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It was Snickers, sans gun. He patted the bed beside him and she, dragging all her bedding, climbed up . Maybe one of her parents might have been part Asian?
    Now, with Snickers awake, he was pretty sure Rhiannon must have screamed, because it’d been days since the child had needed to crawl in with him.
    Snickers stared at him with her almond-colored cat eyes, and as he always did, not knowing what she needed, he just let her look. She raised her hand to suck on her thumb and he pulled it away gently with a smirk. She smiled at this; their habitual, familiar behavior.
    He heard more movement at the door as Rhiannon and B.B. silently slipped in. They curled into bed with Snickers wedged in the middle.
    Snickers curled her hand in the hair at the side of Will’s neck, and he realized how long it was getting. B.B. sighed as only a satisfied dog can.
    He was glad he’d claimed the master bedroom with its king-sized bed. The responsibility had scared him at first, but now Rhiannon was here. Smiling, as he closed his eyes to finally sleep, he thought maybe he could see the first glimmer of dawn at the edges of the blinds.
    ∞
    He later thought it was the worst damn idea he’d ever had, and he’d done many stupid things. Taking the girls with him; beyond stupidity.
    A road trip, he’d suggested. The girls glowed with excitement, and he’d felt so damn satisfied. Only four hours south, they‘d be back before dark.
    He’d been systematically collecting supplies from the surrounding towns, to restock the store, hotel, and houses. He didn’t know why.
    He hadn’t ventured this far since he acquired Snickers, but he thought it would be fun and get Rhiannon out for the first time in weeks.
    They’d relaxed into a rhythm, but he had noticed the strawberry plant in her bedroom. Even with room in the garden, she hadn’t planted it.
    ∞
    Rhiannon saw the gun shop as soon they entered town, and in minutes, the bullet belt was around Snickers’ waist. So the gun idea was okay now. Will attempted to be pleased rather than smug.
    Rhiannon went clothes hunting. Snickers stuck with him. He hoped to add rarities to the hotel library, but prioritized medical supplies.  
    He left Snickers by the magazines, she liked the pictures, and went to box as much antibiotics, painkillers, and whatever else he could carry.
    He hadn’t realized that B.B. was with him until she started to growl a deep warning, just as his hand reached for the box of condoms.
    “Hey, it’s not like that.” He started to back away. Then he saw the hulking shadow by the window. Jesus H. Christ, what the hell was that?
    B.B. couldn’t get lower to the ground and still move, and she was scaring the hell out of him with her noises. He set his box down.  
    He suddenly had a terrible feeling he was about to come face to face with Rhiannon’s and B.B.’s past.

CHAPTER ELEVEN
    RHIANNON

    She didn’t know at the time what the fuck she’d ever do with the grenades, but she took them anyway. She also scored a cool MEC backpack. She remembered her hair had almost been that orange, same as the pack, in her first starring role  — kicking vampire ass with great dialogue — still one of her favorites.The side pocket was perfect for grenades, and the water bottle holder adapted nicely to a shotgun. She took as much ammo as she could carry.
    The bullet belt was too big for Snickers, but Rhiannon punched another hole with her Swiss Army knife. She’d always had to be easily adaptable.
    Currently, she was appalled at the plethora of pink in the girls clothing section; maybe Snickers would prefer boys’ browns and blues? She grabbed and stuffed; she’d never been much of a shopper even when it had been expected, with her millions and all that. She got winter stuff too, in case it got picked over.
    It was at that moment she realized she was planning to stay.
    Was such domestic happiness even possible? She’d stopped dreaming of such; young, around the time she’d torn