Olivia blushed at Shawn's words. "I could say the same about you," she said with a smile. Gladly she put her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. Shawn's hands were much bigger than hers, yet they fit together perfectly as she laced her fingers with his. His hands were a little chilly from the shower, but with her hand in his he should soon warm up. Olivia was still marveling at the fact that she was no longer alone--more so because not only was she not alone, but the man she was with, Shawn, was now her love. "I think we should pick a place to settle down before we head up there," Olivia started, trying to concentrate on the matters at hand. "Sure, we have plenty of time, but I think if we have a set place in mind right now--maybe with a backup or two just in case--it'll make our goal seem real. Wherever we go we'll need somewhere to live. We might be able to find a house, or if necessary maybe we could even build one. We're going to need to be able to defend it, and we're going to need a way to get food and fresh water. I'd really like to go somewhere more isolated, more toward the forest or mountains, but maybe with a town close by so we could go and get supplies when we need it. During the warm seasons we can farm, and we can keep hunting and fishing. If we can get the stuff necessary for it, maybe we'd even be able to can some of what we grow or catch."

As she spoke, Olivia began to envision what she was talking about. Her and Shawn somewhere in the near future in a cabin at the foot of some mountains. One summer evening he'd come home from checking traps or something like that and she'd be canning the vegetables they had grown. He'd wrap his arms around her and she around him. She'd ask him how his work went and they would just talk and enjoy each others company. Maybe they'd even have a dog sitting at their feet, begging for attention. It would be a rather simple life with plenty of hard work, but it would be a pleasant one life with the two of them together. Maybe some years in the future... Olivia banished the following thought from her mind. It was far too early to even be [i]thinking[/i] about children. For now she and Shawn needed to work toward a stable future. There was a question that popped into her mind though, and Olivia turned to Shawn with it. "Shawn?" She asked, feeling puzzled. "What would you call us? Would it be boyfriend and girlfriend or what? Most of the stuff--things, words, terms--from before the outbreak... A lot of it seems strange now. Foreign. What do you think though?"