Andrea slipped quietly from the tent, careful not to wake the two people still tangled under the covers.
Joe stirred slightly, feeling the shift, but didn't open his eyes.
'Probably just peeing or something', he thought, rolling over and pulling Amy closer.
She murmured in her sleep, head resting against his chest.
---
Arriving at the RV.
Andrea stepped lightly up the stairs, glancing around. The RV was dim, the rising sun just barely seeping through the cracks in the curtains.
She started rummaging through one of the storage bins under the table.
She was pulling open a second box when a voice startled her.
"What are you doing?"
Andrea jumped, nearly knocking her head on the cabinet. She turned quickly.
"Jesus, Dale," she sighed, placing a hand over her heart. "Don't sneak up on people like that."
Dale raised a bushy brow. "I live here."
Andrea rolled her eyes. "I'm looking for wrapping paper."
"Why?" Dale asked, genuinely confused. "What could possibly need wrapping today?"
Andrea smiled softly, her tone quiet. "It's Amy's birthday. I picked something up for her back in Atlanta. I was going to give it to her... before everything."
Dale's expression shifted, understanding settling into his features. "Give me a second."
He shuffled over to a cabinet near the back and opened it. A few moments of digging later, he returned.
Holding a slightly wrinkled but bright pink sheet of wrapping paper. It was peppered with little cartoon snowflakes and bells.
"Only kind I have," he said, handing it over.
Andrea laughed, genuine and bright. "She'll love it. Thank you."
She sat at the small table and pulled the gift from her pocket, a tiny silver necklace with a mermaid charm.
Dale watched silently as she wrapped it with careful fingers. "A mermaid?" he asked.
Andrea smiled wistfully. "She's always loved them. Said if she could pick any way to go, it'd be to drown and wake up underwater with gills."
Dale gave a soft chuckle. "Kid's got imagination."
Finished, Andrea slipped the gift into her jacket and gave Dale's shoulder a quick squeeze before heading out.
---
As she approached the tent, she heard soft moaning from inside. Andrea froze, eyes narrowing. 'Get it, girl!'
She sighed and turned toward the fire pit instead, grabbing the kettle. It wasn't worth interrupting.
"Let them finish", she muttered to herself, shaking her head with half a smile.
She made three cups of strong coffee, letting the steam warm her fingers. Once things went quiet, she headed back to the tent.
---
Inside, Joe sat with Amy curled naked in his lap, the blanket barely covering either of them. Their skin glowed in the golden morning light.
Andrea stepped in, raised an eyebrow, and handed out coffee. "Morning, lovebirds."
Joe smirked. "Where'd you go?"
Andrea sipped from her cup. "Just to pee."
Joe watched her fidget slightly. He didn't press.
Amy sat up slowly, taking her coffee. "I was a little worried when I woke up and you weren't here."
Andrea knelt beside her and pulled her into a hug, kissing her cheek. "Nothing's gonna happen to me. Look at these guns."
She flexed, her arm tensing slightly, barely perceptible.
Amy burst out laughing. Joe followed.
Andrea feigned a pout. "You're both rude."
Joe leaned in, pressing a kiss to her lips. "Very impressive."
Her pout faltered and her heart fluttered. Amy, grinning, leaned over and kissed her too. Their lips lingered longer.
Joe watched as they exchanged slow kisses. His pants tightened beneath the blanket, heat stirring in his gut.
They finally broke apart, Amy pulling back for air.
Andrea smirked, catching her breath. "I knew you loved me."
Another burst of laughter.
Amy got up and stretched, slipping into white panties and a matching bra.
She looked at them over her shoulder. "Come on. The camp's meeting without us."
Joe groaned. "Can't we skip just one group crisis?"
Andrea chuckled. "This is the crisis. Whether we stay or move."
---
At the Camp Meeting.
Everyone gathered near the fire pit. Faces still heavy with grief, but the fight had returned to some eyes.
The choice was on the table.
Stay and rebuild or leave and look for somewhere safer.
Rick stood in front, trying to look confident, but his voice trembled just slightly when he spoke.
Rick scanned the circle of tired faces. "If we stay, it won't be easy. But we can dig in, build up, make it safe again."
A few nods.
Then Joe stepped forward.
"I think we're making a mistake."
All eyes turned to him.
Andrea blinked, surprised. Amy looked over, confused.
Joe crossed his arms. "Staying here just means we're waiting to die slower. We already lost half our people in one night. We got lucky."
Carol whispered, "But we have defenses… the lake."
"None of it matters if we're overrun again," Joe said, cutting her off gently but firmly.
"You think those were the only raiders in the area? That the dead won't keep coming?"
He looked at Rick. "You remember Morgan?"
Rick nodded. "Of course."
Joe pointed. "He told me about something. That night, I stayed up talking with him. He mentioned the CDC in Atlanta. Government, medicine... answers."
Rick squinted. "I remember him saying something about that…"
"Morgan chose to stay behind," Joe said. "To grieve his wife. To raise his boy up and teach him to survive"
He looked around. "I get it. It's hard to let go. But that town... it's probably gone now. Just like this place will be."
Silence.
Amy reached out and took his hand, squeezing it gently.
Joe went on. "The CDC might be gone too. But it's a direction. It's a chance. Staying here? It's just death in slow motion."
Glenn spoke up, quietly. "How far is it?"
"9 hours," Joe said. "If we pack right, move smart, we can make it."
Rick rubbed the back of his neck. "And if it's nothing? If it's empty?"
Joe met his eyes. "Then we find the next thing. But we move. We don't just sit here, waiting for death."
Dale let out a long breath. "Hell… at least it'd be doing something."
Andrea finally spoke. "I'm with Joe."
Amy nodded beside her. "Me too."
Rick looked around the group. Murmurs began to rise. Some hesitant. Some hopeful.
Carol still looked uncertain, but she said nothing.
Daryl spat in the dirt. "Don't care where we go. Just say when."
Joe stepped back, quiet again.
Rick looked down, then back up. "Then we vote."
---
After the Vote.
More than half the group voted to move... not because they were sure of the CDC. But because they were sure they didn't want to die in the same place their friends had.
It was decided.
They would leave tomorrow.
---
Later That Day.
Amy sat by the fire, sipping from a tin cup. Andrea slid in beside her, pulling a small wrapped box from her jacket.
"Happy birthday," she said, placing it in Amy's lap.
Amy blinked, stunned. "Wait… you remembered?"
Andrea shrugged. "Wouldn't miss it."
Amy unwrapped it slowly. Her breath caught.
A tiny mermaid on a delicate silver chain.
She stared at it, eyes glassy.
Andrea grinned. "So… you like it?"
Amy nodded quickly. Hugging her sister tightly, "I love it."
Joe watched from nearby, heart softening. For a moment, the world didn't feel like it had ended.
---
That Night.
Joe sat outside the tent, sharpening his knife. Andrea joined him, leaning against his side. Amy came out a minute later, draped in a blanket, mermaid necklace resting on her chest.
They sat in silence, the three of them watching the flames burn low.
Tomorrow, they would leave this place behind.
They didn't know what they were heading into.
But they were doing it together.
...
The fire outside had dwindled to glowing embers. Inside the tent, the mood was hushed.
Worn bodies, heavy from grief and decision-making, easing into rest.
Andrea lay still, already asleep, her breath slow and even. The day had drained her... emotionally and physically.
Her hand rested near her head, curled slightly.
Amy had just finished brushing her teeth with some leftover bottled water when she stepped quietly into the tent.
She moved to lay down beside her sister, but a gentle hand caught hers.
Joe.
He looked up at her from where he sat on the bedroll, eyes warm and soft in the low lantern light.
"I have a surprise for you," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Amy blinked, a grin beginning to tug at her lips. "You got me something?"
He nodded. "Close your eyes."
She bit her bottom lip and obeyed, though the temptation to peek itched behind her lids as she heard the soft rustle of canvas and wood.
Then...
"Open up."
Amy opened her eyes and gasped softly.
Joe knelt before her, holding out a wrapped cloth.
Inside was a beautiful, hand-carved set of wooden hair brushes. Various sizes, polished smooth.
Next to them were three delicate wooden hair clamps, etched with little leaves and waves along the surface.
Her eyes instantly filled with tears.
"Joe… when did you—?"
"I found them when I went out with Daryl. Figured… you'd like 'em."
She didn't answer. She moved in, kissing him gently, lips lingering with emotion.
Then she pulled back and turned around, her voice soft and full of love.
"Brush my hair for me?"
Joe smiled, already picking up the largest brush. He sat behind her, letting his fingers sweep through her golden strands before guiding the brush gently down from scalp to tip.
Amy let out a soft sigh, her shoulders relaxing fully. "You're the best."
Joe didn't answer. He just smiled, slow and real, and continued until every strand shone under the lantern light. Her hair, smooth and flawless, flowed over her back like silk.
He returned the brush to the cloth set, folding it carefully before moving to lie beside her.
But Amy caught his arm before he could settle.
"I want one more thing."
He turned to her, sensing something different in her tone. "Anything."
Amy hesitated for a second, then looked to the side, voice barely above a whisper.
"I want a baby. Your baby."
Joe blinked, heart catching in his chest.
He nodded with calm, certain understanding. He moved in close, wrapping his arms around her.
Their lips met again.
Their bodies connected, slowly and deliberately. Not with haste, but with care.
This wasn't about lust. It was about something bigger. Something built on the feelings they had for each other.
Amy clung to him, holding his face between her hands like he might disappear if she let go.
When they were finished, their breath steadying. They lay down together beside Andrea, who stirred slightly. Nestling into Joe's other side without waking.
Amy rested her head on his chest, tracing small circles over his heart.
"I love you," she whispered.
Joe kissed her forehead. "I love you too."
And in the hush of the tent, with bodies wrapped in warmth.
Skin still tingling from closeness, sleep finally took them.
Outside, the wind stirred the trees.
Tomorrow, they would leave.
But tonight, there was peace.