, he handed them over without any more teasing, both brothers gulping them down immediately. The potions did their jobs and within moments both men were back upright and scanning their surroundings, Merle with a look of recognition on his face.

"How's this place stay so clean when you haven't been here in more'n a month?" Merle asked, running a hand along the edge of the kitchen table and not finding a speck of dust.

"I haven't." Harry reminded them. "But both my Dad and Papa have been picking up my slack while I was out keepin' an eye on your old group. They would've dropped in here for a couple quick cleaning spells before heading back home. Same as I would do with their bases in Nawlins and Savannah if need be."

"You recognize this place?" Daryl asked his brother with a curious cock of his head as he eyed the handful of books on the bedside table.

"It's where Pretty patched me up and detoxed me." Merle said jerking a thumb at their newly-minted partner. "After Officer Friendly and the rest left me ta die."

Daryl winced at the reminder of how close – again – he'd come to losing his older brother as they followed Harry out the door, the wizard waving his wand a couple times and making the room smell like mint and lavender as the pillows visibly fluffed and the rug and quilts brightened as the tiny bit of dust was banished. He tapped a spot next to the outside door, opening it, then once they all were in the hall closed it behind them with another tap on the door itself – resetting the wards from what he'd explained about magical security systems. When they hit the outside, Daryl arched a brow at the lack of walkers – or anyone else for that matter – around.

"Notice-me-not charms." Harry answered the unspoken question. "And wards like what I put on both the estate and the buildings I clear to keep anything with a heart rate under a certain number of beats per minute out. From everything I've seen, the walkers don't have a heartbeat which explains the decay and putrefaction. Another tick in the "dead" column."

"How slow is it set for?" Merle asked curiously. He knew, as well as Daryl, that some animals had much slower heart rates than humans, and some birds much faster depending.

"Fifteen beats per minute." Harry told them, as they jogged lightly down towards the next building he wanted to clear, having already picked up the wish-list Guillermo or one of his men had dropped off. "It'll keep away some sea life like a blue whale, but the slowest resting heartrate on record for a living human was last clocked at twenty-seven bpm."

"Well." Daryl drawled with a shake of his head as they moved from building to building, eventually starting to run into stray walkers that one of them would take out and then Harry would burn to ash with his magic. "That's one way to skin a cat for sure."

"Whatever works." Harry shrugged, then pointed to a very familiar department store and the pharmacy next to it. "Those are our targets for the day, gentlemen."

"You've gotta be shittin' me." Merle growled, taking another walker out with a strike of his sword through its head.

"Wish I was." Harry shook his head, understanding of Merle's pissed off expression. "But I've cleared most of the other buildings in this grid, and I need some of the drugs I hope are in the pharmacy next door. In and out," he swore as he cast another Incendio Maxima, "I promise."

"Hold ya to it, Pretty." Merle said grimly, setting his jaw. "I'm gonna hold ya to it."

They worked like a well-oiled machine, clearing the remaining walkers from the department store and stacking them up while Harry summoned the still-salvageable goods from the store before setting the walker corpses aflame, waiting for it to burn down to ash, then moving on to the pharmacy.

It was picked pretty clean of things like antibiotics and wound care supplies, but for once, that wasn't what they were looking for.

No, Harry took most of what was left, leaving only a few necessities for anyone desperate enough to hit Atlanta for supplies, but mainly he focused on things Guillermo needed: asthma medication, things for cholesterol, heart disease, even diabetes and Alzheimer's went into a separate bag for the Vatos.

By the time they were done, Harry had them settle down for a quick lunch of grilled venison (leftovers) and tomato sandwiches with some crisps and fizzy drinks from the pharmacy.

It was a bit of a run from their location to the Vatos nursing home, and none of them wanted to do it on a growling stomach, it having taken a good six hours to completely clear, raid, and burn the bodies in both large buildings. The pharmacy was one of the one-stop kind that carried things like cosmetics, food, and even some housewares, making it take nearly as long to clear as the department store had since Harry couldn't just summon everything. Things like lip balm had to be picked up separately, Harry having no interest in taking a ton of make-up junk with him, the first time either Dixon had ever seen him turn his nose up at looting, well, anything.

A few other things were in the cosmetics area that Harry picked through like clear nail polish and nail polish remover, all things that could be repurposed.

Even Harry couldn't find a way to re-purpose to twelve-hour lipstick and all-day mascara, though he had taken into account the ladies on the estate and so the estate has a small (very small) section for makeup, but it wasn't something he actively stockpiled, more a "Meh, there's nothing else around to grab so I might as well…" kind of thing.

Climbing up onto the roof of the pharmacy, Harry got out his omniculars and scouted the route to the Vatos nursing home, cocking his head as he noticed something strange.

They'd all noted and commented on the herds they'd started to run into as time went on, someone (and Harry couldn't remember who for the life of him) even saying that they were acting like they were moving towards something. Standing twenty feet in the air and getting a decent view of the surrounding area, Harry might have an idea what, exactly, is going on with them. More importantly, the why behind the what.

"Hey guys." Harry called out softly to the brothers who were sniping down any walkers in the radius with Daryl's crossbow and the compound bow Harry had tossed Merle before leaving the estate. With his wand and the brothers knowing about magic, he really didn't need a long-range weapon at the moment. Merle would get a shit-ton more use out of it than he would…and it wasn't like he didn't have at least a dozen more hanging on the wall of the armory. "Which way is South?"

"That way." Daryl pointed after looking around for a moment, Merle grunting in agreement as he nailed another walker right in the eye. Harry's ability to summon their arrows and light up the corpses from the rooftop coming in very handy.

"Thought so." Harry mused, rubbing one hand over his jaw as he handed the omniculars over to Daryl for the others to see for themselves. "I think they're migrating of all damn things." He snorted, shaking his head. "Going south for the fucking winter."

"What the fuck?" Daryl snatched up the magical binocs, spotting what Harry had easily before passing them over to Merle. "I'll be damned."

"Simple math, instincts at their best – or worst." Harry shook his head as he moved over towards the metal fire-ladder bolted to the side of the building. "Survival: the virus activates their brainstem enough for them to be hungry, band together in packs or herds, and now moving them further south since the winter will slow them down. But," he smirked as they one by one made the jump to the pavement. "It'll kill them faster: the putrefaction speeds up in hot and humid areas."

"So if they're all doin' this, migratin'…" Merle supplied. "Then…"

"Yep." Harry said cheerily popping the "p". "They'll decay quicker and not be able to keep walking faster, making them easier to find and destroy. Though since they move so damned slow, not all of them will make it south before the snows come and will end up frozen until spring…which kinda makes me wanna take a trip North…spend the winter torching frozen walkers."

"With your magical poppin' around." Daryl snorted a laugh. "You can have yourself a walker bonfire every weekend an' still spend the rest of the time on the estate with the rest of us."

"Deal." Harry gave him a cheeky grin, then darted around the taller man to cut off a walker head and light it up. "You bring the marshmallows, I'll light the fire."

"Tha's…disgustin'." Merle decided after a moment. "Thanks, Pretty. Y'all have officially ruined s'mores for me…for life."

"Awww." Harry pouted teasingly, then gave him a soft smile in apology, Merle accepting with a short nod as the smaller man walked up to a barricaded door and rapped out a short tune on the metal. "They reinforced it…with some help." He winked at Merle, Daryl having been there before.

"All you seem to do is help, Pretty." Merle noted, eyes watching their flank as Daryl did the same, one facing the open alley and the other the door, bows ready. "No matter how cold you come off at times. All you do is help. Cain't be natural."

"It isn't." Harry snorted with a roll of his expressive green eyes that were just a shade off bitter as he thought of it. "But it's damned hard to overcome years of conditioning. Even someone with all the reasons in the world to do so…like me."

"Oi, Guillermo!" Harry called out as his hearing picked up the sounds of Miguel calling out for the other man and leader of the Vatos survivor group. "It's getting too damn cold to stand around out here, man!"

"Angel, Guillermo!" Miguel called back inside the building. "Angel's back!"

"Angel!" They heard various people cheer inside the nursing home, Merle and Daryl each turning a smirk on the now-blushing Harry.

"An-hel?" Merle drawled, a shit-eating grin crossing his face. "Way to prove my point, Pretty. You're so damned good that y'all've got people convinced you're a damn angel from Heaven."

"Shut. It." Harry said with little heat to back it up as he fidgeted in place. If he'd known the Vatos were going to react like that he wouldn't have brought the brothers. Merlin this was embarrassing. Not as bad as his Dad's rant about sex, but still…damn embarrassing especially considering what they were just discussing. "They just call me that because I drop supplies for them, that's all."

"Naw, dog." Guillermo said with a cheesy grin on his face as the door into the nursing home finally cracked open, allowing them inside. The Vatos leader had clearly heard at least part of Harry's last words. "It's 'cause my Abuela thinks you're pretty enough to have fallen from Heaven, man."

Cheeks flushed bright red, Harry shoved the bag of supplies at the other man, muttering under his breath as he stomped away, the brothers following him and laughing fit to be tied.

"Hey dog." Guillermo frowned as both Dixons moved into the light. "I know you, you were with that cop and the Asian dude. Daryl, right?"

"Yeah." Daryl said with a nod. "An' this is my brother Merle. Harry joined up with us a while back before dragging us home to his dads with most of our group who were left."

"It's cool man." The Vatos leader clapped one hand on Daryl's shoulder as they followed along in Harry's wake. "Any friend of Angel's you know?"

"Yeah." Merle gave one last laugh. "We know the feelin'."

"Well, anyway." Guillermo handed the bag of supplies over to Felipe to go through it and sort it out. "Welcome. Don't know how long y'all will be here, depends on Harry, but you're welcome while you are."

"Thanks, man." Daryl nodded, finally spotting Harry crouching next to an elderly man. "Appreciate it."

"Naw, dog. It's cool." Guillermo shrugged, moving when Harry beckoned for him. "Like I said: any friend of Harry's."

Later, just before dark, found Harry and Guillermo tucked in a corner having a deep conversation, the others keeping clear, though the Dixon brothers were close enough to overhear or toss in a word here or there if needed.

"Come on, Guillermo." Harry nearly growled in frustration. "Even with the reinforcements and wards we've put up: this place isn't going to last forever. I really don't like the look of that group that formed up in one of the hospitals, and not everyone is as genial as you an' me."

"Naw man. Naw." Guillermo shook his head, a pained expression on his face. "You know the score: half the people here can't make it to the toilet alone and you wanna move them a hundred miles or more away? They can't survive the trip using your magic, you know that, otherwise we would've moved already. I'm just tryin' to do the best I can for them, you know?"

"I get that, G," Harry said, a knowing look on his face. "Believe me, I get it. But now with merging this group into my people, I have the man power I need to move the rest of you guys out, even if the rest of the Vatos don't wanna come with, just the elderly and a couple people to help keep them taken care of during the trip and we can get this done."

"How, Harry?" Guillermo demanded. "How you gonna manage that? Most of them are incontinent, hardly any are mobile. Naw man, that's just askin' for trouble."

"He's right, Pretty." Merle said, voiced pitched low. "It'd be like meals on wheels for the walkers."

"See," Guillermo arched a brow. "Even your novio knows it."

"Spotted that huh?" Harry sighed, running his hands though his hair, loosening it in the process from its tie, somehow not surprised that Guillermo had picked up on the partnership between himself and the brothers…or his Abuela had anyway and told Guillermo. "Anyway. I know we can make this happen, Guillermo. Some spells on the incontinent to vanish excretions, charms to make everyone comfortable: they wouldn't even have to leave the bus once we get them settled. No moving them around or anything. And," this was where he thought he might have the winning bit. "Taking Daryl's group to my home already cleared a bunch of the road between here and there. A car at the front for point, one at the back to flank, and fuel, we can be there in a day, three at the most if we have to stop and clear cars out of the way."

"Can you do it?" Daryl asked seriously. "Use your magic that way?"

"Yes, easily." Harry said with a firm nod. "Most of it is prep work on the bus. Then a couple spells once we get the elderly situated and off we'd go. It'd take an hour, tops, to get everyone loaded. Me and Remy could set the spells then he could return home while I make the trip. With everyone "in the know" it will be a shit-ton easier than the group's trip out."

"I just don't know." Guillermo sighed, shaking his head. "This…this is a big thing, man. I don't know if they'll go for it."

"Like I said, it doesn't have to be everyone if they don't want to leave." Harry reassured him. "Preferably it would be Felipe and all the elders, plus whoever else helps take care of them. Anyone else would be a bonus but…" He shrugged. "I have to try; you know? You're all so vulnerable here, I don't want anything to happen to you if I can prevent it."

"Yeah, I get that about you Angel." Guillermo gave a short laugh. "Had that figured out months ago."

"Look." Harry leaned forward intently, eyes dark. "It'll take days to even prep the spells on the bus and get a working plan figured out. I'll swing back through on, say, Wednesday for you answer. If it's a go, we'll start out Friday. Cool?"

"Yeah." Guillermo nodded, rubbing one hand on the back of his neck. "That's cool. Give me time to take a poll or some shit, yeah?"

"Alright then." Moving over to the Dixons he held out his hands for them to take, giving Guillermo and the others a nod. "I'll be back Wednesday for your answer. For everyone's sake…I hope it's the right one."

And with a spin and a soft pop, they were gone.

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All Credits Due: Sifshadowheart--AO3