Set during 2x05 Chupacabra
"It's not you're fault you know," Andrea hears a rough male voice behind her.
She's sitting on the steps leading up to the farm house, alone in the middle of the night. Her head jerks up, "Shit. I didn't even hear you come out here." She turns around to see Rick leaning against the screen door.
He chuckles slightly, "Sorry, I didn't expect anyone else to be out here. I needed some fresh air."
She nods and tuns back around to face the vast acres of farmland.
They lapse into comfortable silence for a couple of minutes until Rick speaks again. "You agree with me right?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Which isn't true, she knows exactly what he is referring to. She hears his boots scrape against the wooden porch, moving closer to her. He sits down next to her, but leaves a couple feet of distance between them.
"Cause it would be kind of crazy for someone to feel guilty over shooting a walker," he pauses. "And that's exactly what you were doing...shooting what you thought was a walker. Protecting the group like anyone else would."
She shakes her head. "It's pathetic actually. You guys already reached him. I should've let you handle it."
"No," Rick responds immediately. "Reassuring, that someone else felt the need to take some initiative."
Andrea doesn't respond. She turns her head away from him as her eyes start to water. She can feel his eyes on her, though.
"You're an asset Andrea. Seriously, even I wouldn't have been able to shoot him from that far away. You should be proud."
"Right, maybe I can teach you," she replies sarcastically.
"Maybe," she hears him whisper.
Her head whips around to face him. She can't believe he said that. She risks a glance into his eyes and finds him still focused on her. He meets her glare, but she finds that he was being completely serious. She feels a bit of a blush creeping up her neck. "I, um...I should go back inside. If Dale figures out I'm gone he might get worried." Before he has a chance to respond they hear a growling noise.
Both of their eyes widen in alarm and they briefly look at each other. They silently decide to stand up at the same time, ready to attack.
She breathes out a sigh of relief when only one walker comes stumbling from around the corner. It wouldn't matter if the walker got to her; she didn't care anymore. Her body and mind are so numb from the fear and uncertainty of daily life. It spots the pair and starts to descend on them. Rick doesn't seem to be reacting. He's unalarmed, like he's waiting for Andrea to kill the walker.
The walker appears to ignore her and target Rick. By now it's only a couple of yards away. But Rick continues to stand on the step unfazed. Andrea's heart starts to beat wildly in her chest. Damn it. He's stubborn. She didn't know what to do. Would he really let the walker get any closer?
Before she knows what's happening, the walker's body is crumpled on the grass with a knife wound to the head. She looks down to see her own hand holding a bloody knife. She didn't even process killing the walker. She turns her body to face Rick and sees him looking at her with a huge smirk on his face. He stands up and walks over to her. He puts a hand on her shoulder and says, "asset." Then, begins to drag the dead walker's body away from the house.
She catches herself smiling as she walks back into the house.
Its a oneshot for now, unless you guys really want me to continue. Please review :)