A/N: Hello, readers! I spontaneously came up with this idea for a short story (probably will be less than ten chapters) and couldn't resist. I'll say it up front – this is just smutty goodness. I'm not setting out to write something super serious. I won't get into any deep emotions or the little details. It's just plain, raunchy fun – and two guys fighting over one girl – who doesn't love that? ;)
The first section should get you up to speed on my OC's back story. Hopefully she doesn't come across as a Sue but I'm not really going for story of the year here, haha. And if you're wondering, Rick and Lori were separated before the outbreak so Judith is not in the picture.
Enjoy!
Amy Phillips, age 34, survived the outbreak with her younger cousin, Lauren. The women took shelter in various places over the course of two years and wound up crossing paths with Maggie and Glenn. They were brought back to the survivors' place of residence – a prison outside of Atlanta.
There they met Rick Grimes and his son, Carl. Rick is divorced. Amy likes Rick and wants to pursue him, but is not sure how to initiate anything.
After a series of unfortunate events, the group leaves for a safe zone outside of Washington DC and are later welcomed in by Aaron, who had been watching them for some time as they neared Alexandria.
Our story begins in an empty house on the outskirts of Alexandria, as seen in episode 5.11.
Darkness continued to swathe Amy as she opened her eyes. The abandoned house creaked, settling around the group of survivors as they slept. Her eyes began to adjust and a figure stood out against a window at the front of the house. She stretched out her sore body – sleeping on the floor never did much for her – and walked quietly to the man keeping watch.
Rick heard someone approaching and turned to watch the petite brunette sit down next to him. He still didn't know much about her – they'd only known each other for about a month – but he knew she could be trusted. She was just trying to survive like everybody else and had proven her worth when it really mattered.
"Quiet night, huh?" she asked, pulling her sweater closed to ward off the chill in the air.
"Yeah," he said. His voice was low, rough – tired, and yet, alert. He wouldn't be dropping his guard anytime soon, especially with Alexandria so close.
A comfortable silence fell between them as they stared out the black window. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, admiring how pretty she looked even with disheveled hair and dirt on her face. They spoke a few words here and there, but primarily kept each other easy company.
About thirty minutes later, Rick felt her head drop onto his shoulder. He attempted to look at her face and saw that she had indeed fallen back asleep. She sagged against him and he brought his arm up to support her, curling it around her shoulders. She sighed and snuggled in closer to him. He liked being close to her, but didn't know if she was fully aware of what she was doing.
When she opened her eyes an hour later, they widened at the sudden close vicinity of his face. He watched her carefully, gauging her expression as she lifted her head and continued to stare at him. His body was stiff from holding her up, but he hardly noticed it anymore when she leaned in and brushed her soft lips against his. His heart kicked into overdrive, thumping wildly in his chest. She leaned in closer and kissed him with a little more force.
Rick gathered his wits through the fog in his brain and braced his hands on the outside of her arms. He urged her back and held her at arm's length.
"Amy…" he said, her name escaping as a tight croak and not the stern warning he was going for.
She looked at him with sad eyes, her lips parted as her chest rose and fell. He directed his gaze to the floor – she looked heartbroken – if he kept staring at her he would pull her into his arms and kiss her until the frown disappeared.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, "but I can't do this. I need to focus on being a good father – or the best that I can be in our current situation. Protecting and providing for Carl is my only priority. I don't have room for a relationship."
Amy wanted to argue, to fight for him, but she knew it wasn't her place to compete against Carl. So, respecting his wishes, she backed off. "Okay…you're right. I'm sorry."
Embarrassed, she quickly stood and returned to her spot on the hard floor.
"Amy," Rick called after her in a harsh whisper, starting to regret his words already.
She didn't answer him.
The next morning, they made it to the gates of Alexandria. Aaron signaled to a man at the top of the wall and the gates began to open. Amy glanced at Rick as he stood on the defense beside Carl. Things were definitely awkward between them today. While she couldn't deny her attraction to him, she regretted kissing him the night before. It was a stupid, stupid move.
As they entered Alexandria, she moved her attention to the man that had opened the gates. Tall, with choppy, dark brown hair and a muscular build – not to mention, an incredibly handsome face – he looked like the type of guy you didn't want to make angry. He scowled as he watched the newcomers trickle in, but did a double-take when his blue eyes crossed over Amy. Briefly, his expression softened and a faint smile pulled at one corner of his mouth.
"Somebody looks interested," Lauren whispered into her ear.
Amy attempted to hide a blush – both from his sexy stare and her cousin's bold statement. "He's just being friendly."
Lauren smirked. "Keep telling yourself that."
Aaron proceeded to introduce the group to a woman named Deanna. She was a former congresswoman, and now the so called mayor of Alexandria. She welcomed them with a bright smile and natural – or perhaps, practiced – grace.
Once they had given up their weapons and undergone individual interviews, Aaron took them around to a row of empty houses. Amy and Lauren chose one together and hurried inside to clean up. After an hour of shaving, shampooing and scrubbing, the two women emerged, feeling like completely different people.
Carl passed them on the tidy street, looking clean himself but still sporting his shaggy hair.
"You should let me cut that," Lauren commented. "I used to be a hairdresser."
"No, thanks," Carl said. "I kinda like it now. My dad's gonna need some help though…"
"Where is he?" Amy asked, feigning only a slight interest.
Carl pointed to a gray house two down from theirs. "We're in that one. Pretty crazy, huh? These places are like mansions!"
The women agreed and waved goodbye as Carl moved along to find Daryl for his dad. They ascended the steps to the Grimes' house and Lauren knocked on the front door. Amy was admiring the orderly neighborhood when Rick answered. She turned her head and was met with the sight of bare skin. Shirtless and barefoot, he paused to rub some shaving cream from his beardless face. His wavy hair hung in wet strands, and Amy had to agree with Carl – the man needed a cut. He met her gaze and she tried to ignore the hard lines of his body, but she couldn't help it. He had the most wonderful arms and shoulders. She admired his chest and the dark color of his nipples. Her brain instantly imagined what it would be like to run her tongue over them, and she felt her face heat up.
While Amy diverted her eyes, Lauren seemed oblivious as she said, "Heard you could use a haircut. Interested?"
Rick cleared his throat and nodded. "Uh, yeah…just let me put on a shirt…"
Please, don't, she wanted to say, but knew it was probably for the best. Just the sight of him was turning her on.
While Lauren cut Rick's hair, Amy roamed around the open first floor. She studied the framed photographs and picked up random knickknacks.
Suddenly, a man asked, "You going to the party tonight?"
Amy spun around and locked eyes with Rick, who was looking sharp with his new haircut; Lauren hadn't lost her touch.
"I didn't know there was one. I guess so… Are you going?" she asked, trying not to sound hopeful.
He shrugged. "Probably… Carl really wants to, so I should be there, too."
"Yeah," she said with a shy smile. "I guess I'll see you there, then."
He looked like he wanted to say something, but the two women left before he could.
Decked out in a jade green wrap dress and tan pumps, Amy followed Lauren into the cocktail party. She felt out of sorts walking around in fancy clothes at a fancy house, but that was the norm here – she'd just have to try to get used to it.
Deanna offered each of the women a glass of white wine and introduced them to her husband. All the while, Amy could feel eyes on her and turned her head to see Rick staring from across the room. He glanced away and threw back the shot of bourbon in his short glass. She took a moment to appreciate how clean he looked in his white button-up and black jeans. Well, not just clean – add to that downright handsome.
"Excuse me," a husky voice said from next to Amy, redirecting her attention. It was the man she'd seen at the walls earlier, except this time he was wearing black slacks and a cobalt-colored button-up, which accented his deep blue eyes. "Hi, I'm Steve."
"Hi, Steve, I'm Amy," she said, shaking his strong, warm hand. The handshake lingered a bit longer as he gazed at her, and she could feel color rising into her cheeks.
"Well, Amy, welcome to Alexandria," he added, and prompted a toast of their glasses. He appeared to be drinking the same thing as Rick. They clinked glasses and looked at each other over the rims as they each took a sip.
"So how did you wind up here?" she asked. There was an obvious sexual tension between them and she intended to suppress it for as long as possible – or at least until she felt like acting on it.
"I was in Richmond visiting my little sister, Mary." He gestured to a strawberry blonde woman at the refreshment table. "And when things went bad, I got in contact with my former superior in DC—"
"Former superior?"
"I was a Lieutenant Commander in the Seals."
She nodded in understanding, suddenly more impressed by the man standing before her.
"So we made it there just in time to watch everything go to shit. We met Deanna, though – and then started on Alexandria. The woman had a vision and we made it happen."
"It's quite impressive," Amy commented. "You said you were visiting your sister? Where are you from?"
"Hawaii – Oahu, to be exact. I ran a special task force there."
"Sounds special," she said with a touch of awe in her voice.
Across the room, Rick watched New Guy chat with Amy. Occasionally, she would smile or laugh, the sweet sound like a knife twisting in his gut. At one point, the man covered her hand to take her wineglass for a refill, and he had to quell the urge to knock the man out.
On the subject of refills, Rick tossed back another bourbon – his third – and snuck one more shot from the crystal decanter nearby. He continued to observe Amy's interaction with New Guy as a frown settled between his brows.
Amy knew Rick was watching. He wasn't even trying to hide it. She was frustrated by his bipolar signals – he said he didn't want a relationship, but was acting awfully protective of her. Maybe he was wary of her trusting Steve – someone they didn't know. Or maybe he was…jealous?
To test the latter theory, while Steve told her an outrageous story from his days as a Seal, she laughed and rested a slender hand onto his solid forearm. Steve seemed to be eating it up, flashing his white grin that brought out the faint lines at the corners of his stunning eyes.
As she did this, she glanced at Rick and saw him flinch slightly and take another sip. Inwardly, she smiled, and then gave Steve her complete attention.
Lauren had left the party early, saying she was looking forward to sleeping in a real bed that night, so Amy walked home alone. Steve offered to accompany her, but she politely refused. She wanted to enjoy the night air by her lonesome, appreciating that she finally had the opportunity to do so without the threat of walkers.
She climbed the steps to her door and had to support herself on the railing on the way up. The wine had made her a little tipsy, but not too bad – just enough to enjoy herself. Someone cleared their throat from the porch swing a few feet away and Amy jumped. Peering through the darkness, she recognized Rick's defined cheekbones and pursed lips.
Raising a steady hand to her racing heart, she asked, "What are you doing here, Rick?"
The man pushed himself up from the seat and was directly in front of her in three determined strides. She backed away, and he stepped toward her until she had her back against the vinyl siding. He trapped her with his arms, holding them on either side of her head. His eyes glittered from the moonlight that reflected off the white house.
"Rick?" she whispered again, the defiance she'd felt earlier weakening.
He lightly wet his full lips and leaned in, hovering just over her parted mouth. The smell of bourbon was strong on his warm breath. He was waiting for her to close the remaining distance, but she refused to give in. He'd turned her down – she wouldn't give him the satisfaction this time around.
That mindset crumbled when he boldly reached into the V-neck of her dress, moved under her bra, and fondled the full weight of her breast within his rough palm. Amy's nostrils flared and her chest heaved. His fingers kneaded the tender flesh and then honed in on her soft nipple, pinching and tugging it to a hard peak. She winced at the combination of pleasure and pain, and released a throaty moan.
At that moment, Rick dipped his head and covered her mouth with his own. Electricity zipped through her veins on contact, igniting the air around them. He ravaged her mouth with unforgiving kisses and slid his tongue between her lips, acting with expert skill. Amy clawed at his crisp shirt, savoring the firm muscles underneath. He pushed his hips into the cleft at the top of her thighs. She could feel an obvious bulge pressing against his jeans and the thin material of her dress.
Lust coursed through her aching body, but that telltale bulge brought on a sudden wave of anger. She pushed at his chest, and yet, he didn't stop kissing her.
"Rick, stop," she bit off against his demanding mouth. When he still didn't, she turned her head to the side. This only allowed him easy access to her neck, which he began kissing with the same fervor as her lips. A gasp escaped from her mouth.
"Rick," she said on another involuntary moan. She had meant for it to be an indication for him to stop, but it only drove him to keep going.
Finally, she pushed through the unyielding lust and shoved him backward. He staggered back, bumping into the post behind him. He braced himself and glowered at her with glassy eyes.
"You told me you didn't want me," she accused on a breathless whisper.
"I never said that," he muttered, shaking his head and casting his eyes to the ground.
"More or less," she shot back. "I made a move and you shut me down, Rick. How dare you get plastered and come here with the intention of an easy hook-up. You and I both know you'd regret it in the morning."
"And what about you?" he asked, raising his chin.
"That's not the point," she said with a glare, and before he could reply, turned around to go inside. "Good night, Rick."
With that, she shut the door behind her and locked it.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Read and review, please! :)