Obviously, this is extremely AU, and just how AU is explained as the story goes on. I'll talk a little more about it in the A/N.
I don't own The Walking Dead. :(
The sun beat down on Lori, but she had learned to revel in it. She found a certain amount of peace in gardening, the feel of dirt between her fingers, and the joy of watching something she had cultivated grow. It didn't take an expert to point out the connection between it and the growing child inside of her. Still, gardening seemed much easier. No explaining, no fear, just pulling weeds.
"You really shouldn't be out here in this sun." Lori sighed at the soft, cheerful voice of Beth Greene. The girl, while well intentioned, had been shadowing her ever since the fall of the farm. Lori had considered telling her to go away, but she suspected that Beth needed to care for her more than she needed to be cared for. She was only 17, and just like Lori, she had lost her entire family only a few months ago. Beth cried, at first, but at some point, she seemingly decided to put it behind her, and her cheery disposition resumed, though Lori could still hear the darkness behind it, and see the pain in her eyes.
Lori sat back on her heels, her just protruding stomach taking center stage. "She's not complainin', and the sun feels good after so many cold days." She sighed, rubbing her stomach.
Beth sat down next to her, and began pulling weeds with her bare hands. "It's a 'she' now, huh?" she smiled, and Lori laughed.
"I think so. I know I said a boy in the first trimester, but now that I'm showing, she just feels like a little girl." Lori rubbed her stomach lovingly. She had a lot of confused, scared feelings about everything surrounding her baby, but the baby itself? She adored it.
"That's good. We need another girl." Beth nodded, and reached for a spade behind her.
Lori chuckled again. "Why do we NEED another girl?"
Beth shrugged. "I don't know, seems like a good idea. It'll be more fun to try and watch Shane raise a daughter at least."
Lori winced. Beth seemed to be completely convinced that not only was Shane the father of this baby, but that he was going to be involved in raising her. Lori knew in her gut that Shane was the baby's father. But she also knew Shane was the man who had killed her husband.
Beth noticed her discomfort. "He loves you very much, you know."
Lori sighed, and nodded, but said nothing. Beth continued on.
"It's only the three of us now, you know? You can start fresh. There's no judgement here in Woodbury for you. He got us here, after all. He's kept us safe." Beth was practically whispering. Her eyes suddenly shifted, and Lori followed her eyes.
Behind her, Shane was leaning against a building, a couple hundred yards away. He was watching her. When they had first arrived about a month ago, Lori had still been reeling. She had asked Shane to keep his distance, and to her surprise, he had agreed.
Woodbury had really served in helping them all heal. Shane had quickly risen through the ranks and was now very close to The Governor himself. Beth had been working with The Governor too, almost like an assistant, a position she had blossomed in. Lori suspected, based on the girl's blushes that she had a bit of a crush on the man, which Lori admitted was pretty cute. Lori herself had not been given a job, and had been told by the Governor that she needed to focus on her health and the baby, and that she would be assigned something when she was ready. Lori had scoffed at him, and he had laughed, and handed her a bucket of garden tools. Only if you promise to use moderation. He had said.
"He's really tried, you know? Shane looks out for you, but he keeps his distance like you asked. He asks about you every day, though." Beth smiled sadly, and then whispered. "But you need to remember he's hurting too."
Lori winced at that. Shane had begged her forgiveness for his behavior. And Beth had relayed to her his story of what had happened that night. That yes, he had lost his mind out of jealousy and pain, and had killed Randall. And then that Rick had stabbed him, screaming THIS IS YOU, NOT ME. NOT ME, at him over and over.
And that was before all hell broke loose.
Shane still had the scar in his shoulder.
/
Shane gasped as Rick, his best friend, hovered over him, the knife still sticking out of his shoulder. The only clear thought going through his head as Rick screamed at him was, 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I deserve this.'
A shot rang out and suddenly Rick's body was heavy on top of his own. Shane couldn't lift him off, his shoulder hurt too badly. He heard footsteps running up behind him, and the weight of his best friend was pushed off of him.
It was Carl. Carl shot his father.
"Carl, what are you doing?" Shane's voice broke; this wasn't how it was supposed to go, at all. Carl ignored him, and immediately wrapped his arms around his father, sobbing. Shane tried to pull him back, but Carl refused. "Carl why, why…" Shane choked out, his brain not processing appropriately.
Carl turned on him and screamed. "I couldn't let him kill you!" and immediately returned back to his father's chest.
Shane bent down next to him, trying to comprehend the scene before him. His best friend was dead, killed by his son. A boy, one that Shane had come to think of as his own. How would he explain this to Lori? She'd never forgive him.
Shane looked up just in time to see the herd coming towards them.
/
Lori sighed when Beth insisted on helping her back to her room. She was pregnant, not crippled. Of course, not that she would admit it, but having that extra support as they went up the stairs was pretty nice.
The Governor had set them all up in their own house, with three bedrooms all upstairs. He was kind enough to understand that they wouldn't want to live with new people just yet. They were all traumatized, and instinctively relied on each other, despite the friction between them. Both Beth and Shane had insisted that Lori take the master, since it had its own bath. Lori had resisted at first, but had warmed up to the idea of a nightly bath.
When Shane and Beth had become such good friends, Lori didn't know. She suspected it was during their first week here, when Lori had essentially locked herself in the bedroom. And, naturally, Lori knew there was truth to Beth's earlier words. Shane was hurting, it was obvious to everyone. Lori had made it clear that he would not receive solace from her, and that only left Beth.
Their first day here had been so traumatic anyway. Shane had come back to their small makeshift camp practically crying. He was so happy to find a safe place for Lori to have the baby. But when they walked through the gates, Shane had immediately been attacked by a distraught Merle looking for his brother. Beth was the one who had cut through the violence to tell him that Daryl, along with their entire group, was dead.
Merle had dissolved, falling to his knees and screaming, and one of the Governor's people had ushered them away, to the Governor's private rooms. The man had tried to talk to them, get their story, but Shane was still in shock from being attacked, and Lori didn't want to speak to anyone. It had been Beth, again, who had the strength to bring him up to date. Lori remembered the Governor looking stricken at their story. And Beth had, thankfully, skipped some of the more salacious love triangle details.
He had walked them to their home personally, and it was stocked with food. Beth had immediately set to work making spaghetti for the three of them, and the Governor rolled up his sleeves to help her. Shane and Lori had explored the upstairs, and it was then that Lori had asked for her space. The already broken Shane seemed to shatter at her words. Lori felt some guilt for that, but she needed time to process everything, and to mourn her husband and son. Their months on the road hadn't allowed time for that. The focus had been survival.
Lori shook off her reverie when she realized Beth had been speaking to her. "I'm sorry, what?"
Beth chuckled. "I said I drew you a bath, is all." Lori nodded, and Beth helped Lori out of her clothes. Lori was capable, but her stomach was becoming cumbersome, and more than anything she was just sore. Beth held her hand for balance, and Lori lowered into the hot water.
"I don't know how you convinced the Governor to let me have a hot bath three times a week, but I love you for it." Lori sighed, as her muscles immediately began to relax. She opened her eyes to see Beth blushing, yet again. It made Lori smile.
"He's a good man." Lori whispered, knowingly.
Beth nodded, and echoed her tone. "So's Shane."
Lori scoffed at that. Good men don't traditionally sleep with their best friend's wife, get her pregnant, and then let her son kill her husband. It was a tangled mess.
Beth pushed on. "I think, maybe, the time for good men has passed." She whispered, handing Lori a loofah. "I think, the best you can hope for now, is someone who will do what it takes to protect you, and keep you safe."
Lori swallowed roughly. She knew there was truth to that statement, maybe even more than Beth did. It was still quite a leap for her to make.
Beth shifted to the edge of the tub, and filled a cup full of the hot water, pouring it over Lori's hair. She said nothing, as she began to lather Lori's hair with shampoo. Lori breathed in the lavender smell, and tried to change the subject.
"I'm not sure how I feel about having a baby in the middle of Georgia summer with no air conditioning."
Beth laughed as she massaged Lori's scalp. "No, that's not ideal at all. Keep that in mind for the next one."
"Right." Lori sighed.
/
Shane grabbed Carl and threw the boy over his shoulder. There was no time for compromise, no time for reasoning. They had to move. Carl screamed and Shane tried not to think about the likelihood that the boy was watching his father be devoured.
Their exit towards the farmhouse was cut off. Shane instead dipped into the barn with the still screaming Carl. He had to get Carl to safety. He had to get to Lori. He knew, in his gut, that once Lori knew what had happened tonight, she would never speak to him again. But for the first time in his life, Shane was willing to give up his life and his happiness to keep her alive.
He grabbed Carl by the shoulders, as the sounds of scratching and moaning clouded their ears.
"Carl, I know you hate me right now, and that's okay. But we need to get you safe. We need to go make sure your mom is safe." The mention of his mother seemed to bring Carl to life a little bit, and he followed Shane's instruction to crawl up the ladder. The two of them lit the barn on fire, in part as a distraction, drawing the walkers to them and away from the farmhouse, and in part as a warning to the others.
As the two of them leapt from the back of the barn onto the hard ground, they realized that their warning had come too late.
/
Lori closed her eyes as Beth pulled the blanket up over her shoulders. It had become routine now for Lori to have an afternoon nap. She didn't remember being so tired with Carl, which is why she was so convinced it was a little girl now. She didn't have any morning sickness now, unlike the crap she had with Carl, which was excellent. She had to be hospitalized twice when she was pregnant with Carl due to dehydration. She probably was constantly dehydrated as it was, and if she had to add the throwing up to that as well, she and the baby could have been in serious trouble.
She also hadn't had to go to the bathroom every 12 seconds like she had last time. No, this time she was just exhausted constantly. It had been a nightmare on the road, when they were trying to survive. They were constantly looking for food, though Shane always made sure there was something, and Lori never had much strength to fight walkers.
Shane had really taken care of her and Beth. Beth wasn't much one for killing walkers, and Shane had shown her how to properly use a knife, and fire a gun. She hated it, but he had encouraged her, instead of getting mad at her, like Lori had expected of him.
Lori couldn't help but think that this trauma had changed Shane somewhat. He was still him in a lot of ways. Some part of Shane would always be the rowdy, smart mouthed boy she had known in High School. And he was still ruthless. Lori had seen him dealing with walkers, or even issues here in Woodbury and he could kill or punish with little regard. But even she had to admit he always seemed to have the big picture in mind.
Every time Lori's mind started to defend Shane, a little voice in the back of her mind whispered, But Rick. She had loved Rick more than air, always had since they were in school. But their relationship had been far from perfect. Lori suspected that had the world not gone to hell, they might have ended up in a similar position anyway. Likely divorced, and maybe she would have ended up with Shane anyway. Sometimes love just isn't enough.
But regardless of the state of their relationship, Shane had killed her husband. Actually, Carl had. But it was Shane's plan. Shane had told her what happened almost immediately after they had escaped the farm. Even Beth had gone pale as Shane explained, with at least the grace to look ashamed, what he had planned to do and what had happened. It wasn't until months later that Beth filled in some of the blanks that Shane had left. That Rick had been the one to strike. That Shane had lowered his weapon when Rick stabbed him. Lori suspected Shane had left that out in an attempt to protect his memory. When she asked Beth how she had gotten it out of him, she had admitted that she hadn't. That Shane had told her everything, sobbing, after Lori refused to see him.
Lori had asked Beth once why she was so insistent that she give Shane a chance. Beth had smiled sadly, and told her that family was the most important thing. She knew that for certain now that she had none. She had gently placed a hand on Lori's stomach and told her that in this world, for a child to have both a mother and father around to care for her, was extremely rare and special. That it should be honored, respected, and protected. That she just wanted a happy family for that child. But Beth also told her that while time is precious, she knew Shane would wait for her to be ready.
Lori hoped the day would never come where she took Beth for granted. And she hoped someday to return the favor of the care and love that she had shown her.
Lori sighed, and rolled over onto her back. Her body was tired, but she couldn't sleep. She rolled out of bed and carefully waddled down the stairs into their tiny back yard.
There was nothing in the yard except for one giant oak tree. When they had arrived, Lori had spent the first week completely in mourning. For Rick and for Carl especially, yes, but also for all of the friends that she had grown so close to when the world ended. Beth had come up to her room one day, and had dragged her down stairs to this oak tree. In it she had taken her knife and scratched out the names of everyone they had lost that night.
Hershel
Maggie
Glenn
Patricia
Jimmy
Daryl
Andrea
T-Dog
Carol
Beth had unceremoniously thrust the knife into Lori's hands, and told her it was missing two names. Lori had cried as she carefully scribbled out the name of her lost husband and son.
Rick
Carl
Now Lori stood beside that tree again, her fingers tracing over the names. So many people were gone in just one night. She and Beth had only survived due to a combination of luck and Shane. Everyone else was gone. Lori allowed a few tears to fall for her family and friends. She wondered privately if she would ever recover from this massive loss.
She heard the heavy footfalls behind her.
"Hi."
/
A strangled curse fell from Shane's lips as he noted at least three distinct groups of walkers hunched over, feasting on what he knew to be human flesh. He heard Carl gasp behind him, and he grabbed the boy's hand with his left, and held his gun in his right.
They moved as quietly as they could to the house, but Shane knew that stealth would only work for so long. Shane heard a rumble as they reached the porch, and Daryl's motorcycle appeared from behind the house. He was firing his gun into the groups, as he attempted to reach someone who appeared to be up in a tree. Daryl yelled for the woman to climb down, but she wouldn't. Shane watched as Daryl waited just a moment too long and was overtaken. The woman screamed, and Shane identified her as Carol. He wanted to call out to her, but it would give away their position. Shane had only one goal at the moment, protect Carl and Lori.
He dragged Carl behind him, with whispered warnings to stay as close to him as possible. They entered the house, having to step over Hershel's decimated corpse. Shane suspected there would be no need to put him down. The walkers in the house were sparser, so he risked his voice calling for Lori. When no answer came, he went upstairs. In the top room, the door was locked. He banged on it roughly and called out for her again.
The door opened and Lori threw her arms around his neck. Shane took a moment to appreciate what he was sure was the last time the love of his life would ever touch him. Lori bent down to engulf Carl in a hug, revealing a whimpering Beth and Patricia behind her.
"We need to go. Now."
/
Lori felt a shiver shoot down her spine at Shane's voice. That often happened. Whether it was through the walls of their home, or across the room his voice pierced through her. What she didn't know was whether it was fear, arousal, hope, or something else completely that caused it. All she knew at the moment is that she didn't know how to talk to him.
"Beth said you seemed distracted today. I just wanted to check on ya." Shane said very quietly. Lori turned to face him, her hands shaking. "I know you said not to bug ya, and I won't. I just wanted to check… I worry about ya, Lori."
Lori sighed heavily, and subconsciously began rubbing her stomach. She was torn. Part of her wanted nothing more than to run to Shane, let him care for her, and play house with this baby. But would doing that just be betraying Rick all over again? The first time she saw Rick walking toward her at the quarry, Lori remembered her heart stopping. Her thoughts weren't about how happy she was to see him, although she was. Neither were they about Shane and what he might be feeling, not at first. The prevailing thought running through her head was only, what have I done.
Of course, Rick wouldn't be coming back this time.
She still hadn't turned to face him. She didn't know if she was strong enough to. Lori knew, despite her best intentions, that she needed Shane. He made her feel safe in a way that she couldn't understand. It had been Shane that had gotten her and Carl to safety when this first went down. She was willing to bet the three of them were among the few survivors of a once thriving town. That was completely due to Shane. He had taken charge, and forged a way for her and her son to get to safety.
Carl didn't make it this time.
That hadn't been his fault. It had been Lori's. Lori was the one holding his hand.
Maybe Beth was right, maybe it didn't matter now. Maybe in this world everyone has lost, and made mistakes. Lori knew she had. She didn't want to think about all the mistakes she'd made. Many of them were made with the man trying to control his breathing from the doorway behind her. Maybe it was time to try and let go of that, and move forward.
Lori slowly turned to face Shane, and her eyes softened as she looked at him. There was worry and fear written all over his features. He looked like he was afraid she was going to yell at him for talking to her. Lori felt a ping of hurt and guilt in her heart for that. She had been a bitch to him so many times- even before Rick died. Why was he standing before her now with any amount of love towards her?
"Shane." Lori said his name, and a smile spread across his features. It was less of a smile, and perhaps more of that Cheshire cat grin that only Shane had. Actual communication had rarely been needed between the two of them. Maybe it was because they had known each other for so long. But more likely it was because there had always been a connection between them.
Shane threw his arms around her neck, and Lori couldn't help but smile at his relief- and her own as well. Despite everything, this was the way it was meant to be all along. It wasn't clean, it wasn't pretty, but it was them.
Shane sank to his knees in front of her, and was whispering words she couldn't hear to her –their- baby. Lori tenderly smoothed her hands over the man's roughly shaved head. She could distinctively make out one word- Daddy.
/
Shane made the careful decision to try and go out the back door. Not only was the herd much larger that way, but Shane wanted to spare Beth the sight of her father being eaten.
He cursed himself then, when their small group was met outside the back door with a significant cluster of walkers, led by none other than the girl's erstwhile sister, Maggie. Beth blanched understandably, and Shane made eye contact with Lori. She nodded, and pulled Beth to her chest, blocking her view as Shane disposed of what was once Maggie and the rest of the walkers nearest to them.
He discovered with a quick glance however, that there wasn't an escape route. He turned, and motioned silently to the roof, and began helping everyone up there, beginning with Carl, then Lori. Shane admitted he was impressed when Beth was simply paled, but followed his silent orders. This was the same girl who had tried to kill herself after losing her mother and brother less than a week ago. After losing her sister and father, no one would have blamed her for walking straight into the herd.
After helping Patricia, Shane pulled himself onto the roof with Lori helping him up. Already the herd had identified them as the last fresh blood and was closing in on their location. Shane's plan was essentially to try and remain out of sight until the herd became distracted and they had the chance to escape.
He tried to move them all up the roof, as far away from the edge as he could.
God help him, he tried.
Carl's small foot slipped on a shingle, and he slid down the roof as everyone reached out to try and grab him. Lori had been holding on to him when he slipped, and it was her that grabbed his hand. Carl's legs were dangling from the roof, as Lori cried and screamed. Shane was close behind, his arms wrapped around Lori's waist trying to pull them both up. They just weren't fast enough.
Carl's screams weren't loud enough to cover the sound of the flesh tearing off of his legs. They pulled him up, away from the walkers, but they all knew it was too late. Carl was blessedly silent as his mother cried over him.
His eyes stared blankly past Lori. That's what Shane would always remember- the look in the boy's eyes that told them he was already gone. "'S'ok, Mom. It's better now."
Beth returned the favor that Lori had shown her just minutes ago. She buried the older woman's face in her shoulder, while Shane pulled his knife.
/
They didn't really say anything for a while, nor do anything. They were just sitting on Lori's bed, and she was okay with that. There wasn't really any 'going slow' with the father of her baby, but she did need time. And, given his silence, Lori was sure that Shane understood that too.
He was splayed out on her bed, taking up the whole thing, despite the fact that she was giant. When she groaned meaningfully, he just laughed at her, and pulled her over in between his legs. He wrapped his arms around her stomach, and Lori let her head roll back onto his shoulder. It occurred to her now that the two of them had never shared a bed. It had been the back seat of a car, in the middle of the woods, things like that- never in a home, never in peace, and certainly never in comfort.
Shane chuckled and Lori turned to look up at him. "What?" she smiled, watching him rub his head.
"'S nothin.'" He laughed, and Lori shook her head.
"It's not 'nothin'" she laughed, mocking him gently.
"Was just thinkin' what poor Beth would do if she waltzed in here and saw us like this. Her poor little heart might just up and explode." He laughed, and Lori joined him.
"I think she might ask for pointers." Lori nodded thoughtfully. "I think that girl is quite smitten with our dear Governor." Shane hummed thoughtfully, and Lori careened to look at him again. "You know something I don't?" she asked, the shock appearing on her face.
Shane held his hands up in mock surrender. "I don't know nothin', woman, never have." He laughed, and Lori elbowed him gently, and he sighed. "I'm thinkin' the feeling might damn well be mutual." He laughed, and Lori looked appalled. "I ain't sayin' anything'd happened!" Shane added quickly, his hands again returning to defense mode. "I'm just sayin' I've seen that look he's got before."
Lori closed her gaping mouth slowly. "Should we be worried about that?" she asked quietly.
Shane wrapped his arms around her again, his hands gently stroking her stomach. "World ain't like it was before." He said softly, and Lori nodded.
"That would explain her speech about there not being good men anymore, just those who will protect you." She added, her hands smoothing over his rough ones.
"She said that?" Shane asked, and Lori could feel his hand tremor beneath hers. She nodded, and he sighed. "You know about him, then?"
Lori smiled. "I don't know much. I'm choosing to let him do whatever he needs to do to give this baby a safe place to be born, and to live. He's done that so far, so I trust him." Shane shifted behind her.
"I ain't proud of who I've been." He whispered, the tremor that Lori had felt before in his hands reappeared. "When Rick got back, I wasn't myself."
Lori smiled, and reached her arm back, pulling his head forward, and she kissed him softly on the cheek. "I know." It wasn't an excuse for him, just an acceptance of his apology. Lori knew she should have given him that much ages ago. Since the day the farm had fallen, his every movement had been an apology to her, both in word and in action. Lori had been content to watch him suffer at first. But as time passed, she realized he was suffering just as badly as she was. He blamed himself for everything that happened, much like Lori did. She was hoping now they'd find a way to not only forgive each other, but to help each other forgive themselves as well.
Shane hummed behind her. It was a deep throaty sound that reverberated through her, causing the baby to kick his hand.
"Holy Shit!" Shane gasped, and Lori laughed.
/
It was dawn before the herd had cleared out enough that Shane felt like he could get them all out. Lori, Beth, and Patricia had all cried together quietly throughout the night while Shane kept watch. He didn't want to seem cold; he was feeling far from it. But he needed to protect Lori- all of them, really. So many people had died tonight, and Shane knew that they were all on him. The only redemption Shane could imagine for himself is that if he somehow saved these women's lives. He had to try.
Shane had spotted one of the pickups several hundred yards away. There were walkers around it, but nothing that couldn't be overcome. The issue was that, while they all had weapons, Shane was the only one comfortable with one. He knew that Lori had shot a few times, and that the other girls had as well, living on a farm, but he didn't trust any of their talents enough to help get them to the car. Especially with the lack of sleep and emotion that had overtaken them all.
Shane crawled up the roof carefully, back to the flat portion where the women lay. He quickly told them the plan, to get in the pickup. He wanted all of them inside; the cab offered no protection- that meant being quick and quiet. They all nodded wearily through red-rimmed eyes.
Beth had gently touched his shoulder and asked if he had a spare knife. Shane remembered that after Beth's…. incident, that she hadn't been trusted with weapons. But the steely determinedness behind her blue eyes told Shane she was determined to carry on the Greene name, whatever it took. He nodded with an understanding smirk, handed her a knife, and had motioned for them all to follow him down.
There were dozens of walkers still wandering the farm aimlessly, but none of them were actively seeking them, which Shane took as a good sign. Several of them were still feasting on somebody, but Shane didn't care to see who it was. He knew in his gut that they were the only ones left.
He jumped as quietly as he could onto the porch, and thanked god when it didn't attract any walkers' attention. He gently lowered Lori, Patricia, and Beth down onto the porch with him. Patricia clung to the other two women. Lori still appeared to be mostly in shock, but Beth clung to her knife and nodded at Shane.
The four of them moved forward, almost in a chain, with Shane leading the way. He disposed of walkers whose attention they attracted, but Shane was thankful that they had somehow kept that number low.
As soon as they reached the truck, Shane stood in front of it, trying to keep watch, as he directed the women to get inside. Patricia lunged for the door first, and flung it open.
She was met with the jaws of a hungry, turned T-Dog.
Patricia screamed, and Shane cursed himself for not checking the inside of the truck first. Beth had plunged her knife into T-Dog's skull, but the blood was rushing from Patricia's neck. Shane looked at Beth who nodded and looked away as he plunged his own knife into the very cognizant Patricia's skull.
Her screams had attracted attention towards them, and Shane cursed again. He all but threw Lori inside, and Beth ran to the other door, slamming it quickly behind her. Shane thanked god that T-Dog had left the keys in the ignition, and Shane got the hell off of that farm as quickly as he could, his foot not moving from the accelerator, even as he ran over multiple walkers.
Nobody said a word in the truck. The only noise was Beth's quiet sobs, muffled by Lori's chest. Shane glanced at Lori, and the two of them shared a look of complete loss.
/
At some point the two of them had decided that eating was a necessity and Shane helped Lori waddle downstairs. They were only vaguely surprised to see Beth downstairs laughing and cooking with The Governor.
Lori's eyes connected with Beth's and both women shared a knowing look that was broken by Shane's unceremonious, "What're we eatin'?"
"Now Shane, generally a 'hello, nice to see you' is considered good manners." The Governor chuckled and looked at Beth, causing a blush to spread across the girl's features.
"Yeah, well, generally most people are invited for dinner, they don't just walk in." Shane countered with a smirk, and the two men laughed.
"Shush Shane, The Governor walked me home, least I could do is invite him in for dinner." Beth smiled, and Lori crossed the room to help her out.
Shane held out his hands. "Which makes me ask again- What're we eatin'?"
Lori laughed as Beth rolled her eyes. "I'm makin' some biscuits and gravy, that alright?" she said, sticking out her tongue at Shane.
"Havin' us look for a couple a' cows was really quite smart, Beth. It's increased our standard of living here in Woodbury by quite a bit." The Governor smiled, and Beth shrugged shyly.
"Everybody likes butter." She mumbled and Lori protectively smoothed the girl's hair while she was kneading biscuit dough.
Lori sighed happily as she cut some tomatoes. This is how it was supposed to be all along. It felt so… normal. Shane appeared behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. It may have been a little primitive; the women in here cooking after the men had spent all day ensuring their safety, but that didn't mean it wasn't enjoyable. Lori knew that Beth had been trained by Shane, and then some by The Governor himself, even going out on a few runs. She suspected she would do the same once the baby was born.
She wasn't sure how to deal with The Governor in her home. He was here from time to time, and Lori knew he pretty much always walked Beth home, which never made any sense. It was less than two blocks, although it was suddenly making a lot more sense now. Lori made a mental note to talk to the man about his intentions. Shane said he hadn't made a move, which was fine enough, but she hoped he would continue to wait until Beth was a little older. But even Lori knew that Shane was right, Beth was already much older than her years indicated, and age discrepancies in relationships hardly seemed to matter when there weren't that many people left on the planet anyway. It wasn't those things that really bothered her though- she just knew that the man made some… questionable choices in the name of their safety. But Beth seemed to know that too.
She couldn't really say much. The man who was wrapped around her was well known for his questionable decisions. He had once told her that Rick wasn't made for this kind of world that he was. Hindsight had told her that Shane was right. She knew Rick would have adapted, that's what Rick always did, but she also knew he would have lost some of who he was along the way. She knew she was making a justification, but maybe it was better this way. Maybe he and Carl got to preserve who they were but not having to adapt to this world. Maybe that was better.
Lori also knew that she wasn't particularly built for this world. She wasn't a fighter, not really. But Beth wasn't either, and she had found a way to contribute, and grow, and fight when it was needed. Beth didn't really rely on anyone, maybe Lori could learn to be like that too. In the meantime, she was grateful to have Beth to learn from and Shane to protect her.
Shane reached around her and stole a slice of tomato and popped it into his mouth. "You're a really good gardener ma'am." He mumbled through a mouthful, and Lori smacked his arm playfully. Beth elbowed Lori softly and winked at her, silently giving her support in her decision to give Shane a chance.
Beth popped the biscuits in the stove, and the four of them sat around the small table in the kitchen. Shane reached over and pulled Lori's chair close to his, and in a move Lori found to be completely un-Shane like, he gently reached for her hand under the table. Shane was not a subtle man, but Lori appreciated that sweetly subtle move.
By the way Beth was looking at them, Lori knew she was over the moon excited at what was happening between Shane and her. All through dinner, when she wasn't flushed over the Governor's attentions –which were plentiful- she kept watching the two of them and their interactions and smiling to herself.
When dinner was over, Lori was exhausted. Having missed her nap, and having what she considered to be quite an eventful day, Lori figured she earned a good night's sleep. She offered to help Beth with the dishes, but she was waved off by The Governor of all people, who insisted on helping Beth himself. While Lori would have paid good money to see The Governor of all of Woodbury wash dishes, Shane thankfully helped her up the stairs instead.
The two of them reached the top of the stairs, and it was only at that moment that the thought occurred to Lori that Shane might want to not go back to his room at the end of the hallway. She knew without a doubt there would be no sex tonight; she was far from ready for that. Lori thought that Shane knew her well enough to know that too. But there would be something nice about not sleeping alone for the first time in a long time. It was something that Lori missed dearly, the feeling of someone she cared about next to her, their warmth wrapped around her. But she worried it would be leading Shane on.
As if reading her mind, Shane carefully whispered, "I ain't expectin' nothin', Lori." She smiled, pleased again for that inherent connection between the two of them that made everything so much easier. The two of them crawled into bed, even though the sun was just now setting. Shane's arms wrapped around her again, and his hands were softly caressing her stomach.
"I love this little girl." He whispered, and sighed against her skin. "And I love you too."
Lori smiled, and allowed a few tears to well in her eyes and fall onto her pillow. Nothing about this situation was perfect. But this moment was pretty damn close.
This was a weird one for me to write, since no part of me even really ships these two. In fact, I pretty actively despise Shane. But I do believe that Lori gets more hate than she deserves, and I do think part of that stems from the fact that she and Rick were never well suited for each other. She and Shane were much more suited for each other, and I never had any doubt watching the show that they had a connection. Of course, Rick (whom I love dearly) is our hero, so that automatically puts their connection at odds. I never much liked Shane, I'm always on Rick's side, but I couldn't help but wonder what this relationship would be like if Rick and the group's judgment is taken out of the picture, so that's what I did. I didn't just kill everyone for fun, I promise.
I kept Beth because I think they needed a go between, a foil, if you will, and Beth serves as Shane's confidant and Lori's support... she almost gives Lori permission, which I think she needs. Also I love Beth, and I love writing her. She is such a balm to everyone, and I don't think Lori would be any different. Even in Season 2, the two of them bonded a little bit, and developed a sweet mother/daughter relationship. I wanted to keep that. I know the... flirtation between her and the governor seems random, but I honestly think that Beth makes a connection with everyone she comes in contact with. Especially if that person is a little bit broken. She's just a natural healer. She's beyond fun to write, because she is so soft, but also takes no shit, lol. I'm considering writing a companion one-shot in this universe for the two of them. Nothing too explicit. We'll see. (Side note: My husband/Beta wants a trilogy because he likes to read Shane, he finds him interesting. Hmph.)
I liked the idea of the contrasting scenes in this one. The night where everything tore them apart vs. the day that nothing happened to bring them together. The night where they lost everyone, the day they found each other, etc. And, you know, in fan fiction (and regular fiction for that matter) its sometimes tempting for the relationship to be a magical fix-all. The obstacles are only what keeps are intrepid heroes apart. But sometimes love is messy, and I think Shane and Lori (Schlori? Lane?) are an example of that. Plus, they've only got like 4 stories on here, which is all kinds of crazy.
Alright, if the AN is this long there's probably something wrong with the story. But I hope you guys liked it, and (Dear god please) leave some feedback. Thank you!