#we love and appreciate lori grimes in this house

[idk6123]

Faces Of The Past (Rick Grimes X Male Reader)

Looking back at life before the apocalypse started, it seems like Rick should’ve appreciated it more. The simple things. Spending time with his family and friends. Having access to food and water with no problem. Raising his son in a normal environment. He remembers having a playdate for Carl with one of his classmates, Joel.

The father is at his house, standing in the kitchen chatting with Joel’s older brother, Y/N. They became quick friends after meeting each other once they pick up the children. Luckily, Carl and Joel got along well, which means both caregivers got to see each other a lot.

“You ever think what kind of job they get?” Y/N asks, leaning against the kitchen counter with a glass of water in his hand.

Rick thinks about how Carl grows up as. “Kid will grow up as a cop.”

“Just like his dad.” Y/N chuckles. “I imagine Joel will be a chef. He always looks happy when we cook together.”

As they continue to hang out, Rick notices a couple of odd things of Y/N and Joel. He never saw their parents, nor do they ever talk about them. Y/N constantly talk about taking care of Joel, which makes Rick think that the parents are out of the picture.

“You mind if I ask something?”

“Shoot.”

“About your parents…”

Y/N has a feeling it’s only a matter of time before Rick asks, but it’s not like he was trying to hide it. “Both had their issues and weren’t fit to raise me and Joel. It was too late for me, but I can still let Joel have a normal childhood.”

Rick gives his friend an assuring smile. “Sounds tough, but you’re doing a good job.”

“Thanks. Trying my best.” Y/N feels like he can place his trust on his friend. “Money is a bit tight though.”

“Where do you work then?”

“I’m still in college to become a doctor.” Y/N answers. “Have a side-job at a gas-station. At first, money wasn’t really a problem. We have to watch out, but I wouldn’t call us poor. But… bills are getting in the way.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Judging by Y/N’s hollow face, Rick can tell that this problem is a major one. He can only guess that it’s far worse than Y/N is letting on. “If you’re having problems, I wouldn’t mind if you come over for dinner sometime.”

Y/N looks back at Rick, who’s giving him a supportive smile. “That’s nice. Thanks.”

“Let me know if it’s going worse. If you lose your house, I could ask Lori if you stay here for a while.”

“That’s nice to know as a last resort… but I want to try it safe it first.” Y/N responds back. “I was thinking about finding this rich guy and become a sugar baby.”

Although the serious situation, Rick laughs, though he wonders if Y/N is serious. “You’re kidding.”

“Somewhat. I’m already looking, though most of them are gross old men… And I’m hoping he would be at least attractive.” Y/N admits. Though smiling, he feels stressed about the whole ordeal.

Rick however isn’t smiling. “Don’t do things for money if you don’t want to.”

“…Seems I don’t get that option.”

“Y/N…” Rick then places a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You’re a great guy and a brother. I can’t stop you, but I wish you weren’t in the situation. You deserve a guy who truly loves you, not someone who only value you for sex.”

“I just… don’t know what else to do.”

“You don’t get to do this. I know it’s hard to admit your problems but talk about it with people you trust. Surely you got some relatives left who wants to help you.”

“Dunno… I guess I can ask around.”

“Do that. And if that won’t work, don’t be modest and go to me.” Rick emphasis. “Keep that in mind. You’re selfless, but that doesn’t mean you can degrade yourself.”

As both men look at each other, Y/N can feel hope thanks to Rick. Soon enough, the father smiles. The older brother is glad he could confide his problems with his friend. After feeling like he’s all alone in the world, he got someone who’s behind his back. A great guy that is willing to help him, no matter what.

Having the thought that Rick will stay with him, Y/N leans in to kiss Rick. Though the cop looks shocked, the other man continues to kiss him. Rick merely stands there, not knowing what to think. It doesn’t take long before Y/N realizes what he’s doing and pulls back.

“I’m sorry…!”

“I-It’s alright.” Despite the awkward situation, Rick doesn’t want to make things worse and continue to be supportive.

“I’m sorry! …I-I guess I have to.”

“Wait!” Rick quickly grabs his friend’s hand. With a scared face of rejection, Y/N looks back. “I’m not mad. It’s fine. You know I’m with Lori, right? I can’t do that against her or Carl.”

Y/N isn’t sure what he meant with that. If Lori was out of the picture, could they be a thing or not? Still, Y/N feels embarrassed and ashamed. All he wants is to go away. “I need do go…”

“Y/N…”

“Please.”

Rick let go off Y/N’s hand after hesitation. “Remember, I’m not mad. We’re still friends. Don’t start avoiding me just because of what happened.”

Y/N let out a quiet hum. After looking at Rick for some seconds, he feels like he wants to cry, though he feels vulnerable as is. Thus, he turns around and leaves the kitchen.

“Joel, it’s time to leave!”

Once they left, that was the last time Rick saw Y/N. Not because of what happened, but because of the apocalypse. The former cop wonders what happened to his friend and his younger brother. He wonders that their problems seem simpler than they have right now… if they were alive.

-

Back to the present day, Rick does his usual duties in Alexandrea. Making sure everything goes alright. Talking to his people. Making sure the problems are resolved. For today, however, there is a teen at the gate, who looks a bit frantic and scared. Once Rick heard of this, he heads to the gate, where he sees the teen already inside, though he’s been questioned by the rest of the group.

“We need to go right now! He’s still out there!”

“We don’t even know we can trust you.” Rosita responds back.

“It could be bait.” Daryl adds.            

“Fuck you!” The teen responds back, sounding pissed.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Rick quickly gets over to the group as things escalate. “Calm down.”

“How could I calm down!? My fucking brother could be dead for what I know!”

“Just calm down kid.” Rick remains calm, trusting this isn’t some kind of trap. “Just say your name and tell us what happened.”

The teen takes a deep breath, calming a bit down. “Joel. My brother and I were searching a building for supplies, but he got trapped. I couldn’t safe him with myself. That’s why we need to go! We need to safe Y/N!”

Like a flash, Rick instantly thinks back of the past. Surely these two aren’t the same Y/N and Joel of the past. That being said, Joel seems to be around Carl’s age, as well having the same kind of appearance back when he’s a child, which adds that they could be the same person. Having a feeling it is, Rick don’t think this is a trap and looks back at his people.

“We’re going.”

-

The group arrives at the place. It’s a worn-down supermarket. Rick looks at the people he got. He brought Joel with him as well, but besides him is Daryl, Rosita and Aaron. The leader takes a quick look inside from outside, seeing multiple walkers lurking around.

“He should be hiding in the back.” Joel comments. “He’s smart enough to barricade the door.”

“Then we push through.” Rick responds back. Although a bit of walkers, there are only around 15 of them. With the current size of the group, they should take care of them without much issue if they play it smart. He looks back at Joel. “Stick close to me. You know how to handle a knife?”

“Yes.” Joel says without issue.

Rick hums. “Let’s go in.”

Using the different aisles, they kill walkers one by one without drawing too much attention. Without any problem, the supermarket got cleaned. Before Rick could ask where Y/N is, Joel walks over to the back door to get in, only to notice it’s indeed barricaded.”

“Y/N, is me!”

“Joel…?”

“Yeah, I found some people and they seem good.”

“Wait a sec…”

From behind the door, they can hear a locker being moved away. Soon enough, it appears that the door can be freely used again. Joel is the first one to get in with haste. Once in the office, he sees Y/N lying on the floor, his back against a wall. He got a small bleeding wound on his head, as well some cuts on his legs.

Joel quickly gets over to him, crouches down to hug his brother. “Holy shit…! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine… Could use some rest though…”

Rick then sees Y/N once Joel pulls back. It’s the same person. He couldn’t imagine ever seeing someone back from the good old days. And yet, here is Y/N, one of his old friends.

“Need some help?” Rick offers.

“Yeah, thanks…”

Rick then put Y/N’s arm around his neck. It doesn’t appear the other man recognizes him. With a nod, he gestures to the group to go back. As they walk to the exit of the store, Y/N speaks up again.

“Thanks for the help… I’m Y/N.”

“I know.” Y/N looks a bit confused what he means by that. “Remember me? Rick.”

In an instance, Y/N recognizes the man once he got the name. With a smile, he looks at his old friend. “Holy shit… you survived…!”

“You two know each other?” Joel asks.

“We sure do.” Rick responds back, his mood more cheerful. “I’m your brother’s friend. And you know me as well. Remember Carl, your classmate?”

Joel then remembers as well. “Jesus- That’s so long ago!”

“I guess we should catch up once we’re safe.” Y/N suggests.

Rick hums. “After we take care of your wounds.”

-

Thus, back at home base, the group manage to fix Y/N’s wound. Rick, Y/N and Joel are currently sitting on the porch outside, with the older brother having his wounded leg on a bench.

Carl then gets over to his father, wondering what is going on. Rick looks back to see his son.

“Hey, Carl. Remember Joel?”

Carl recognizes the name and looks back at the guy around his age, instantly remembering him. “Hey!”

“Hey.” Joel smiles back. “You’re all grown up.”

“You too.”

Both of them are confused to see each other now a bit older.

“How about you give him a tour?” Rick suggests, hoping he could have a privet conversation with Y/N.

“Alright.” Carl responds back.

With excitement, both teens talk to each other as they walk around. As they walk away, Y/N smiles to see something long ago appearing again.

“It’s nice to see them again together.”

“Yeah…” Rick agrees. He looks back at his old friend. He leans against the fence and talk to him. “How are you holding up?”

“All things considered, good.” Y/N says with a weak smile. “Almost got killed by some assholes and the dead, but we survived.” He looks at Rick, remembering how different he looked in the past. He seems gentler and sweeter, but now he looks rougher and more intimidating. “You?”

“Yeah, me too I guess.” Rick scratches the back of his head. “A lot has happened since world turned into shit. I’m not the same guy you knew.”

“Neither am I.” Y/N responds back. “Glad to see Carl alive. What about Lori?”

“She didn’t make it…”

“Oh.” Y/N feels sorry for his friend. “Sorry to hear that.”

“We had a baby, Judith. But during labour, Lori didn’t make it.” Rick explains.

“How’s Carl holding up?” Y/N isn’t sure what to say next, so he merely gives his concern to his son.

“Good, I guess. He’s been through a lot, but he’s fine. Joel?”

“He too. I taught him everything about surviving, just in case I won’t make it.” Y/N comments.

“Smart.” Rick is glad to hear that. Not feeling sure what else to talk about, he thinks about the past. About when Y/N kissed him. “…When we last saw each other… It didn’t end well.”

“You’re talking about the kiss?”

“Yeah.”

“Sorry about that.” Despite feeling a bit embarrassed, Y/N smiles, looking back at it. “I had this major crush on you, even when you were married and a kid. It was more wishful thinking.”

“It’s alright.” Rick assures with a smile. “I remember thinking about it a lot. Funny isn’t. Back then, something like that keeps sticking in my mind, but nowadays I don’t give a shit about it.”

“Yeah.” Y/N laughs softly. “I look kinda fondly back in the days. Despite it being shit, I had this weird… nostalgia about it. Like I want to go back to it, only because this current world is shit.”

“Exactly.” Rick laughs along. “I kinda miss that.”

“Me too.”

Rick then looks back at his old friend. “I’m not sure, but it really made me happy to see you.”

“Me too. I guess it’s nice to see a familiar face.”

“Yeah.” Rick can see that. He looks around the community. “Y’know, you can stay here. It’s pretty safe, despite the odd problem here and there.” He looks back at Y/N. “Carl could use an old friend. …And I could use one as well.”

Y/N looks around the community, seeing how peaceful it is compared to the outside world. “Sure. It’s been a while since we had a home to stay.”

“Happy to hear that.” Rick stands up to sit down next to Y/N.

They continue to look at each other, a bit awkwardly. Y/N wonders why Rick is merely staring at him.

“What?” Y/N says with a soft laugh.

“It just makes me happy… you here.” Rick admits. His thoughts keep going back to the kiss. “…Back when you kissed me, if I wasn’t with Lori… I would’ve kissed back.”

“Huh?” Y/N is surprised to hear that. “You’re kidding?”

“No.” Rick says with a laughter. “And…” He awkwardly looks around, feeling a bit flustered. “I don’t see someone… so…”

“You want to go out?”

Rick looks back, seeing a smile on Y/N’s face. “Dinner at my place?”

Just like years ago, Y/N leans in to kiss him again. This time however, Rick kisses back. With his hand behind his old friend’s head, he fully embraces the kiss. Even though the world turned to ruin, there is still plenty of opportunities to find happiness.

[topazy]

Tomorrow's promise

Pairing: Daryl Dixon × reader, Rick Grimes × sister reader

Warnings: Swearing, usual violence against zombies

Chapter: 3.01

You wipe the blood off your knife with an old cloth, then toss the fabric onto a table. You weren’t planning on staying in the abandoned house long—maybe a couple of days at most—before moving on. It was hard to keep track of time while living life out on the road and in constant fear of being in danger, but since Lori was nearing the end of her pregnancy, you’d say it had been at least seven or eight months since you left the farm. Jace had grown and become heavier in the last few months as well, which made carrying him in a sling a little more painful than before, but you had become used to the strain on your back.

Since you thought you’d lost him the night the farm was overrun, you hardly let Jace out of your sight. You didn’t like it when anyone else held him for too long, and at night you hardly slept, terrified another horde would come crashing through.

Walking into the living room, where the rest of your group sits in silence, you watch as Rick snatches a can of dog food Carl was about to eat into the fireplace.

You watch Daryl as he plucks feathers from a dead owl; the bird looks clean, which leads you to believe he hunted it himself. If it wasn’t for Daryl’s scavenging and hunting skills, your group would have starved a long time ago.

T-dog stands, motioning to the back door, “We gotta go, walkers.”

As quietly as they can, everyone grabs their belongings and makes their way back to the vehicles. Just as you climb into the back seat beside Carl, the walkers reach the house.

—

Some time later, the cars pull over on the side of a road surrounded by nothing but trees. When you step outside the car, your nephew immediately pulls the gun from its holsters, and holding it loosely in his hands, he begins to run towards Rick. It was one thing to run from walkers with a gun in your hand, but Carl was going to end up blowing his foot off if he wasn’t careful. His dad had warned him multiple times about doing it, but he was still just a kid.

“Carl, watch what you’re doing.”

He slows down and waves his hand. “Sorry, Aunt Lily.”

Lori shakes her head and slams down the boot of the trunk. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell my son what to do.”

“He was running with a gun in his hands,” you snap.

Rick gives you a pleading look. You and Lori hardly spoke now, but when you did more often than not, it would end in a heated argument. Without even knowing all the facts, she blamed you for Shane’s death, and you were convinced that deep down Lori loved him and not Rick.

Most of your group gathers around the hood of the car furthest away from you while discussing where you would travel next. You need to find somewhere secure and fast before Lori goes into labor. Beth and Carl were keeping a lookout for walkers, which meant you had some privacy to stand up and feed Jace.

You had only found a small supply of baby food and formula milk, and with your own lack of food and water, your breast milk was starting to dry up.

Once Jace has finished feeding you, fix your bra and vest top before putting him back into the sling. You step out to join the others, and you notice Glenn nudging Daryl.

Daryl turns and calls out, “Going on a hunt with Rick; are you coming?”

“Sure.”

—

“Remind me again why you’re hunting with us.” Rick teases. “Mom couldn’t even get you to help pull the weeds in the garden.”

“Ain’t nobody dying from weeds in the garden. Besides, Daryl offers to teach me how to hunt.”

Daryl had been walking slightly ahead since you found the train tracks. When Jace makes a babbling sound, you brush his hair back and coo, “Shh, it’s okay.”

“You know, you could have left him back at the car with Lori.”

You glare at Rick. There was a risk of walkers hearing his cries no matter where you went, and truthfully, your son would be much safer with Rick and Daryl nearby.

You notice Daryl comes to a standstill; when you get closer, he points to a prison on the opposite side of a small river. He motions to the dead roaming the prison grounds and says, “That's a shame.”

“How many do you think there are?”

“Hard to say.”

You look up at Rick and ask, “Do you think we could clear it?”

Smiling, he nods. “You two stay here; I’m going to get the others.”

—

Using bolt cutters, Rick puts a hole in the prison fence big enough for everyone to squeeze through, then ties it together again with wires.

You make it to the gate leading into the prison yard. “Now what?”

Being attracted to the noise of people running, the walkers stared at the fences. Luckily, the metal fence was strong enough to keep them at bay. There were two different parts to the prison yard; one was a small grassy field and the other was on concrete ground. They were separated by another fence, but the gate between them was open, letting walkers roam between them.

“It’s perfect,” Rick says. “If we can shut that gate and prevent more from filling the yard, we can pick off these walkers. We’ll take the field by tonight.”

“So how do we shut the gate?” Hershel asks.

Glenn puts himself forward and says, “I’ll do it. You guys cover me.”

“No,” Maggie shakes her head, “it’s a suicide run.”

You pick up a long pole off the ground; one of the ends has already been sharpened into a weapon. Once you had a good grip on it, you slid it through the fence, stabbing a walker in the head and saying, “Not if we kill some of these bastards beforehand.”

Rick points further down the path that you’d just come up from. “Glenn, you, Maggie, and Beth, draw as many as you can over there. Pop ‘em through the fence. Daryl goes back to the other tower. Carol, you’ve become a pretty good shot. Just take your time; we don’t have a lot of ammo to waste. Hershel, you and Carl take this tower. I’ll run for the gate.”

“You can’t go alone; you need cover.”

Rick starts to protest, “You can’t—”

“You’re a mad man. Rick, I’m not going to let you do it alone. They’re too many of them.”

Hearing what you just said, Daryl backs up and says, “I’ll take the little man if you’re running. He’ll be safer on higher ground anyway.”

You kiss Jace on the head before handing him and the makeshift sling over to him. Once he’s got Jace securely in his arms, Daryl moves fast to get to his position in the tower.

You go and stand by the gate with Rick. “Are you ready?”

He lets out a chuckle. “No, but we need to be.”

Lori looks at you both but says nothing as she opens the gate, then closes it soon as you step over the threshold.

Most of the walkers are distracted by the sounds of gunshots or the noise further down the fence, but the once’s surrounding the next gate are coming towards you fast. You do your best to kill as many as you can by using the pipe as a weapon rather than wasting ammo, but when too many start to surround you, you and Rick both begin to shoot at them.

You mercilessly managed to hold the walkers back while Rick managed to close the next gate, sealing off the yard.

He grabs your wrist, pulls you into the guard tower with him, and slams the door shut. When you reach the top, you smile, seeing that most of the walkers have already gone down.

—

You sit cross-legged on a flipped-over prison van, keeping an eye leading up the path to the first gate leading into the yard, while softly singing to Jace, who was falling asleep in your arms. It had been a long time since your group had so much space to roam freely and eat a decent amount of food. Since there was actually time to cook over a campfire, Hershel made a meal out of a few different tins from his backpack. It still wasn’t a lot between eleven people, but it was the most you had in weeks.

“I can take over if you want,” Daryl says, climbing up.

It was late; Carl and T-dog had already fallen asleep, and the last you wanted was them waking up to Jace screaming beside them again. So you think it was better if you kept a little distance. “I’m good, thanks.”

“The food disappears fast around here; I guess little Shane over there has quite the appetite.”

You swat at his arm. “Don’t be mean.”

Daryl raises his brows and says, “I’m right, aren’t I?”

“Did Rick tell you?”

“Pfft, I have eyes and ears.”

You sigh. Daryl was very perceptive and noticed things maybe the others hadn’t, or simply chose to ignore. “My brother, he’s strong, but I know it’s killing him.”

“What about you? It can’t be easy seeing her every day.”

His question throws you slightly. Shane’s gone, and Lori��s going to spend the rest of her life carrying around this secret, with everyone silently judging her and to you that felt punishment enough. “I’ve made my peace with it; the only thing I care about now is making sure the kids never find out.”

He gives you a doubtful look.

Rick was a good man; he didn’t even know if the baby was his, but he was still doing his best to find a safe place for the kid and Lori to live. “Besides, the only thing killing me right now is my back,” you joke, attempting to lighten the mood.

“What’s wrong with it?"

“Nothing except carrying around tiny humans all day, which apparently isn’t shoulder blade friendly.”

He snorts out a laugh. “This little dude? Never.”

Using your free hand, you cover your mouth to hold back a giggle as Daryl begins to massage your back, making you blush like a schoolgirl.

—

In the morning, Rick, T-dog, Daryl, Maggie, and Glenn moved in to clear the next part of the lesion yard.

You hand Jace to Carl and say, “Take him and go stand further back from the fence, okay? And if anything happens, you run straight into one of the guard towers and lock the door.”

He nods, “Yes, ma’am.”

You laugh at his choice of words and ruffle his hair before turning your attention back to the fence. You begin to rattle the fence to draw walkers close enough to stab them in the head.

Some of the walkers were former prison officers, which made them harder to kill since they still had their riot gear on, but Maggie was managing to pull their helmets back and stab them from underneath the chin.

“Shit!”

You rush over to T-dog and stab the walker who got ahold of his weapon in the eye. He pats you on the shoulder before resuming to kill walkers.

“Where did they go?” Lori says.

You shoot your head up and notice they are gone. “They must have gone inside.”

—

After what feels like hours, your brother reappears and leads you all inside to cell block C.

Each cell had bunk beds, and even though there was plenty of space, it was advised to bunk up with someone for safety purposes. Everyone, aside from Daryl, who had decided to sleep on top of the staircase leading to the next level up.

You notice Carl carrying an armful of mattresses down the stairs and into the cell you were going to sleep in. “What’s going on, munchkin?”

He drops some onto the ground, saying, “These are for Jace, and the others are for my mom.”

Lori would definitely need the extra comfort once she gave birth. “Well, aren’t you sweet?”

He shrugs, “It was Daryl’s idea.”

You look up at the doorway and see the man in question standing there. He shrugs. “I just thought since the cell doors can still close over the mattresses, Jace would be able to crawl around on the floor without bumping his head on shit.”

“Thanks; I never would have thought of that.”

Once the mattresses are on the ground, you let Jace down and smile, watching as he looks around the cell, curious.

—

Anxiously, you pace back and forth, waiting for the rest of your group to return to cell block C. Your brother was leading a part of your group that had split off to search the rest of the prison, clearing out any walkers that they came across. Hopefully they would find some food, ammo, and medicine.

“Lily?”

Instinctively, you roll your eyes upon hearing Lori call your name. Jace looks peaceful sleeping; you would feel guilty waking him. “Carol, do you mind watching him for a minute?”

“Sure,” she smiles.

You walk into the cell Lori is sleeping in and are surprised to see how scared she looks as she rubs at her bump. “I know I have absolutely no right to ask you for any favors."

“That’s an understatement.”

“I haven’t felt the baby move in days, which means I could have lost it.”

You sit down beside her on the bed, now understanding why she was so scared. “How long has it been?”

“A few days,” she answers plainly.

You swallow thickly, not really knowing what to say. “There’s maybe nothing wrong; hell, I didn’t even feel Jace until he came out.”

She scoffs. “I’m being serious, Lily; if I turn, I need you to put me down. Not Rick, not Carl. It would destroy them.”

“It won’t come to that.”

She shakes her head, tears welling in her eyes. “I know it, okay? This pregnancy isn’t the same as my last one; I know something is wrong. And if me and this baby are dead, just promise me you’ll do what needs to be done. Don’t let my boy see me as one of those things.”

“I—I—”

“Please, I am begging you.”

You attempt to comfort Lori by squeezing her hand. “I promise, if it comes to it, I’ll pull the trigger.”

[stardust-walker]

High Hopes: Chapter 11

Previous Chapters:  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

word count: 3364

______________________________________

Dove never thought that she would see sunlight again. She felt sad for losing Jacqui, of course. The older woman had been kinder to her and Carol than she had to be, but she was more grateful to have her family with her. To be able to feel the sun on her face again. She stood close by Carol as she watched the men try to bust the windows down with everything, they could get their hands on. The axes, chairs, hell even the guns. Nothing worked.

A thought crossed through Dove’s head as she sat on the ground next to Sophia to shield her from anything that might go flying. In an instant, her attention was drawn away from the window to her sister who was already on her feet, ready to hand Rick a grenade. She scrambled to her feet, more careful as she pulled Sophia right along with her. “A nail file isn’t gonna help,” Shane said. God even close to death, Shane can be a fucking asshole. She said nothing and smirked to herself as she saw the shock cross Rick’s face.

The explosion was loud and shook the whole room. Sophia yelped and Dove covered her ears as the grenade exploded and the glass shattered. She could feel the wind on her back already, they were so nearly free. There was shouting as everyone began to pile towards the window. Glenn jumped down out of the window and held his hand out to Dove, ready to steady her when she landed. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she turned and held her arms out for Sophia as the others continued to jump around her. “Just jump, Sophia. I got you!” Dove called up to her as Carol jumped down and cast a worried glance between her family members.

“You can do it Sophia, come on honey. It’s not that far,” Carol’s voice shook.

Sophia let out a small whimper before she finally jumped. Just like she promised, Dove leaned forward and caught the girl before her feet could touch the ground. “Good girl, Soph,” Glenn managed a weak smile as the four of them took off towards the cars with the rest of the group. There were walkers everywhere, but they were going down just as fast. It was only as she pushed Sophia and Carol closer to the car that she noticed something.

“Wait where’s Dale,” Dove shouted over the chaos.

Carol froze, hand on the door handle to the car before she pointed towards the building. “There they are!” Dove took her word for it as she opened the passenger side door and got into the car. She wanted Carol to slam on the gas and just go but she knew there was no way they were going anywhere alone.

The shockwaves from the CDC exploding shook the earth around them as Carol laid down across the front seat. Dove peeked her head up when it was finally over, only to see that Sophia was peeking her head up from the floor of the Jeep. “Good girl,” Dove chuckled weakly as she reached back and ruffled Sophia’s hair.

A look through the back window before the caravan started to move showed that T and even Daryl looked just as frightened as everyone else did. There was nowhere to go but forward. The younger woman leaned back in the passenger seat as Carol put the car in drive. It was the first time in a long time that she just wanted to drive in silence.

~

No matter how nice they were, Dove didn’t like the idea of heading back to the Vatos gang. Something just didn’t feel right about it and she was sure to tell her sister about it. “Listen, I mean they weren’t bad people. There were a lot of them there, I just don’t know if they’ll be so willing to take in a big group of people,” she muttered to Carol after she heard Rick talk over the walkie.

Carol sighed and ran a hand down her face. “I don’t know. We might as well go if Rick thinks it’s a good idea.” She tried to keep her voice down as best she could. Dove could feel for her, still wanting to protect Sophia from hearing things she shouldn’t have to.

A quick look over her shoulder and Dove leaned closer to her sister in the front seat. “Yeah well Rick also thought the CDC was a good idea and look…”

“Enough. We’re not talking about this anymore,” Carol shook her head as she reached over and hit the volume button on the radio. Dove’s music started right back up where she left off and she was left feeling like a scolded child as she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

It was silent until they pulled up to the gates, then it was too silent. Dove whispered, “Sophia, do me a favor? Hand me that crowbar in the hatch back there,” Dove said as she continued to stare out the front windshield.

“This one,” Sophia questioned as she passed it in between the two women in the front seat.

Carol looked between her sister and the weapon but didn’t say anything. Dove beamed as she took the bar from the girl’s hand. “Yes, that exact one. Thank you, sweetheart.” She felt like a line of ants as the group marched along together up to the bricks that marked the entrance.

“All the guns they gave us, they’ll probably throw us a party,” Daryl answered as Andrea voiced Dove’s own concerns about the group, they were on their way to see. “Good call…for once,” he glanced sideways at Rick. Dove rolled her eyes and held a hand behind her.

“Just stay behind me, okay,” she said quietly to Carol and Sophia. As they walked further in, it felt more and more wrong.

“Where’re the lookouts,” Glenn panicked.

“Something isn’t right here,” Dove hissed back quietly as her eyes darted around the grounds. A few moments later, she realized what exactly had happened. Walkers were inside the camp. Panic swept over her as she turned her back to the men and focused on Sophia. Carol already held a hand over her eyes and crouched down next to her. “Don’t scream it’s gonna be alright,” Dove tried to keep her voice calm even though she felt her own panic rising.

She pulled Sophia right after her as they began to follow Rick through the building. Dove offered quiet words of encouragement to Sophia for being able to keep quiet, hell it was worth a shot. It didn’t help much as the little girl rounded the corner first and got a full view of a few dead bodies. As Sophia clung to her mother, Dove’s attention turned to Daryl. “You shut that little girl the hell up! Right now, or I will” he growled back at them.

Dove narrowed her eyes and raised her crowbar slightly until a strong grip made her stop. “You cut that out, right now.” Lori warned him as she pushed Dove back a step. She had to give it to the other woman, she had really nailed the ‘lecturing mom’ look and voice. It even made Dixon stop with how intense she was. A sharp tug on her arm pulled her back as the women went to block the doors. “Listen, I know you’re angry.” Lori sighed as they pulled an empty refrigerator across the room together, “but you can’t let him get to you like that.”

Dove huffed as she pulled harder on the fridge, a relieved exhale left her as Lori nodded to show that it was good enough. Dove brushed her hair back from her face and lowered her voice. “He threatened Sophia.”

Lori shook her head and placed a hand on the younger brunette’s shoulder, “You leave Daryl to me. I mean he listened this time, right?” Dove didn’t answer and Lori continued. “Besides, if he gets too out of hand, we’ll just sick you on him.” Lori gave her arm a playful shove before she marched back over to the others.

“Promises, promises,” Dove chuckled as she picked up her crowbar and tried to prepare herself for what else they might see. Sudden movement behind the door made her drop to the ground where she stood. Her eyes locked with Carol until it was safe enough to move.

~

It was serious business when Carol was angry enough to speak her mind and Dove knew it. “Are you telling the truth or are you lying like all the other times?” Carol looked angry and Dove felt a wave of admiration go through her. There she was, that was the woman that made Dove want to be strong. The real Carol peeked through for a moment and then it was gone like a puff of smoke as Lori spoke in defense of her husband.

Dove placed a hand on Carol’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze, “Atta girl,” she muttered under her breath.

“The hell happened,” Glenn sighed as he looked around the room.

“What do you think,” Andrea spoke up. Dove felt her blood start to boil. Did she have to be so condescending? “They got overrun.” Dove rolled her eyes, then raised her eyebrows. Daryl had scoffed at the other woman. “Something to say,” Andrea snapped.

“Uh yeah, how about observant,” Daryl snapped right back.

Andrea nodded, “Observant. Big word coming from a guy like you. Three whole syllables.”

Dove pinched the bridge of her nose, “Can you like stop being a condescending bitch for like 5 damn seconds and let someone else have an opinion?” She planted her feet on the ground and placed her hand on her hip as she observed the other woman. There was a stunned silence for a moment before Daryl continued. Hell, she never thought she’d defend Daryl ever, especially after what he’d said to Sophia, but everyone deserved to have their voices heard.

Daryl continued, “Walkers didn’t do this.” That was clear to anyone with a brain. The ones she’d seen all had headshots. “Geeks didn’t show up until all this went down. Somebody attacked this place.” Dove felt Sophia shift closer to her. “Killed all these people, took whatever they wanted. They’re all shot in the head, execution style. Y’all worried about walkers? What about the people that came and did all this?”

Dove glanced over at Rick as he looked over a body. A nod from the sheriff seemed to confirm everything that Daryl had just said. Dove never thought she would see the day when she could appreciate any words coming out of the mouth of Daryl Dixon, but she never thought she’d see the dead walk either. “Get a dictionary,” Daryl smirked at Andrea, “look it up. Observant.”

Dove couldn’t fight back the nervous giggle that left her lips at Andrea’s face. A subtle slap to the arm made her clear her throat as she rose to her feet again. “Sorry. Sorry,” she mumbled as she placed a hand over her mouth and walked over closer to Glenn.

Glenn watched as Daryl left the room. “Did that just happen,” he mumbled to Dove.

“I don’t know about you, but that might have just about been the best thing I’ve seen in weeks,” Dove whispered back. “But odds are, that might have shoved the stick further up Andrea’s ass.” She nudged Glenn as the group started to move on again. Glenn just shook his head.

~

One bottle of water, garbanzo beans, and fucking cough drops. That’s all that was left out of everything Guillermo had fought for. What would be left of her when she died? Probably just a crowbar, a comfortable pair of boots, and maybe a few old pieces of jewelry. That’s if she was lucky.

“I don’t think salty snacks are that great without water,” Dove sighed as she caught the bag of chips Shane had tossed to her.. “I think I’ll pass,” she smiled as she held out her bag of chips to Carl. The little boy took them with a big beaming smile.

Dove wasn’t that surprised at all to see that Shane had managed to smuggle a bottle of wine out of the CDC right along with him. “I’d go easy on that stuff,” Lori spoke up again as Daryl went to open the bottle, “don’t forget where we are.”

Daryl nodded and uttered a quick, “Yes ma’am,” before popping the bottle open. Dove ruffled Sophia’s hair as she tried her best to look like she was enjoying the meal in front of her. It made her sad to think about all the things her family might have been through without her around.

Dove sighed and dug through the bag she had left in the car. She shuffled a pack of cards nervously as Glenn brought up all the people that had been killed. Her eyes drifted around the room before they landed on Daryl. He just shook his head as he took another drink from the bottle. Carol shook her head as the men left the room. “I’m perfectly fine with them talking about it with adults here but with the kids, they really do need to be more careful,” she sighed as she stroked Sophia’s hair and tried to calm her down.

Lori sank down to the ground next to Carl and stared at the paper crafts on the wall. “I’m sorry, Carol. I can talk to them when they get back in if you want.”

Dove shook her head as she focused on the movement of the cards between her hands. “You don’t have to. I’ll do it.” Her focus shifted to the other woman, a look of surprise on her face. “You don’t have to carry the weight of actual common sense on your shoulders, Lori. I got you this time, but you owe me.” Lori smiled gratefully as she went to reply but was interrupted by a scoff from across the room. “You got some other enlightening information for us all Andrea, or are you just going to sit over there are wallow enough for all of us?” Dove’s attention turned to the blonde woman.

Andrea shifted forward as she spoke, “You’re all trying to play leader like it matter or something. Everything’s gone. None of that matters anymore! Look around us! Everyone else is dead,” Andrea stopped as Sophia began to whimper and inched closer to Carol.

Dove gripped the cards in her hands so tight she thought she might break the skin before she composed herself enough to reply, “If none of it matters then why the hell are you still here? You don’t even believe half of the shit you’re spewing out. I think you’re just angry because Dale wouldn’t let you get yourself blown up and on top of it? You got outsmarted by Daryl Dixon of all people! Now I can’t imagine how that would feel, but what I would like to imagine is for you to decide whether you want to stay here and act like shit matters or else you decide to go out on your own and get yourself killed.” The silence between the women in the room was palpable as Carol stared at her sister and Lori placed an arm around Carl.

“You must have been a shitty counselor,” Andrea snapped at the brunette across from her.

“Yeah and you must have been a real shit lawyer if that’s your only argument. Now shut the hell up and eat your beans or I’ll come over there and take them for someone who’s actually grateful for what they got,” Dove snapped. The silence was only broken by the door being opened back up and the men filed back in. A confused look crossed Dale’s face as he glanced over and saw Andrea begin to pick at the food on her plate. A hand raised in the air and that said to Dove that he wasn’t even going to ask.

~

A few hours passed after Dove had taken it upon herself to talk to Glenn about not upsetting Sophia and she felt like she had kicked a puppy. At least she’d done him the courtesy of doing it while he was on watch. A hand shook her awake from her slumber as she jolted up. It was Glenn. “Hey, you asked me to let you know when I was off watch. You sure you wanna go out there,” even in the dark, she could see the worry cross his face.

Dove sighed heavily as she dug into her bag and pulled out the pack of cigarettes she’d been trying to sneak since this whole thing started. She’d been too close to Carol, she’d feared a lecture, but now she couldn’t give a fuck. “Yeah, gotta bite the bullet and go talk to the other one.” She ran a hand through her hair as she shoved the pack and her lighter into her pocket. Glenn held a handout and helped his friend to her feet before he took her spot on the ground next to Carol and Sophia. “Keep it warm for me, buddy,” Dove winked at the younger man as she headed quietly to the door.

She didn’t have to look far until she saw the man on the top of the stairs. His hearing must have been better than she thought as he turned to see her walk down the hallway. Dove pulled her hands from her pockets and held them up, pack in one hand and lighter in the other. “I come in peace,” she whispered as she came to a stop by the railing. Daryl just grunted as he turned to look back down the stairs. The only sound the echoed between them for a moment was a click from the lighter and then a relieved sigh as the cigarette finally lit. Dove held out the pack to Daryl as she removed the cigarette from her mouth and blew the smoke out after a few seconds. “A one-time offer,” she chirped as she waved the pack in front of the man and handed him the lighter after he swiped it from her hand.

“What do ya want,” he whispered as he began to light his cigarette.

Dove sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Sorry that I told you I was going to put you in a chokehold. I was stressed,” she caught Daryl’s eye for a moment. The look on his face made her want to shrink back into her coat. “Yeah, that must sound pretty stupid. I’m not sorry for wanting to kick your ass for being a dick to Sophia though.” She laughed quietly before Daryl spoke up.

“Apology accepted. But next time you threaten me with something, you best follow through,” Daryl’s response was humorless and Dove just nodded in response.

The two of them spent the next few minutes in silence. Smoke filling their lungs and being blown back out into the air every few seconds. Dove yawned and raised her arms above her head, “I thought it was pretty awesome how you took charge before when Andrea tried to call you stupid.”

Another scoff. “I didn’t do it to fucking be awesome. Ya’ll gotta know what we’re dealin with. I don’t give a shit if someone thinks I’m stupid. So long as I know I got my shit together.”

Dove nodded her head as she tossed cigarette to the floor. The light on the end of the cigarette went out as she pressed the toe of her shoe into it and blew the last of the smoke from her mouth. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think you’re that stupid.” Daryl turned his head slightly to look at her, his expression unreadable. A smirk crept onto Dove’s face as she leaned down slightly, “but if you threaten my niece again? I just might have to kill you.” She stood up straighter again, as calm as ever. “Night,” she cooed over her shoulder and then she was off down the hallway again. Within a matter of seconds, Daryl was alone in the hallway again and it was like it never happened.

_

@crossbowking​ @momc95​ @chaotic-gary-king-stan​​

[itsmymeaningoflife]

Wanna hear your bullshit hehe

Hehe you asked for it. I’m gonna drop bullshit from the first half of s3 here:

- They really chose a 12 yo boy over grown women to raid the house wtf

- Carl’s crush on Beth is fucking adorable

- “While the others wash their panties let’s go hunt” Daryl darling you need to scrub your ass too

- Rick might have been a bit of a control freak in this era but at least he’s putting himself on the line over the others

- Carol almost shooting Rick bit being totally unbothered by it is hilarious

- Noticed that Daryl always keeps his distance but is always following Carol

- BACK RUB SCENE. Daryl providing physical contact and low-key also surprising himself with it is so adorable. The flirting, the innuendos *chef kiss*

- Daryl and Carol have a healthier relationship than Rick and Lori at this point. And they DEFFO sleep next to each other around the fire every night they were in the road

- The prisoners were wasted tbf. I wish they kept Oscar around as part of the main group for a few seasons. He could’ve shown the audience that not all people in prison are evil.

- Daryls obsession with not sleeping in a cage is deffo routed in trauma. He probs got locked in places as a kid

- Beths unflinching optimism / naive outlook is so pure and I love her. Damn 14 year old me for hating her

- “Not for one second do I think you have malice in your heart” YES LORI IF THAT DOESNT SUM UP RICK GRIMES IDDK WHAT DOES

- Twd really said “wow maybe we need more POC in our cast” and while they had the right sentiment they probably shouldn’t have made them all prisoners either :///

- Also Daryl taking the lead with the prisoners and being the main one to talk to them / reason with them despite Rick being a police officer is great. Give me a fic where Daryl is a youth worker

- Beth putting Carl in his place when he goes off at Lori is strong woman supporting strong woman energy

- Loris death scene makes me sob. Maggie is a real trooper in this scene too.

- Omg Daryl when he finds Carols bloody scarf and think she’s dead after they see T dogs body. He’s heartbroken that he thinks he’s lost one of his only genuine friends.

- Rick finding out Lori is dead is heartbreaking but I’ve seen too many memes of that scene to not laugh.

- Rick goes insane and Daryl immediately steps up. “Nope we’re not losing another one. Not her.” Organising a run. Pulling Beth aside to tell her to watch over Carl. We really see his leadership jump out real early.

- If Maggie wasn’t in a relationship with Glenn from the get go people would’ve shipped her with both Rick and Daryl

- Daryl seeing the “sofie” hand hurts. He really thought he was going to be the one to bring Sophia back. He believed she was alive

- DARYL WITH BABY JUDITh calling her ass kicker and sweetheart… bro my heart can’t take it. Also interesting when Carl suggests names he chooses Sofia and Carol first and the camera is focused on Daryls face.

- Daryl visiting carols grave at sunset and gently placing a Cherokee rose down and tenderly touching the cross is enough to make a grown man cry. He is deffo confused with what his feelings are and why he’s so upset that she’s gone here

- Daryl telling Carl how he was allowed to play out with other neighbourhood kids when Merle was gone and they chased a fire engine on their bikes and it ended up going to his house and his mom was dead / burnt down. Heart breaking. Trauma bonding over dead moms

- Give Daryl a child 2020 (jokes in s10 HES a chaotic sigle dad of 3)

- Daryl finding Carol knife HURTS. His voice is so wobbly and he’s so angry and he keeps the knife and he sits stabbing at the floor working himslef up to put her down. THEN HE FINDS HER ALIVE AND HOLDS HER CHIN AND CARRIED HER BACK HES A HERO

- Michonne and Rick locking eyes murderouly through the fences like damn what a way to kick start a romance

- Carl was the first to help Michonne my heart. And the way Rick hauls her over his shoulder with ease BRO… then he pours water over her boobs? Not sure why but hey I don’t question true love

- Daryl is so dramatic “hey Rick, come in here” “everything alright??” “You’re gonna want to see this” *leads everyone to carol*. He couldn’t just tell them he found her alive. I love his dramatic ass

- RICK AND CAROLS FRIENDSHIP IS everything. Also I’ll forever be salty about how we never got more of carols reaction to loris death

- Daryl calling Carol a POOR THING when he explains to everyone. Sir you are tender

- Michonne calling Maggie “the pretty girl” then one breath later calls the govener “pretty boy” is massive bi wife energy

- Rick and Daryl threatening Michonne like they won’t be tripping over themselves to lay down their life for her come season 9

- I fucking hate Merle so much. But he can’t comprehend that the group will be there to save them. He just doesn’t understand how to care for other people

- Daryl and Oscar could’ve been great friends

- Rick leaving 12 year old Carl in charge of the prison A* parenting

- Milton is the token chaotic gay scientist of twd change my mind

- The governor can rot in hell for what he did to Maggie I hate him

- Daryl sees a dead dog and makes a lassie joke? I’m sorry but this man is so funny

- Maggie said “men always have been and always will be trash”

- Axel being sleazy around Beth after Beth tells him she’s 17 and Carol immediately swooping in to protect her is PEAK MOMMA BEAR ENERGY.

- Okay but their heist to get glenn and Maggie back was elite

- The conflict on Daryls face when he realises Merle is around and his deperate voice when he’s asking Rick if he can go find him hurts my HEART

- RICK TELLING DARYL “I need you. Are you with me?” And Daryls soft “yeah” voice THAT IS THE MOMENT DARYL REALISED HE WAS APPRECIATED.

- OSCAR DESERVED BETTER. RIP KING

- Carl and beths friendship is underrated.

- Gov really thinks penny is still in there huh

- Everyone referring to Carl as “the man” is hilarious but also so concerning

- I forget how on odds Rick and Michonne were at the beginning. The original enemies to lovers

[xpao-bearx]

《Original post here》

Part 2 HERE

SUMMARY: [Supernatural TWD AU] In which Negan is a kinky incubus, Rick Grimes is your secret guardian angel, and Daryl Dixon is a gruff monster/demon hunter. Three drastically different men who can only agree on one thing: making you theirs.

PAIRINGS: Reader x Negan, Reader x Rick Grimes, Reader x Daryl Dixon (Polyamorous Ships)

RATING: Mature/18+/Romance & Smut. Please be prepared and do NOT report.

NOTE: This is actually my first time ever writing an xReader story series as well as writing on Tumblr (I usually only write on Wattpad). As such, it probs won't be perfect though I would SERIOUSLY appreciate your *respectful* feedback and support!

I understand writing xReader content can get a lil tricky, so please just keep in mind that not everything Y/N says or does would be something that you'd do IRL or even approve of. Also, sometimes I may not help but put a teeny bit of myself in Y/N...

Lastly, I recently got back into the TWD fandom after a looong ass time and I'm taking a while re-watching the whole show. So I apologize in advance if my portrayal of any of the characters are rusty or I may not remember too much of the events from the show, but I promise to do my very best and hope y'all enjoy~!! \(^o^)/

DEDICATED TO: The wonderful @blccdyknuckles and @negans-attagirl 💖

"Heavenly Sins"

Part 1

The sounds of laughter and easygoing chatter filled your ears as you walked closer to the church, a light breeze blowing through your F/C floral dress and the sun blinding your eyes. It was Sunday, most residents of the small town of Alexandria having gathered for mass.

It was a day like any other; peaceful and happy, children giggling and chasing each other around as their parents socialized outside before church could start.

Your heels clacking rhythmically on the pavement, you were just about to enter the building before a familiar voice called out.

"Y/N!"

Spinning, a huge smile instantly reached your ears as you saw none other than Carl Grimes waving enthusiastically at you as he jumped out of a car. From the driver's seat, his father soon followed as he stepped out.

Rick Grimes--dedicated sheriff of this fine town. His usual uniform forgone, instead replaced with a casual navy coloured suit. His baby blues met your E/C, flashing you a bright smile of his own that rivalled the sun itself.

Carl was running towards you now, and once in front he gave you a big hug.

"Settle down, cowboy! It's as if you haven't seen me in forever." You chuckled, ruffling Carl's hair affectionately.

"That's 'cause it did feel like forever." Carl pouted, eventually letting go as he looked up at you.

Before you can reply, Rick patted Carl's head and greeted you. "Hey, Y/N. How are things?" He asked in that endearing Southern accent of his.

"Just fine." You nodded, grinning before you couldn't help but let your gaze wander around a bit. "No Judith?"

It was then that Rick's smile faltered, but just barely. You nearly didn't catch it. "No. She's with her mom."

Rick was divorced from his ex-wife, Lori, after he discovered her cheating on him with his also now ex-bestfriend Shane Walsh. After the divorce, Shane and Lori quickly moved to the neighbouring community of Woodbury together and agreed on joint custody of the kids.

It really made your blood boil; you've interacted with Lori only a few times before so you didn't really have much of an opinion on her...that is, until, you learned what had happened between her and Rick. You knew it wasn't any of your business, but you cared about Rick a lot and he sure as hell didn't deserve to get cheated on.

"Oh." Was all you could say, quite stupidly. Your cheeks reddened, mentally slapping yourself before clearing your throat. "Will I see her in the daycare tomorrow, though?" You were a daycare teacher and even though you loved all of the kids, Judith was your favourite. She was simply such a sweetheart.

Rick nodded, his smile softening. "You got it."

You couldn't continue the conversation as the bells rang, making you jump out of your skin. Carl, noticing this, laughed which made you playfully roll your eyes before slinging an arm around him as all of you went inside.

♡♡♡

You took your place near the back of the church with Carl and Rick. Once everyone was settled and done singing, the service began and Father Gabriel stood on top of the podium. A few minutes into his sermon, the interruption of a motorcycle revving loudly outside sliced through the air. Gabriel flinched in surprise, and it was obvious he was desperately trying to keep his cool. Finally, when it was silent again, you found yourself biting back a smile knowing all too well who had caused the ruckus.

It seems Rick knew, too, judging from how his jaw clenched and his hands turned into tight fists.

The doors were thrown open, making Gabriel flinch once more and some of the congregation turning in the pews to look. But poor Gabriel quickly fumbled with his Bible, raising his voice just a tad to regain their attention.

There was a low whistle accompanying the approaching footsteps, but the congregation did their damn hardest to ignore the latest visitor.

"Damn... I assumed the church would be a lot more welcoming than this." A husky voice whispered, and you at last couldn't hold back as a smile broke through.

"Negan." You whispered back, turning slightly in your seat to see he has taken the spot behind you. His leather clad arms lackadaisically resting on your chair, the musky scent of his cologne invading your senses oh so wonderfully. "Fancy seeing you here."

"What? Is it really that surprising, darlin'?" He grinned, presenting a row of perfectly straight white teeth. "I go to church."

"Not all the time." You pointed out.

"Ah..." He chuckled softly, hazel eyes twinkling. "That's 'cause Father Creepy McGee over there is just that. Creepy. As. Shit."

You bit the inside of your cheeks, suppressing your laughter. True, Gabriel did have his moments, but he wasn't that bad. That didn't change the fact that Negan knew exactly how to tickle your funny bone, though.

He was new to Alexandria. It was a lovely town, but since it was relatively small not a lot of people want to move here not unless it was families looking for their children to grow up in a safe environment. Which was why it was quite a shock to find out that a single man like Negan chose this destination, and even more so when he took everyone aback with his infamous pottymouth and rather inappropriate charisma.

He had moved just a couple of houses down from yours, and you made it your mission to befriend him. Right from the get-go, he had piqued your interest and curiousity. He was different from everyone else--even possessing an air of mystery about him--and that definitely intrigued you. And also, perhaps you were just too nice and didn't want him to feel outcasted. Although, that didn't seem like an issue to him at all.

"Want one?" You were brought back to reality when you saw Negan's hand outstretched with a pack of cigarettes.

"Dude, we're in church." You reprimanded, frowning.

Negan didn't say anything, only cocking a brow and still with that same shit-eating grin. You sighed, finally giving in as you swiftly grabbed one and stashed it away in your purse for later.

"Y/N." You turned to the left, Rick's icy gaze piercing you. "Pay attention."

"R-Right. Sorry..." You mumbled sheepishly.

Carl, who was sitting in the middle of you and Rick, had dozed off. Rick nudged him, but the brunette only groaned softly and snuggled into Rick's chest. Defeated, the sheriff sighed and was just about to listen again to Gabriel before Negan cut in.

"Rick!" Negan purposely raised his voice, knowing it would get a rise out of the other man. "Didn't even see ya there. Howdy, cowboy!"

Rick grimaced, and it looked like he was just going to ignore Negan though he knew that if he did that then Negan would just irritate him even further. "Good to see you, Negan." He forced himself to say.

"Only you can say that while giving me such a deadly side eye, Grimes." Negan snickered. "How have you been? How's the wife?"

Rick flushed, his fists in a tight ball again and it looked like his nails would be digging into his skin. You abruptly swung into action, placing a hand on Rick's own.

"Rick..." You said gently. "It's okay. Calm down."

Rick did, his shoulders drooping as if a heavy weight had been lifted. He can barely pay any attention to Gabriel now, then you suddenly stood up and grabbed Negan's arm.

"We need to talk. Now."

"What, we going for a quickie?" Negan smirked, but that soon faded when he saw your serious expression. He sighed dramatically, reaching his full height as he towered over you before following you out.

At this point, you didn't care if people saw what transpired or would even start gossiping. No one, not even Negan, was allowed to harass Rick. He has helped you through so much shit--more than you'd like to admit--and you at least owed him this much.

Once outside, next to where Negan parked his motorcycle, you exploded. "What the fuck is with you?! You leave Rick alone, or I swear to fucking Christ I will--"

"Woah, woah, woah! Hold your horses, missy!" Negan guffawed, his hands up in mock surrender. "I mean, I like 'em feisty, but goddamn! Watch your fucking language."

"Tch. You're one to talk."

"Did you just scoff at me?" He raised his brows, putting his hands in his pockets as he slowly drew closer to you. A devilish grin tugged at the corners of his mouth, tilting his head slightly. "No one's ever fucking scoffed at me and didn't regret it soon after."

You frowned, letting out a huff as you met his gaze challengingly. "As if you'd do anything to me."

He was silent for several moments before chuckling, leaning back against his motorcycle. "You're right. I have too much of a soft spot for ya." He pulled out a cigarette, lighting it then taking a drag. He drew his head upwards, puffing out the smoke. "Whaddya say we just forgive and forget? I truly am sorry. You can even tell Rick that I am metaphorically down on my goddamn knees begging for forgiveness~"

"I'm not forgiving or forgetting anything until you actually face Rick and apologize yourself." You muttered. And without another word, you spun on your heel and strutted back inside the church with your head held high.

Negan's intent stare lingered where your ass had just been, taking another long drag and letting out a small laugh to himself.

His eyes suddenly glowed a crimson red, a smirk playing on his lips.

Oh, he really did pick a GREAT one.

[hermankopusortizorsumshite]

Walsh

PART ONE:

Warning: smut, violence, gore, breaking and entering, sarcasm. So much swearing. Mentions of Shane c*ck.

Kennedie Gunner was Lori’s best friend throughout high school as Shane was Rick’s best friend. The two often saw a lot of each other, more than Kennedie appreciated most days. She lived down the street a little ways from Rick and Lori, and visited every chance she got. She and Lori would spend nights together if Rick was pulling a double, as Lori never felt safe alone.

“Morning Kennie! Hey, Rick’s planning a little backyard barbeque if you’re interested.” Lori smiles as she pats the seat next to her. “You want to go grocery shopping with me?” She asks, flicking the list on the table.

“Sure!” The Gunner woman cheers, grabbing her small purse and leaving out behind Lori. Carl had gone to his friend’s house for the night, excited to kick off summer.

“So first stop is the liquor store. You want to make mimosas? Or?” The brunette asks as they drive towards town.

“Whatever you want. I’ll buy booze, Lo.” The blonde offers with a smile. Lori nods in acceptance because she knows Kennedie will fight dirty to the end. As they make a right, too busy talking that Lori forgets a turn signal, a police car lights the two up and Lori groans.

“Mornin’ ladies.” That voice could make Kennedie’s blood boil.

“Morning, Officer Walsh, Officer Grimes, what did I do?” Lori asks, rolling her eyes and giggling. Kennedie wasn’t giggling.

"Miss Gunner, you still look stunningly pissed off, as per usual.” Shane calls across to her, giving her a nod.

“And you still look like a douchebag, Walsh.” She snorts, rolling her eyes as she gives him a sarcastic smile.

“Always a pleasure, Ken.” He nods, pushing back his short curls.

“Yeah, never is.” She bites, flipping him the bird.

“Anyways, gals. I noticed you didn’t use a turn signal back there.” He drawls, and Lori giggles to Kennedie with a smile on her face.

“Jesus christ, Shane. Why don’t you go do some actual police work instead of hitting on your married partner’s wife!” She jabs, and Shane stalks to the other side of the car.

“Is that illegal drugs I smell?” He asks, popping open the door and unbuckling her. “Stop out of the car, ma’am. You don’t have any weapons or drug paraphernalia on ya, right?”

“No. I don’t, asshole.” She nips, letting Shane kick her ankles apart.

“Guess I’d better check, huh?” He asks, pushing his hands down her body roughly. A shiver breaks through her and she sucks in a breath. It doesn’t go unnoticed as he steps away. “Must be the smell lingering in the car, huh? You ladies have a great day. I’ll see y’all tonight.” He chuckles, sashaying back to the car like he hadn’t made the hair on her neck stand up.

“Bye Shane! Bye honey!” Lori calls as they head towards the store. “You two love to rile each other up. You get him going, then he gets you going; it’s hilarious honestly.”

“I can’t stand that awful man. He’s so fuckin’ annoying. He walks around like his penis could save the human race. News flash, buddy! It’s probably nothin’ special!” She berates as she heads into the store with Lori.

As she and Lori finish up dinner, she quickly jogs to the bathroom to change into shorts and a bikini top. Lori had said they’d swim if it killed them. The sweet brunette meets her at the sliding glass door in her bikini and two mimosas in her hands.

“Girl, yes.” She heaves, slipping a glass from her hand and taking a sip.

“Hey, so question. Rick and I were to vacation would you be okay to watch Carl? It’d only be a weekend. Rick wants to go away for our fifth anniversary but he wants a little escape.” Lori’s cheeks flame cherry red.

“I’d love to!” She cheers, patting Lori’s knee before they both find their way into the pool. Getting settled into some floats, sunglasses on, and mimosas in hand, the two women float around the pool.

“Fire in the hole!” Shane’s deep voice carries through the breezeway before he jumps off the deck, landing directly on her float and sending her careening into the pool, mimosa soaring through the air.

“Walsh!” She yells as she comes up for air. Swimming over to him, she grabs his neck and drives him under the water. He allows her to try for another minute longer before he physically stands up and drags her out of the water with him. As she huffs and tries to swim away, his finger expertly hooks her bikini top and tugs. As she starts to stand up, her breasts are on full display for him and she gives a shriek. “You are such a pig!” She cries, face flaming red from embarrassment as she scoops her top from the water and ties it on.

“Damn, why such a prude baby? That was probably the first time another man ever saw your tits!” He calls, mockinggly gripping at the air like a pair of breasts.

“Dammit Shane. You’re always such a bully.” Rick groans as Lori heads in after her.

“She’s just sore, that’s all. She’s too closed off.” Shane gripes as he sits with Rick to drink a beer.

“Either way, listen. Me and Lori are going away for our fifth anniversary, okay? And Kennie’s in charge of Carl, but will you just check up twice a day? Sometimes he gets to be a lot for one person, yeah?”

Shane’s eyes meet Rick’s and he snorts a little.

“Rick, she’s a grown woman.”

“Yeah, but you gotta at least watch the lights, man. Women can’t shut off lights. Also, go say sorry, man.” Rick jabs a lazy finger at the larger man who only chuckles in response.

“What? Nah, man. She’s a grown woman.” He laughs, taking another drink. Rick finishes dinner on the grill and the four adults sit down to eat in the dim glow of the sting lights.

“Sorry, Ken. I’m sorry for earlier. I did not know you were a sensitive little girl.” He snorts, she grabs a piece cheese and tosses it at him. He just laughs, snatching it and sticking it to her bare chest.

“Don’t you have ass waiting for you, Walsh?” She nips.

“Nah, you wanna be?” He licks his bottom lip and wiggles his brows at he.

“A comedian? That’s very impressive. A sheriff. An asshole. And a comedian. You must be a popular man at parties.” She nods, throwing her head back in laughter.

“That’s right.” He nods, giving her his big, gorgeous smile he used on other women, and for a millisecond, he thought he saw a flash of something more behind those sarcastic, rolling eyes.

“Alright. Well, I’m gonna head home you guys. Thank you for dinner! I’ll be over Thursday night then?” She asks as she rises from the table. Shane rises as well to Rick and Lori’s surprise.

“Can I walk you home? It’s dark.” He states, giving Rick a little smile.

“Are you really that much of a lightweight? No you’re not walking me home.” She nips, shoving him away as he steps closer to her.

“Good night, Kennie.” He coos, waving goodbye.

“Shut up, Walsh.” She grabs her purse and heads for the door. Lori does follow, giving her a big hug and offering to see her Thursday.

“Yeah, we plan on leaving Thursday night when Carl gets home from school.” Lori talks as she walks with her best friend out the door.

“Got it! I’ll pack my stuff then and see you guys Thursday!” She cheers as she heads down the street. A car circles her but drives away. Finding it odd, she grabs her pepper spray that Walsh had forced her to take a few years ago.

“Weird.” She states as she goes in and shuts the door. Turning on her alarm system, she double checks the windows before heading to bed.

Thursday morning comes and she packs her suitcase before loading into her car. Driving down the street to Rick and Lori’s, she pulls in behind Rick and Shane’s cruiser. A moment of realization hits when she sees Walsh in the passenger seat eating fries.

Ducking down under his view, she tries her best to hide but when she hears the door click open and shut she sits up and gives him her best unimpressed face.

“Good morning, you prude. What are you here so early for? Rick and Lori are probably gettin’ it on, so I might suggest not going in there. Unless you’re into that. We could have an orgy on the couch.” Shane wiggles his brows, giving her a stupid grin.

“I’m not orgying with anyone who tries to hit on me with ketchup on their face like a man child.” She laughs, shoving at him as she gets out and grabs her suitcase.

“Why do you hate me so much?” He asks as he slips the case from her hands and carries it to the door. Her hands go for the handle, but Lori’s greeting interupts her.

“I don’t hate you. Dislike? Oh yeah. Hate? Uhm, no.” She answers as Lori meets her at the door with a wild grin.

“Come in!” She cheers, swinging open the door. Shane snatches her suitcase and carries it in for her.

“Walsh? You okay?” She asks, looking to him with confusion written across her face.

“Yeah, why?”

“Because you’re being nice and I want to throw up.” Kennedie nips at him, raising her brows.

“Because the confused look on your face is worth it.” He snorts, dropping it onto the couch. A little black piece of lace sticks out so far that he hooks it with his index finger and gives her a wink.

“Shit, you wanna put ‘em on? Show me how they look?”

“Oh, Christ. Fuck off.” She barks, snatching the black panties from his finger and stuffing them into the bag before storming away from him. His laugh carries, egging her on. For a split second, Shane could imagine her in those black lace panties and his breath hitched.

“I guess Rick and I are gonna head out a little early since you and Shane are here. Shane offered to get Carl from school today and tomorrow. Didn’t you?” Lori asks with a very prominent nod.

“Yeah, I figured why not. Carl likes the cruiser better than your Honda anyway.” He prods, licking his lips again, hand running over his mouth and stubble. Of course Kennedie could tell what she was doing.

“I bet. I bet you use Carl to pick up girls on your way here too, don’t ya?”

“Yeah, it ain’t worked on you yet, you grannie.” He digs, winking at her before he tugs on his utility belt. “Some of us have to work, so. I’ll get Carl from school, try to be decent when we get back.” He prods, jabbing a finger at the lace panties still in her hand. “Carl doesn’t need to see that stuff.” Balling them up, she throws them at Shane, watching them hook onto a button on his uniform.

“Shut it, Walsh.” She nips, snatching her panties away once more before heading to the living room to put them in her suitcase.

“You two enjoy each other’s company! Thanks again!” Lori calls as she and Rick barrel out the door to their car.

“Enjoy your company? That’ll be the day.” She huffs, flipping on the TV to a music channel. Shane hadn’t noticed he was staring until she looks up from cleaning up the living room.

“Why do you hate me?” He asks softly, leaning his hip against the door jam as he cards through his thick, dark curls.

“Because you treat women like objects. They only need three essential things and none of them are a personality or a heart.” She offers as she puts the books on the shelf and stacks his toys in a bin.

“I’m not as bad as you think.”

“You left Rick’s christmas party last year with one of Lori’s friends. You left Fourth of July, broke Carl’s heart, because he wanted Shane to go to the fireworks with him, because of pussy. You left the Labor Day party for pussy. You left Carl’s fifth birthday for pussy. So I love that you’re trying to connect with me for some weird reason, but Shane? You only have one thing on your mind and I won’t be a notch in that stupid utility belt.” She states matter-of-factly as she wipes down the counter.

“You’re just jealous.”

“No I’m not and it pisses you off. You can’t get to me and it bothers you doesn’t it? I’m the one woman in the entire world who isn’t drooling over your dick.” She chuckles as she wipes down the couple dishes in the sink.

“I’m really not into you. Somewhere in that sick little mind you’ve created this fantasy that I’m in love with you.” He points to his own temple as if to signal she’s crazy.

“Oh sure, I did. I heard you hold your breath when you saw those black panties. Somewhere in that sick little brain of yours, you’re imagining what I look like in those. Don’t ya?” She asks, giving him a dirty smirk. Storming up against her, he gets in her face and she doesn’t back down.

“You bet. And all you think about is that Walsh dick. Right? You want some?” He growls, his body against hers.

“No thank you, Shane. But I appreciate the offer.” She coos, giving him a sweet smile before slipping past him. “Bye! See you in a couple hours!” She calls as he storms out the house.

As she hears a car pull in the driveway, she looks out to see Shane and Carl grinning and laughing, Carl’s face covered in blue around his mouth. Heading out the front door to greet them, a stern look as her arms cross over her chest.

“OH shoot. Run little man. Kennie’s mad!” He grabs Carl’s hand, trying to run away.

“You two get in here. Shane! He had ice cream?” She whines, waving to the blue stain around his mouth.

“It was only a little. We shared one scoop.” He offered.

“Carl, are you hungry for dinner? There’s enough for you too, Walsh.” She states as she leads Carl into the house and wipes off his face.

“You wanna wipe off my face too?” Shane calls. She just huffs, rolling her eyes as she sets a couple plates down.

“Are you eating?” She asks, eyes never leaving the chicken on the stove.

“Can I trust her cookin’?” He whispers loudly to Carl, catching her attention.

“Yeah. She’s a good cooker.” Carl assures in a loud whisper.

“A’right. I’ll stay.” He nods like he’s doing her a favor and sits at the table, unclipping his utility belt and hanging it over the chair. They eat in silence, not much to say.

“At school today, this girl told me that she thinks I’m cute. I told her what you say uncle Shane. Cute’s my middle name.” He giggles, “and then she kissed me on the cheek uncle Shane!” He cheers, earning a hand shake and a laugh from the large man.

“Oh that’s great, Walsh.” She chimes, giving him a dark look.

“Nice job.” He smiles, patting Carl’s head. Forking a chunk of chicken into his mouth, he moans at the delicious flavor and when she looks across to him confused he just nods to Carl, “you were right. Good cooker.” Shane nods, talking with his mouth full.

They finish their meal in quiet, Shane shooting Carl funny faces every now and again, making him giggle.

“Thanks for dinner.” He nods as he rises to his feet, scrubbing a hand down his jaw.

“No problem.” She smiles, grabbing the dishes up and heading to the sink.

“Hey Aunt Kennie?” Carl asks, looking to her as he brings his plate over in two little ketchup-covered hands. “Momma says you and uncle Shane won’t date a’cause you’re too stubborn. What does stubborn mean?” He asks, looking up holding his plate.

“Me and uncle Shane can’t date because he’s a womanizer, okay?” She explains, putting his plate into the sink with the other two. Shane coughs, drawing attention to himself. “What?” She asks very plainly.

“You can’t tell a five year old that his uncle is a womanizer.” He retorts.

“I just did.”

“What’s a womanizer?” Carl asks, looking to Kennedie for the answer.

“It’s when a guy treats women, not nice.” She improvises, deciding ‘like toys’ wasn’t the best answer.

“Oh, uncle Shane can’t be a woman fighter, he’s too nice. He changed an ol’ girl’s tire the other day.” Carl responds, holding out his hands to be washed.

“Not a woman fighter, hun, a womanizer.” She chuckles, looking over her shoulder to see Shane laughing softly to himself.

“Uncle Shane, are you taking me to school tomorrow?” Carl asks as she wipes away the ketchup from his hands and fingers.

“Sure, bud. I’ll be here at seven-thirty, okay?” He asks, crouching down to Carl level. Carl nods, hugging the officer before letting Shane rise to his feet and head to the door.

“See you in the morning, Walsh. And don’t be early. I’m not a morning person.” She nips, jabbing a finger at him.

“So six is good then?” He asks as he walks out the door and closes it behind him.

[wexarethewalkingxdead]

🍑 (from Lori to Daryl)

@we-will-begin-again

Send me a 🍑 to slap my muse on the ass. - @we-will-begin-again​

NO LONGER ACCEPTING!

Daryl always loved the quiet moments at the prison when the kids were outside playing and everyone was busy. It gave him time to let his mind rest, and that was much appreciated from the time they'd spend on the road during the winter months between the fall of the farm and finding the prison. He heard the door to the cellblock open, then clang shut behind whoever it was that came in but he didn't think too much of it as he leaned against the railing to the stairs with his back to the door.

It wasn't until a hand slipped along his ass then pulled back slightly and smacked it that he damn near jumped out of his skin. He turned, hand pulled back and balled into a fist before he saw Lori's face. His throat instantly felt as if it was swollen and closed off as he dropped his hand. "Scared the shit out of me," he admitted when he found his voice a few seconds later.

Lori's eyes were wide, a touch of fear but mostly shame as she saw the fear in his eyes. She recognized the fight or flight response because she'd often witnessed that in Shane when they were younger and he'd fallen asleep on the couch at the Grimes' house while he'd been there for a visit. "Hey..." she breathed softly, trying to keep her voice soft and soothing. "I didn't mean to startle you." She knew that life hadn't been kind to him, and she never wanted to upset him like that. Ever.

He shook his head, lifting his hand, palm out. "Nah, it's okay. Just wasn't expecting it." He reached for her wrist then, stepping into her as he tried to slow his rapidly beating heart. "Sorry for raisin' my hand to you."

She slipped into his arms, hugging him as tightly as she dared and shook her head. "You don't have to apologize, Daryl. Promise, it's okay." Her head turned, nuzzling into his neck as she breathed him in for a long moment before she pulled back and lifted her face to him and felt him relax as he dipped down and kissed her softly on the mouth.

"I'm still learnin'," he promised her, giving her a soft reassuring smile that maybe one day simple things like a smack on the ass wouldn't cause him so much fear.

[justjessame]

The Deal Chapter 63

Jocelyn, Michonne’s friend, has a group with many kids. It seems odd to me, so many children, without as many adults, but who am I to judge? I see their eyes land on my bump, Michonne’s bump, and Daryl’s protective nature. I feel the cold chill I normally get when someone I love is in danger, but they all seem so normal. Survivors, by nature, are watchful. It’s what keeps them alive. At least that’s what I tell myself over and over.

Judith and our other young ones, kids I’ve helped teach and read to, have a bonfire and sleepover with the newcomers. Innocent, or so it seems. Why then, as Daryl sleeps comfortably next to me, can’t I let the chill be overcome by his warm? Why can’t I fall off to sleep too?

I tell myself, as I creep down the hallway and out the front door, that I’m only going to make sure that Judith has fallen asleep in the company of these strangers. It’s when I’m getting closer that I feel a sharp pain in my head and then darkness takes me under.

When I come to, I’m in the infirmary. The pain is terrible. From my head down to my toes and I can’t seem to move. What the literal fuck? And then I realize that I feel no movement from my baby. Nothing. Usually when I first wake up, or when I’m coming awake, the baby is so active that I feel like I’m going to pee myself. Nothing. And I remember going to check on Judith and the world spins and I feel like I’m going to throw up.

“Hey,” I guess I moved, flinched or groaned. It’s Michonne, and she’s holding tight to my hand. “You’re awake.”

“What happened?” My voice is hoarse and dry. “Why am I in the infirmary?”

She sighs, grabbing a cup of water from the side table and helping me sit up. I realize that my bump, usually so full and active is still so horribly quiet. “Jocelyn, her people, they-” She took a deep breath and after I drank helped me lay back down. “They took the children.” I tried to sit back up. “No, Jessi, it’s fine. We got everyone back.” But I can see, in the way she won’t meet my eyes that something is wrong.

“Judith?” My voice broke, my fear so very strong.

“She’s fine, Jessi.” I saw Michonne swallow hard. “They killed one of ours, and left you-” I waited, wondering if-

“Daryl.” My voice was a breath. If it wasn’t Judith, then Daryl. He was one of ours. Did they murder him?

She shook her head and took my hand in hers. “No, honey, not Daryl.” I was confused. Then what was so terrible that she couldn’t look at me? “It’s your baby.” My baby?

I felt my heart clench and I knew. It wasn’t moving. “My baby?” I felt my eyes sting. “Mom?”

Michonne finally looked into my face and I saw it. The pain of loss, a pain she knew. Her eyes were shining with tears. “Siddiq, he realized yesterday, when we brought you in.” Yesterday? Fuck. “He’s going to have to help you-”

I was gasping for air. “Where’s Daryl?” And then I saw him, in the doorway, holding Judith. “I’m sorry.” The tears were blurring my eyes. I was sobbing. I’d done it. I’d failed so terribly at the ONE thing we both wanted. “I’m sorry.”

Daryl handed Judith to Michonne and pulled me upright into his arms. “It’s OK, Jessi, we can try again.” He was kissing my hair, promising me that this wasn’t our only shot at our family.

It was our only shot. If I’d lost my baby during the time before, there would have been a way to induce my labor. I would have been able to give birth, naturally, and no harm no foul. This wasn’t the time before. And Siddiq, while a great medic, was NOT a OB/GYN with a full arsenal of medication at his disposal.

I ended up having a flash of Lori’s fear and death. Somehow, my baby did not turn, perhaps babies are slower in turning? Perhaps I got insanely lucky. What I wasn’t lucky in was having a cesarean that didn’t end in at least partial tragedy. My tragedy wasn’t death. It was simply an end to my ability to have children.

I will not go back through the pain of having that surgery performed. I will not graphically recall the blood and the fear and the pain. I won’t allow myself to remember finding out that Siddiq hadn’t been completely successful and that I would never get to have a child by Daryl, or anyone for that matter.

I survived. My baby didn’t. A tiny girl whose brain had to be pierced just in case. A little girl that would never play in Alexandria, never be given a piggy back ride by me or her daddy, a little girl that I couldn’t even name because my pain was so overwhelming.

Once I was well enough to move, I walked carefully back through Alexandria, a fog of grief and barely noticed anyone or their expressions. I made my way back to the house I shared with Michonne, Daryl, and Judith. I walked to my room, and I tried to focus on Judith’s gift of a painting. Me, Uncle Daryl, Mom, and was that Negan?

“Judith,” I pulled her carefully onto my lap, since I was still in pain. “Who is this?” I pointed to the bearded man that was on the other side of my colorful self.

“Negan.” She said, snuggling into my chest. Which also ached, because my milk hasn't dried up yet. “He make you feel better.”

I closed my eyes and felt my chest tighten. “He does?”

She nodded, and sighed. “Was scared.” She whispered and I kissed her curls. “Mommy was bloody.” Oh God. “All over. You weren’t there.” I felt my eyes start to burn. “Uncle Daryl and Mommy not tell me what happened.”

Damn it. “I’m sorry, baby.” I tried to rock her, but pain flashed through my body. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

“You were asleep on the road.” Fuck, she’d seen. “I wanted to see you, but they not let me.”

My eyes closed again. “You’re safe now, Jude. You’re safe.”

She tilted her face up to look at me. “You sad. Uncle Daryl said-” I saw her look at where my baby had once cradled inside of me. Her tiny hand touched it gently. “No more baby?”

I was crying and hugging her to me when Michonne and Daryl came to the doorway. “Judith, sweetheart, let’s let Jessi rest?” Mom offered, walking over and picking her up. “We love you, honey.” She was looking at me and I nodded, pushing Judith’s painting onto the side table.

She walked out with Judith blowing me a kiss and telling me she loved me. Daryl was leaning against the wall beside the door. “Get some rest, Jessi.” I sighed, and started to lay down. “I’m gonna go back to searching.” I closed my eyes and knew, even as he was saying it, that he didn’t want to be here with me. Not now. “Maybe I can find-”

I nodded, rolling over so he was confronted with my back. “OK, be safe.” I couldn’t offer more. Not now. Not after failing so spectacularly.

“I love you.” He said quietly and I nodded. If you loved me, I wanted to scream, then you’d stay. But I didn’t. He needed time to grieve in his own way. And being alone was Daryl’s way.

“Me too,” I offered, but I wasn’t sure he’d waited. Or if he’d heard.

I healed. Physically, and as mentally as I could. I had to. Mom was growing closer to her due date, and I had to be there to help. I wanted to be there. I’d watched Judith be born, traumatizing though it was, and I wanted to see my newest sibling come into this world.

Daryl was seen less and less. We drifted further and further apart. And between the grief I felt over the loss of our baby, the excitement I allowed to take its place in part at the impending arrival of Mom’s baby, I didn’t get to visit Negan.

My little brother, Rick Grimes Jr came into this world with a lusty scream and I swore that I could see Dad and Carl in his tiny face. I see Michonne, and my heart nearly explodes with love. He doesn’t replace my little girl, but he’s wonderful.

I’m walking home, after his birth, when I decide that it’s time to see Negan. The guard barely looks at me and I go inside, the darkness of his cell pisses me off. Light isn’t a luxury, so he should have some. I’ll have to talk to Mom about it later.

“Come to show me your little one?” His voice, sounding hoarse from disuse, is quiet. My heart pounds at the reminder of my loss, but I can’t be angry with him for not knowing. I am appreciative that no one told him.

“No.” I answer sadly, taking the single hard chair and moving it closer to his cell. “I don’t think you can see the cemetery from here.”

“Cemetery?” He takes in my appearance in the dimness. “Oh, Jessi, no.” Strange, he sounds like he cares. As though he feels the pain I feel. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.” He’s moved so he’s standing at the bars, his hands reaching through, but I don’t take them.

“Yeah, I-” I feel a sob building and force it down. Today is a happy day, I remind myself, think of little RJ. “She didn’t make it.” I take a deep breath. “My new baby brother did.” I smile, remembering his tiny fist. “There’s a new Rick Grimes in town.”

Negan kneels on the hard floor and looks up at me. “Sweetheart, let’s go back to the baby.” I shake my head. No, I won’t. “You need to talk about it.” Shit, why? “Tell me.”

And I do. What I’ve pieced together about the night Jocelyn’s people kidnapped Judith and the others. About the head wound they gave me, about being found JUST in time to save me, but not the baby. How my little sister and the other kids, including one of Jocelyn's group was saved. About my cesarean operation and the resulting damage. And how, even after all that, I wanted to just think about RJ and Judith.

“Where’s Daryl?” It was quiet, but loaded. “Why isn’t he here, making sure you’re talking?”

“He suffered a loss too, Negan.” It sounded lame, but it was true. “Daryl does better on his own to process.”

He nodded, sensing no doubt that I wasn’t in the mood to rehash his feelings on Daryl’s failures where I was concerned. “I can’t have kids either.” It was quiet, but just as pained as how I felt when I learned that my hopes were gone. “Lucille and I tried, and tried. Nothing. I shoot blanks.”

“Why did the wife-” It was weird, but I was curious about the pregnancy test I’d seen, which led me to Alexandria’s cache of tests.

“Sherry.” He nodded. “She, before she agreed to-” He sighed. “Her and Dwight-”

“Oh.” They’d run off together, but I’d assumed, god knew what. “Guess we’re a sad pair.” I gave a dark chuckle. “Both genetic dead ends.”

Negan shook his head. “No. We can’t make babies, Jessi, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make an impact.” I snorted. “OK, not necessarily the best fucking impacts in my case, but you, oh, Jessica Grimes, you are more than fucking remarkable.”

I felt better, slightly, by the time I’d kissed him goodbye and walked home. Judith came rushing to greet me, and I told her all about RJ and how she could meet him the next day. Smiling at the woman who’d stayed with her while I was with Michonne, trying hard to ignore the pity I could see in her eyes, I closed the front door and got us both some dinner.

[daryl-dixsin]

Witchcraft: Part 1

Daryl Dixon x Fem OC

The Grimes Family

      "So if a cell has membrane bound organelles, what type of cell would it be?" I asked Carl, wondering if my explanation had made sense. Even if he didn't get it yet, spending more time teaching entry level biology was a nice break from my graduate level zoology classes.

       "Um... an animal cell?" He looked up at me, hoping to get the answer right. Although Carl loved science, he was having some trouble with his new biology class.

      "That's right," I smiled, happy he was finally getting it, "And remember, if you want to impress all the cute girls in your class, call them eukaryotes instead," I laughed, ruffling his hair as I stood up from the dining room table and walked over to the counter where, on the other side, Lori was cooking dinner in the kitchen.

       "Thanks, Aunt Mackenzie!" Carl called as he packed up his school supplies and ran up to his room to squeeze in some video game time before dinner.

       "How many times do I have to tell you, just call me by my name, you make me sound forty!" I called back at him, hearing muffled laughter as he reached the top of the steps. "He does that on purpose, I'm sure of it," I laughed, turning back to Lori, who was looking at me with a quizzical expression, "Not that forty is old!" I offered, trying to hold back more laughter, which just caused her to laugh as well.

       "You're a little shit, you know that, Mack?" Lori always gave me a hard time on account of me always giving her a hard time in the first place. That's how its always been, even when we were kids. "But insults aside, I really appreciate you helping Carl with his homework all the time, I think he's really starting to look up to you," she offered me a smile as she finished up the cooking.

       "Well in that case, my apologies in advance if your son turns out to be a nerd," I teased her, walking around the counter and into the kitchen to help carry dishes to the dining room table, "And it's my pleasure, hanging out with Carl is a small price to pay for staying with you guys until I get my own apartment."

       "Don't be foolish, we're happy to have you here. But if you keep telling him the scientific names for things are going to impress girls, we might have an issue," Lori joked before taking some of the dishes into the dining room after me, "He's got the cool sister for a mom, so hopefully that overrules," she let out a small laugh, only to laugh even harder at the fake shocked face I had on.

       "Shouldn't teaching Carl how to get girls be the father's job?" Rick asked, a whimsical tone present in his voice, as he rounded the corner, taking his boots off before walking into the dining room, smiling at the two of us. Things had been tense between Rick and Lori lately, but he was trying his best to keep everyone happy despite how much he had to work. Being the sheriff's deputy wasn't an easy job.

       "Alright, but I've learned giving him pickup lines relating to science is frowned upon, so be careful," I teased Rick right back as Lori made her way over to him to welcome him home before calling Carl downstairs for dinner.

        The next day started out fairly normal; Rick went to work, Carl went to school, Lori tidied up the house, and I finally started my new job. Lori and Rick were even starting to ease up on each other while Carl and I were becoming close as well. Everything seemed to be going in just the right direction.

       "So how did your interview go?" Lori asked me before taking another drink of her coffee. I'd worked at a zoo back home in Washington, but now that I had moved to Georgia for graduate school, I had been looking for a new job. Luckily, there was a zoo not too far away from where I was staying with my sister, Lori, and her family until I had found an apartment of my own.

       "Really well, they hired me on the spot," I said happily, swinging my feet as I sat on a stool inside a coffee shop Lori and I had stopped at before picking Carl up from school, "They were impressed by my wildlife ecology degree and all my experience at the zoo back home," I thought back to the interview, finishing up my tea. "About time to go?"

       Lori checked her phone for the time and nodded, "School will be out soon and I like to get there before Carl gets excused from class," she said as she got up, putting her used coffee cup in the dirty dish bin before heading to the door. I followed her swiftly, doing the same before heading out the door, holding it open for her before making way to the car.

        It was a short drive to Carl's school, and we had been talking with one of Lori's friends while waiting for the bell to ring. We hadn't been there long when a short siren sounded from the parking lot followed by two police cars driving up closer to where we stood. My face displayed an expression of confusion as I looked back to Lori, who was straight faced, looking at the vehicles grimly. It was then I noticed a man getting out of one of the cars, a man I recognized to be Rick's partner, Shane.

       "Excuse me," she said, emotionless, as she left my side and made her way over to Shane as he straightened himself out, although not looking completely comfortable with whatever situation had presented itself. The school bell rang as they were talking, so I just stood ahead, waiting for Carl to come out. I didn't know what was going on, but I knew he'd need a smiling face to greet him. I waved as I saw him emerge out the classroom doors, smiling as brightly as I could.

       "Hey kiddo, how was school?" I asked warmly, putting a hand on his head, ruffling his hair as he laughed, trying to push my hand away playfully. I then noticed Lori had walked back over to stand at my side once again. I looked to her, meeting her gaze. All I could do was nod my head slightly and give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before giving her and Carl some time to talk about whatever was happening.

       "Hey, man, what's going on?" I decided to stand next to Shane, giving him a reassuring smile, as he looked even more uncomfortable than I did, "Where's Rick?"

       "He uh... He got shot."

[whateverisbeautiful]

Reveling in Richonne

#50: The “Me and You” (7x8)

The big 5-0! It is so fitting that this iconic Richonne cell scene ends up being the 50th Reveling, because this moment is one of the most monumental and moving Richonne milestones to date. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

Once again, we were blessed with this breathtaking scene. And just like the Kiss of Life scene makes me happy dance every time, this cell scene makes me cry internally every time. It’s just so deep and heartfelt and beautiful. Like this really is me every time I see this scene…

Cuz, y’all, our couple is the greatest. Like Richonne is the GOAT. 🙌🏾 👑They are a shining example of what love at it’s best can be, and proof that love prevails. 

The fact that all the events of 7A were some of the most trying and difficult times that R&M have had to ever go through, and yet they could land on this touching empowering moment in the cell, just serves as further proof that this couple is the real deal. And can I just say that I adore how passionate and intimate Rick and Michonne can be outside of just physically. Like just a look or line between them is fire. And this scene right here was 🔥🔥!

So we are going to do a literal play by play to breakdown every moment of gold we got in this scene. Like literal play by play. (Y’all know I’m extra, so this is super long 🙈 But this scene is so extra good that I had to go all the way in 😋) So Rick returns to ASZ to find that, thanks to his lovely son, Negan is in ASZ making spaghetti and murdering people. 😑 That’s not the best sight to come home to. Like literally everything is in chaos by the time Rick makes it to Negan. Side note: The fact that Negan was all up in Rick’s house and yet he didn’t realize there was obviously a woman living there. Even the Claimers noticed the presence of a woman when they were in that house in “Claimed” and Grimes 2.0 had barely been living in that house. But as observant as Negan thinks he is, he totally missed this. (I know the writers just didn’t want to have to address it lol😂) And I’m def not mad that Negan didn’t notice because it keeps Michonne protected, but the fact that he was in the King and Queens house and didn’t notice and then also that he had the nerve to make a mess in their kitchen lol. 🙄 I said it once about Negan and I’ll say it again…

So after being slapped around by Negan yet again and being told that all the stuff he got for the Saviors is still not enough, Rick finds himself completely defeated and exhausted as he kneels down in the Morgan-Made cell and stares down at the paper that says, “Congrats on winning, but you still lose.” Rick being in this literal prison is very symbolic of Rick feeling mentally imprisoned, and he's realizing that doing what Negan says doesn't make things any easier like he hoped. Again, it's like; sure you win another day of life by serving Negan, but you still lose so much dignity and quality of life. 

I think both Rick and Michonne had to go on a journey of realizing that; you could maybe win if you do it the way you think is right but you’ll still lose if you try to do things without the other. 

So as this scene begins, Rick looks locked up in every way. But, luckily, his rock shows up to bail him out of his imprisoned state. When Michonne stood in that doorway I knew this scene was about to be good. You could just sense it lol. 😋 And, man, did they deliver. So Rick stares down at this paper, really feeling the weight of the fact that in trying to win with Negan he’s only been losing, and then he hears the door open. He doesn’t really respond when he hears it open cuz you can tell he’s not thinking it’s who it ends up being. Then Michonne stands at the entrance and she sees him on the ground, looking so worn down, and I know that had to break her heart. She knows her man is going through it, but not just that, she feels his pain as well.

So Rick looks over and realizes it’s his wife and so he quickly stands up. Michonne stays near the door and sort of nervously says, “Carl told me you were in here, I…” and then she trails off. I feel like the possible nervousness coming from Michonne has to do with the fact that she knows she went out without letting Rick know and she feels bad that she wasn’t able to be in ASZ with him when all the Savior stuff went down. I think she feels like she’s unsure how he’ll respond to her having left to try and fight this on her own. And her potential nervousness is significant because it lets you know how much Michonne cares. She cares to not let this man down and so, even though she can do whatever she wants, she knows deep down that doing what she wants doesn’t feel right if he’s not apart of it. Rick remains silent as he looks right at her. Michonne stays near the doorway cuz it feels like she doesn’t know if he wants distance after knowing she went out on her own, so that’s why I appreciate that Rick slowly but surely walks towards her and closes the distance. 

This time it’s Rick’s turn to let Michonne know he’s not disappointed. Like in 7x5, Michonne let Rick know she’s not disappointed in him via the Kiss of Life and Rick lets Michonne know he’s just happy she’s okay when he walks towards her to give the sweetest hug I’ve ever seen.

I adore this hug. It’s precious and really shows us how he’s honestly just happy that she’s okay and that she’s here now. As much as this hug feels like a hug between a husband and wife what I love is that it also really feels like a hug between best friends too. Like Rick seems so grateful to have his best friend back. It’s so sweet and this hug doesn’t have to turn steamy in order to still be so meaningful and passionate.

It’s so clear that they’ve missed each other and Michonne is the best thing Rick’s seen all day. It reminds me that this relationship was truly built on a solid friendship. And right now, Rick needs his best friend, as this hug conveys. So they have this adorable hug and then Michonne gently breaks away from the hug. It’s interesting cuz you can tell Rick definitely would have hugged her a lot longer but Michonne knew that she had to take a big leap of faith and proceed to completely bare her heart and soul to her man. Again this makes me think of 7x4 and how Rick leveled with Michonne by sharing about his own realizations and now Michonne is going to try and level with Rick by sharing what she’s realized and being as vulnerable with him as he’s been with her.

It’s interesting because Rick does briefly look a bit unsure in this moment of why Michonne has pulled away from the hug. It’s so sad that because of Rick’s past relationship he’s become used to women doubting him and not understanding him and having unreasonable expectations of him, so he seems to be sort of uncertain if Michonne is about to express similar disappointment in him here. Like think about the pushback he got from Lori when he did something that she suggested at one point and killed Shane in self defense. But Rick has a different kind of chick now. 🙌🏾 And so even after jumping the gun with Negan, resulting in the deaths of two TF Members, and the enslavement of the rest of TF, Michonne doesn't even remotely blame or walk away from Rick, in fact she steps closer.  And what happens next, is Michonne perfectly reassures Rick of her love, while Danai simultaneously slays this monologue. 👸🏾 She tells Rick “I found what I was looking for”. It’s interesting because in not finding an exact solution to take down Negan, what Michonne instead found was even more invaluable. She found what she really wants.

She then says, “I wanted to go with you and Aaron, but I couldn’t.” Even when 7x5 first aired, I remember thinking part of the reason it felt so strange for Michonne to decline Rick’s offer is because I could tell she wanted to go with them, so it was cool to get this confirmed. 

And it’s also interesting because what this says is that, when Rick offered for her to join him, her heart was telling her to embrace “wife” Michonne and go with him, but she fought what her heart was telling her in order to try and do things the old way, one last time. But our hearts have a way of always leading us back to where they wanted us in the first place. And in trying to do it her way, her heart still lead her back to where it belongs; which is with Rick. 

Btw, Andrew Lincoln also knocks it out of the park with the acting he does just through listening. 👌 🏽Like as she speaks you can tells he’s hanging on to her every word.

She tells Rick “I had to go my way.” Michonne’s a woman who doesn’t just wait for someone to figure things out, she wants to see things for herself. The use of “had” just lets you know that the will to fight is so deeply apart of who she is. You can see that, as Rick listens, he’s still waiting for possible rejection. Like he knows he doesn’t want to do things without her and hearing her say “I had to go my way”, I think made him a bit anxious. But he also understands who she is. Like he gets that his woman is someone who can take care of business all on her own, but he doesn’t want her to have to do things on her own. And then she says something big when she tells him, “But when I found it….I realized that…I didn’t want it to be my way.” That lone wolf DNA we saw in 7x7 was classic Michonne but, as cool as it was to see her back in OG mode, it felt different than past seasons cuz now going “rogue” without Rick made her outing feel incomplete. And not just to us, but to Michonne too. She tried her old way and could feel something missing. And that “something” was Rick. I love the small smile/laugh she does when she says this line because it means Michonne understands the significance of how much she’s changed. Like she’s gone from being completely isolated to now wanting to be someone’s partner in love and life. And with conviction Michonne tells him, “I wanted it to be ours.” First; 😭👏🏽😭👏 🏽Second; I love that she says ours. Like they are one and she knows it. This is so meaningful because this is a woman who’s way is almost always on point and accurate, so it’s a big deal for her to say, “Even though my way often works, I still don’t want to do things that way if it’s not with you.” 

I love that while she was out being a lone wolf her heart was helping her see that what she really wants is to be with Rick, taking this on together. What I appreciate is that, by saying “wanted”, it’s implying that this is something she’s been wanting. She wants it now, yes, but this isn’t a new feeling. What she’s realized is that being by Rick’s side is what she’s always wanted. Also this scene always makes me emotional because I think about when Michonne was first introduced and how broken and isolated she was. How she probably thought life would never get better and she’d never have a family again. And now she has the love of her life and a family that loves and cherishes her. 

Like I love that, that same Season Three Warrior is now here telling Rick she wants things to be “ours” and she wants him. And I’m glad that she’s now going for what she wants. 👌🏽🙌🏾 And then, after that, she says the line that will forever move me, “Me and you.” 😭😭😭 Y’all this line gets me every time! I adore this. The heartfelt emotional delivery of this line is just too good. I love that she says “Me and you” and gestures to both of them to clarify that she means; Rick and Michonne. She wants to do things not just “TF way” but the Rick and Michonne way. And then the cut to Rick as she says this. 😭 Y’all it’s too much lol. So good. Like it’s this moment when we see the relief as Rick realizes she’s absolutely here to stay and that she is with him through literally thick and thin. Like you can tell he too knows the significance of the Michonne telling him she wants it to be her and him from here on out. Rick gets yet another reminder that Michonne is ride or die. 👌🏽

Michonne goes on to confirm to Rick that “There are more of them, even more than we thought. We are outnumbered. It’s not even close.” 

Again, Michonne is showing that she’s reflected on Rick’s words by saying "We are outnumbered" cuz she knows the “numbers” was a big point Rick made in 7x4. And what I love is the use of “we”. Not once does she separate the two of them, because she truly wants them to be in this together. She’s not just making it where Rick is up against these odds, she’s right there with him.

And then she says, “But that doesn’t change the way that I feel, because it doesn’t change the way that things are.” This is pretty big too. She just told Rick "You’re right that we’re at a major disadvantage in this fight…but I still feel the same about fighting back." It’s deep cuz by saying that “being outnumbered doesn’t change how things are” she’s saying that, “Even with all the odds against us, that doesn’t change the fact that I’m still Michonne and you’re still Rick and together we can overcome anything, no matter the odds.” She believes in Richonne. Me too, girl! ✋🏽😋

And then she tells him, “We’re still alive, Rick” which I love cuz she says his name and because it’s super deep. Yes they’re the “Walking Dead”...but they’re also still alive. And I love that she says “Rick” cuz she wants him to hear this specifically, because she knows, ever since Negan, Rick’s been operating like they aren’t fully alive. Again, Rick’s getting a reminder that their hearts are still beating and how that has to count for something.

I love when she says, “So much has happened. So much that we shouldn’t have lived through” because you really see Michonne the human being in this line. Like, here, I saw the woman, from before the apocalypse, who never thought she’d have gone through all that she’s gone through. Like they’ve rolled with a lot of punches in the ZA to where you can forget that this stuff is crazy to them too. Just like us, what they’ve gone through and experienced is a lot for them to process too, they’ve just had to adapt. And hearing her say this reminded me of just how human they are. Plus, I love when characters acknowledge the past cuz it makes them more real and the way she says this, you can tell it really hits home to her just how much she and him have actually been through. Like Rick and Michonne specifically, have gone through a lot because they’re natural leaders and warriors and so they’ve been at the forefront of a lot of battles both with people and walkers. They’ve had to take the brunt of a lot of obstacles and it wasn’t easy but they always came out stronger cuz of them. It’s significant for Michonne to acknowledge that they’ve made it through things that they shouldn’t have lived through. Cuz it reminds you, they know they aren’t immortal and she’s aware of how fortunate they are to be alive despite many a near death experience.

And the next line is, “And in spite of it, or maybe because of it, we did.” I love the “we did” because since this is Rick’s story we’ve understandably seen so much through his perspective but, hearing Michonne say this, reminds you that she’s gone through so much of this story with him.

Like since Michonne arrived at the prison, R&M have gone through and experienced so much together, so this line is nice cuz it gives you insight into how Michonne has processed all the craziness they’ve had to endure. She has a wonderful approach of choosing to look at their past as not a burden but a motivator, as to why they can keep surviving and living...cuz they already survived so much. 

(Side note: I just realized the significance of this Richonne scene taking place in a cell. It feels full circle to how R&M met at a prison lol)

And then she tells him, “We’re still here. The two of us.” Again, I absolutely adore this. I love that she says the two of us, just to keep reminding Rick that she is both speaking to and giving her heart to solely Rick in this moment. 😍 And Michonne’s right. It really is special that they're still here. Cuz there’s been so many occasions where they technically shouldn’t be here. I know the lineup is probably the one freshest on their minds. I feel like Michonne telling Rick the two of them are still here was her trying to wake Rick up to the fact that; they didn’t die that night of the lineup, so they shouldn’t keep living like they did. Like throughout 7A, they had been living like their lives ended that night, but Michonne wants Rick to know that the two of them are still here and so they should keep fighting in order to stay here. The use of “The two of us” also stuck out to me because it reminds you that not everyone is still here after that lineup. Like I just could sense the gratitude that Michonne has about the fact that her husband and son survived that night. Don’t get me wrong, the loss of Glenn and Abe was immensely painful and something all the characters will grieve for a long time. But if you think about it, Rick technically shouldn’t have survived that night. Carl could have easily lost his arm that morning. Her boys’ lives were in serious danger and targeted the most out of everyone, and yet they’re still here. You know that means so much to Michonne, that the love of her life is still here and survived a night where he could have been very easily taken away. 😥 And I feel like Michonne knows that, Abe and Glenn, especially, would want them to make the most of the fact they are still here, rather than pause life and carry on like they lost their lives that night, when they didn’t. It’s Glenn’s sentiment of; living to honor the dead. Plus, I feel like saying we’re still here also is saying, “Me and you are still as in love and committed to each other as ever, and if we can still be here with each other after so many trials, then we can take on anything that comes our way.” She tells him, “We’re still standing, and we’re gonna keep standing.” It’s so powerful and motivating. Like this is the proof that Michonne does not fantasize failing. 👏🏽 She trusts her and Rick’s abilities to keep standing despite the weight of the world on their shoulders. That’s real faith in your man. She knows they’re the baddest of the bunch. 😊 

And plus she says standing to emphasize that if they have enough strength to get up and stand then that means they should refuse to kneel.

Also I love that Rick can’t help but walk towards her as she says this. 😊 *mag to the nets* And the tear that comes to his eye is just so powerfully sweet and emotional cuz he too is acknowledging how lucky he is that she and him are still here.

Next she says “So what do we do with that? How do we make that mean something?” She's asking cuz she wants this to be a joint decision too. She wants it to be them figuring it out together. She also respects this man as a leader and so she wants this to be something that Rick too provides guidance on. Life’s too short to live it meaninglessly and so Michonne wants them to make the most of the time they have. 

I love that she involves him in this by making it a question. Rick truly has met his match in every way and this is a woman who isn’t demanding he figure it out himself, she wants to figure it out with him and fight along side him.  I especially adore all the “us” and “we” terms used throughout this speech cuz she wants them to be a unit from here on out. It's saying, “We, me and you, have what it takes to live, so how do we use that to help others live?”

And then she powerfully reminds him, “We’re the ones who get things done. You said that.” I am so here for the way she puts her finger on him when she says “you said that”. 👌🏽 Like I love that she feels close enough to do that cuz that is her man y’all. And she knows it. And it’s true. They are the “Get things done” Grimes. 😋 And then Michonne keeps her finger on him as she says, what will become their motto, “We’re the ones who live.” I love that she is fully breathing life into him through these words. And that they are actually his own words. Like when she said “You said that” I originally just thought “Oh okay maybe they’re suggesting he said that at some point off screen.” But then I realized that was a season five callback. 🙊 

When Rick was wild’n’ out, himself, and going off on the Alexandrians in “Try” he literally says “We’re the ones who live” in regards to TF. But it’s honestly so cool and meaningful that even in the craziness of that season five moment, Michonne was listening and really allowing Rick’s words to resonate with her. And can we talk about the amount of respect Michonne has for this man that, even in a moment that was not Rick’s finest hour, she could still see past the aggressiveness and PTSD to know that he’s not wrong. The presentation was wrong but she still saw that he is right in saying they are the ones who live. I love that his words have stuck with her all this time and now here she is saying it back to him in a moment of complete sanity, as contrasted to how he was when he first said it.

Like I so appreciate the way Michonne appreciates this man and values his words. They’ve been in love for longer than they realized, y’all. 😊 And, again, it’s cool cuz we’re seeing a past moment of the show through her perspective. It, again, reminds you that this is season five Rick and Michonne and now they’re in this cell baring their hearts to one another. Hallelu! 🙌🏾

And, I love that Michonne takes something that was more aggressive and refines it and makes it stronger and more motivational, to the point where now that line can be their motto. 👏🏽 I love how positive and accurate that motto is. 

Also it’s interesting cuz Rick has stayed looking right at Michonne the whole time she talks, and it’s only when he hears this line that he looks away for the first time, as he soaks in the fact that she has been taking his words to heart for the longest 

So, as Rick looks away, Michonne continues to look at him as she says, “That’s why we have to fight.” Notice this is a statement lol. Like in 7x4, she was sort of suggesting that they could fight and this time she’s letting him know (what she knows he already knows) which is we have to fight. 

She's emotional cuz she's putting her heart out on the line here and, she knows that last time they talked about it Rick wasn't in agreement, so she knows that he might still shut it down but it weighs too heavy on her heart not to bring it up again. She wants them to fight back because her and him are the ones who can. I love when she again gestures between them and says “Not for us”. It just feels like she’s acknowledging that they’re husband and wife. And it also feels so strong and selfless. She’s saying, "I want it to be us, fighting for something bigger than us." And then she goes on to list who they’re fighting for when she says, “But for Judith, for Carl, for Alexandria, for the Hilltop. For all of us.” I love when she says Judith and Carl cuz it really is her saying, “We have to fight for our kids.” 😭 

She wants them to fight for their kids and for their communities and for their future. And what’s so cool is that Rick and Michonne really are capable enough to be the ones to fight for and save everyone she’s listed. You know when she says Judith first, that she's really been thinking about how Rick has been fighting for Judith since she was born and now Michonne wants him to know that the right thing to do is fight back for Judith, in order to give her a better life.

She says “We can fight them, Rick. We can find a way to beat them. We can do this.” Again I love that she says "Rick" and makes it about her and him. She also knows that Rick’s been doubting this sentiment and so she wants to make sure he hears her when she tells him they can in fact find a way. This is Michonne envisioning winning and knowing that her and him together truly can win against any threat.

And then Michonne concludes her amazing speech with the beautifully executed line, “But only if we do this.”

First; 😭😭😭👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾😊😊😊👸🏾👸🏾👸🏾 👌🏽👌🏽 👌🏽(Did I mention I’m extra lol?) 

Second; This is the line that just took this speech to the very top. Each part of it was golden. I love how she pauses before saying "but only if", cuz it’s her realizing just how far she’s come to now say what she’s about to say.

Third; I love love love her emphasis on “we”. It’s true tho. If anyone is going to beat Negan it’s these two right here. I love that Michonne has learned this over the course of 7A. Like she has truly embraced that she’s not meant to do things alone anymore, it has to be “we”. And not just a generic “we”, it has to be Rick and Michonne.

 I love what I heard someone say about how; Rick couldn’t do it without Michonne and Michonne wouldn’t do it without Rick. Amen! 👌🏽 Also this is sort of the positive side of Adam and Eve cuz, right here in this cell, R&M are deciding to change the course for humanity. These two, in this very moment, are deciding to bring back hope to so many. Cuz it's only if R&M agree to fight that everyone else can fight. 👑 So Michonne puts it all out there and she's emotional, Rick's emotional, we're all emotional cuz that was just a gorgeous speech. 😋 Like “Motivational Speech Of The Year Award” goes to Michonne Grimes, honey! After watching Michonne's moving speech you can’t help but be like...

Like how’d she just motivate me and everyone to stand up and fight and we’re not even in that situation. ��  Idk, all I know is we all got our life from her words lol! Just the sincerity and class and passion and raw emotion and strength and heart within that speech was truly exceptional. 🙌🏾👸🏾👏🏽 So I had to snap and applaud in response to her speech. And then it was Rick's turn to respond to these life-giving words, and he heartwarmingly tells her...

He tells her “Yeah I know that now." And then he repeats with conviction "I know that now.” 🙌🏾 You can tell that Michonne essentially handing her heart to him in this moment has moved him deeply.  And I feel like he’s saying, “Now I know that, not only do we have to fight, but we have to fight together, like you and me, side by side, if this is going to work.” 

He knows he can’t take the fighter out of them and he doesn’t want to anymore. He wants to just take the bold step and do what they do best and fight back. 

I love that they’ve both come to a point in their journey where they both know and agree on how they have to move forward. Always in sync, those two. 😋

I think Rick was slowly getting to this point of being ready to fight, but hearing Michonne be so vulnerable and honest with him and hearing his woman essentially say, “I want to fight with you, together.” That’s what really sealed the deal. (cuz you know he gets Michonne whatever she wants.😋 ) And if she believes they can win, then he believes they can win.

And Michonne is so overcome with emotion upon hearing him say this. 

I think hearing him say he knows now and that he understands her, and for him to really mean it, it just solidifies to her that she's got the right one. Like they are truly kindred spirits and this is her husband and her other half for life and I feel like she’s fully aware of that in this moment. 

And of course he understands where she's coming from, and is now on the same page, cuz they’re one like that. 👌🏽👑😊 They’re back on track without ever really having gotten off track lol.

You can visibly see both their hearts grow two sizes for each other in this moment. I love that R&M are literally some of the toughest people you'll ever come by in the apocalypse, but together they can be emotional and cry and fully feel everything they are feeling and honestly that in itself is so strong. 🙌🏾 For both of them to just bare their hearts right now is so beautiful and lets you know that they feel so close and comfortable and connected to each other. And then of course now that they've cleared the air and decided to fight, they do what Rick looks like he's been wanting to do since she arrived at the fence in that cell 😋, and they have another heartfelt kiss. I love that every time they kiss, it's just the words they've already spoken now manifesting itself physically, and it makes these moments so much more meaningful. It's funny cuz they did not start this cell conversation against the wall and yet by the end they are up against the wall cuz as Michonne talked Rick kept intrinsically moving closer to her lol. 😂 I noticed that in their 7x5 kiss, Michonne initiates it and then Rick is the one who pulls her in closer and then I like that, in this 7x8 one, Rick initiates it and it’s Michonne who pulls Rick in closer. You can just tell that they are head over heels in the most grown and healthy way. You can also tell that they are elated to be back in each other's arms after being separated physically and mentally for a bit. Also, by this point, R&M are three for three in terms of kisses since canon, y’all. 👌🏽 Like every single one was 🔥. And it lets you know that R&M feel so strongly about each other that every time they kiss it has to be passionate cuz that's what's inside them towards each other. Anything less than fire wouldn't match how they feel.

The fact that R&M never lost their way from each other during this trying time is so uplifting. They had ups and downs but to watch them go through so much in 7A and come out so strong and more united than ever. Again, they are the GOAT, y’all. I called this post “Me and You” because that line is so good and because I love how often Michonne refers to the two of them in her speech. She says "we" and "we're" a total of 17 times in this speech, as well as referencing the two of them in varying ways multiple times. That means this speech is not just between Richonne, it’s also about Richonne and so you know I was all about it. 👏🏽😋 I love that this iconic scene ends with R&M back in the arms of their safe space. And you know they would stay there forever if they could, but as this scene revealed, they now have a war to win. 

And now that Richonne is stronger than ever, their odds of winning just got a whole lot better. 😉🙌🏾

(Sincerely, thank you for reading all this, y'all!! 💕💕💕 You’re the best for real. And other posts won't be this long, I promise! It's just this moment was every.last.thing so I had to turn up lol. Thanks again! 😋)

[darkmystress00]

In Living Color Ch 9

A/N: I am back from the dead!!!!! So this year has been particularly rough for me...my husband and I had some marital troubles, that basically killed my motivation to write. Then we spent many months working on us, which required me to dedicate my time to that (rightfully so). Then I went back to school for my masters degree (I'm over half way done!!). Then in August I started work again...and now...after many many MANY moons I decided to go back and reread this fic because I missed it.

I realized that part of why I was having a hard time writing it was because I didn't like the direction it was going. I didn't like the attention being given to Rick (a very married Rick) and decided I needed to go back and change it...so if it feels a little disjointed and kind of abrupt I'm sorry. I tried to make it a smooth transition. I like the idea of Beth just being happy with colors right now, rather than focusing on figuring out who her soulmate is, because having a crush on married!Rick just feels wrong to me. It might come back...it might not. I honestly haven't decided...but there you go. Enough of me rambling.

I did not send this to beta. I need to ask my lovely beta TWD_fan05 if she will take me back! (TAKE ME BACK BOO!) All mistakes are 100% mine.

Pairing: Bethyl

Catch up: Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 4 | Ch 5 | Ch 6 | Ch 7 | Ch 8 | Ch 9 |

or read on AO3 or FFN

The burial was small, quiet. Not even Carol cried. Beth had stood silently at the back of the crowd, watching how everyone just stared at the little pile of upturned dirt. She’d watched as one by one the group trickled away until it was just her and Carol. Beth moved slowly forward, studying the woman’s worn and tired face. “I’m sorry,” she started, reaching out but withdrawing quickly when the woman shrunk in on herself, “I’m sorry for your loss.” Carol just nodded. “I know I never met her, but I can tell you loved your daughter very much, and she was somethin’ special.”

“I did. She was something special.” Carol rasped out.

 “You’ll always have a place to visit her now.” Beth tried. “I know it’s not the same -”

 “No.” Carol cut her off. “No, that thing wasn’t my little girl.” She took a steadying breath. “My Sophia was alone in the woods. All this time I thought...I hoped. She didn’t cry herself to sleep at night. She didn’t go hungry. She didn’t try to find her way back. No, my Sophia died a long time ago. That’s just some other thing.” And with that Beth watched as Carol turned sharply on her heel and marched away from the little gravesite. She couldn’t help the choked up breath that caught in her throat at the idea of so much pain. Losing a family member was never easy or painless, but losing a child...now that was a pain so deep Beth couldn’t even fathom it.

 Beth meandered her way back to the farmhouse, watching as people moved listlessly around, offering comfort where they could. This was a hard blow to the group, and she hadn’t a clue how to handle it. Her eyes landed on Rick and Lori, hugging and comforting each other, and she was only mildly surprised to find that she wasn’t being eaten alive by jealousy. Her eyes watched as they hugged each other close, whispering words of comfort into each others ear. Rick’s hand went to Lori’s still flat stomach and Beth averted her eyes.

 Her stomach churned and she swallowed before moving quickly to the house to go inside. She needed to think. She needed to clear her head. So much had happened the past few days, and Beth needed to process. The squealing of the screen door signaled her entrance into the house, but she ducked her head and dashed upstairs to her bedroom, avoiding Maggie when she heard her calling her from the back of the house. She didn’t want to see her sister right now. She didn’t want to see her daddy right now. She didn’t want to see anyone right now. Silently she shut her bedroom door, before climbing up on her bed to sit cross-legged on top of her bedspread.

 Her eyes landed on the fabric, fingers gently dancing along that patterns of the quilt, as she got lost in her thoughts. Her mind floated back to the image of Rick and Lori together. Beth sighed. Something was clawing away at her insides but she couldn’t put her finger on it. All she knew was that she didn’t want to wait for Rick. Rick was going to be a daddy...again. Even if he was the one that triggered her colors, she would never do anything to put herself in the middle of that family. There was so much love there, she couldn’t bare to watch it fall apart.

 Beth sighed. She couldn’t even say for sure if he was her soulmate. If he was, he sure didn’t give any hints about it. Not that she was expecting him to profess his love or just come out and say it for all to hear, but the man didn’t even make mention of colors, ever. And, if he suddenly started seeing color, after being with his wife for that long, wouldn’t that cause a little bit of a surprise? Wouldn’t he even try to figure out where the colors came from? The more Beth thought about it, the more she really doubted he was her forever.

 That left just one other person. Daryl. Beth contemplated him. He was quiet, and sometimes seemed protective of her (but honestly he was protective of pretty much everyone in his little group), but other than that…he seemed like he couldn’t be bothered with her. He seemed more likely to spend time with her sister than with her. Beth nibbled on her lip before letting out a sigh.

 She was a right selfish little kid. She flopped back onto her pillow, staring up at the ceiling. This group had lost Shane (thank goodness), and Carol’s child Sophia, and they’d almost lost Carl. They were reeling from so much loss, and she was up here sulking and worrying about her damn colors, rather than being down there trying to comfort others. Her head jerked as a knock sounded on her door. She sat up, watching as her father poked his head into her room. “Hey Doodlebug, you alright?” She smiled at Hershel Greene.

 “Yeah, Daddy. Just doin’ a little growin’ up, I think.” He gave her a confused look and she smiled.

 “I can’t be worryin’ ‘bout my colors right now. Daddy, they’ve gone through so much, and I’m over here worryin’ ‘bout why I get to see all these pinks and blues, and greens, and who caused ‘em.” She shook her head. “That’s just so selfish right now.” Hershel looked like he wanted to interrupt but she stopped him. “My colors aren’t goin’ anywhere right now. I gotta help them. I gotta learn how to take care of myself. I got bigger things to worry about.” Hershel gave a nod. “I’d like to learn how to defend myself.” Her mind floated back to the incident in the barn with Shane. “I’d like to learn how to fight, and take down walkers.” Hershel’s face suddenly turned thunderous. “I know, you don’t want me to, but I could wind up like that little girl. All this,” she motioned to her room, “could go away, and if I can’t defend myself, I will wind up like that little girl.” She swallowed. “I’m big enough, I’m old enough, I need to learn, Daddy.” She studied her dad for a heartbeat before she heard him sigh.

 “I know, you’re right, Bethy. But that don’t mean I’m not afraid of you gettin’ hurt.” He looked down before he made his way to her bed and sat down beside her. “You’re all I got left of your mama, and I wanna keep you safe.” He smiled at her, “But I’ve crippled you. Tryin’ to keep you safe, I kept you from being able to care of your own.” He stroked her cheek gently. “You’re right. You do need to learn. You and your sister. I’ll talk to Rick and see if he has anyone willin’ to work with us, to teach us.” Beth beamed at her dad before flinging her arms around him.

 “Thank you daddy.” She breathed into his shoulder. She felt him nod before he released her gently. “I should get downstairs and start putting something together for dinner. I don’t think many people are goin’ to be too hungry, but we should still have somethin’ ready.” Hershel patted her cheek.

 “You are so much like your mother. Always worrying about others and tryin’ to take care of them.” She grinned as she stood up. “Not much of that left in the world.”

 “I know. That’s why it’s so important for me to keep on keepin’ on.” He nodded his agreement before he stood.

 “You are right, Doodlebug, you are very very right.”

 ~~~

 Beth groaned as she washed up for dinner. Her arms were sore, she was tired, but she was so elated. True to his word her daddy had talked to Rick about training the lot of them to defend themselves. Everyday for the past few months she’d woken up early and trained, first on how to use a gun properly, and now she was working with a knife. It was clear she needed to build more muscle, but never as clear to her as when she came home aching and dirty from training. She wasn’t even really fighting or taking down walkers, just practicing on things here and there, but she still came back aching and sore every day. It was so sad, but she was glad for the training.

 Rick and Glenn both said she was coming along and pretty soon would be able to handle herself out there. She knew they were lying and just trying to be nice, but she appreciated it all the same. Daryl, never said much, but today as she’d walked away he’d mumbled out a “Doin’ good, girl.” and she’d just about broke her face with how big her smile was. Praise from Rick, Glenn, and even her daddy, was common, but to hear the ever silent Daryl mumble a word or two of praise really must have meant she was doing something right.

 She washed the last of the sweat and grime from her arms and face before she dried off and made her way to the kitchen. Lori was there, peeling the last few potatoes they’d gathered from the garden, her tummy just starting to show signs of the growing baby inside. “Hello, Beth.” Lori chimed. “How was training? I hear you’re really comin’ into your own.” Beth beamed at her.

 “I’m tryin’. Daddy and Rick both say I’m doing a great job, but Maggie still thinks I’m more likely to stab myself than any walkers I come across.” Beth shrugged at the thought of her sister. “I just gotta keep workin’ at it.” Beth joined her at the sink to finish peeling the potatoes so they could start making dinner. Beth watched Lori as she worked and smiled. Since Sophia’s funeral she and Lori had become quite close, laughing and talking. Lori was one of the biggest sources of her confidence when they first began this whole training situation. When they’d begun working with the guns, Lori had insisted she learn how to shoot as well, and was honestly only a touch better at it than Beth herself. They’d both laughed (because what else could you do really) when they’d started at how utterly horrible they were at shooting a target. Together they’d grown and gotten stronger until Rick had declared he didn’t want Lori working with blades and hand to hand combat given her ‘delicate’ state. Lori had snorted and torn off in a mad fury, but ultimately he had been right and Lori had taken up the household duties that Beth was doing when they’d first arrived.

 “Daryl says you’ve gotten stronger.” Lori mentioned casually and Beth’s heart hammered a little faster in her chest at the idea that she impressed someone enough that they’d praise her when she wasn’t even around.

 “Really?”

 “Yeah.” Lori nodded, “To get a compliment from him is like moving the heavens themselves, so you must be doin’ something right.” Beth laughed.

 “Well, I haven’t stabbed myself or anyone else...so I guess that’s progress right?” Lori shook her head and nudged her elbow gently.

 “You don’t give yourself enough credit.”

 “No, she doesn’t.” Rick added as he moved into the kitchen. Beth looked down into the sink, fumbling with the slippery potato in her hand. It wasn’t that Rick made her nervous or uncomfortable, but since Beth had decided she didn’t need to be worrying about her colors anymore, her interest and attention to Rick had dropped off drastically. It had even prompted him to ask her if everything was alright or if he’d done something to upset her. After putting his fears to rest and assuring him there was nothing wrong, he’d taken her change in attention in stride and just assumed that now that Carl was awake and moving around, and given all the time she spent training, she was just too busy to pay him any attention anymore, which was perfectly fine.

 “Oh, hush you two.” Beth mumbled with a soft laugh. She scooped up the potatoes and started cutting them up to boil for dinner. “You just notice how much I’ve grown because I was so helpless beforehand.”

 “Just because you know how to shoot and hold a knife without cutting yourself doesn’t make you any less helpless than before.” Maggie’s harsh voice cut in. “When it comes to fighting real walkers you still have no clue. This whole thing is just a waste of time.” Beth rounded on her sister, fury burning in her veins and causing her to see red. She wanted to open up and give her sister a good what for, but bit her cheek and kept it to herself. Her blue eyes landed on Daryl silently leaning against the doorframe behind her sister, quietly surveying the room.

 “Now, Maggie, knowing the basics will help if she ever comes up on a walker.” Rick countered, “She is at least a little more prepared now.” Maggie gave a snort and Beth shoved past her. She was done trying to prove herself to her sister for today. She didn’t think anything she did, short of taking down an entire herd of walkers, would change her sister’s mind, and she wasn’t going to listen to her sister’s harsh remarks anymore. She heard Lori call after her, but kept walking, shoving open the squeaky screen door and stomping down the porch into the field. She stomped her way into the nature until she was securely in the forest and let out a frustrated scream.

 Taking a few calming breaths she stared around her at the forest, soaking in all her secret colors. When she was training and busy with household chores she could almost forget her world was spilling over with vibrant colors that tickled her brain and made her stare in wonder. Almost. When she had a free minute, she’d taken to hiding in different parts of the forest, just staring, examining, and soaking in all the colors that she loved. She loved the greens of the kudzu leaves, the browns of the trees, the golden colors of the dead leaves underfoot, the pinks and yellows of the natural wild flowers around her. It was when she was alone, and it was quiet, that she was truly able to take in the beauty of the colors around her. Sometimes she’d spend many moments stroking the leaves as if to make sure it wasn’t a sort of paint that could be removed. When the green stayed in place a bright smile would take over her face and she’d move on to marvel at the next piece of nature.

 Her favorite thing, which was the hardest to explain, was watching the sunset. All the reds, pinks, and oranges that slowly faded into the purples and blacks of night. Glenn had caught her one time and asked her if she was trying to go blind staring at the sun like that. She laughed and teased him, claiming she was trying to see who would win a staring contest, her or the sun. Glenn had laughed and ruffled her hair before telling her to be careful or the sun would melt her brain. She’d nodded before following him inside for dinner.

 Beth sighed as she touched a kudzu leaf growing on a nearby tree. She smiled to herself. Watching her colors always calmed her down and made her feel better. Suddenly a twig snapped behind her. She whirled around, grabbing the knife from her belt and held it poised above her head to face the person sneaking up behind her.

 She stared at Daryl as he stood there, a single hand up, the other poised on his crossbow, more out of habit than actual intent to use it. “Jesus, girl, what are you doin’ sneakin’ off to the middle of the forest. You tryin’ to get yourself killed?” He narrowed his eyes at her as he watched her put her blade away.

 “No, I was lookin’ at the trees and leaves. Takin’ in the colors.” She said without a thinking.

 “What?” Daryl watched her as her eyes snapped up to him and she paled. Did she really just say she was seeing colors? 

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