DISCLAIMER for the WHOLE story: Even though I a copy of seasons 1&2 on DVD, I own nothing you may recognize, which means The Walking Dead characters, comic book and TV series alike, are not mine. They will never be mine, no matter how badly I want my own personal Daryl Dixon...Anyhooties, OCs are mine though. Rated M for language, gore, innuendos, and possible scenes of sexual nature. You have been warned.


The once thriving city of Atlanta was nothing more than a graveyard. A desecrated wasteland where only the dead roamed. And roam they did, shuffling and crawling through the filthy streets like sewer roaches, all of them just waiting to sink rotting teeth into warm, living flesh. It was place where no living person wanted to be.

Remy Jones curled her lip slightly as she peered carefully over the edge of the roof she was perched on. She hated coming into the dead city, even if it was necessary. The stench alone nearly knocked her on her ass every time entered the city whenever she and the kids need supplies that the woods couldn't offer them.

But for once it wasn't the stench that was bothering Remy as she continued to eye the gutted grocery store across the street from her perch. She could just make out the skinny Asian kid carefully rummaging around in the darkened store, occasionally stuffing something into the backpack he was carrying.

It was the third time she'd seen him in the past two or so weeks, and each time she'd shadowed him from the rooftops, her parkour and military training making it relatively easy to both keep up with the kid and away from the flesh-eaters that skulked around the city.

Still eyeing the Asian kid, Remy removed her black beanie and ran a long-fingered hand through her sweaty, messily cropped hair before jamming the black cap back onto her head. The kid had finished scavenging what was left in the ravaged store and was peering cautiously out of the broken front windows, bright red ball cap like a standing out like a beacon. The street was surprisingly clear of any flesh-eaters, and Remy watched as the kid darted out of the store, jogging as quickly and as quietly as he could towards the relative safety of the somewhat barricaded alley on her side of the street.

Remy shifted away from the edge and walked silently over the gravel-strewn roof, heading towards the fire escape on the alley on the other side of the building, opposite to the one the kid had disappeared into. A muffled gasp reached her keen ears and Remy paused mid-step. She pivoted on her heel and strode rapidly towards the other side of the roof, peering down into the alley below. Her amber eyes took in the scene below, her mind rapidly processing the situation with military precision.

Two flesh-eaters, one in a ripped business suit and the other in a delivery uniform, were at the other end of the alley, shuffling aimlessly towards where the Asian kid was huddled against a dumpster, obviously trying to blend into the brickwork of the building she was on. The flesh-eater in the business suit had been shuffling a few feet ahead of the other one, and Remy watched as it suddenly seemed to perk up, it's drooping head swiveling towards the dumpster the kid was hiding behind.

The woman slipped the longbow from her back and took on of the arrows from the quiver hanging from her waist, shifting her stance and nocking the arrow. The flesh-eater was had started rapidly shuffling towards the dumpster, catching the other flesh-eater's attention and Remy quickly drew the bow string back as she aimed.


Glenn huddled as close to the dumpster as he could, his mind whirling as he tried to think of a way to get out of the alley without being seek by the geeks. He could hear them shuffling closer and he clamped a hand over his mouth in an attempt to quiet his breathing, his heart slamming against his ribs almost painfully. A soft whistle abruptly pierced the air and Glenn bit the palm of his hand to keep from squeak in shock and terror. He heard the sound of a body hitting the ground and The arrow flew through the air and slammed into the flesh-eater's forehead, piercing the softened skull and knocking it onto its back.

He peered cautiously around the dumpster and stared in dumfounded relief at the limp body of the walker lying on the ground only feet away from his hiding place, an long arrow sticking out of it's eye socket. In the next instant another arrow sprouted from the second geek's left eye and it collapsed backwards without a sound, the arrow still shaking from the impact.

Glenn stared at the two decaying dead-dead bodies for several moments then slowly dragged his eyes upward, his breath catching in his throat when he saw the figure perched on the roof of the building he was leaning against. With the afternoon sun at the person's back and glaring into his eyes, Glenn was unable to make out the person's features or gender.

He almost called out when the person stepped away from the roof edge and out of sight. He choked on a gasp a moment later when his rescuer literally leapt across the alley and disappeared onto the roof of the opposite building. The figure reappeared at the top of the fire escape and Glenn watched unsurely as the person moved down the fire escape silently, silently praying that whoever the person that had saved him was, that they wouldn't kill him or take the supplies he'd gathered.


Remy dropped down from the fire escape and landed in a crouch across from the Asian kid, who had begun to tremble slightly as she walked a few steps closer. Eying the kid like he was a skittish alley cat, she crouched down a foot or so in front of him.

"You alright, kid?"

He jumped and stared at her with wide brown eyes, his mouth opening and closing several times like a fish but no sound came out. Remy quirked a brow at him and tilted her head slightly to the side. His eyes shifted away from hers and, if possible, widened even more when his gaze came to rest on the left side of her face.

"Well?" She prompted quietly as she ignored his dumbfounded staring while keeping her ears tuned for any more flesh-eaters, "You a'ight or not?"

The kid swallowed convulsively a few times and opened his mouth again, "I-I-um."

Remy exhaled heavily through her nose and tried not to roll her eyes in exasperation as she stood, grabbing the kid's shirt collar and yanking him to his feet. He squeaked slightly, but she decided to ignore the sound as she looked him over with a practiced eye. Not seeing anything worth bashing his head in with her crowbar, Remy released his shirt collar abruptly and stepped back. She pivoted on her heel and started walking over to the two corpses, pressing her foot to their soft skulls and wrenching her arrows from their eye sockets.

"Wait!"

She stopped walking towards the other end of the alley and glanced over her shoulder at the kid, quirking a brow.


Glenn swallowed thickly when the woman that had saved him stopped and looked over her shoulder him, amber eyes locking onto him with an unnerving intensity. He wrapped his hands around the straps of his backpack and hurriedly jogged towards her, his heart pounding heavily against his ribs when he skirted past the dead walkers.

"U-um, thank you." He stuttered out quietly when he reached the woman's side, nervously looking around for any walkers, "I don't think I could have gotten away if you hadn't taken those geeks down." He could feel his face starting to heat up when the woman continued to look at him from the corner of her eye, "S-s-so thank you. Again."

The woman finally turned towards him and tilted her head slightly to the side in a curious manner, unnerving amber eyes scrutinizing him closely. Glenn swallowed nervously again and tried to keep eye contact, but his gaze unwillingly kept drifting towards the scars that littered the left side of her face.

"Welcome." She said simply then turned away and continued towards the street, pulling a black, serrated machete from the sheath hanging from her hip.

Glenn gaped at her back for several moments before rushing after her again, "Wait! Please!"


Remy stopped walking again and resheathed her machete with a sigh, glancing up at the sickeningly clear blue sky imploringly as she muttered, "Why me?"

The kid shuffled to a stop beside her again and looked at her with an almost puppy-like expression, "W-what's your name?"

Remy eyed him with annoyance, "Does it matter?"

He faltered and blinked at her, looking for all the world like a kicked puppy, "I-um, y-yeah. I mean, I'm Glenn." He stuck his hand out towards her, but quickly grabbed his backpack strap again when she did nothing more than stare blankly at it, "D-do you have somewhere to go?"

"You," Remy drawled, her Louisiana twang coming in thick and she flicked his sweaty forehead, "Are way too trustin', kid. That'll get ya killed, idiot."

The kid, Glenn, recoiled and touched his forehead, staring at her with wide brown eyes and a slack-jawed expression. He started to stutter a retort but Remy waved her hand dismissively and pulled a crowbar from one of her belt loops. She grabbed the kid's hand and slapped the heavy iron bar into his palm, ignoring his stuttered protests.

"Ya need t'git goin', kid. This ain't no place to be after dark." Remy stated flippantly as she unsheathed her machete and turned away, heading down the mostly empty street after a quick look around.


Glenn stared after the mystery woman stupidly then glanced down at the heavy crowbar in his hand. He looked up again and sucked in a quiet breath when he saw that the woman had disappeared. He looked around almost frantically for the woman then swallowed thickly when he realized that she was gone. Shifting his grip on the crowbar, Glenn took a fortifying breath and cautiously looked around for any walkers before rushing out of the relative safety of the alley, heading in the direction of the freeway that would take him out of the city.


"Vous stupide salope." Remy swore to herself in French and gritted her teeth in aggravation, squinting her eyes against the slowly setting sun as she trekked through the rapidly darkening woods several miles away outside of Atlanta, "That's the last time I save some dumbass from flesh-eaters. Merde, stupid ass kid."

More French curses tripped off her tongue as she shifted her ALICE pack so that it didn't press her longbow into her back then she lengthened her strides, switching into an easy lope that she could keep up for a few more hours before tiring. Trepidation tightened her chest and knotted her stomach almost painfully as the sun continued to set, the forest becoming more ominous and treacherous with each moment, tightening her grip on the handle of her machete and listening intently for any sounds that didn't belong.

A faint light caught her eye and relief flooded through her like a soothing drink in the desert. Remy smirked slightly as she approached the tree with the faintly glowing cross that had been painted on the trunk with glow-in-the-dark spray paint, brushing her fingers against the colored bark.

Still keeping an eye and hear out for any flesh-eaters, Remy pulled out her small tactical flashlight and flicked it on quickly before setting off again. The heavy feeling in her chest steadily got lighter when she saw another faintly glowing spray painted cross on another tree after walking for several more minutes. She broke out into a quick jog when she passed by a third marker and after several feet, she stepped onto an unkempt dirt driveway.

Remy slowed to a rapid walk and exhaled in relief when the small, but sturdy two-story cabin with a garage at the end of the dirt driveway came into view. She did a quick circuit around the structure, ignoring the handless and toothless flesh-eaters that were tied to each corner of the cabin as they moaned and strained against the thick ropes tied around their decaying necks. She gave a low hum of approval when she didn't find anything that was out of place then made her way back around the cabin, releasing a soft six note whistle when she was standing at the bottom of the porch.

An answering six note whistle pierced the air a moment later and the flesh-eater that was chained to the ground like a dog beside the porch stairs shifted with a groan. The cabin door creaked open and, ignoring the handless arms reaching for her, Remy made her way up the porch steps.

"How's yer sister doin', Jace?" The amber-eyed woman asked as she slipped her pack off her shoulders.

The tall, lanky young man skulking in the doorway with a crossbow in hand grimaced as he stepped aside to let the woman inside the cabin, "Fever broke while ya were gone. Cough seems worse though."

Remy nodded once and strode up the stairs that were next to the kitchen entryway, taking the steps two at a time while Jace shut and locked the door behind her. She pushed open the last door at the end of the short hallway and paused just inside the room, amber eyes meeting tired baby blue from across the room.

"Hey there, chérie." Remy cooed as she walked towards the bed where her goddaughter was bundled up under several blankets, "How ya feelin', Annie-baby?"

"I'm bored." The ten year old girl whined with a pout, causing Remy to chuckle lightly as she sat down in the chair beside the bed, "Fen's the only one keepin' me company."

At the sound of his name, the large wolf-dog's dark head appeared on the other side of the bed, his tongue lolling out of his mouth happily when he caught sight of his mistress. Remy smiled and dropped the army pack on the floor between her legs then began digging around inside the main compartment. Fenrir barked quietly and trotted around the bed towards Remy, licking her arm in greeting before sitting beside her.

"Ya know yer brother's gotta keep watch while 'm gone, baby doll." Remy chided lightly as she pulled out a box of cough medicine that she'd managed to find after raiding a mostly intact pharmacy. She placed the little box on the nightstand beside her and reached into the pack again, pulling out a faded red package, "But look what I got ya."

Annie's tired eyes light up at the sight of the worn package, "Skittles!"

Remy pulled the candy out of the young girl's reach with a chiding look, "Nuh uh, chérie, gotta take yer medicine first." She placed the skittles on the nightstand and picked up the box, dumping the bottle of cough syrup into her hand, "C'mon then, beautiful, sit up some for tante Remy."

Annie rolled her blue eyes in annoyance as she pushed herself up into a sitting position, leaning against the headboard. Fenrir rumbled excitedly and jumped onto the foot of the bed as soon as the young girl was upright, sprawling out on his side with a happy huff that caused Remy to sigh in exasperation while Annie giggled.

"Crazy mutt." The southern woman mumbled fondly with an eye roll as she poured some of the cough syrup into the little plastic medicine cup then she handed it to Annie, "There, drink up, chérie."

"Grape, yuck." Annie scrunched her nose up in distaste but she downed the medicine like it was a shot of Jack, gagging in disgust as she handed the empty cup back to her godmother, "Blegh."

"Suck it up, baby doll." Remy snorted in amusement as she put the medicine away and grabbed the packet of skittles, opening it and dumping a few into her hand, "Here, eat a couple skittles then it's back to bed for you."

Annie sighed in childish annoyance as she took the proffered skittles, popping a couple in her mouth. Remy smiled slightly at the blissful expression on the ten year old girl's pallid face as she ate the rest of the candies then the older woman stood.

"C'mon, bed now." Remy ordered with mock sternness as she helped her goddaughter lay back down and tucked the blankets around her. She pressed a soft kiss to Annie's forehead then smiled down at her, "Get some rest, Annie-baby. I'll be back up to give ya some more medicine later."

Annie nodded tiredly in agreement and turned onto her side, patting the space in front of her, "Come snuggle with me, Fen."

The black-phased wolf-dog sat up and looked over at Remy inquisitively, then he crawled up beside the young blonde girl when the woman nodded in approval. Annie wrapped her arms around the large canine and pressed her face into his furry back, her breathing deepening as she drifted to sleep. Remy smiled again and kissed the side of her again then patted Fenrir's head before slipping quietly out of the bedroom, her pack in one hand and the skittles resting on the nightstand beside the cough syrup.


Jace glanced up from his position beside the carefully boarded up window in the living room when Remy came down the stairs, a hunting rifle in his lap and his crossbow by his feet.

"She gon' be okay?" The seventeen year old asked, his eyes riveted on his godmother.

"Yeah," Remy hummed as she sat down on the ground in front of the couch and carefully began empty her pack out on the ground, "I found a box of cough medicine, should work, but if that don't then I found some other shit too. Here."

Jace caught the back of Cheetos she tossed at him, his confused expression morphing into one of amazement. He looked up at Remy and she smiled at him fondly, shrugging one shoulder.

"Found 'em under a turned over shelf, might be a little crushed but what the hell."

The teen grinned at her and tore open the bag, tossing a couple of the artificial cheese-flavored chips into his mouth as he went back to keeping a lookout. Remy finished packing the more necessary supplies inside the kitchen before slipping out to the garage and packing the spare things into her H1 alpha wagon.

"Gonna need more meat soon, 'm gonna go huntin' in the next couple of days, a'right?" Remy commented as she walked over to where Jace was sitting after grabbing her rifle from under the couch, "You go on get t'bed, I'll keep watch for a couple hours."

The teen nodded and stood, shoving the Cheetos bag into a pocket before grabbing his crossbow from the floor.

"Night, tante." He bent down and pressed a quick kiss to the auburn-haired woman's cheek before disappearing upstairs.

Remy waited until she heard his door close then she sat down in the chair by the window, peering out at the dark woods between the slat that was just big enough for the muzzle of a rifle to fit through. As she kept watched, she wondered if the young man she'd saved back in the city managed to get back to his group then she shrugged the thought away.

"No point in ponderin' on those thoughts, Remy." She mumbled to herself as she pulled one of her Berettas from her shoulder holster and began checking it over, "Ain't like I'm gonna see 'im again anyway."


Author's Note: Wheee! Finally, I've managed to start working on the bloody rewrite of When the Gun Smoke Settles. My friend decided to give me free reign over the story and I hit a terrible case of writer's block, which has been cured after I sat down and started re-watching Season 1 of TWD, it was also partially inspired by the song Welcome to the Gun Show by In This Moment. I am no expert in French and I'm using an online translator as well as an online French swear word website that's kind of helping. Title of the song is actually part of the quote 'There's us and the dead. We survive this by pulling together, not apart.' -Rick Grimes, Season 1: Episode 3
Anyhooties, updates are probably gonna be sporadic since this is like a side project that I'm working on while I try to wrap my head around Chapter 48 of
Open Your Mind, Chapter 10 of Smash the Control Machine, and Chapter 4 of The Girl Who Can't Be Touched. I hope y'all enjoyed the first chapter!

Translations:

Vous stupide salope: You stupid bitch

Merde: Shit

Chérie: Darling/Love/Sweetheart

PSS - I know it's a bit a ways in the future, but would y'all like Sophie to live or just stick to the original storyline of season 2? I'd like to get an idea of what to do with her now so I can start planning for that particular part of this story, so your input would be much appreciated!