The next day they loaded the El Camino and made their way to Colorado and Meg's cabin in the mountains. The ride was fun; they sang along to lots of 70's and 80's rock songs, and got into arguments over their opinions of the greatest Western movie of all time and most quintessential 80's movie. When they got to Stillwater, the first stop was the small grocery store to get stocked up on food and drinks and other necessities, and then they headed up the mountain.

"Home sweet home," Meg said as they drove through the gate.

Norman looked around them as they drove up the narrow lane. Both sides as far as the eye could see was covered in dense forest consisting mostly of pine and cypress and spruce trees. They were on a fairly steep incline until abruptly the land levelled out and the trees thinned some to show a simple cabin with a garage set back. The setting was very private and beautiful. He could see why she had chosen this location.

When he looked over at her she had an expectant look on her face. "Well, what'd'ya think?"

"It's awesome." He said with a grin. "How many acres did you say you had?"

"I own 40 acres, but my land is surrounded on 3 sides by Federal Land that stretches another 5,000 acres in every direction. I'll always have privacy, which is exactly how I want it."

"This is my idea of heaven on earth. I bet you can see every star in the sky out here." They were out of the car and looking around. Off in the distance the roar of the Colorado River could be heard and the competing songs of the warblers and finches.

"Just you wait, Reedus, the nights are stunning here." Then she threw him a raised eyebrow before adding, "But then, I think they might just be about to get stunning in a whole new way." As he watched, she shouldered her overnight bag and walked up into the cabin.

____________________________________________________________________

That night they lay entwined in Meg's king sized bed in the loft of the cabin. Above them was the enormous skylight that gave them a clear view of the Milky Way and a few of the brighter planets. They each pointed out different constellations and this led to stories of how they learned them; for Meg it was camping trips with her Grandpa and Norman it was much more recent, having learned from being on set at the Walking Dead from some of his co-workers.

After a great night sleep, Meg took Norman for an early hike around her acreage. When they got close to the river she stopped him with a hand on his chest and put a finger to her lips. Norman followed her pointing finger and was delighted to see a large herd of Elk gathered at the edge of the river. After watching for several minutes, they quietly backtracked and made their way towards the south end of the property. This was the least protected side and Meg made sure to point out the camera and alarm trip points to Norman.

"You think that's necessary?" He asked, only slightly joking. He felt a slight nervousness when he thought that there could still be a danger to Meg's life.

"I hope not." She answered and then after seeing the real concern in his features she went on, "The longer I'm out of active service, the less and less I'll need it. I'll be forgotten eventually." She smiled and playfully punched him in the arm.

He chuckled, but then abruptly stopped when he thought of Michael Tayte. Michael never forgot, and he suddenly felt sure that there were others that hadn't either. God, just how many were there? How many men in this world were obsessed with her?

Meg watched Norman go through an internal struggle about something. She suspected that it had to do with his friend, but she wasn't about to ask. Instead she kept quiet and started walking towards the garage. Once there, she opened the door and led the way inside.

"You need to see this, because you need to understand a little better about this side of me." She opened a hatch in the floor and climbed the steps down into a subterranean room. This had been a large room that the previous owner had put in as a storm shelter slash bug out room. There was a door to the rear that led to a tunnel that went about 1200 feet to an exit hidden in the woods to the north. Meg had added a few tables that held the monitors for the security camera system, as well as her Satellite communications. The back wall was covered with pegs holding well over 100 different weapons that she'd had shipped to her via a moving company, including pistols, rifles, shotguns, AR's, a variety of knives, Tasers, and even a couple of swords. She'd had to chuckle over how the movers would have reacted had they known what was really inside the boxes marked "car parts & accessories".

She looked at him taking it all in. "I don't know if the day will ever come that I completely let this part of my life go. There's always a part of my brain that's vigilant to threats; every new setting I walk into I subconsciously analyse the quickest exit routes and size people up as potential threats. Maybe in a few years I'll be able to let it go, but then again maybe I won't. There's a possibility that I'll never be able to fully relax around large groups of people."

Norman cocked his head to one side and stared at her for a few seconds. "Why is it that every time you talk about these things it sounds like you're shoving me towards the exit door?"

"Because I don't want to weigh you down, and I certainly don't want to do something that'll embarrass you or cause a distraction from your work."

"Jesus, Meg, how many times do I have to say this... the show is my work. The other things I do, like the cruises and the Comic-Con's, that's work. Mingus is my life and I'd like for you to become part of my life. The world has a right to my work; no one has a right to my life other than the parts I choose to share. Fuck anyone who thinks differently." He had worked up towards a little hissy fit by the end and she couldn't help but grin at him.

"Well... alrighty then." She nodded and turned towards the other side of the room. Here there was an extensive first aid station that would cover minor issues like stitches and other wound dressing, to more serious actions like start an IV, set a broken bone, or remove a bullet.

Previous mood lightened, he said "Sheesh, if there ever really is a Zombie Apocalypse, I'm heading straight here." Norman laughed, only half-joking though. This place was like a small fortress; all she needed was to plant some crops and put up a fence.

She grinned at him. "Speaking of that, you made a promise to teach me how to shoot a bow & arrow. Time to pay up."

"Am I supposed to believe you don't already know how to shoot one?" He replied skeptically while looking at the weapons hanging on the wall.

"Believe it or not, it's one of the few weapons I've never used. I feel like I would pick it up pretty quick, especially if an expert is teaching me."

"Whoa, now; expert is definitely pushing it. I'm really not even that good with the damn thing. Took me forever to get an arrow to go within a than a few feet of a target."

"I do declare Norman Reedus... you sound like you're trying to crawfish on our deal." She said with an arched eyebrow.

"Nah, I just don't want your expectations to be too high."

"Too late..." she snickered before grabbing a couple of throwing knives and long-barrelled pistol off the wall and heading back up the stairs.

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