Summary: Louise just wanted to do her job in peace. She didn't ask for Rick and his group to bustle in her life and starting a and endless shitshow. She didn't ask for a new family. And she certainly didn't ask for that silly boy with the sheriff hat's attention.


I shouldn't be starting another story but I couldn't help it!

This is my first TWD fanfic, and I haven't read the comics, so I apologize if I get something wrong.

The title of the story was inspired on a song with the same name by Édith Piaf, if I'm not mistaken.

Let me know what you think of it so far. Criticism is always good.

I do warn you that english isn't my first language, so sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes. Please, don't be afraid to point them out.

Warning: this chapter contains mentions of depression, suicide and sexual abuse. It won't be the last time subjects like these are mentioned, but I'll try to remember to warn you.

BTW, Carl is 16 years old on this story

Enjoy!


Chapter 1: Material Girl.

The small branches of the trees barely moved with the hot breeze that passed by them. The sun shone upon earth, and some of its strongest rays managed to break through and grace the muddy surface. There weren't any animals close by, nor signals of water. The silence was unnerving, and it would have bristled even the bravest of men.

The highway next to it didn't give away any indications of life.

It was a scary picture, almost like something out of a good horror movie, and it would have been wise to be armed in such place, in such time.

The silence of the forest was interrupted by footsteps and grunts.

Our protagonist should have known better, she should have paid more attention. If it weren't for the dog running beside her she would be long dead.

Louise thought she could survive outside the walls of The Sanctuary, but in her desperation for leaving the place, she didn't took into consideration that she hadn't been outside said walls in over three years.

She tried to glance back, wanting to check for biters even though she knew they were still there. Of course they were, she could hear them.

Or maybe I'm just going insane.

A girl could dream.

The backpack was slowing her down, but she didn't want to throw it. There were few things there that she refused to lose, but stopping to take them out while the biters were still after her wasn't an option.

John had always complained about that, how Louise and her mother would always pack more than what they needed; and she had always made fun of him in return. If she ever saw him again, she would let him know he had been right.

A quick glance to her companion told her that he wouldn't hold on much longer, and neither would she.

They had been running for what felt like hours, and even if they managed to get rid of the biters, she would still be low on water. She had ran out of food the previous day.

She took the meat knife she had stolen from the kitchens out of her boot and spun around. The biter rushed towards her, and Louise met it halfway, stabbing it in the eye. It fell lifeless to the ground.

She looked up. The other five seemed more fresh, and she wasn't sure she had strength enough to kill them all. At least there weren't as many as when the chase started.

A bark brought her back to reality.

She kept on running, making sure to keep the road to her left. She was scared of the road. She still expected him to appear out of nowhere on a monstrous truck.

Her side hurt, her mouth was as dry as a desert, and her legs protested.

She tripped and fell.

"¡Ow!" she tried to get up, ignoring the cut on her palm the best she could.

The dog barked again, and she looked up to see a biter behind him.

"Tony" she tried to yell, but he had already sensed it, jumping upon it. "Don't!"

The dog stopped before his teeth broke through the btier and he got off. Louise wasn't sure if the virus also affected animals, but she didn't want to find out.

She took a big rock and smashed it against its head, splashing more blood over her t-shirt. She couldn't even remember what colour it used to be.

"C'mon, Tony" she called, forcing her body to keep moving.

The world began to spin, a little at first.

The sun was starting to disappear, much to her despair, and soon she wouldn't see her attackers.

She thought she heard an engine, but ignored it.

Maybe I should stop.

It was tempting. If she stopped running, it would hurt for a while, and then it would also stop. Maybe there was an afterlife after all, and she would see her mother once more.

God! She missed that woman.

She barely felt Tony's teeth on the hem of her shirt, pulling her with him, encouraging to try harder. But she couldn't try harder.

She tripped and fell. Again.

Tony started barking, and Louise tried to stop him. He would only attract more of those.

She could barely see; if it was because of exhaustion or because of the sun, she wasn't sure anymore. She was soaked in sweat to the bones, and the blood loss on her hand hadn't helped.

Everything seemed to slow down, and all sound seemed distant all of the sudden.

She could make out Tony's barks and whines, but it sounded cushioned.

She barely noticed the pair of black boots stopping next to her head.

Closing her eyes, she welcomed the end.


She heard some rumbling, and then she felt the light. Her head hurt, and so did her hand, and the rest of her.

A groan abandoned her body, and her goodhand went to her head.

"Ah!" a voice spoke near her "You're awake. Good"

Slowly, she opened her eyes and waited for them to adjust. A cream ceiling greeted her. Taking in her surrounding quickly, she saw a door leading to an almost desert street and several windows open.

Outside,a few people went on about their day, but Louise didn't recognize anybody.

She didn't recognize the place either. It was a relief, to an extent, realizing that that place wasn't the Sanctuary. But other part of her knew it could be worse.

She noticed everything was clean and neat, and the houses stood proudly, each better than the other. It was the kind of house Louise's mother had always wanted for her children. Two story with a white picket fence.

She tried to sit up, but the world began to spin.

"Take it easy"

She felt a pair of strong hands on her bare arms and flinched.

"It's ok. I just want to help"

She opened her eyes once more and they adjusted.

In front of her there was a tall, blond man with blue eyes. He was staring down at her with concerned eyes, a small flashlight on his hand.

He didn't seem dangerous, and Louise assumed his only advantage was his stature and strength.

She decided to not attack him right away. Besides, she was still weak, and no matter how fast she could run, she knew it wouldn't be enough.

She tried to speak, but her throat was sore.

The man noticed, and he quickly handed her a bottle of water.

She took it, and not caring about the possibility of it being poisoned, drank greedily. The liquid tasted like nectar of the gods, even though it was a little bit warm.

"How long have I been unconscious?" she asked, forcing herself to stop drinking.

"Not that long. They found you outside the gates last night. It's almost time for dinner. Here" he held the flashlight over her face and looked into her eyes. "All good"

She looked around the room. There was no signs of weapons, and all the medicine was locked up.

Getting up, she looked down at her bare feet, and noticed that she was clean, and fresh clothes adorned her figure.

"Who…"

"My wife Jesse washed you up and changed your clothes" the man explained, handing her a pair of socks and old converse.

Louise put them on, still looking around. Everything was painted with light colours, and the books, drugs and syringes looked out of place.

The shoes were a little bit big, but she was grateful to have something to wear.

Her eyes widened.

"Where's Tony?" she asked, walking around the house, ignoring the black edges on her line of vision and the man's voice.

"Your dog is fine. He's quite friendly"

The man opened the door and signaled for her to get closer.

She did as he asked with slow steps, and sighed in relief upon seeing her companion running around with a few kids.

She whistled and Tony stopped, looking around with a tense body before spotting her on the porch. His tail began to move from side to side, and she smiled as he ran towards her.

Tony tackled her to the ground, licking her face.

"Hey, buddy" she hugged him, kissing his soft fur. Someone had given him a bath, and she pitied the poor soul.

"He's quite friendly, isn't he?" the man smiled softly, patting Tony in the head.

The dog lashed his teeth, growling at the man.

"Easy" ordered Louise, standing up. She tried to act nonchalant, keeping a hand on Tony while the other searched for a weapon that wasn't there. Tony was indeed friendly, and Louise trusted him with her life; when he behaved like that in front of someone, it wasn't good news.

"I'm Pete, by the way" he said, offering a hand. "Pete Anderson. I'm the doctor of Alexandria"

Before she could question him about the place, another man walked up the steps of the porch.

"Hey, Pete" he greeted Louise with a warm smile and a firm handshake "I'm Aaron. It's nice to meet you. You caused quite the stir last night"

She noticed some people stopping what they were doing to openly stare at her.

Did people forget about manners when shit went down too?

"I'm sorry?" she said, not sure on how to answer.

"It's fine. We're just glad you're ok" He stepped aside and motioned for her to walk "If you'll come with me, Deanna will like to see you"

She didn't know who that Deanna chick was, but if she wouldn't come herself, she must have been important.

He seemed friendly, but the world had taught her that looks were deceiving.

"You first" she said.

He nodded, walking down the steps, Louise following behind.

She didn't recognize the doctor on her way out, and kept a firm hand on Tony's fur.

Her empty stomach decided to demand attention, and Aaron turned towards her with a kind smile. She blushed.

"I'll make sure to bring you something after you talk with Deanna"

She never let her eyes settle on something, examining her surroundings. People seemed happier than in the Sanctuary, more at ease. Everything was cleaner and greener.

"Who's Deanna?" she asked, narrowing her eyes upon seeing the wall that surrounded the place. From the distance, it looked resistant.

"She's our leader. She and her husband have been in charge of Alexandria since everything started"

"So, this place's been here since day one?"

"Yup"

"And how much trouble have you had with biters and hunters?"

"Not much" he shrugged, only to hesitate. Louise eyes fell upon him immediately. It was a welcome distraction from the prying eyes of the people "We had some trouble with a group awhile ago, and we only looked for lone travelers for some time, but Deanna's given me green lights to start looking again"

He smiled at the end, as if the idea of bringing a bunch of strangers inside his walls wasn't worrisome.

Negan wouldn't take a group bigger than five.

She shook her head. She didn't want to think of him,

"How long have you been here?" she asked, taking notice of the unoccupied field to her right.

"A couple years. My boyfriend and I ran into this place when they were finishing up the wall" he pointed behind him "Deanna's husband, Reg, was a professor of architecture and took care of it all"

She nodded.

"And the rest of these people?" she asked, nodding to her side, where an old lady was taking a peek at her from a window.

"Most of them have been here since the beginning"

She looked around once more, a frown forming on her face. So, most of them had probably no idea of the situation outside the walls, and it was most likely they didn't know how to fight either. She wondered if it was just stupidity or a tactic from the leader to keep everything under control.

"Don't worry" Aaron gave her a slight nudge on her arm, then cleared his throat awkwardly under Louise's blank expression "You'll like it here. It's safe. There's even a school; you'll make friends there"

She raised a dark eyebrow.

"What makes you think I wanna stay?"

"Why not?" Aaron seemed perplexed. He took a glance at Alexandria, as if trying to find something wrong with the place "It's safe"

Louise didn't say anything, locking eyes with a middle aged woman. She stood stiffly on a porch, her straight light brown hair barely graced her shoulders, and her blue eyes were stuck on her. They shared a quick glance from head to toe, measuring each other.

Aaron smiled at the woman.

"Deanna, this is,..." he turned to her, remembering that she hadn't said her name.

"Louise" she said, letting go of Tony.

The dog sat next to her and tilted his head, looking up at Deanna.

"It is very nice to meet you, Louise. I am Deanna Monroe. Come on in"

She stepped aside and Louise hesitated before following Tony inside.

The house was nicely decorated, but Louise focused her attention on the camera waiting in the living room.

"What's that for?"

"Transparency"answered Deanna, closing the door behind her. "Please, take a seat"

Louise walked around the armchair and to the bookcase, where a clarinet rested. She ran her fingers over the instrument, and almost heard John playing it. It bought a small smile to her face.

"Do you play?"

Shaking her head, she turned to Deanna.

"My brother does,...did" she answered, unsure.

The older woman nodded, taking a seat and inviting her to do the same.

Louise tried to not to blink in the direction of the camera; they had always made her nervous.

Tony walked up to Deanna and licked her hand. The woman jumped, surprised, before gently petting the dog.

"He truly is a loyal pet" she said, smiling warmly at her "My son Spencer heard him barking and that lead him to you. This lil' fella wouldn't leave your side"

Louise didn't say anything. She had always been bad at judging character, and ever since the world changed, she had had to be even more careful. She was grateful for Tony, he had never been wrong about someone.

"Could you state your full name to the camera?"

"Louise Rossi" she said automatically, maintaining eye contact.

Deanna nodded.

"Italian, isn't it?"

"My great grandparents were from Italy, but I'm not sure where exactly. Florence, I think"

She had never asked much about her great grandparents. She only knew they eloped to a little country in Latin America because their families wouldn't approve the match. Then, her mother moved to New Jersey when she and John were little, and her abuelos remained in their hometown.

"I've never met a Louise before"

Deanna was trying to break the ice, she could tell; making chit chat and trying to get her to trust her.

She just nodded, not knowing how to answer.

"And how old are you, Louise?"

"What day is it?" she asked in return, sparing a quick glance at Tony, who laid down at her feet and began to bite the coffee table. A look from Louise was enough to get him to stop.

"March 24"

"Then I'm 18, ma'am"

Her birthday had been on the twenty second.

"Just call me Deanna" she intertwined her fingers and tilted her head "You seem younger"

Outside, the skies were turning grey, and the threat of rain began to sneak up on them.

Louise tried to focus on what the woman was saying, but the idea of getting something to eat assaulted her mind.

"Sorry. What?"

Deanna repeated the question.

"I asked how long you've been on your own? Where are your parents?"

"Dead" she said, not wanting to reveal her entire life to a stranger "And I'm not sure for how long I've been on my own."

Deanna nodded.

"And you mentioned a brother"

Louise moved; she didn't like interrogations, and so many questions were putting her on edge.

"He was studying abroad when everything happened"

"I'm sorry about that"

Louise didn't understand what Deanna was sorry for. There was no guarantee that John was still alive, but she firmly believed that he was. She didn't care that she would never see him again as long as he still breathed air and didn't ate humans.

"You have an accent" she observed, to which the older woman nodded.

"I do. I'm from Ohio. I was a congresswoman"

"Ohio? You're far away from home" she arched an eyebrow, impressed.

"I was in D.C when everything started. My family and I were on our way back home when the government left us her to wait their return." she explained. "And you? How far away from home are you?"

"My uncle had a ranch in Kentucky. We were visiting"

She wanted to tell her that she didn't have a home, that it was impossible, with so many biters everywhere, it was almost impossible to stay somewhere long enough to consider it a home.

"You and your parents?"

"Yes" she nodded, not correcting her.

Me and mom.

Her dad had died of lung cancer when she was seven, and it was a sore subject noone in her family brought up. It only made her mother sad, and Louise didn't like it when her mom had to take pills to be happy.

"How did they die?" asked Deanna, crossing her legs.

Louise shifted. That woman might as well put some salt on the wound in her hand and it would have hurt less.

Sensing her discomfort, she changed the subject.

"Do you want to live here, Louise?"

"Is it an offer?" she replied with another question.

"Yes"

The one thing she liked about Deanna so far, besides her warm smile, was how direct she was.

"I could be a psychopath for all you know"

"True" conceded the woman "But I'll figure that out on the run"

Louise crossed her arms.

"What's the catch?"

"There's no catch. You will be given the keys to a house and an occupation."

"What about food and water?"

"Everything is divided equally among the community"

Everything? It meant that they didn't have to share with another community; at least that's what Louise assumed. She didn't made questions though, she didn't want to raise suspicion.

A place where she would be safe was ideal, but she knew it was too much to ask. Those people didn't seem like the warrior type, and when the wall came down (and it would) she would be trapped with the lot of them.

Her eyes fell upon the house across the street. She could make out some figures behind a curtain. It looked like a family of four.

That was what her mother wanted from her, and even though something told her it was a bad idea to stay, she didn't want to be outside again.

She wanted to be able to sleep with both eyes closed, and wake up without a cramped hand from holding a gun or a knife all night long. She wanted to take regular baths, and three foods a day. She wanted a roof over her head when it rained.

She wanted to relax, even for just a day.


They actually gave her a house.

Her backpack was waiting for her at the door when she arrived, and the dirty clothes she had been wearing when she passed out laid on top of it.

Louise picked the t-shirt up and smelled it. Lavender. Her favourite. She never thought she would have clothes smelling like lavender again.

She tried to take the first step inside, but Tony beat her to it, running into the house and pushing her out of the way.

"Jesu' cristo" she muttered under her breath, watching the animal walking around and smelling everything. He was just about to mark his territory when she walked into the kitchen.

"TONY! OUT"

He obeyed, thankfully.

A small giggle caught her attention.

Aaron stood on the doorway with a tray on his hands.

"Oh, hi again" he said, stepping inside. "I brought nachos"

In the old world, anybody who gave her nachos had been a hero for her.

"Try one" she said, crossing her arms across her chest.

"It's not poisoned"

"That's what a murdered would say"

With a small sigh, Aaron took a nacho dripped in cheese and put it in his mouth, closing his eyes and moaning.

"It's 's really good" he tried to tempt her.

Louise eyed the casserole before taking it, offering a small "thanks" in exchange.

Aaron smiled. He seemed to do that a lot.

"How do you like the house?" he asked.

Louise shrugged, looking around at the big kitchen. Everything was white and grey and modern. It seemed as if she were the first person to live there.

"Haven't checked yet" she said.

"Right" Aaron clapped his hands together "Well, I'll let you settle, then. I'll pick you up tomorrow and take you to the nursery"

Deanna had decided that she should learn from after Louise confessed her mother had been a nurse. She knew some stuff, but given the choice, she wouldn't have chosen to study medicine, but she didn't dare to complain, even if that doctor made her uneasy.

"Me and Eric are right across the street. You can always come around if you need anything"

She wasn't going to.

"Sure"

Aaron left with one last smile and closed the door softly.

The smell of the nachos had her stomach roaring, and she sat on the floor and started eating.

When she looked up, Tony was sitting in front of her, head tilted and eyes drifting from her to the casserole.

She took a handful and offered it to him, eating with the other hand.

They shared the casserole in silence, and when there was nothing left, they both stared at the glass with disappointment.

Louise let her friend lick the casserole while she took a look around.

The living room was nice. There were bookcases on the east wall, and an elegant fireplace on the north wall. In front of it rested a coffee table and a white couch with a blanket draped over it. The window behind it reflected the moonlight.

She found the switch and turned on the lights, noticing the frames on the west wall. They were all silver, and they were empty.

Louise remembered all the pictures she had stoked in a big envelope on her backpack, but discarded the idea. She didn't want to get comfortable in a place she didn't know.

Slowly, she took a tour of the house.

There was a small closet underneath the stairs, a bathroom and a bedroom.

She didn't dare to venture into the basement, but after Tony came back at a relaxed pace she breathed, walking up the stairs.

She let her hand slide up the handrail, taking notice of more frames along the wall.

The second floor was as impressive as the first.

There was a small bedroom painted blue, with a walk-in closet, bunk beds and a desk.

The other room was pretty similar, but the walls were of a light shade of pink. The bed had a mosquito net around it, and there were a few empty bookshelves on the wall, above the mahogany desk.

The master bedroom was painted a nice shade of taupe. It had its own bathroom and Louise almost cried in joy upon discovering it had hot, running water.

She took a shower. Even though she was clean, she didn't like the idea of some stranger washing her up, especially while unconcious.

She stayed under the hot water until it ran out, relishing in the feeling. It hadn't been that long since her last hot shower, (three weeks, maybe four) but she had resignated to never taking one after she left the Sanctuary.

She got out of the shower and put on a monkey's short and a batman t-shirt.

She walked down the stairs whistling and locked the door, checking all the windows and closing the curtains.

Tony had made himself at home already, and he slept on the couch.

Louise took notice of the cd-player on the bookshelf.

Walking to her (which she had left in her new bedroom), she took a cd bag her mother had insisted on taking whenever they travelled.

She walked down the stairs while looking for a cd, and smiled softly upon finding it.

She placed it on the player and pressed the button, sitting next to Tony.

The song began.

"Some boys kiss me,

some boys hug me

I think they're ok"

Her mother had been obsessed with Madonna since she was little, and that was where Louise had gotten her name from.

The song reminded her of her mom. After her dad's death, her mother had been in multiple relationships. A big number of men had paraded through her life, some had stayed longer than others, but never enough. They had all bored her pretty quickly.

Louise had gotten on a fight once, when a girl in her class had called her mother a "gold digger". She was ten at the time and she remembered the smirk on John's face and the scowl on her mother's when they saw her holding a fistfull of the other girl's hair.

It was truth, though. Her mother had a specific type, and most of the men she had dated were wealthy; but Louise didn't care. She was her mother and she loved her, she wouldn't let anybody say anything bad about her.

Her mother had loved them with all her being. She had always put their needs before hers, and the moment one of her boyfriends said something she didn't like about her kids, he would be history.

She still remembered the time they had moved out of the state after one of her boyfriends tried to abuse her brother.

Louise and her mother had arrived just in time. She was eight, and at the time didn't fully understand why that guy had his pants down, but she saw John struggling against him, and immediately mother and daughter jumped on his defense.

Even though it hadn't gotten that far, it took almost a year before John smiled again, and her mother decided to teach them self defense after that.

It hadn't been easy. Her mother was a nurse, but she was all alone with two kids in a foreign country;it took a while for Louise and her brother to learn the language, and for John to be old enough to get a part-time job so he could help out. She soon realized that everybody needed to contribute, so she took it upon herself to make sure the house was clean when her mother and brother arrived home.

She missed them. She missed John and his constant talk. That guy didn't know how to shut his hole, he even spoke in his sleep. She missed seeing his nose buried in a book full of theories and formulas she didn't understand.

She missed her mother's embrace. She missed watching her getting ready for a date, and the thing she missed the most was singing to Madonna's classics on her way to the school.

The song ended and another started, and Tony whined, licking her cheek.

Louise hadn't noticed that she was crying.

Her mother had loved her children with all her being, until the day her sadness was stronger than love, and she left her alone.

She tried to stop crying to no avail, so she clung to Tony.

As the first sobre broke through her, she realized he was her only family now.