I am sooooooooooo fuckin' sorry for the late update! Work has been crazy and my son's birthday is coming up, which were having a party for and me being the perfectionist I am, have not had the time to sit down and do anything about it. Kids are out of school this week, ewww, so I've had to take off of work to watch them but it does give me time to work on decor for his party as well as whip up an update for ya'll.
Anyways, finally had time to myself to whip up the next chapter, so I hope ya'll enjoy it. I originally wanted to update next week on schedule but with things with the party getting a bit hectic, I want to forewarn ya'll that the next update may be late. I haven't had a chance to write it up at all yet so I don't want to put your hopes up and I don't update when I'm supposed to. But as soon as April comes around, I should be back to updating as usual.
Please be patient with me!
New followers/favorites: Color me cruel, NamikazeMia and RORO102C!
Reviews:
UmiNight Angel Neko: She'll figure it out, sooner or later, I hope lol
HarryJamesPotterismyhero: They will be confident in their relationship, I promise!
Frankie: Hahah, you have the same thought process as me with the Daryl and Carol matching lmao but yes, I have to agree, Daryl and Ana belong together. Two peas in a pod!
Dark Rose Charm: Yessssss, they are strictly brother and sister, nothing romantic can come out of those two, it's just weird lol totally agree with you!
mamareadstomuch2: One of my favorite friendships, to be honest, Ana and Carol both balance each other out!
DarylDixon'sLover: Yes! It is coming, I promise!
Disclaimer: I do not own the AMC's The Walking Dead or it's characters, just Ana!
Enjoy~
Ana's POV...
I hadn't meant for my thoughts to get lost with themselves, though I couldn't help myself when my thoughts would automatically always drift to that little interaction between Daryl and Carol earlier in the evening. When I'd realize how poisonous my thoughts were getting, I'd shake myself quickly out of the fog and glance over my shoulder where Daryl was silently sitting, eyeing the opposite direction.
They'd be cute together, I couldn't deny it and with the shit Carol had to put up with her previous relationship and now being a single mom, she deserved all the happiness in the world. But didn't I too? Of course I did, but did I deserve it at the expense of others? Fuck.
I turned from the man's silhouette back to my side of the bus which overlooked the campsite we had set up. Most of the women had gone for sleeping indoors, in whatever vehicles would hold them while the men laid around the fireplace, every once in a while waking up to take a quick glance around the place.
"Ya gonna tell me what sort of fuckin' shit yer minds comin' up with tonight or want me ta take a wild guess?" I hadn't expected Daryl's voice to pierce the silence as I flinched in my seat causing it to squeal loudly against the bus roof. I bit into my lip, glancing down at the campers to make sure the sound hadn't woken them before turning to the man who had snuck up on me without me realizing it.
"Aren't ya supposed to be on watch? What if somethin' sneaks up with ya over 'ere?" I didn't feel like feeding the man's answer, one because I wasn't sure how to explain what I would now classify as 'junior high jealousy' and two, I had a sliver of pride left that I was bound to protect for as long as possible.
"Fuckin' hell, I know ya better than ya think, somethin' fuckin' botherin' ya, it's writtin' all over yer fuckin' face." Naturally, the redneck had completely ignored my words and took to plopping his fat ass beside me. I rolled my eyes up to the night sky, figuring maybe if I ignored him long enough, the man would give up. But honestly, what were the chances of that ever happening.
"I ain't fuckin' stupid, ya changed after the woman came up to give us dinner. You guys havin' a fight or somethin'?" Daryl offhandedly asked as he began to use his hunting knife to pick at the dirt under his nails, flicking dried mud and other unknown substances over the edge of the bus.
"I ain't fightin' with Carol, she's too nice for me to get to that point with." I scoffed, pulling the coat I had borrowed from Glenn, closer around my body, catching the attention of the man beside me.
"New coat?" He changed the subject quickly as I glanced over to see him eyeing the grey fabric around my arms as I snorted, shaking my head before turning back to the campsite.
"Nah, Glenn let me borrow, keep forgettin' to snatch up a coat whenever we're out. I'm over 'ere livin' off of flannels." I joked, gripping the sleeves a bit tighter as a chill shot across my form before it grew silent.
Wondering if maybe the man had finally left to return to his post without my knowing, I glanced over to see that he was glaring down at the men around the fire, at one in particular.
"Ya glare any harder at Rhee and he's gonna burst into flames." I muttered, tilting my head, wondering what had suddenly gotten the man's underwear in a knot before something seemed to click into place when I barely caught the brief glare he handed towards the jacket I was wearing.
I couldn't stop myself, even if I wanted to as I snorted, quickly grabbing his attention as his eyes shot up to meet mine in disbelief.
"Ya pissed I'm wearin' Rhee's coat? Jealous?" I perked my brow in a challenge, watching various emotions cross his face before he turned back to the campsite, clearly attempting to ignore my question which I wouldn't let go that easily. Sitting forward a bit more on my chair, my eyes caught his own, a smirk slowly sliding across my face.
"Don't hide from me, yer jealous, just tell me and I'll hand the jacket back." I teased playfully as his eyes bore into mine before glancing down at the coat now hanging off one of my shoulders.
"If ya needed a fuckin' coat, ya could have asked me." He spat out defensively, his eyes snapping away from me in the next second as I smiled, enjoying the slight banter I could still have with the man. Staring at him for a moment longer, I stood suddenly, startling him before I began to pull the coat off of my figure, tossing if off the side of the bus where it landed just a few feet from Glenn.
"What the fuck are ya doin'?" Daryl scolded as I leaned over my chair, pulling a folded up blanket from under my chair while smirking.
"What? Ya didn't want me wearin' his coat, so I won't. Blanket is good enough." I smirked at the man's look of surprise before chuckling lightly as he cursed annoyed.
"What? Now ya gettin' mad I ain't wearin' it? Want me to go get it?" I asked in interest as I turned to head to the back of the bus only for him to cut me off, his hands gripping the edges of the blanket around my form.
I froze, waiting for him to make a move or say something though I had just been trying to push his buttons to get a reaction out of him, I didn't expect him to be so silent and just, standing there.
After a moment of just awkwardly standing there, I couldn't take it anymore and stepped closer to him, obviously scaring him out of his thoughts as he flinched in surprise when my body was then pressed up against his own, my eyes panning up to meet his confused and hesitant ones.
"What are ya..." he began to whisper as I took the next opening to just do what my mind was telling me to. It had been far too long since I had any physical contact with this man and as 'high school' as it sounds, I missed it. My arms wove around his waist, intently watching for any disgust before I took the next step, finding an ounce of courage I didn't know I still had in moments like this and pressed my lips to his.
He didn't have the soft plump lips most women raved about but I didn't care, the fact that I melted the moment my lips made contact with his own was enough for me. Waiting for him to push me away from him, I squeaked against his lips when the blanket around me was pulled tighter, gluing my form to his as one of his hands dropped from the blanket to caress the side of my neck. I shivered at the touch, tilting my head to give him more access, I couldn't stop the pleased moan from tumbling from my lips as he gripped the hair at the base of my neck.
"If ya'll are quite done sucking face, it's time for watch duty switch." A voice startled the two of us as I yelped against the man's mouth, his body going rigid as he yanked me even closer to him, his eyes hard as he glared over his shoulder at what I could already place at being Glenn and T-Dog.
Dear god.
Author's POV...
The next morning...
"Quite the night." A voice suddenly spoke as Ana flinched from behind her apple, her eyes hard as she glared over at Glenn smirking down at her.
"Shut yer face, Rhee." She hissed, taking another bite out of the fruit causing the man to smirk, obviously pleased by her reaction.
"So, did you two..." Glenn began to ask as her eyes widened in shock, her cheeks flaring up as she sat up quickly to look at Glenn with a 'what-the-fuck-do-you-take-me-for' look sending the man laughing into his now rolled up sleeping bag.
"I'm kidding. T told me Daryl made ya sleep in the RV with the Greenes." Glenn quickly cut in, his hands up in an innocent fashion though she knew he was anything but.
She continued to glare over at him before sputtering her lips in irritation, quickly turning her attention back to her apple, praying the man would leave her to her morning.
"Everyone, meeting!" Rick hollared suddenly, catching both of their attention as Ana was quick to toss her apple core to the ground, peeling off her blanket before tossing it into the car she had been lounging on. Glenn waited patiently for her, though she was sure she could walk 10 feet without supervision, the two approached the dead fire where everyone was now gathered.
"So, what's the plan Rick?" T-Dog instantly asked as Rick gazed around at the group, his eyes laying on Ana's just a bit longer than the rest before he finally met T-Dog's stare.
"Gonna take the courtyard and then work our way into the prison itself." Rick explained as a few nodded, though a few were quick to voice their opinion.
"Everyone's exhausted Rick, can't we enjoy this win for a few days?" Lori whined from beside him, as Ana's eyes whipped over to the woman who had been growing paler as the days went on. Might have something to do with their food shortage or even the fact that she was due any day now, Ana wasn't sure.
"How are we going to survive out here for a few days? We're low on food and water." Rick turned to her exhausted as Ana bit her lip, attempting to keep her words to herself after her argument with Lori just the night before. Didn't help that she was still pissed that they didn't bring an ounce of the food she had found on that highway at the Greene's with them. Had she been paying attention to the plotline more, or even went about writing what she knew back then, it might have helped her to prepare, but she hadn't been so now that truckload of food and water she had found, sat abandoned at the overrun Greene Farm miles away.
"We can figure something out, we've been doing that thus far." Lori made to reach out for his arm, only for him to take a step back, catching the attention of the whole group.
"Not much to hunt 'round 'ere. Water is scarce." Daryl chirped in, his body warmth caressing the left side of her body as she passed him a side glance.
"And what could a prison offer us that we can't get out here?" Lori snapped impatiently at Daryl who took a threatening step in her direction only for Ana to grab his hand, stopping him from feeding the fire brewing anymore.
"Prisons are known for food storage, even water. Plus from the looks of it, seems like the guards took off and left the inmates to fend for themselves. Looks like they got out so chances are the cell blocks may be empty, that's somewhere safe for us to sleep." Ana voiced her opinion, not meeting Lori's eyes because she knew exactly what would be looking back at her if she did.
"Plus there must be an armory." Hershel commented as Ana nodded to the older man, though it was Rick to speak this time.
"Wouldn't be in the prison itself but close by. We can search for the warden's office, they should have a map on where everything is located."Rick explained causing everyone's hopes to rise just a bit.
"Half of the group will take the courtyard while the other half stays against the fence, drawing as much attention away from us as possible." Rick went on to explaining, pointing up the hill at exactly what he was talking about.
"Daryl, Ana, Maggie and Glenn will go with me into-" Rick began pointing to various people before Lori stepped up, shaking her head, effectively cutting him off.
"No, we need someone with us, someone capable, no offense Hershel, in case things go sideways." Lori reasoned, her eyes passing Ana a brief glance that was easily caught by the woman in question. Rick stared at her silently, obviously going about the pros and cons in his head before nodding with a sigh.
"Glenn-" He started as the man stepped up with a nod only for Lori to grab Rick's shoulder with a shake of her head.
"You're going to need all the manpower up there, leave Ana with us." Ana should have seen that coming from a mile away but yet she couldn't stop the look of disbelief and annoyance from crossing her features. If this woman really wanted to find time to be with her, without Rick or Daryl around, so be it. Sooner or later, the pregnant woman would come to realize that messing with Ana wasn't as easy as she thought it would be. Ana didn't take threats lightly and honestly, coming from the queen bee of the group, it didn't faze her either.
"Fuckin-" Daryl opened his mouth to argue with the woman only for Ana to shake her head, forcefully smiling over at Lori.
"It's alright. I'll stay back, keep an eye on things." Ana agreed with Lori as Rick and Daryl stared back each other in hesitation and suspicion.
"Ana-" She knew Rick wanted to protest, knowing the man depended on her abilities in these types of situations but no, she'd give Lori this pleasure.
"She's right, you'll need all the manpower in the courtyard. I'll stay to help with the kids." Ana then turned to Daryl who was staring back at her like she grew a second head, causing her to snort in amusement.
"Believe me, if she does shit, I'm flying her over the fence as walker chow." Ana mumbled under her breath for Daryl to hear, sending the corner of his lips twitching.
Ana nodded at the group set to head into the courtyard as she yanked the fence open, allowing the group in before slamming it shut. Immediately she jogged over to where Hershel and Beth were, picking up a metal pipe leaning against the fencing before using it to bang against the fence. They made tons of noise, attracting the attention of walkers nearby while she eyed the group inside in hesitation. If anything bad happened without her present, she was bound determined to make Lori pay for that shit, pregnant or not.
Ana had never felt so anxious in her life as she watched the group kill walker after walker before disappearing around the bend.
"I can't see them." Lori spoke anxiously as Carol stood on her toes, trying to see over the walkers still snarling against the fence.
"They went that way." Beth pointed out as the women continued to eye that direction in worry, not a sound echoing from there.
"What if they..." Lori whispered in realization, her hands beginning to shake around the broken stake in her grasp, her eyes growing glossy.
"I'm sure they are fine." Hershel commented, luckily enough they were just that.
Ana couldn't stop herself from jogging into the now empty courtyard once she saw an unscathed Daryl come around the corner with Rick. She ignored Lori barking at her to stay with them and continued on, interrupting their conversation as both men glanced up at her approach. Rick patted Daryl on the shoulder, passing her a soft smile before brushing past them as she continued on to Daryl who stared at her.
"Everythin' alright?" She asked immediately, subtly glancing up and down his form for any injuries before peering around the corner to the dead walkers laying out on the pavement.
"Weren't ya supposed ta be back with the women?" Daryl asked, picking up his dropped knife, wiping it clean on the shirt of a downed walker.
"I hate ya for sayin' that." She narrowed her eyes annoyed causing him to scoff though a smirk slowly made its way on his lips.
"Figured miss queen bee would be up yer ass about leavin' yer station." Daryl continued on as she rolled her eyes, using her pipe to poke at his stomach lightly in retaliation.
"Shut yer face. Second I saw ya, I was done. Can't stand bein' around that woman for more than a minute." Ana complained as Daryl batted the pipe away from him, his eyes glancing around the area in obvious relief.
"Rick wants ta clear out the cells, see what we can do in there." Daryl then explained as she nodded in agreement, gripping her pipe a bit tighter.
"I ain't stayin' back with the fuckin' women this time." Ana commented as Rick let out a whistle, gathering everyone. ?f=15&t=7375
"Looks secure." Glenn smiled as he glanced around, pleased by the sight of no walkers for once.
"Nothing will lead to that courtyard over there. But that there is a civilian." Daryl pointed to the fenced off area they had shut with a horde behind it.
"So the interior could be overrun by walkers from outside the prison." T-Dog added as Ana found herself trying to keep up with the conversation as a few of the men nodded.
"Well, if there are walls, then, what are we're gonna do? We can't rebuild this whole place." Glenn pushed as Rick sighed, nodding in agreement as his eyes passed across the group.
"We can't risk a blind spot." Rick added, his eyes landing on his pregnant wife and son before turning to Ana who already had been staring at him.
"We have to push in." Ana pressed as Rick nodded, passing her a grateful smile.
"Want you guys back behind the fences, we'll go in, clear out what we can and come back. Have everything ready to move." Rick turned to Carol who instantly nodded, turning to Beth who nodded back and began making her way towards the field to get started.
"Be careful in there." Lori whispered to Rick who nodded, not giving her the light of day as he pushed her to go. She only made it a few feet from the group before she stopped, turning to face them once more as her eyes narrowed in Ana.
"Let's go." Lori gestured for her to follow as Ana shook her head, glancing at Rick who took a step in Lori's direction.
"I'm all good and dandy stayin' on the sidelines earlier, but with the shit storm that could be in there, they're gonna need all the help they can get. I ain't fuckin' standin' aside this time." Ana put her foot down, ignoring the brush of Daryl's hand on the small of her back as Lori's eyes bore into her.
"We'll need help loading everything up." Lori lied as Ana scoffed, turning to look at Rick as the man stepped up again, cutting off his wife.
"We don't know what's in there, we'll need all the help we can get if we want to come out unscathed." Rick explained further, having already known that his wife had her eyes set on the other woman.
"And to be honest, you don't need my fuckin' help ta fold blankets." Ana barked further as Lori's eyes snapped to hers once more, a new sort of fury burning in her orbs.
"Alright, I've had quite enough of your shit. We need help getting shit together in the cars! So you're going to help us or you're going to find a new place to live!" Lori had officially snapped, as she began to march towards Ana who made no move to get out of her way as her hand snapped out, slapping Ana across the face before gripping the collar of her flannel. Daryl had made a move to intervene before the woman had grown close enough but Ana would have none of that as she cut off Daryl only to be slapped by the woman seconds later.
Okay, she had not been expecting that.
"Lori!" Rick snapped, grabbing the woman's arm, attempting to pull her away from Ana who did nothing but stand there, her cheek mildly burning as she met the woman's eyes.
"Let me go." Ana calmly instructed the crazed woman, her arm still out to stop Daryl from putting any of his threats in motion as he continued to bark at the woman, threatening to peg her where she should.
"Why should I?" Lori hissed into her face as Ana scoffed, slightly amused by her.
"Because it's taking everything in me not to fuckin' peg ya to the pavement. You've had quite enough of my shit? How about the shit yer spoutin' out on a daily? Ya think people enjoy listenin' to you marchin' around all high and mighty? Against popular belief, no one can stand yer shit as far as they can fly ya. So if ya want me to hit the high road, fine, I'm gone but don't come lookin' for me when you get overrun or some shit happens, cause I ain't comin' back. You and that baby of yers is gonna be all on yer own." Ana took a step into Lori, almost plowing her over as Rick put a hand to Ana's shoulder, one that was easily swiped away from Daryl.
"Ana, please..." Rick spoke as Ana slowly peeled her eyes away from Lori to meet his, desperation hiding behind his orbs.
"Don't..." He added as he pulled his wife hands away from Ana's flannel.
"If she leaves, I'm leavin'. Ain't leavin' her out there on 'er own." Daryl growled out, his arm wrapping around Ana's waist to pull her away from the crazed woman.
"Woah, wait, wait, wait, no ones goin' anywhere, right?" Glenn stepped up, stepping between both women as he looked pleadingly at Ana who sighed, peering up at Daryl who was still glaring hard at Lori.
"We ain't leavin' but if shit keeps up, I ain't lookin' back."
Rick finally got his wife to leave, though she snapped and cursed about it, nonetheless. Ana watched her march away, a tick in her eye as she bit into her lip, stopping all the shit she really had been wanting to say to the woman. Nothing good would come out of her saying shit, though she knew she'd feel a thousand times lighter if she did.
"Fuckin' hell..." Daryl muttered, turning her before his eyes landed on what she knew to be the cheek Lori had slapped. Honestly, it didn't hurt, sure it burned slightly but she had a sunburn that hurt worst than that woman's hit. Damn woman couldn't hit for shit, even if she tried.
"'m fine, woman can't hit for shit." Ana rubbed her cheek unaffected as all eyes turned to her.
"Ana, I'm sorry about that..." Rick began to apologize as she quickly shook her head, cutting him off.
"It's fine, well not fine, but shit we can do about it. Not 'bout ta blame shit on you for shit she does." Ana reassured him as she turned to meet T-Dog and Glenn's hesitant eyes. She knew what was on their minds as she sighed, stepping out of Daryl's hold to approach them.
"I ain't fuckin' leavin', get yer knickers out of a knot. Ya need me more here, no matter what shit she says." She promised, even adding a genuine smile in as the two slowly began to smile back at her, Glenn all about throwing himself at her, his arms wrapped tightly around her in relief.
"Alright, enough of the sappy shit, we got a cell block to clear out." She patted Glenn's back dramatically causing T-Dog to laugh and pull the small Asian from her.
Ana's POV...
Didn't take us long to overtake the cell block. As soon as we walked in, we were welcomed by absolute silence which wasn't something you were used to in this day and age. We kept on our toes, inspecting every dead body we came across before Rick seemed to find a guard with keys.
The sound of keys jingling caught the groups attention as we all glanced up from what I could see to be a dining area, to Rick silently slipping down the stairs with a large key ring in his hands. Not wasting any time, he bypasses all of us and quickly unlocks the cell block door, allowing us in. Maggie points out a dead prisoner laid out on the ground of the first cell, which ends up being the same for the cells after that.
Daryl and I are quick to check the top row of cells, a few empty and clean, a few littered with a dead inmate.
"How about up there?" Rick shouts up as I make my way to the last trio of cells, gripping the cell bar to pull it open only to squeal in surprise when a walker darts at me from the darkness of the cell. I had no time to recount the embarrassing sound that left my mouth at being surprised before Daryl ripped me out of reach before embedding two bolts into the head of both walkers.
"Fuckin' hell..." I muttered, collapsing onto my back on the walkway, my heart almost at the speed of exploding in my chest.
"Ana!" Voices shouted from down below as I waved absentmindedly, more embarrassed than anything at being caught off guard by a walker, nonetheless.
"Ana! You okay!?" The voices grew louder before the pounding of boots on the walkway I was lying on, began to echo through my entire form.
"M' fine, surprised is all. Hell." I put a hand to my forehead as faces began to pop up above me, eyeing me panic and relief.
"Come on, get up." Daryl pushed them all aside before holding a hand down to me, one I was almost too eager to take as he helped me to stand.
"You sure you're okay?" Glenn asked once more as I turned to nod at him only for Daryl to dart in front of me, his eyes hard.
"Oh, keep yer shit in yer pants, I'm fine." I pushed Daryl aside before he could say much more and began making my way down the stairs just as the men began tossing the dead walkers over the railing, a loud SPAT echoing through the cellblock at each one.
"Nasty..."
