They screwed around in the hayloft a bit longer, before eventually getting themselves together to go inside for lunch. Stumbling into the house, Sean and Mark couldn't remove the smiles from their faces. It was the most fun they had in months. Mark tossed his soaked shirt in the laundry room sink as they passed by it. He'd clean it off later. Venturing into the kitchen, Mari nearly ran into Mark's sweaty chest as she snapped something about chores to Kenny. Yelping as she bounced back from him, she told him a little startled. "Jesus, Mark put a shirt on before you put someone's eye out!" The others at the table chuckled quietly to themselves. Sean shied away to slip into a seat and Mark joined him. Nate took plates off the counter to serve them, trying to be discreet as he commented out bluntly. "You boys have fun?" Kenny and Zero snickered to themselves as they ate their sandwiches. Mari smacked Kenny's back, blushing a little herself. Sean began to wolf down his food, oblivious to their banter, when he stated out around a mouthful. "Sure. I guess. Almost got the barn clean. We'll have to separate the sheep that we're going to... dispose of."

Zero flashed Mark a smirk but told Sean confidently. "Alright. I know a few older ones that are getting up there. We can take care them." Mark narrowed his eyes on Zero, trying to change the subject to something else as he said. "So, Kenny. Those sprinklers working?" Kenny wiped the soup off his lip, answering coolly with a blush. "Ya. Didn't you see them running?" Sean downed his glass of water, then coughed a little before saying. "That's great! What about the windmill outback?" Mari groaned, interjecting dryly. "Not so good... It's old. Some of the wood is just falling apart." Nate set his sandwich down, telling him seriously. "I think if we hook up one of the horses to it though. We might be able to get some electricity to the house. But if we want the wind to power it... We'll need to do repairs." Kenny removed a card from his shirt, telling them all seriously. "I was telling Mari. I want to take Zero and Nate and go here." Sean slid the business card to Mark, while Zero added in quickly. "We found it in one of the drawers. Kenny and I think they bought supplies there. If we take the truck, we can be there in a few hours. We'll load it up with as much as we can."

Mari shook her head, curtly rushing in. "No! The truck only has so much gas left. We should use it sparingly." Kenny shrugged, retorting back. "It's a risk that I think is worth it. A place like that wouldn't have been raided during the outbreak. It could have more feed for the animals. Seeds. Farm equipment. Even animal meds. We NEED to check this out. It could make all the difference." Mari shook her head, but Mark gruffly said aloud. "I have to agree. We don't know what we'll need." Mari slumped in her chair, stating out sternly. "So, you'll leave this farm defenseless while their out hunting?" Kenny pointed to Mark and Sean, saying firmly. "They will be here with you." Mari pointed at Zero, snapping out. "Zero is the best distance shooter! We need him here! What if someone tries to rub us?!" Kenny rolled his eyes, opening his mouth to say something, until an unfamiliar voice called out. "Hello? Anybody home?" Everyone froze for only a moment, before rushing to snatch their weapons.

Kenny removed his gun off his leg holster, moving out into the hallway with Zero behind him with his bow. Mark grabbed Becky from the hall, moving out in front of them to reach the open front door first. He held Becky tightly, noticing a horse and wagon that didn't belong to them. A young man sat on the wagon, looking no more than fifteen or sixteen. An older man backed off the porch with his hands raised in surrender. Mark stepped out onto the porch, asking firmly. "What do you want?" Mark saw the gun at the man's hip and grew more tense. Behind him, both Kenny and Zero kept their weapons aimed at them. The older man backed up farther from the porch, calmly addressing them. "We're from the farm a few miles up. One of my boys saw your truck and we came to talk." Mark shrugged, saying bluntly without letting his guard down. "Fine. Talk. Why are you here?" The old man pointed to the barn, saying hopefully. "Originally, we were coming for the sheep. But seeing as how you've moved in... I have a feeling we are going to have to reach a compromise."

Kenny glared at the man, asking curiously. "Are you the ones that took the horses and the tractor?" The man nodded, telling them still in a calm voice. "Yes. My boys have been helping me save animals from all the old homesteads around the town." Mark looked out at the road, asking a bit worried. "How many others are there?" The man swallowed, reluctantly telling him. "There are four other farms still working. Families. We don't want any trouble." Zero stepped up more, snapping out. "So, you're here to take our sheep now?!" From the back, Mari blurted out a bit startled. "NO! We found them!" The man started to lower his hands until he saw them all tense more. Keeping his hands up, he asked them hopefully. "I'm not here to take them. I'm here to trade. Around here we trade. We don't want to fight." Kenny huffed, snapping back. "We've got nothing to trade that you haven't already taken! Now you want to take the rest of what we have!" The man shook his head, quickly rushing out. "No! We realize that... but please hear me out." Mark pointed to the man's gun, telling him seriously. "How can we trust you?"

The man gestured to his son, answering openly. "Would I have brought my youngest son here if I wanted a fight? All I ask is that you hear me out." Sean touched Mark's back, staying half hidden behind him as he whispered a little worried. "Mark... Be careful." Mark reached back to touch his hand, giving it a squeeze before making his way down toward the man. The others stayed on the porch with their weapons still at the ready. Putting Becky over his shoulder, he calmly addressed the man. "Alright. I trust you. What are you trying to trade for? And keep in mind that we don't plan on selling our lambs. Some of my people... Are quite attached to them." The man chuckled, lowering his hands slowly as he casually replied. "I understand. But actually... We'd settle for any you wish to trade for meat and we really want the wool." Mark raised an eyebrow, prompting the man to explain lightly. "A woman on a farm by us is a weaver. She plans to teach a few of our daughters how to spin wool and make yarn. But her family started up an orchard and raises bees. I raise cattle and horses. The Murdoc farm raises ducks and chickens. And the Fallon farm mostly grows wheat and corn. So, you see... We all kind of try to help each other out. And..."

The man drifted off, allowing Mark to finish off softly. "We have the sheep." The man nodded, before adding softly. "And the windmill to mill down the wheat. Look, I know this world has gotten crazy... Nobody trusts anybody. But we're a small town. We don't mind sharing within reason. Help us and we'll help you." Mark shifted his weight from foot to foot a minute as he thought about it. He wasn't getting any bad vibes from the guy, but after everything they had went through. He just didn't know what to think. The man beckoned him to the back of the wagon, telling him hopefully. "Come here. Look for yourself. We all chipped in to... to welcome you to the neighborhood and hopefully work something out...?" Mark glanced back at the others, inching his way around the wagon at a distance. He didn't want something to jump out at him. The man flipped a blanket back to reveal crates and bags of food. Mark dropped Becky off his shoulder to gawk at them. There was fresh bread, milk, honey, jams, apples, peaches, oranges, jerky, cherry and strawberry pies, and eggs.

The man looked Mark over a little worried but told him nicely. "It's all yours. As long as we can count on you to help us. We noticed you are planting. What are you growing?" Mark moved closer to the wagon to smell the freshly baked goods to make sure they weren't fake, while answering. "Potatoes. We figured they were filling enough to last us a bit and some hay seeds that we found in the barn." The man grinned, then said coolly. "You know, I've got a nice little donkey at the farm. I can have him brought over with a few of the guys to help fix your windmill?" Mark looked nervously at the man, only to have the man casually state out. "We looked at it before. Just needs a new wooden gear." Mark hefted a sigh, extending out a hand as he said to the man nicely. "That would be really great. Thank you. I'm Mark." The man shook his hand, replying in kind. "I'm John. That's my youngest son, Michael." John gestured to his son, telling him happily. "Hop down and help me unload this." Michael nervously hopped down, and Mark jogged back to the porch to tell the others the news.

He explained what arrangement he'd made, noticing their reluctant faces until they saw the food. Helping to cart it all inside, Zero fetched the wool he'd sheared to drape in the back of their wagon. With everything exchanged, John told them warmly as he climbed back onto the wagon. "Thank you very much. We'll be back in a bit to help with the windmill. Soon as we drop this off. And if any of ya want to attend the class for yourself, you are welcome to do so." They saw him off, before returning to their meal to chat over all the things he heard about the other farms. Even Mari was happy that the lambs got to stay. After eating, Sean went to help Mari with dishes. Which resorted in her chuckling and pulling a piece of straw from Sean's hair. Sean blushed a deep red, looking across the room to Mark. Mark smirked, then headed out to look over the windmill for himself. By the time the others arrived, they began the long process of fixing the mill. It required a lot of heavy lifting, cutting wooden pieces and shaving them down to fit the rotted-out gear prongs.

He hadn't realized until they were taking a break that they were Amish. The men were all dressed similar to each other and worked hard to get the hard labor jobs done. While the few woman that had arrived with them were dressed similar in their own way and shared their recipes with Nate and Mari. Showing them how to preserve food better without the use of electricity. Everyone was getting along. Although, he didn't see Sean around. Grabbing Zero's arm as he tried to rush back in to help with the mill, Mark asked him discreetly. "Where is Sean?" Zero inched closer, whispering to him. "He said he wasn't feeling well and went to the bedroom. But... I think he's avoiding them. You know because of his..." Zero drifted off the second Mark's eyes locked on him. Clearing his throat, Zero told him lightly. "He doesn't want to scare them. That's all." Mark sighed heavily. He had to admit that it was probably the right thing to do. If they thought Sean was infected, would they kill him? Reluctantly getting back to work, they continued to work until nightfall.

With the windmill fixed, the others celebrated. However, Mark turned his eyes to the second story window of the house. He could see Sean staring out the window with a sad expression. Sean was very sociable at heart. He could only imagine how much this hurt him to be left out. Waving them off, a pretty Amish girl around Mari's age gave Mari a flower before dashing off in a fit of embarrassed giggles. Kenny gawked at Mari, before she swatted him in the stomach. Zero laughed, teasing Mari innocently. "Oooo, I think she likes you! Must be your sword." Mari kicked dirt as Zero, then began to run after him. Slipping off a stone that she tried to spring off from, she managed to shove Zero straight into the truck a little hard. Zero's face hit the truck's mirror, before he fell to the ground covering his nose with a loud groan. Kenny gasped, then ran forward, yelling out. "Oh god! The truck!" Despite sitting up with a gushing bloody nose, Zero kicked Kenny when he ran up to comfort the truck. Causing the three of them to burst out into laughter. Nate approached Mark, hopping down from the porch to tell Mark softly. "I'm going to keep watch tonight." Mark stopped him, saying curiously. "But I thought I was going to take first watch tonight?"

Nate put a hand on Mark's arm, whispering to him lovingly. "You were... But you can make it up to me next time. I think there is someone you need to comfort right now... He won't come out of the room." Mark patted Nate's arm, rushing off into the house. He started up the steps, before turning around to grab something from the kitchen. Taking the steps two at a time, he walked to the master bedroom and knocked. Inside, he heard Sean grimly snap out. "Leave me alone, Nate." Mark leaned his shoulder against the wall by the door, announcing warmly. "It's me. Can I come in? I brought a peace offering." Mark waited, when Sean said after a minute. "The door is open." Mark opened the door, slipping inside to close it behind him. Sean was sitting on the seat under the window, staring down at the others. Mark could still hear them laughing outside through the open window. Setting the bottle of homemade peach wine on the dresser, Mark asked him gently. "Sean? You ok?" Sean didn't look away from the window, his voice sounding a little broken hearted when he said. "I'm ok. I just... I didn't want to ruin a good thing."

Mark licked his lips, telling him in an upbeat voice. "You know... Maybe we can find a place that has colored contacts?" Sean didn't react. Moving closer, Mark sat down by his feet on the bench, apologizing honestly. "I'm sorry that I broke your sunglasses. I'm sure they would have helped..." Sean shrugged, mumbling out softly. "They weren't mine. I found them. But it's not that. Mark, I... I'll never be normal again. Even I know what will happen if they see me." Mark closed the window to silence the others laughter, before telling him seriously. "That won't happen to you. I won't let it. Besides... There is no such thing as being normal. For something to be normal it has to be exactly the same as something else. And we know better than most that humans are just not normal." Sean smirked a little. Mark ran his hand down along Sean's thigh, purring out to him lovingly. "I don't want you to be normal, Sean. The things that make you different are the things I can't get enough of." Sean finally looked at him with a bright smile, shaking his head as he mumbled out. "Can't you just let me feel bad?" Mark shook his head, pulling Sean's legs enough that he got him to lay back across the bench.

Laying over him, Mark nuzzled Sean's neck as he purred to him. "Nope. Not when I can make you feel better." Sean grabbed his arms, seriously saying. "Mark... but you can't fix-" Mark lifted his head, staring into his eyes as he cut him off to tell him softly. "There are a lot of things that I can't fix in this world. I'm not going to pretend that I can. Everything is flawed and life isn't a smooth journey. But Sean... don't focus on the things you can't change. Focus on all the things you can do with each day that you are given. The sun will always rise on a new day. And no matter what... I'm always going to be right here with you. We'll do this one day at a time. Together." Cupping his face, Mark kissed Sean passionately. Sean enjoyed the kiss, then began to squirm and squeal as Mark's sweat dropped off him. Sean scrambled out from under him, running away. Mark chased him around the house to the bathroom. Locking the bathroom door, Mark walked up to a blushing Sean. Kissing him, he began to strip him. The second their clothes were off, Mark picked Sean up to carry him into the shower.

Pinning him to the wall, Mark kissed Sean and touch him everywhere. The warm water rushing over them, helping Mark leave a lasting impression all over Sean's skin. Mark kept savoring everything about Sean, until Sean couldn't take it and began to giggle and laugh. The brighter Sean's smile got; the more Mark found him irresistible. He wanted Sean to know how loved he was. Feeling clean enough, they got out and Mark smacked Sean across the ass with his towel. Sean yelped, sprinting out toward the bedroom and Mark ran out after him. They raced past the stairway, where a startled Zero skidded to a stop. Mark bit his lip, laughing as Zero tried to ignore that he'd seen them naked. Covering his eyes, Zero laughed from his own embarrassment before slipping into the bathroom to take care of his bloody nose. Crawling into bed with Sean, Mark wrapped his arms around him. There, they kissed and whispered sweet nothings through the night. Mark didn't think anything could be more perfect as he fell asleep with Sean snuggled up to him in his arms.

Just before the sun brightened up the sky, Mark climbed from the bed without waking Sean. He still had more things to fix and clean up around the farm. He even wanted to start thinking about fortifying it and keeping secret stashes of food for safety. Anything to prepare them better. Stumbling into the kitchen, he saw Kenny and Zero sleepily trying to wake up more. Mark stretched, then asked them groggily. "Zero? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be on watch?" Zero shrugged, sleepily saying in a flat voice. "I guess. Nate didn't wake me up..." Mark lowered his hands, waking up a bit more when he said anxiously. "What do you mean? Are you saying he was out there all night?" Kenny and Zero lifted their heads off their hands as it dawned on them too. To Be Continued...