Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

SAM YAO: Everything runs like clockwork, it’s just that… [Janine’s] not here. And I miss her.

PETER LYNNE: Yes. I don’t have a headcanon. Well, just one. It’s the one where she’s waiting for us when we get back. I think about that one every day. 

- Season 6, Mission 5: Your Woman

It was still there, perfectly folded up on the back of her blue-and-white checkered couch.  Janine’s weighted blanket.  Had Ian used it when he was here? Probably not, Sam thought as he ran his hand over the plush gray fleece.  He had a hard time picturing Ian curling up on the couch in a cozy blanket. Sam stretched his jaw, feeling the stiff spots where Ian had punched him only a day before.  And Ian certainly wouldn’t be using this blanket now because Sam had killed him.   

Sam shook his head as if to clear it.  The blanket would continue to wait on the couch for Janine.  She’d be coming home soon, and hate the sight of this place, the disorder.  He brushed the crumbs off the couch into his hand, and picked up an empty Viscount container laying on the floor. 

Just then, Five came up from the basement. “Hey, I found something of yours,” they said, looking a strange mix of tired tinged with excitement.  Sam felt a rush of affection for the runner, thinking of what Five endured sneaking into Abel.  He’d never been so happy to see Five as when he spotted a familiar flash of their red and black Abel uniform through the window.  Five had been there to rescue him from Ian; Five had always been there to rescue him when it mattered most. 

Five handed him a familiar orange sweatshirt.  His sweatshirt. “How- where was this, Five?”  He asked, immediately pulling it on.  It felt like reuniting with a long-lost friend.   

Five gestured down the basement steps.  “Jody found some more stuff in the basement.  Most of your stuff from the comms shack, actually.  It looks like Ian’s goons didn’t get rid of anything, just shoved it all down here.”

Sam ran down the steps, and then stopped halfway down.  There was rows and rows of stuff, it reminded him of a jumble sale local charities used to run.  He spotted Jody’s braids bobbing along amid the sea of boxes. 

“I think it’s all here!”  she called.  “It will take a while to unpack everything, I’m just doin’ a quick inventory for now.” 

“It will take a while to undo all of the things Ian has done to Abel,” Sam said.  He can’t see the punishment cells or the propaganda huts Ian had built from here, but he can feel the heaviness of their presence.   Earlier, he had brought Sara to the dorm next-door to his to reunite with her friend Eloise and noticed how underweight and weak Eloise was.  Eloise’s even thinner father looked almost spectral, his only color the purple and yellowed bruises that snaked up his arms and face.   “But we will.”

Jody nodded. “Oh, I wanted to show you something!”  She weaved her way through the boxes, eventually stopping closer to the stairs.  “Look, remember this?”

Jody held up the cream house-shaped mailbox with the brown shutters. When she had first found it on a supply run, it was just a mailbox separated from its post.  The people in Abel were similarly adrift - reeling from Chris McShell’s death and knowing so little about how the zombie apocalypse started.  Jody had smiled at the box, had clutched it to her chest like a lifeline.

Jody’s smiling again at the mailbox, but it was the Abel Suggestion Box now.  And Jody wasn’t an insecure runner anymore either, she had the strength and poise as befit the leader of Abel.  They all knew so much more, had lost so much more than when they had first held this mailbox. 

“She’d be glad this was still here, I know,” Jody said.  And neither Five or Sam needed to ask who ‘she’ was.  It was so strange being in Abel, being in her house when Janine was not. He wished for the thousandth time today that Janine was here, that she could see how much of the township was still as they had left it and help with all they had to rebuild. 

Perhaps Jody is thinking along the same lines too because her thill of discovery morphed into an expression of sadness too.  “I’ll put this back where it belongs, in the mess hall.  That’s what Janine would want.”

At dinnertime, Sam squeezed in between Five and Paula at the Runners’ table.  Sara cooed a hello from Paula’s lap, and Sam blew her a kiss.  “Did I miss it?” He asked before digging into the canned peas on his plate.

Five shook their head.  “No, Jody’s waiting for everyone to sit down and get settled.  She hasn’t started yet.” 

Sam nodded, and then gestured back to the start of the food line where Maxine was talking to a teenager who was spooning vegetables onto a plate.  “What’s Maxine doing? She’s been standing by the food line since I got here.  Is this part of the effort to make people feel welcome in Abel again or something?”

“Not exactly,” Paula said.  “She’s helping people choose appropriate portion sizes.  When people are severely malnourished and resume calories too quickly, it can cause a series of medical complications known as refeeding syndrome.  There’re enough people in Abel that need her advice, so it just made sense for her to stay by the line.”

“Oh,” Sam said, feeling slightly guilty about how much food he’d been allowed back at Noah Base.  This dinner was significant for him because it was the first one back in Abel, but for other residents, it meant much more.

Before he could ponder this much longer, Jody stood up and tapped on her glass.  The room was already quiet, most people were focused on the food, but any remaining conversations died down as Jody started her speech.

“Hello, everyone.  Today marks the first full day since Abel was freed, and it became our township again.”  The crowd cheered. “I know the past year under Ian was hard.  You have undergone hunger, imprisonment, and literal torture.  You have seen friends, family, and neighbors die at the hands of Sigrid’s forces.  I am so very sorry.  We will be having a memorial for those we have lost in the coming days.  There is much to do in the next few weeks to repair our township, but it is also important to repair ourselves.  Please rest, heal.”

Most of the residents around Sam nodded enthusiastically.  Martha, who worked in the kitchens, brushed a few tears from her eyes.

“I would like to thank everyone for their efforts today and for everything you will continue to do in the coming weeks.  Thank you to Cameo and Kytan for leading the team that demolished the punishment cells.  Thank you to Danielle and Hassan for heading the committee for rebuilding efforts.  Danielle asked me to remind you all that she and Hassan will be by the exit door of the kitchens, and you are encouraged to come talk to them if you’ve noticed areas of Abel that need reconstruction. Thank you to Drs. Kefilwe, Paula, and Maxine for the lecture on how to build a good nutrition plan, and for starting the first of many regular physicals on our residents.  They will also be setting up therapy groups in the coming few days, which will be entirely optional.  

Thank you to Five and Sam for restoring some of the items that Ian and Sigrid’s soldiers hid away.  We have found many objects, and a lost and found will be set up shortly.  However, I wanted to share one of those reclaimed items with you now.”

Jody held up the brown-and-cream mailbox.  “As many of you remember, this is the Abel Suggestion Box.  For so long, you were imprisoned and beaten for speaking out of turn.  But your voices are what make Abel strong. I am leading Abel until Janine returns, and I won’t pretend to know all the answers, so please submit any of your suggestions to this box.”

“Janine would be proud of you, Jody!” Five called out.  Jody smiled.

“Janine would be proud of all of us.  Keep up the good work everyone!”  Jody smiled and sat back down to a thunderous round of applause.

After a long week of rebuilding Abel, Sam knocked on the door of Jody’s office, Abel Suggestion Box in hand.

“Come in, Sam.”  Jody called.  He plopped down in the seat across the desk from Jody, where she’d set a mug of tea for him. 

“I know this might be hard, Sam.  Doin’ this with me when you’ve done it with Janine all these years.  But I really do appreciate you coming to review the suggestion with me,” Jody said.

“It’s not any harder than everything else.  It feels so weird just being in Abel without her, not knowing where she is. Or what she’s doing.” 

“Knowing Janine, it’s probably something critical to the fate of the world.”  Jody said with a smile.

“And she knows you can handle Abel, Jody.” Sam said.  “You are handling it.”

Jody frowned.  “I guess we’ll see how well I’m handling it when we review the suggestions. I’m half worried that they’re going to say I’m terrible at this, and they want a new leader.”

Sam laughed, and opened the mailbox.  He had the notecards presorted, and laid them out in four piles in front of her.  “They don’t, Jody.  Not even a little bit.”

“What are the piles, then?”  Jody asked. “At least one of them has to be complaints.”

“The first are all the practical suggestions, mostly things people want prioritized in the rebuilding efforts.  Dorm F has a hole in the roof, so we’ve already sent some people to fix that.  A lot of folks want the playground rebuilt, you know, the one that Sigrid demolished so she could make her zombie testing grounds?  That would do a lot to help morale.”

Jody nodded.  “Of course. We can do that.” 

“The second pile is the miscellaneous pile- stuff that doesn’t fit into any of the other categories.  We typically get a lot of that.  Like…  a bunch of children submit their coloring pages, Kytan’s submitted a ranking of doughnut flavors, etc.  Also, Larry’s asked for a pet zebra.  Again.”

“Er, right, I’m guessing Janine wouldn’t approve the pet zebra, so I’m going to say no as well.” 

Sam laughed.  “See, you’re doing great. And just to prove it to you, look at the third pile.”

He pushed the third pile of notes closer to her, the largest by far.  She looked at the top one:

Ian was really scary but you are not.  I love you, Jody.    xoxo Penelope (age eight)

Thank you, Ms. Marsh, for making sure we have enough to eat and that we are safe.  -The Waltz family

“They’re all like that, Jody.  Abel’s really grateful you are here.” Sam said.  He pulled out a red card with ‘Congratulations’ on the front.  “I thought you’d really like this one,” he said, handing it to her.

There was a note that Jody recognized as Five’s handwriting.  Runner 4- the Runners Corps has taught us to be brave, to make smart decisions under pressure, and above all else, to look out for each other. You exemplify these qualities more than any of us, and we are so proud to have you lead Abel.  Know that we have your back now as we always did on missions.  Love, The Runners.

Instead of signing their names, each of the runners had written their numbers instead. Jody smiled.

“Yeah Sam, that—”  she finds she can’t speak momentarily. “I’m really glad to have the runners’ support.” 

She gestured to the last stack.  “I’m curious, though.  What’s the fourth pile?”

Sam looked slightly nervous.  “That’s… that the letters to Janine. It has nothing to do with how you’re leading Abel; people just miss her too.”

Jody smiled.  “I understand, Sam. People are allowed to feel two things at once.  I miss her too, you know. “

“Did you want to read them?” Sam asked.

“You read them all, right?”  Jody asked.  Sam nodded.  “And you’d tell me if there was anything I needed to know for Abel’s improved operations?”  Another nod from Sam.  “Then no, Sam.   I don’t need to read them.  You can keep all the letters safe until she comes back.” 

“I will,” Sam said.  “And she will come back.”

“Oh I know she will.  In fact…” she looked wistfully at the pile.  “Maybe I’ll write Janine a letter of my own.”

Chapter Text

Dear Janine,

I’ve tried writing this letter to you several times and still don’t know what to say.  Part of me is angry- so angry-that you left us.  I’m angry because you knew how hard running Abel would be and still did it anyway. I’m trying to rise above, but it’s hard.

Another part of me misses you so badly, it hurts.  I’m so worried about you all the time.  I picture you alone somewhere without Sam to guide you home, without the runners gathering intel for you, without the Abel community holding you up, and I don’t know how you do it. 

I also want to beg you for advice.  I'm not as good at this as you are. I don’t know how to rescue babies or how to keep people from defecting to Sigrid.  And I definitely don’t know what to get Tom for his birthday next month. 

But the thing I want to tell you most is thank you for trusting me.  All those years ago, you took in a scared young woman all on her own, and turned her into an Abel Runner.  You never lost faith in my character when my poor decisions with the militia came to light.  And you knew that I could lead Abel, even when I had my doubts.  But as Sam reminds me every day, I am doing it.  Thanks for always believing in me, Janine.  I think I’m starting to believe in me too. 

Always yours,

Jody

I’ve been hearing her voice. Moonchild.  Whenever I’m in danger or alone, she’s there in my head.  You knew, you said so in your recording. Well, I guess that everyone knew apparently, I only thought I was hiding it.  I wish I could have talked about it with you. I wish it was your voice in my head instead of Moonchild.  I wish you were actually here, and you could help me make the voice stop.  -Runner Five

Janine, if you don’t come home this second, you’re grounded. -Maxine

Janine-Maxine’s practicing her firm parenting voice.  I told her that was unnecessary since Sara’s a baby and what are you going to ground a baby for?  Trying to cram her entire foot in her mouth? Waking us up in the middle of the night?  That won’t work. And her firm parenting voice is unlikely to work on you either.  One because you’re not even here. Two, because even when you were here, it’s not like you listened to us anyway.  Well.  Maybe that isn’t entirely true.  This is a suggestion box, after all. Which means you’re open to suggestions.  So I suggest you come home.  We miss you. 

Hugs,

Paula and Baby Sara

I spent so long hiding who  I was and pushing you away because you kept trying to uncover it. I guess I always thought we’d have time.  You spent all those years alone in Abel, when I was outside, longing to get in.  And now I’m finally back in Abel.  And you’re not.  And I never got to say what I want to say. No matter who I am, the one thing that doesn’t change is how I feel about you.  I love you, Jenny. 

Love,

Simon Peter

Dear Janine,

The suggestion box is filled with letters to you, and maybe it’s time to write you one of my own.  You’re going to come back; I just know it.  And then you can help me with all the problems people are facing because it turns out. I just don’t know how to solve many of these without you here. 

I killed Ian, Janine. I haven’t killed anyone since my Mum and Dad.  I know I shouldn’t be too sad Ian is dead. So many people here were thrilled and burned down the punishment cells as a victory celebration for his death.  But…all I feel is sorry for him.  He killed Owen, tortured Five, Steve and so many of my friends.  It was a mercy, I know.  He was dead, or worse than dead from that zombie bite.  But I still feel sad that he’s gone.  I wonder what you’d say about that?  You’re always so practical, you’d probably say to keep your chin up soldier; you’ve done your duty.

Otherwise, things are going ok-ish, well as ok as they can be without you to guide us.  Jody’s doing a good job in your place; I think you’d be proud.  Runner 5’s still hearing Moonchild, it’s happening more often now, it’s like they’re just mentally in some other place.  It’s scary, and I don’t know what to do about it.  Paula’s time in between plasmapheresis treatments is decreasing again.  She was doing alright for a while after the treatment with my blood-- until she wasn’t. Baby Sara is growing up too fast.  She’s talking now, and I’m trying to teach her to say your name.  It sounds more like Ba-neen at the moment.  Even though you’re fond of precision, I think you’d make an exception for the utter cuteness.   

So, yeah, things are ok-ish except for one big thing:  You’re not here.  Maybe things aren’t ok at all.

Love,

Sam

Chapter Text

Janine closed the door to her farmhouse firmly.  Her brain felt much too loud. After months away from Abel, she was finally reunited with Paula, Peter and Five, but a new danger had sprung up so quickly she’d barely time to process the reunion.  Their confrontation with Brent Valmont, followed by their rescue of Selma in a biodome filled with some of the most dangerous bugs in the world… So much running, running, it felt odd to finally have the chance to be still and alone.

The farmhouse, formerly her sanctuary, was not as she left it months ago.  Jody and Tom had kept it neat, but it smelled different and a book she did not recognize was on her coffee table. She took a deep breath in, trying to stifle the scream she felt deep in her chest, and wandered into her kitchen.  She pushed her kitchen table back a half meter towards the window where it belonged, and a neat stack of papers shifted as she moved it. Next to the papers was a familiar cream and coffee colored mailbox.  There was a note at the top of the papers with her name on it.

Dear Janine,

Below are the relevant mission reports from when you were gone, and my notes summarizing them in the larger context of Abel’s going-ons.  Nothing urgent, so take your time. I thought it might help orient you now that you are back.  On a lighter note, the mailbox contains letters left for you in the Abel Suggestion Box.  I haven’t read them; Sam organized them for you. I just wanted you to know how much we missed you and are so glad you’re in Abel again.

Love,

Jody

Janine picked up the missions reports first, it was the responsible thing to do after all.  She skimmed over them- reading about their daring rescue of King Jamie, a prisoner exchange for Bernard Prior, a run in with the Eight of Hearts, their investigation of Moonchild syndrome.  So much information, and she knew many follow-up meetings with both Jody and Five were in their futures. 

Next, she opened the Abel Suggestion Box to find another pile of papers, which she was admittedly much more excited about.   The letters detailed how they missed her, of course, but there was so much more to the letters too-  Runner Five’s struggles with Moonchild Syndrome, Sam’s guilt over Ian’s death, stories of Baby Sara growing up, Jody’s worries that she wasn’t leading Abel as effectively as Janine, Peter’s need for atonement as well as some strong feelings for her…The people of Abel were so unapologetically themselves and she felt a sudden rush of gratitude that she got to share her life with these people. 

She re-read Peter’s letter again, and suddenly there was a knock at the door.  She sighed, not feeling like visitors right now and wondered if she could just ignore it.  But the knock came again, more insistent this time.

“Mr Yao?”   She said as the door opened. Sam wrung his hands nervously.  He automatically took a step back as he assessed her expression, perhaps regretting his decision to come. 

“Janine,” he said, elongating her name, making it sound like a plea.  He was making intense eye contact.  “I know that I was just on comms with you for hours but I didn’t get to see you come through the gates.  I tried to give you some time to settle in, I really did but...” he took a deep breath. “You know the last time we talked on comms before today?”

Janine nodded, the memory vividly seared in her brain but let him continue, his voice a frantic jumble of words.

“You were giving yourself up to Sigrid and I was trapped in Noah Base with Sigrid’s forces surrounding me and I thought we were both going to die and that I’d never see you again and then you went away for months and we had no idea where you were or if you were safe and now you’re back and I still hadn’t seen you and I just—”

Sam was crying now, his voice taking on a slightly hysterical edge.  Janine gently wrapped her arms around him.  “I know,” she said softly, gently patting his back until his sobs and breathing slowed. And for the first time since she’d been back at Abel, she felt like she was truly home. “You’re safe now.  We both are.”

“Thanks Janine,” Sam said as she released him.  “I’m—I’m sorry, you just got back and I’m making a real mess of things. I was supposed to be comforting you, and here I am—”

“It’s perfectly all right, Mr. Yao,” she said, and surprisingly that was more than just empty words of comfort.  His presence was a comfort to her too.   “Why don’t you come in?  I can make us both some tea.”

Sam walked into her kitchen as Janine prepared two mugs of Earl Grey. When she set the mug in front of him, she found him much more composed. Sam glanced at the pile of papers on the table beside the mailbox, and nodded knowingly.  “We missed you, Janine,” he said gesturing to the letters.

“I surmised as much,” Janine said with a small smile as she took her first sip of tea.  It needed milk but it was warm and comforting.  “You didn’t read these, did you?”

“Oh, you’re worried I read the very private declaration of love from Peter to you?” Sam said, as he busied himself with the teabag so he avoided looking at Janine’s eyes.  “Err… no, I didn’t.”

“Mr Yao…”

Sam sighed.  “Ok fine, I definitely did. But in my defense, you did make it my job to read them.”

“I suppose I did,” Janine said, and she paused briefly.  “And for the record, you do your job quite well.  Both as the comms and suggestion box reader.  I don’t tell you that enough.”

“Oh, thanks Janine,” Sam said, looking surprised.  “You missed us too.”

“Perhaps just a bit,” she said.  “About the death of Mr. Golightly… I wouldn’t tell you to keep your chin up as you assumed in the letter you wrote me.”

“You wouldn’t?”

 “No.  I’d say that every time you kill someone, even for the right reasons, it is normal to feel something.  I know that I can act aloof but the killing of people… it still affects me too, you know.  So I’d tell you, Mr. Yao, that it’s alright to feel sad when you kill someone one, even if it is the right thing, the most merciful thing to do, as it is in this case.”

Sam took a shaky breath in and back out.  “Thank you, Janine, I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything," Janine said hastily, trying to think of a topic change to avoid a repeat of Sam's hysterical tears.  "But since I’ve been away, I’ve had a lot of time to think about everyone in Abel and the relationships we’d have with one another.  And since we’re having this heart-to-heart, I’d like to tell you one last thing. Something I’ve wanted to say for quite some time.”

“What?”  Sam’s eyes were slightly red again, whether it was from her words or just from having her back, she couldn’t guess.  “Is it that you’re proud that we’re friends and of everything I’ve done for Abel in your absence?”

Janine smiled.  “That is true, but wasn’t what I was planning to say.”

The room was silent for a long moment.   “Alright, so go ahead then," Sam prompted.  As the silence stretched on, Sam's expression changed from confused to annoyed.  

“It’s…." Janine hesitated. "On second thought, perhaps I shouldn’t.”

“Janine, if you don’t tell me what it is right now, you can go straight back to Pit Viper.”

“Did you really think your relationship with Runner Five would remain unnoticed?” Janine said, finally voicing the thought she held silently for far too long.  “We’ve all picked up on it even if you insist on treating them like ‘all your other runners.’”

Sam burst out laughing, and some of the tension fell away.  “You know, sometimes with how smart you are, I sometimes forget you’re human.  And then you say something like this, and I remember you’re just like the rest of us.”

“Are you truly attempting to deny it, Mr. Yao?”

“That’s the point, Janine, I’ve never denied it!  We’ve been together since Five almost got locked out of Abel on that night run, and since then, it’s been obvious to everyone!  Everyone except you, apparently," Sam said, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes. 

"You're refereeing to the mission where Runner Five was nearly captured by New Canton and we lost radio contact?"  Janine asked, and Sam nodded, now unable to speak due to his laughter.  No, it couldn't have been that long, surely she would have noticed.   “Clearly you have taken great precautions to keep your relationship a secret all this time. ”

Sam shook his head.  “We have a weekly double date night with Paula and Maxine while Jody and Peter baby-sit.  Amelia constantly makes jokes about how hot she thinks I am because she knows it annoys Five.  Zoe was Five’s comms operation that time Five tried to get me flowers for Valentine’s Day three years ago but got chased by a horde of zombies? You were even involved in coordinating the rescue effort because despite being in danger, Five still insisted on keeping it a surprise!  How did you not notice we were together?”

“Well, I don’t talk often about relationships; the business of running a township consumes most of my attention," Janine said stiffly.   "I keep my own relationship with Peter very private.” 

“I’ve noticed.”

“Is it too late to pretend this never happened and say ‘I’m proud we’re friends and of everything you’ve done for Abel in my absence?”

Sam smiled gleefully.  “Oh yes.  Because I’m going to tell Five, who By The Way Is My Partner, about this whole conversation.  And if you think I’ve teased you about this, just get ready for the onslaught from Five.”

Janine grimaced.  Five, whether it was running or teasing, never did anything halfway.   “Perhaps you and Runner Five could come over to my farmhouse with Peter and myself for dinner tonight.”

“Janine, did you just invite us on a double date?  Is this real?”

“Now who’s the one being obtuse?” 

Sam rolled his eyes.  “Goodbye, Janine.  My partner Five and I will see you at dinner tonight.”

“Arrive promptly at 18:00.  Tell Runner Five I’ll even serve wine if they can behave.”

Sam left, and Janine glanced at the clock.  At least a few more hours until she’d have to start preparing dinner.   For now, she crawled under her weighted blanket with a bottle of wine and started re-reading letters from the suggestion box as well as a closer read-through of the runners’ mission reports.  It hadn’t been easy, and it wouldn’t be easy going forward.  She had babies to rescue, a team of assassins to lead, a township to run, an evil prime minister to overthrow.  And she’d have to deal with Runner Five’s impossible mocking on top of all of that. 

A little while later, there was another knock at the door.  She’d locked the door behind Sam, but the only person she wanted to see right now had a key. 

“I could help you with that wine, if you want?” Peter said from the doorway.   He climbed onto the couch next to her and Janine threw the weighted blanket to cover them both and snuggled close to him. 

“Did you know Runner Five and Mr. Yao were dating?”  She asked and he raised his eyebrows. 

“Of course I did.  Why did you... wait did you not know that, are you serious-“

Janine rolled her eyes.  “Ok fine, I suppose everyone but myself knew.  We can sit here and debate all of the clues I missed until we have to get ready for dinner in an hour-”

“You can’t really call it a clue if it’s obvious. Did you also know Sam’s a radio operator and Five’s a runner, or will that come as a surprise too?”   

 “As previously stated, we can debate all the clues I missed, or we can spend that time doing…other things.”

Peter instantly dropped the teasing and wrapped his arms around her.  “I vote other things.  Yes, definitely other things-“

“I could tell you about them, these things?” Janine said, lips close to Peter’s ear. He shivered as she gently stroked his face.  “But I think it might be easier if I show you what I mean.” 

She turned his face toward hers so she could kiss Peter on the lips.  Now Janine was truly home.  Abel, here with the people she loved, was exactly where she wanted to be. 

From the desk of Janine de Luca:

Suggestion:  The people I love at Abel missed me almost as much as I missed them.  Their letters are quite dear to me, and I shall keep them safe. 

Resolution: It feels silly to call this mailbox ‘The Abel Suggestion Box’ now, because it has held so much more. It has held our collective grief, our paranoia, our hatred, and our joy. This mailbox has survived hostile leadership, betrayal, insurrection, and the complete destruction of our township.  But it has also born witness to our collective ability to endure, to trust, and to love one another.  Perhaps there is no pithy name to call a box like this one.

But as long as Abel stands, this mailbox will be open for suggestions.