Family Reunion

Ace looked around at his old hometown. “What a mess,” he murmured, seeing abandoned vehicles and various articles of litter strewn about. The horse he was riding astride snorted in apparent agreement, and he reached forward to stroke the animal’s long, strong neck. “This way, kids. And make sure Duke doesn’t get too far behind us; not too much further now,” he said, turning his head to glance at each of the ponies and the stallion that was the mate to his mare. The riderless horse was getting agitated with this trek; Ace could tell just by the way the creature stood.

In a matter of minutes they were trotting down an old familiar road. The old house was just up ahead on the right. “Sam... God, I hope you’ve been doing alright...” Ace murmured, then clicked his tongue and gave his horse a gentle bump with his foot to pick up the pace. He led them in single file down the driveway and into the back yard.

“Alright. Cassie, I need you to tie up the horses, babygirl. Jackson, you’re gonna be the lookout. You see any trouble and you fire a warning shot at it, you hear me?” he said, hopping down off his horse and handing a pistol to his son. “I’m gonna get the door and make sure the place is secured. Anything happens, I want you two to find cover and stay there until I come for you, okay?”

The children, weary and frightened, nodded quietly to their father’s instructions. He gave them a small nod, and turned away to walk up to the porch. “If I know you like I think I do, little sister, you’ve got this place sealed up tighter than Fort Knox just like Dad would’ve wanted...” He found the key on the many rings of keys he carried, slid it in the lock, opened the door, and slowly stepped inside.

“Anyone home?” he called, pulling a second pistol from an ankle holster. Everything looked exactly as he remembered it, right down to the last detail. Some things were new, of course: the cans of food and boxes of cereal in particular. Ace wasn’t sure if they were placed there by Samantha or not. “Just lookin’ for my sister. Not gonna hurt anyone unless ya’ll shoot at me first...” he tried again.

His boots made far more noise on the creaky old floor than Ace would have liked. He checked every nook and cranny of the first floor; made sure no one was hiding in each and every room or closet. He did the same for the second floor. Once Ace confirmed there was absolutely no one in the house, he heaved a sigh of relief. “This world’s gonna drive me to drink…” he murmured, a hint of a chuckle on his lips as he went to tell the kids it was all clear and to get inside.

Ace watched his son and daughter walk into the house, and locked the door behind them. “Get cleaned up, somethin’ to eat... Gotta wait and see what your Aunt Sam wants me to do.” He pulled the curtains on the door’s window, turned away from it, and wandered over to the kitchen table. A lone radio – part of a pair – sat on the otherwise naked surface. “Wonder if it’s still got power?”

He picked the radio up. The plastic and rubber felt odd in his hands; it had been weeks since he handled any piece of modern technology. Upon closer inspection he noticed the frequency was very specifically set – he wasn’t going to move it. Ace flicked the switch, and blinked as a little red power light sprung to life. “Well, how about that?”

Ace pressed the push-to-talk button and put the microphone of the radio a few inches away from his lips. “This is Ace Carter, does anyone read me on this frequency? I’m looking for my sister. ... I repeat, this is Ace Carter. I’m looking for my sister. Does anyone read me? Please respond.”

Sam was eating some rations and working on some wiring in side the farm house to enchance the security inside it in case intruders ever made it past her defenses outside they would have a heck of a time inside. She was humming along to song on a CD player she had been given when she heard a familiar voice over her radio that she always kept on her person for this very occasion.

"Ace.." she said to herself in full relief before she got up and turned her music off so it didn't interfere with this particular call. Taking the radio to her lips she pressed the Button and replied.

"This is Sam Carter, I read you Ace..." she paused a moment before adding. "It is good to hear your voice Ace" she said with a smile on her face so clear it could be heard in her voice.

A mile-wide grin split across the man's lips when he heard her voice. "It's good to hear your voice, too, sis. Just rode into town with a certain pair of little hellions-"

Cassie and Jackson heard the static of the radio, followed by Sam's voice, and came out to the kitchen to investigate. "Hi Aunt Sammie!" cheered Cassie. "We miss you!"

"Hi Aunt Sam!" said Jackson.

Ace laughed. "Not sure where you're setting up shop these days. Feel up to giving us a military escort when you got some time on your hands?" All truth be told he wanted to see her immediately. On the other hand if she was doing important work to help some of the locals, he didn't want to pry her away from doing her job.

Sam smiled hearing the voices of the children, glad they were alive she was afraid what it would do to her brother if they hadn't made it. She pressed the button on the radio and replied, " Hey kids, I have missed you guys too, very relieved you're alright."

She didn't care what she had to do but her next mission was getting to her brother and his and getting them back to her camp. It wasn't the safest of places for kids, but it was better then sticking around in the insane world out there. "I can leave right now, I am about an hours drive away from you, just sit tight" she said as she got up to get her things ready to leave. The area they were in was quiet as far as she knew the raiders had moved on from the area. But you could never know, she just wanted to get them back to safety before their good luck changed.

"I am bringing the radio with me so we can keep in contact if you like" she added into the radio. If it wasn't clear in her voice she was quite eager to see them again. With all that had happened she was thrilled yet surprised all of them had survived.

Cassie and Jackson beamed at the voice coming from the two-way radio. "We're glad you're okay, too!" they answered. Ace hadn't expected them to keep talking, so his pressing the appropriate button was delayed slightly.

"Will do; Waited this long to see ya, another hour ain't gonna kill me," Ace chortled. "Never did get to take the kids to Old Man Doyle's ice cream place - remember those days?" Ice cream sounded really good to him right about now. He glanced out the window to survey the street: everything still seemed good and quiet for the moment.

Ace gave the radio a quirked eyebrow and a pair of dry, pressed-together lips. "I would like that. I'll keep the radio glued to my hip, but I don't wanna distract you while you're driving, either. You be careful getting here... I want that hug I hear in your voice," he answered, ever the protective older brother. After everything he and the kids had been through thus far, it was strange to feel this happy. Ace could feel the muscles in his face tighten as he grinned.

Sam sure did remember those time when she and her brother would go get ice cream, she loved ice cream and her brother was one of the few people that could drag her from her books and experiments to actually go and get some. She smiled at the memory as she got her gear together.. "You bet.. was about the only thing you could coax me with to step away from my books"

She sighed mixed with a chuckle when he told her to be careful and pressed the button in reply " I will Ace.. and you'll get it. "

She put on her army uniform for the protection it offered from bullets and other forms of harm and put her radio in a pocket meant for it just before her shoulder so she could speak into it easily. Before getting into the jeep she pressed the button to talk one more time before pulling out.

" Hey Ace? I left some supplies for you in the house.. I am hoping they are still there... If you or the kids are hungry or anything there should be food and meds there" She said hoping the house remained secured through its time alone.

Ace continued to grin, eager for Sam to hurry up with that hour-long drive and get there. He slid the radio into his pocket and opened up some Chef Boyardee for himself and Jackson. Cassie turned her nose up at it the moment that overcooked-pasta-and-tinny-meat odor reached her nostrils. Ace offered to open up a can of fruit cocktail for her instead.

The tiniest amount of static that came in before Sam's voice made Ace reach into his pocket and pull out the radio again. He pressed the button and chuckled into the microphone. "No need to worry - the kids got into the cereal the moment they got in, and now we're all gettin' something to eat. Thanks for keeping the place stocked, Sam - we appreciate it more than you know.

"You two got somethin' to say to your aunt for providing all this?" Ace turned the radio around so microphone faced his son and daughter.

"Thank you!"

Ace chuckled, stood up, and walked into the next room. "It's been quiet here. No trouble getting into town, riding up to the house... nothin. Place was still locked up like Fort Knox. You did good, sis. He'd be proud, y'know..."

Sam started up the jeep and pressed the button on her dash board to open the main gate to the camp. She smiled at the messages coming through the radio as she drove out of the camp, she was just glad the kids hadn't lost there spirit and they hadn't run into any trouble. Heaven know a small family on a group of horses was a easy target for the rogue bandits out there.

At Ace's reply about there father she had to reply back, it was a straight drive on the road, and it looked pretty clear dangers for now. She she pressed the button on the radio and answered back. The sound of the engine could be heard throw her radio to indicate she was on the road now. "Thanks Ace.. He'd wouldn't have had it any other way... Sorry I couldn't meet you there.. I wanted to go looking for you and the kids... but.." But the cold truth of it was there was a good chance they'd have died and she'd have made the long trip of looking for them only to bury them instead. She only hoped Ace didn't blame her for not coming for them sooner.

Ace glanced back into the kitchen to check on the kids. They seemed fine, so he stayed in the living room. After having primarily traveled on horseback for so long, it was strange to hear what travel sounded like from the inside of a car. "Nah; don't you apologize for that. You had a job to do, and you did it. You're still doing it, even with the world gone to hell as it has. That takes strength, sis. I'm proud of you.

"...For a good long while, there was a possibility that you would've made the trip out there to bury us. The kids and Savannah all got sick, and I thought I was gonna be next..." Ace paused for several seconds. When he spoke again his voice was in a crackled half-whisper that had nothing to do with static from the radio, "Savannah's gone... buried her myself before making the trip here."

Ace cleared his throat. "You, ah... you meet many friendlies around your neck of the woods?"

Sam took a breath hearing that Ace had to bury his wife. Savanna was a wonderful woman it was unfortunate that she didn't make it. She had the feeling she hadn't made it when she was missing from the group of hellos. But still it was sombering to hear it confirmed. " I am sorry Ace" she replied on that note, there was little else to really say about it.

She then straightened at the change of subject "Yes I think I have gathered up a good group of people. Some are people with kids and victims of bandits, other just want to survive but not by robbing people blind.. considering the rough start things are going well. I will let you get a feel for people when you get here" she said as there might be a few people who got along with her brother who she doesn't currently.

"On the bright side there are kids here.. Cass and Jack might make some friends" she offered. She realized they had been through a lot but in truth everyone else had as well and they all knew what it was like. They might find comfort in that.

Ace listened to what Sam told him about her camp. It sounded like a good place for the kids... then again, he expected as much with his sister at the helm. He was glad to hear there were at least some people that were interested in a peaceful existence as opposed to utter chaos. Although he wanted to know more about these people he understood the value of a first impression, so he didn't push Samantha for any further information.

"They'll be glad to hear that... Think they've been getting tired of playing 'I Spy' while on the road with their old man," he chuckled.

Sam chuckled slightly into the radio " Maybe your loosing your touch when it comes to the game Ace" she said teasingly. Remembering the times when they were kids and they played the game together and try as she might at the game she could never guess what her brother was 'spying'.

"I hope you guys are at home there anyway.. it feels for like home now that i know you alright" she continued. Then a group of cars ahead caught her eye and she sighed and pressed the button again on her radio " Hold on a moment Ace, I got company I get back to you when I have passed them" she said having every intention and hope she could just drive by.

However the moment they saw her coming motorcycles emerged from around the trucks going around her like a pack of wolves. Sam would have none of it and took out her pistol when the started firing at her vehicle... she was grateful the air force gave her a vehicle and a tough one that could take a lot of damage. But the crazy Land pirates were many and relentless.

Sam soon got an idea and drove off road to loose them in the brush, She played cat and mouse with them for much longer then she would have liked. If it weren't for the motorcycling bandits she would have been with her brother already. She disabled a few of the riders but the last to were hard to hit. She didn't want to head towards Ace and the kids with her current company following her.. she needed to think of something and quickly. She could only image what Ace was thinking now that she still hadn't gotten back to him... She needed cover so she could contact him. A head she found a river back and that she could take cover by they couldn't surround her that way.. but she could also get pinned down there as well. She wasn't going to let t them she couldn't.. With her mind made up she spun the jeep so she was length wise against the river she got out of the jeep and used it as cover against their gunfire when they closed in.

"Ace, taking longer the expected.. Sorry, don't worry I will get there as soon as I take care of these guys." she explained into the Radio in a more then rational voice considering the sound of gun fire around her.

Ace chuckled, but didn’t reply to the possibility that he was losing his touch. His response would have been a gentle swat to his sister’s arm if she’d been there in person. A part of him worried that the new ways of the world were slowly eating at him and his ability to have fun, but he ignored it. Of course he could still have fun... there were simply less opportunities for it when out on the road.

“Kids seem fine. The place seems smaller than I remember, but sure feels like home,” he said, glancing around at the old photographs on the wall.

Brown eyebrows furrowed as he heard the sound of other vehicles, followed by Sam telling him that she had company. Ace had been worried that would happen. “Copy that,” he replied – short, sweet, and hopefully not distracting. He clipped the radio back onto his pocket and returned to the kitchen to eat with his children.

Upon entering the kitchen, he found the kids had finished eating and had fished a deck of cards out of one of their bags. Ace sat on his end of the table, watched them play, and absent-mindedly took an occasional bite of the canned pasta he had opened for himself. He wasn’t all that hungry anymore. He was more concerned for Sam’s safety than his own needs, but he couldn’t let the food go to waste either. In all truth, he needed to eat. Ace didn’t recall having very much to eat since leaving the south, wanting to hoard as much resources as he could so that the kids had enough to live on.

Once the kids wound down enough, Ace convinced them to use the upstairs bedrooms to nap until Sam arrived. He lied to them regarding how long it would take her to get there; Ace didn’t want the children to get their insides into the knots his were already in. It had been at least forty-five minutes since Ace had made contact with his sister.

The moment Ace was certain Cassie and Jackson were asleep, he stretched out on the living room couch. Everything and anything he could possibly need was within easy reaching distance if something tried to catch him by surprise. It wasn’t long before Ace, too, was asleep... albeit a very light sleep, and riddled with nightmares. The least little noise roused him awake just enough to acknowledge it, and if it wasn’t anything worth his immediate attention he nodded off again.

* * *

A gust of wind woke Ace up, and he glanced at his watch. It had been well over an hour. He hauled himself up off the couch and looked around, inside and outside, for any sign of his sister. Nothing. The man bit his lip and put his hand over the radio at his hip. He wanted to contact her... but if she was in the middle of trying to sneak her way out of a situation he would give her away. “Dammit, Sam... next time I’m asking for approximate directions,” he muttered.

Ace jumped when the radio crackled to life again, pulled it off his belt, and stared wild-eyed at the speaker. He could hear the gunfire and didn’t like how close it sounded, then pressed the button to reply. “Holler with your location if you need back-up...” Ace knew his sister could be stubborn, and that she more than likely could – and would – handle the situation just fine by herself... but that didn’t stop him from being a worried about her. Ace prepared a note for Cassie and Jackson just in case he needed to scramble out of the house in a hurry.

Sam took a breath and replied "Copy that.. see ya soon Ace" she said before putting her radio down and turning her attention to her attackers. They had wasted a lot of ammo trying to get to her already they would either run out or hold fire until she came out of hiding. She needed to take care of them first. She pulled a explosive out of her vest and tossed it toward the pirates before taking over and covering her ears. It packed a punch and would leave a persons ears ringing if they were not prepared.

The explosion rang out and the pressure wave passed over her.Once it passed she emerged from her hiding spot and shot the other pirates that would still standing. Once the smoke and dust cleared she was the last person standing. She sighed and let out a breath the idiots wasted their lives and for nothing. She looked at her radio to call Ace back only to find it broken.. likely from the shock wave of her grenade explosion.

"Crap" she muttered as she looked back at her vehicle it looked like Swiss cheese with all the wholes that were blown into it. It would be a miracle if it still operable. So she got to work to see just how bad it was.. worse case scenario was she had to walk the rest of the way and find a vehicle on the way.

However it seemed luck was on her side it looked worse then it was and the engine damage was superficial. Within a few hours she had the jeep running again. "Hang on Ace, I am coming" she said as she started back on the road again. She was half a day late, it was getting dark it was even more dangerous after dark since it was a perfect time for ambushes. She had to stay off the main road and traveled with her lights off. It took a long time but she eventually pulled up to her Dads old place. All was quiet it seemed which means she wasn't followed at least she really hoped that was the case.

Sam approached the door and knocked hoping Ace was still up. "Ace? it is Sam. Finally here.." she said with relief and yet anxiety while she waited for her brother to answer the door.

The corner of Ace’s mouth tugged slightly at the words from his sister. Part of him was really hoping she’d tell him where she was... not because he wanted her to need his help, but so that he could figure out how close she was to getting home. He couldn’t help being impatient.

A sound that put Ace in mind of thunder startled him. He peeked out the window. “Not a storm cloud in sight. What could that’ve been?” Ace answered himself with three possible answers: a storm that wasn’t yet obvious, someone was hunting in the nearby woods and fired a shot, or there was an explosion. Whatever it was, Ace hoped that his sister wasn’t in the middle of it. “Hopefully it’s just two upstart pirate clans in a pissing contest with each other...”

He folded up the note and stuck it in his pocket. Ace would leave it behind if Sam called out her coordinates... but until then there was no need to give the kids any reason to panic. He sat back down on the couch and waited to hear from his sister... Blue eyes grew heavy with the urge to sleep, and before Ace knew it he was fast asleep again.

* * *

Ace jerked awake and checked his watch. A lot of time had passed, and the kids were up again. “Sam?!” he called, scrambling off the couch. He searched high and low for his sister, only to come up empty-handed.

“We haven’t seen her either, Dad,” said Jackson.

Cassie started getting teary-eyed. “Is she okay? Why isn’t she here yet?”

Ace knelt down to Cassie’s level and pulled both kids into a hug. “She’s fine, kiddos. Just a little delayed on the road, that’s all...” He hoped against hope that was all that was preventing her from being there now. “Why don’t you two pick out something for dinner, and I’ll try getting her on the radio again.”

That seemed to do the trick – the kids smiles their crooked smiles and took off to the kitchen. Ace chuckled at how easy they were to please, and grabbed the radio. “Sam, what’s your E.T.A.? We’re getting worried about you...” Ace frowned at the sound of static. “Well that’s not encouraging...” he muttered, and clipped the radio to his pocket.

* * *

Ace cooked dinner, and had the kids help him with the dishes. Then they played a few simple games they had brought with them... though Ace’s heart wasn’t fully into any of it. He kept glancing at the radio, waiting for it to give him some sort of sign that his sister was alive and well, and still on her way. No such reassurance came.

He made sure the kids took their baths, and he dug out their pajamas... anything to make the world feel more normal, for their sakes. Cassie still loved her bedtime stories. Once Jackson and Cassandra were sound asleep, Ace returned to the living room. He took the radio off his belt and pushed the button. “Where the hell are ya, Sam? It’s getting late...”

No answer.

Ace prepared himself a cup of instant coffee. His stomach was in knots, but he was determined to stay awake until he got some sort of confirmation from Sam. Travel by night would be far more dangerous. The last thing he wanted was for Sam to make it all the way here, only to get caught by something because he had fallen asleep and didn’t let her inside in time.

Despite making the instant coffee stronger than the instructions on the jar, Ace started to settle back into sleep. It wasn’t a restful slumber: muscles in his face twitched and twisted; occasionally, his arm would try to flail out as if to block or strike an enemy that was only in his dreams. Ace jumped at the sound of a knock on the door. His eyes flung open and he scrambled for his pistol. In doing so, he spilled the lukewarm instant coffee into his lap. “Shit...” Ace hissed, and flung the mug aside as he stood and put his back to the front door.

From what little he heard, it sounded like Sam. Ace started releasing the various locks on the door, but he was still cautious. He opened the door a crack and peeked out. “Thank God...” Ace sighed once he saw it was indeed Sam on the other side. He pushed the door open for her to enter, and looked around to make sure trouble wasn’t lurking somewhere behind her. “What the hell happened out there, Sam?”

Sam entered the house finally feeling relief at arriving. It felt like she was finally home after being away so so long. She looked at Ace, her face was scuffed and covered in dust. She had a few very minor cuts and scrapes but nothing that needed worrying about. Still it looked like she had been through a tough day.

"Pirates.. stubborn bastards Ace" she said in a hushed tone just in case the kids heard her. She looked at her poor fried radio, " I had little choice but to drop a bomb on them.. the radio broke in the blast and I don't have the tools on me to try and repair it" she said taking it out of her pocket and sighing.

After all that was said however Sam felt there was only one thing she had left to do, she put a friendly hand on her brothers shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Good to see you alive Ace" she said with a smile.

Ace closed the door behind Sam, and locked everything back up. His hands slightly shook, now that he finally started allowing his body to relax from the tension it had built up over the course of the day. He focused on her face as she spoke; she was covered in dust, cuts, and scrapes. It was nothing serious but his instincts as a protective older brother made him wish she hadn’t had to go through the ordeal in the first place.

He glanced at the radio. “That explains why all I could get was static... Wish I could say I have the tools on hand so it can be fixed... but I don’t think I have anything that’ll be much use for that. Left most of my tools back in the south... hated doing it.” Ace offered a small smile.

After she squeezed his shoulder, Ace stepped forward to give her a tight hug. “Right back at you, Sam...” he sighed. Emotion tried to bubble to the surface but Ace swallowed it. That didn’t stop his eyes from shining a little brighter than they had before the hug, as he pulled the way. “Thank God you’re alive...”

Ace took a step back to give his sister some space. “I set the kids up in my old room. Thought maybe you’d want your room for old times’ sake. We can talk more in the morning, if you’re tired... or I can make you a mean cup of instant coffee,” he grinned.

Sam smiled at her brother, she could only imagine what he must have been going through this whole time. He looked a little worse for wear, she couldn't go to sleep with out catching up a little bit now.

"Nah, Ace I couldn't sleep now if I wanted to, think I might take that coffee for now" she said with a chuckle. It felt so good to see him after all that had happened. That and she couldn't say she wasn't worried about her brother.. Having to bury his wife and leave his home behind and make the long trip here with out even knowing if she was still alive or not. It must have been hard..

"How have you and the kids been since we lost contact? I know took longer then I planned.." She asked as she walked with him.

“Coffee it is,” Ace chuckled and gave his sister a lopsided half-grin before walking into the kitchen. He went about heating water for the instant coffee and made a half-hearted attempt to clean up part of the kitchen he’d left messy after making his own coffee earlier. Their father never liked it when even so much as one square foot of the house looked messy.

He thought about her question. “The kids are alright... resilient as ever. They asked where you were, of course... why it was taking so long... y’know, the usual rapid-fire questions they spout off with. Did what I could to reassure ‘em... keep their minds distracted. Seemed to work since they got to sleep fine after a story or two. You’re probably gonna have your hands full in the morning, when they find out you’re here,” Ace chortled.

The man bit his lip when he thought about how he had been since losing contact and getting his children to sleep. “I was worried about ya. Tried to make contact, of course, but I had no idea the radio broke.” Ace swallowed, trying to rid his voice of the quake he could feel lurking beneath the surface. “... Was almost afraid I got all this way, only to get you killed in the process of trying to meet us here.” He shook his head. “Not sure I coulda lived with myself, if that had happened...”

Sam felt it was very odd to be back in her fathers old house, it felt the same yet completely different at the same time. She chuckled lightly at hearing the kids would be excited come morning when they wake up. "Ah I will welcome it then.. nothing like a kids energy to pick one up after.. however long this has been.. I have lost track" she said. She honestly wasn't even sure how long she has been at this.

Sam sighed and swallowed seeing her brother like he was, she couldn't help but give him a one armed hug again. " Luckily It didn't happen and you are stuck with me" she said quietly. "I do understand.. my one thought was to get here before you decided take off and look for me.."She said knowing him all to well. Her brother had his kids that relied on him she couldn't live with being the cause of him being lost either..

She poured the hot water for her coffee and took a small sip of the stuff, for a while she hated instant coffee, being to spoiled by the premium stuff. But now it had grown on her. "It is good stuff" she said with a small smile looking back at her brother again. "Now that we are both here safe and sound.. we still need to think of a way of getting back with the kids and your animals. Safest way is the back roads..but it will take longer" she said proposing the option. It still worried her though, venturing out on her own there wasn't as much pressure to protect kids and animals.

Ace closed his eyes, finding a measure of solace in the one-armed hug, and tried to put the thoughts of ‘what if’ out of his mind. He smiled softly, somewhere between appreciating the humor and sheepishness at just how well Sam knew him. “I did think about taking off to look for you. Even wrote the kids a note... but I couldn’t leave them. Not after Savannah’s burial...”

He watched her make coffee; or what passed for coffee these days. Ace preferred hot coffee when the weather was colder and instant or iced coffee during the summer. A chuckle left his lips at her comment. “Never thought I’d hear you say that about instant coffee...”

His previous cup was still in the living room, so he grabbed a clean mug and started making instant coffee for himself. Ace tilted his head in thought, then shrugged. “Sounds like a good a plan as any, sticking to the back roads. I’d rather be cautious and lose time... instead of plowing head-straight into trouble. Even if we find trouble, it should be fine. Taught the kids how to shoot, back in Virginia, so they could lend us a hand if it comes to that.

“Guess the next question is when do you wanna head out?”

Sam looked at him with sadness for a moment when he mentioned Savannah's burial, it occurred to her her brother needed his children just as much they needed him. They all had lost so much already.
"I know.." she replied looking down in to her cup of coffee.

She smiled slightly at his comment about her making the instant coffee and chuckled "It grows on ya when it is all you have.. Gods.. what I wouldn't give for real coffee. Now that would be heaven." she said lightly as she took a sip the coffee.

Sam nodded in agreement to the plan with going on the back roads back to her camp.. With the commotion she made on the road no doubt it would watched like a hawk tomorrow. She started to head back to the living room with her coffee in thought for a moment. "Should probably leave as soon as we can tomorrow morning I would say.. Enough time to eat and get the kids ready and pack what you want to take with you"

"How many animals do you have with you?" she asked wondering how they were going to get the animals back to the camp safely as well.

Ace chuckled at Sam's comment about coffee. At the back of his mind, he wondered what it would take to brew a pot of regular coffee without the benefits of a coffee maker... and how well coffee plants would survive in the northeast, with specific regard to the winter seasons.

He sighed and followed her back into the living room. "We didn't unpack much. I'll probably get to that before I go back to sleep." Ace glanced around the room and the memories it contained. "Part of me wants to leave the house as it is... even though it's just us two that remember how it used to be." His gaze settled on a family photograph that was taken when he and Sam were kids, a scant few years before their mother had passed.

Ace blinked and shook the ghost of a thought away. He took a sip from his coffee. "Just the four horses. Wanted to take more of 'em... but that would've made it more difficult to travel."

"What more can ya tell me about this place of yours?"

Sam sat back on the couch taking another drink of their coffee, she nodded to the number of horses they had. It would be a slower journey back with the horses, she only had a beaten up jeep full of holes from her fight with the pirates on her way there.

She followed her brothers gaze agreeing with him that they could leave it as it was so it would forever be their home. They didn't really need to take anything left in the house, though if they wanted any personal items of their parents now what the time to take a few things. "Wonder what Dad would say if he were here.." she said momentarily wondering.

She perked her head up at the question what the camp was like and she smiled slightly "I found it when things were really crazy.. The city was rioting with panicking people when my team first started out. We needed a place out of the city and quiet out of the way of the road. I found it a quiet farm house, a lot of land. Since then we built a gate around the property to defend if from those that might want to hurt us. Inside we are still developing really, most civilians stay in the miliary tents we have set up. But we have supplies and everyone there works hard to make the camp work.. We have a barn on the property as well, it should do the horse just fine" she said with a small smile, being reminded of the conversion she had with the man Fin when they talked about the camp.

"Is there anything specific you wish to know?" she asked.

Ace eased himself into the cushion next to Sam, and listened closely to her tale of how she found the place and built it into a developing settlement. It was almost like a story from a book... though Ace was right there, living it in real time. He let out a quiet, low whistle. "Busy, busy..." the man chuckled.

He scratched the back of his head. "I got a lot of questions... just not sure which ones are the most relevant right now." Ace rubbed his eyes and took another gulp of coffee. "Since you mentioned a barn... guess the natural first question - my being a vet and all - is what kind of livestock, if any, do you already have there? You already know me and the kids are gonna take any job you got that involves taking care of animals."