A/N: Here is the next story to "The Walking Dead: Saving Grace". This story will span from before the start of Season 2 and onward! Thank you to all who have followed me right from the start, and I thank you so much for reading! A quick note: Marianne's appearance has changed somewhat, and it'll come in snippets. Anyways, I hope y'all enjoy!
Translation: "Dè an ifrinn a tha a 'dol air?" - What the hell is going on? (Scottish Gaelic)
"Haud yer weesht" - Be quiet
"Yer aff yer heid" - Literally, you're off your head, but generally means 'a little bit daft' or 'stupid'.
Chapter Genre: General
Chapter Rating: T
Rating Content: Brief Mild Innuendo, Brief Mild Scenes of Blood
Just how many more repairs were needed for this bloody place? You'd think that with all of the fortifications they already did have, that things would be fine. But no, the bloody herd had to come through two days ago and knock everything up! And then the storm; it came through and blew over the greenhouse the previous day, so they had to fix that up right away!
The work was really beginning to tire her out.
"Hey, come on; the day's almost over, Anne. You've been working hard, I'm sure Carver has noticed it."
"Aye, Ah know..."
It had been just over a year since Marianne had first joined Luke and his group, and just over a year since they all first joined this community at Howe's Hardware. Although, at first it was a safe haven for them, after the first few months, they were all soon discovering the wolf underneath sheep's clothing.
The people in the community were nice enough; Reggie, Tavia, Alvin, Rebecca, Mike, they were nice people. Troy and Johnny? Not so much, but they didn't really try to be dicks to everyone. But, really, it was Carver that was the tyrant of the group. The sad part was, he was the leader. It was starting to become his own personal dictatorship. Not only was it grating on her nerves, but it was also scaring her. Almost to the point that she wanted to leave.
But she didn't want to leave him.
At first, Luke had just attempted small talk with her. After finding out about her religion, he didn't seem too sure about how open she was to relationships. But as time passed, his small talks turned into attempts at flirting (which she thought was cute). She didn't try to flirt back too much, but a small flutter of her eyelashes, or a side glance, a small smile, or even just a quick sway of her hips, and that was flirtatious enough for him.
The first time he had come to her, asking if they could take their relationship a bit further, being more than friends, Marianne was shocked. Stunned, even. She had just stood there, mouth agape and her eyes searching his.
###
"Hoot, now?"
Luke cleared his throat. "I like you, Anne. A lot. And, I was just wondering... if maybe we could be something more. Than just friends. You know?" He gently grabbed her hand, giving it a small squeeze. "We don't have to if you don't want to. But, I just wanted you to know..."
Marianne was at a complete loss for words. She had never really considered the concept of someone actually liking her. Sure, boys have flirted with her, not really seeking a relationship. But Luke... he actually wanted something real. Not just some fling, a real relationship. Suddenly feeling breathless, she rested her head against his chest. His heart was beating so fast; he was nervous. "Lucas, Ah..." A small laugh escaped her lips. "Ah truly dinnae know what tae say..."
"You don't have to say much at all." He quickly said. "Just 'no', or 'yes'. That's all. If you say no, then I'll just walk away; no pressure, no nothing. If you say yes..." He trailed off.
Marianne considered what he was saying. A relationship. That's what he wanted. It's dangerous, the voice in her head told her. You'll lose him, just like you did Ben and Travis.
This isn't Ben or Travis, the other voice said. This is Luke. He is brave, strong, trustworthy. He won't turn out like everyone else; he's a survivor!
You've only known each other for a few months.
It could be your only chance at love.
He'll betray you.
You trust him, he trusts you.
All of these thoughts, these arguments and counter-arguments, all whipped through her mind in just a few seconds. She was wanting to be careful, not wanting to have her heart broken. She wanted to give him a chance, but what if things never worked out? What if he died, or she died? What if they got separated, what if she soon turned? What would everyone else think?
"Aye..." She breathed.
She could feel his breath hitch slightly as his grip on her hand slackened. "Alright, then... Sorry, I just-"
"Lucas..." She interrupted, lifting her head to look into his eyes. "'Aye' means yes."
###
Marianne smiled at the memory. That had been just over a year ago and from that moment onward, she and Luke had been a lot closer and everyone else didn't fail to notice. They would hold hands, or they would sometimes have late-night talks and whenever they were working together, they would often catch each other staring. It was almost cute. Carley had even come up to her, once, asking her, "Have you two even kissed, yet?"
They hadn't, of course, but Holy Hannah, did she ever want to!
"What're you smiling about?"
Marianne looked up, blinking rapidly. "Hm? Oh, nothing."
Luke quirked an eyebrow and smirked. "Alright, just keep the post steady."
When the greenhouse was knocked over, that meant a whole new frame was needed. And making the frame was hard enough, but making one with just a hammer and nails was even harder. And harder still with just two people on the job. However, there was a chance they wouldn't need to make the greenhouse again as Tavia had found some steel plates to join the beams, which would make the frame much stronger.
The frame was, however, coming along nicely. They were just starting to get the roof frame made up, which meant they were close to being done (done the framing, that is).
Luke hammered the last of the nails in and he wiped at his forehead. "Okay, on to the last one."
"Ah still dinnae think tha' walking across the beam is a safe idea."
Luke waved his hand dismissively. "We've done it a few times already, we'll be fine."
She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "If ye fall, Ah'll only laugh." She reminded him.
Luke handed the hammer to her and made his way across the beam first, walking briskly and seemingly with ease. Marianne was tempted to shake the beam, just to give him a little scare, but then she decided against it. It wasn't that big of a fall but if he hit his head it would be just as deadly as falling from the roof of the hardware store would be.
"Hey!"
Luke, who had just been making another step, was suddenly startled and mis-stepped, his foot slipping off the edge of the wooden beam. His arms pinwheeled for a brief moment before his other foot slipped off.
She had been half expecting him to at least fall onto his back or his rear on the ground, but she most certainly wasn't expecting him to fall like that. Thanks to his other foot slipping off on the other side of the beam, his legs had done a scissor-split motion. As a result, he landed directly on his groin.
Marianne physically cringed as Luke growled loudly from the pain, laying out flat across the beam as his legs crossed over one another. "Right in the bawsack..." She groaned.
Nick, who had been the one to shout at him, also cringed. "Man, I was going to say you shouldn't be doing that. But I don't think I need to, anymore."
Luke glared pure ice at him. "Yeah, thanks for that."
Nick smiled cheekily.
"What's tha' ye got?"
He set down a load of plastic sheets, fresh and clean ones, beside the frame of the greenhouse. "Carver says he wants you two to start on the walls as soon as you're done with the frame."
Her eyes widened. "We've been at this all day, lad! Ah thought he only wanted us tae do the frame!"
He shrugged again. "It's not really my problem and that's just what he said. He did say, though, that he was noticing how well the both of you have been working and to keep it up."
Marianne scoffed. "Well, at least he's noticed tha'."
Nick walked away and towards the ladder that lead to the outdoor section of the store. "Oh and Luke?" He called over to them. "Be just a bit more careful. Maria's gonna need those at some point."
At first her brows furrowed, his implications flying completely over her head. "Gonna need those..." She repeated. Her eyes widened and then she glared. "Excuse ye, sir?!"
Nick was already gone.
Her head snapped over to Luke, who was now literally pulling himself across the beam, looking to be in too much pain to really walk across it. "Did ye hear whit he just said, Lucas?!"
"Yeah." He groaned. "Yeah, I did. Just ignore him."
She became impatient and just stood up, walking across the outer beams to get to the other side. "Do we really look like tha'?" She asked herself. "Ah mean, all we've done is hold hands and cuddled-"
"He was just trying to get ya going, Anne. It's what he does." Luke told her. Once he finally made it to the other side, he sat himself up and swung his leg over so he was sitting properly on the beam. "God, that hurts..."
"It's whit ye get." She muttered.
He chuckled. "Hey, it's the first injury I've ever gotten from working. I'm still beating you by a mile."
True enough, she thought. Marianne was a country girl, raised on a farm. She never minded getting dirty, doing heavy lifting, working big-machines or doing repairs, but the one thing she wasn't used to was construction work. She had hit her fingers with a hammer more than once (which is why Luke ended up with the hammering job), she's gotten herself cut on barbed wire, been hit in the head with a support beam (it was really her own fault, though, for thinking it was even secure in the first place) and she's hit several of her joints, including her elbows (which often lead to her dropping something on her foot).
"Ahm getting better at it!" She told him.
"Still beating you."
Marianne shook her head but smiled.
/ / /
The sun was just beginning to set as they were finishing the last wall, placing the plastic sheets on the frames and hammering them in tight and firmly.
As Luke handed her another sheet to hold onto, he briefly hesitated. "You know, what Nick said earlier... that's not what I'm looking for. From you."
She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Hoot, now?"
He proceeded to hammer some nails into the sheet, attaching it to the beams behind it. "Well, Nick was just hinting at us... well, you know, thinking we would..."
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. Some days he walked on one too many eggshells. "It's called 'sex', Lucas."
A faint blush could be seen on his cheeks and he coughed. "Yeah. Anyways, Nick was just hinting at it and... I just wanna say that I'm not looking for that. I understand your religious morals and I respect them."
Marianne snorted. "If yer thinking about tha' whole 'waiting until marriage' moral, lad, Ah doubt tha' it'll even come close tae happening. When was the last time ye saw a Pastor?"
"I know that, Anne, and that's not really what I meant." He quickly finished with the panel and set the hammer down on the ground. He then sighed. "I just don't want ya thinking I'm only wanting sex from you. I'm not. I mean, even if I was, I don't think this is even the kind of setting for... you know."
She leaned against the wall of the greenhouse, her brows furrowed. "'The kind 'o setting'?"
"There's no privacy here, first of all." He explained to her. "And secondly, there's Carver. I really don't know what he'd think."
That much was true. The only couple that was in Carver's community was Alvin and Rebecca, and they were married. Of course, he already probably knew about she and Luke, but if he didn't, how would he react to their relationship?
"Neither do Ah, tae be honest." She admitted. "Ah definitely understand where yer comin' from, Luke. First example o' no privacy is Nicolas. Second one is Carley-"
"Carley's being nosy, too?"
She nodded. "Aye, a while back she was askin' about us."
"And what about us?"
Marianne blinked rapidly and a blush could be seen spreading across her cheeks. "She was askin' if we've even nipped yet..." She replied, falling slightly into her Scottish slang.
"If we've what?" He chuckled. "'Nipped'?"
Her cheeks were now a deep red. "If we've kissed..."
Head down, eyes at her feet, she didn't dare meet his gaze. She wanted to kiss him. But even if he wanted to kiss her as well, she didn't want to appear desperate.
Marianne almost flinched as his hand came into contact with her chin, tilting her head up so his eyes were looking into hers. "Last I recall, I don't think we have..."
She licked at her suddenly dry lips as her eyes searched his. Was he just saying that? Was it just flirting? God, why was she so nervous?!
"Hey, your supper is gonna get cold if you- OH!"
They both quickly pushed away from each other. But, of course, it was already too late. Carley had seen more than enough.
She just stood there, dumbfounded by what she had just seen. She pointed behind her. "I can just head back down..."
Marianne pushed away from the wall of the greenhouse and waved her hand dismissively. "Och, nae. Dinnae get the wrong idea, lass."
Carley raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You know, your relationship isn't that big of a secret. We're all waiting for the both of you to-"
"Get going!" Marianne snapped, her face now completely covered in a blush.
/ / /
They were both sitting against the wall near their beds (well, they weren't really beds as they were just spare mattresses found and placed on the ground, but it worked), fingers intertwined and a thin sheet over their legs.
While most others were sleeping, Luke and Marianne's conversations would often carry later into the evenings. Although they had known each other for so long, they were still discovering new things about one another from before the outbreak started, so there was still plenty to talk about.
Luke chuckled, trying his best not to laugh out loud and end up waking the others. "Wait, so, you tried fishing. With your face?"
Marianne snorted along with him. "Aye, dinnae ask me why. Ah just thought tha' it'd be a good idea. At the time..."
"And how did that go for you?"
She shrugged. "Well, Ah ended up needing tae go tae the hospital after a wee snappin' turtle nabbed me oan the lip. Ah even got a scar from it. Other than tha', Ah think it went well."
He laughed quietly, then. "Alright, if you say so."
A small yawn escaped Marianne and she shook her head, trying to rid the tiredness from her eyes. "Don't try staying awake just for me, Anne." Luke told her. "If you're tired, then you should sleep."
She hummed in response and placed her head on his shoulder. "Ahm stubborn when it comes tae sleep..." She said.
He smiled and placed a gentle kiss on her head. "I can tell."
Her eyes suddenly opened and she looked up at him, her eyes searching his. The air, clear only just a few moments before, was suddenly filled with a palpable tension. Luke brushed back her bangs from in front of her eyes, which then fluttered closed. Her head tilted back, waiting, expecting, hoping. He never really did like the idea of leaving someone disappointed.
His own eyes closed as he leaned down, tilting his head slightly, slowly closing the distance between them.
She nearly flinched as his lips brushed against hers, the contact feeling almost sudden. But she relaxed and a small sigh could be heard from her as her grip on his hand tightened.
It was a soft, almost delicate kiss. Her first one, he thought to himself. It definitely explained why she was so tense, right now. And why she wasn't breathing.
Luke, reluctantly, broke their kiss and Marianne could be heard taking in a deep breath, making him chuckle. "Breathe, Anne."
She nodded and laughed breathlessly. "Sorry..."
He pressed his forehead to hers, a smile on his lips. "There's nothing to apologize for. That was actually... very nice."
They both heard a small squeal (which really sounded more like a squeak) and they looked over to see Carley sitting at her own bed, her elbows on her knees and her chin on her knuckles, the most goofiest of smiles on her face. "Whit are ye bloody lookin' at?!" Marianne snapped, a blush painting her cheeks a bright red.
Luke snorted as Carley shrugged and lied back onto her bed. "Well, that answers her question, then."
/ / /
They all woke up to the sounds of shouts coming from the main warehouse and Marianne rubbed her eyes, cursing in her native language. "Dè an ifrinn a tha a 'dol air?"
Luke sat up and yawned. "What'd ya say?"
She shook her head. "Whit in the bloody hell is their problem?" She asked herself. "Who's even shouting?"
Reggie came from out of the warehouse area, a grim look on his face as the shouts continued. He gestured behind him. "I don't think you should bother those two, right now."
Carley growled and turned over onto her side. "Who's trying to wake up the whole community?"
"It's Carver and Rebecca." Reggie replied. "Alvin is there too, but he's not saying anything."
Marianne's eyes widened and she instantly sat up. Whenever there was an argument between those two, she knew it could get heated. But after the news that Rebecca had broke onto the group not even a week ago, their arguments were a lot more heated and Carver would often look close to hitting Rebecca.
Nick, Jessica, Carlos and Pete were the next ones to wake up, and they all didn't look impressed with what was going on. Sarah was, miraculously, still asleep. "Is it those two again?" Pete asked.
Reggie nodded.
"Carver is getting too possessive." Nick stated. "We have to leave!"
Marianne took her one flat off her foot and chucked it at him. It didn't hit him, but it came close to it. He glared and threw the shoe back at her. "Haud yer weesht, Nick!" She hissed at him. "Yer aff yer heid! We cannae leave the community, no' without Carver catchin' us first!"
"We're not on the outside of the warehouse, though." Jessica retorted. "He trusts us, we're not being constantly watched by him."
"Tha' does no' mean a thing, Jess."
Pete held up a hand. "No, she's right. With Carver off our backs, we can get out of here easier than if he was watching us."
"What do you suggest, then?" Luke asked. "We just grab our weapons, steal a bunch of supplies and waltz out of here like there's nothing to it?"
"Not a bad idea, Luke." Reggie said.
"I was being sarcastic, Reg."
"So was I."
Carlos quickly pitched in before they could start a fight of their own. "Nobody said we should escape when it's daylight. Carver has to sleep as well. We should try and get out once night falls."
Carley sat up and stretched out her limbs, her joints audibly cracking. "We can't get all our stuff back in the night, though. We can't break into the armory-"
"Actually," Reggie interrupted. "We can. Carver gave Maria and I the job of reloading and restocking the weapons. We can find yours while we do so. Carver rarely checks the armory himself, so he might not see there are weapons missing."
Marianne shook her head. "Ah dinnae want tae be caught sneakin' about, Reggie." She stated. "Carver hit me once, Ah dinnae want tae be hit again."
"All the more reason you would want to leave, Maria!" Carley exclaimed. "And that wasn't just a hit, that was a punch!"
Marianne's fingers brushed over her cheek, the memory still fresh in her mind. She already had been having a bad day and when she made a mistake in fortifications just before a heard had come around, Carver had chewed her out for it. Of course, being the hot-head that she is, Marianne had talked back at Carver and didn't care for the amount of disrespect she showed. After her little rant, he stood there for a few brief moments, looking almost stunned, before he suddenly smacked her across her face. Or punched her. She really couldn't tell, he just moved too fast for her. All she knew was that he nearly broke her jaw and she had a good bruise on her cheek for nearly three weeks (she could barely eat without it hurting)!
"Someone should tell Alvin and Rebecca before we actually go through with it." Said Jessica.
Marianne sighed heavily, standing up from her bed and stretching out her limbs. If they were really going to go through with what was being planned, it was going to be one hell of a day!
/ / /
"Okay, so, just keep an eye out for the weapons and stuff them in your back pack when you can-"
"Ah can only put so much into it, Reggie." Marianne hissed. "It's no' Mary Poppins' endless bag o' goodies."
Reggie huffed and continued to reload the guns. "Okay, sorry."
The door to the armory suddenly opened and they both looked up to see it was Carver. Marianne was desperately hoping he didn't even catch the tail-end of that spat!
"I'm surprised you're already working."
She shrugged and resumed with reloading the rifle. "Oh, we were already up so we decided tae get started."
"Well, it's good you two are showing initiative." Carver stated. "I trust you two can have all of those loaded by the end of the day?"
Reggie smiled. "Yes, we've got this."
Carver raised an eyebrow but left the two of them to their devices. Marianne couldn't help but give him a small smack on his knee. "Ye dinnae need tae sell it tha' much!"
He shook his head and rolled his eyes, placing the rifle back in its spot. He then grabbed a handgun that was resting on the table. "Uh, Maria? I think his might be Carley's."
She quickly inspected the gun and, checking to make sure the magazine was full, placed it in her back pack. "Aye."
The rest of their day went on like that for a while, reloading weapons, cleaning the rifles, and sometimes stashing weapons and ammo in Marianne's back pack. Of course, there were some things that couldn't be hidden, like a rifle or her crossbow.
The crossbow hadn't been used at all whenever there was a herd passing through. It wasn't as efficient, as once the arrows were fired, you couldn't get them back unless you physically went and retrieved them. So, it just sat in the armory for over a year, collecting dust. Of course, she would make sure that it wouldn't get too dirty; whenever she worked in the armory, she would make sure it was cleaned.
She had to get back into the armory once the group started to make their escape. They'd need more than three handguns and ammunition if they wanted to make it out.
Marianne groaned and stretched out, arching her back over her chair and wincing at the sound of her bones cracking. When she was stretching backward, she didn't fail to notice the blade that was hanging on the wall. She quickly stopped stretching and turned around in her chair.
It was Luke's machete!
She snatched the blade from its spot on the wall and stuffed it into her back pack, quickly closing the zipper over it. Although Carver trusted Luke enough to have the blade with him when doing outside work, he didn't trust him enough to be carrying it around when he was inside the building.
Still, he was definitely going to need it once they made their escape.
/ / /
"Please tell me tha's all o' them..."
"Yes, Maria." Reggie wiped his hands off on a rag. "The herd didn't look that big when we were fighting them off..."
Marianne groaned and swung her back pack over her shoulder. "Herds always are bigger than what they look, lad."
Once they left the armory, she didn't fail to notice how dark it was getting outside. Had they really been working that long at restocking and cleaning the weapons?
The smell of food wafted into her nose, making her mouth water heavily. Whatever was being cooked, it certainly smelled good!
Carver approached them and Marianne prepared herself. "So, what's the count?"
"Three pistols, four rifles, and about two semi-autos." Reggie replied. "That needed to be reloaded, at least. The total weapon count comes to about eighteen."
Carver nodded. "Good. Your dinner is ready."
Both Marianne and Reggie breathed a quiet sigh of relief. If he trusted them enough to not check the armory himself, their escape would be a lot easier than they thought.
Once they got to their spots in the "bedroom" area of the building, Marianne quickly hid her back pack behind a stack of crates. Carver normally didn't root through her things, but she wouldn't put it past Troy or even Johnny to go through it. She didn't want to risk having them discover the little 'stash' in it.
Rice and beans again, she thought, picking up her plate and sitting on the ground. She was more than grateful for the food, but sometimes just having rice and beans most of the time could get pretty sickening.
Everyone ate quietly, including Alvin and Rebecca. Did they know the plan they had come up with? And did Sarah know as well? Was Rebecca or Alvin even willing to leave the community?
So many worries, so many things that could go wrong. They could get caught, they could be shot at while they ran, they could get trapped by Chompers, anything could happen! But anything could also not happen.
She huffed and ate a spoonful of food. She had to stop worrying. Whatever came their way, they were strong individuals, they could push through it!
They had to...
/ / /
Marianne woke up suddenly as someone shook her shoulder. "Anne!" Someone hissed. "Wake up."
She shot up. "What?!"
"We're leaving. Now." Luke informed her. "We already got food and some more weapons, we just gotta get moving!"
Marianne looked around to see everyone was already awake, weapons ready and food packed into a large tote. Pete was the one carrying the bag. She yawned and stood up. "Right, right..." She whispered.
Luke handed her her back pack, which contained her crossbow and arrows. "Troy, Mark and Johnny are on patrol outside, so we gotta be careful."
She removed her crossbow, loading an arrow into it, and swung her back pack over her shoulder. She then grasped the silver pendant that hung over her chest. "Ah'll be prayin' as we go." She told him.
"If we're going to go," Nick hissed, "We need to go now!"
Marianne glared but said nothing. This was a stressful time for all of them, no sense in making the situation worse.
They all quietly left the warehouse, looking around for any signs of activity. Although Troy and Johnny were outside, Tavia could still be awake inside. Or Jackson or Keith. Seeing the coast was clear, they all made a beeline for the door, careful as to not trip over anything and alert someone in the building.
Reggie opened the door for them and ushered them out, making sure nobody was seeing them leave. Once everyone was out, he closed the door behind him and walked down the stairs. "Okay," he whispered. "Nobody saw us."
Pete checked the border of the forest. A few Lurkers here and there, but other than that, the coast was pretty much clear. He turned around. "Try to stick together as a group." He told them. "Try and pick a person to partner with in case you get separated, we don't want anyone wandering alone."
Everyone nodded. "Alright, let's go!"
The whole group took off, charging directly for the edge of the forest.
"Hey!"
In their rush to escape, they had forgotten to check along the roof or the wall to make sure that nobody was looking in their direction. In turn, Troy had spotted them running to the forest.
Bullets could be heard and several of them stumbled as bullets hit the dirt around them, kicking up dust as they impacted. "Keep running!" Pete shouted.
Shouts could be heard as more bullets fired at them, splintering the bark of the trees as they escaped into the forest. Reggie dared to look behind him to see if they were being chased. His lack of attention caused him to trip over an exposed tree root, making him yelp in surprise.
Carley looked back. "Reggie!" She shouted.
She ran back for him, helping him back up to his feet. "I go-"
Carley's sentence was immediately cut off as a rifle fired off a single round. Marianne stopped and looked back, her eyes widening with horror as Carley fell to the ground, blood pouring from a bullet wound in her head.
She wanted to go back, to help Reggie. But Luke grabbed her arm and pulled her forward. "Come on!" He yelled. "We need to keep going!"
Not this again, she thought. They had worked so hard, they tried so hard. To keep the group together, to keep things going, to stay safe and work together. Now, with them running through the forest, with Carley shot and Reggie most likely dead, all of those things were thrown out of the window.
And so, the cycle begins again.