A/N: Been a while since my last update here, but with so many waiting there was no way in hell I was going to leave you all in the weeds!
Disclaimer: I don't own Venom or The Walking Dead.
An hour after his encounter with Shane, Alex laid on his back looking up at the sky on the roof of Dale's RV. The man himself sitting in a lawn chair next to him with Glenn standing and looking through a pair of binoculars into the distance.
"All we're saying is that you have that Old Man and the Sea vibe about you." the host said to Dale, the two of them having a conversation for a few minutes now. "Only your boat is this rust bucket, and the sea is a bunch of rotters."
The older man chuckled while patting the roof of the RV, "She may be a rust bucket, but she's gotten us pretty far through all of this. And watch who you callin' old! I still got a few more years in me yet."
"Keep telling yourself that, grandpa." Glenn threw in, getting a mock glare from Dale. "So, Alex, where were you when the world went to hell?"
"Newark." replied Alex, "Was living there for about a year after leaving Brooklyn, woke up one morning and saw people eating each other in the streets."
"Yeah, it was pretty much the same for all of us." said Glenn as he went back to watching.
Dale took a drink from the water bottle he had nearby, "How long you planning on staying around?"
"Probably a day or two. After that we haven't decided which way to go." said the host.
"You could always stick with us. I'm pretty sure Rick and the others will be more than happy to have an extra set of hands around." said Glenn.
"Not sure how well that will go with some people." Alex replied, "Shane seems to have it out for us."
Dale shook his head, "Don't know what's gotten into that man's head as of late, but he's not making many friends with everyone else. You shouldn't worry too much."
"Who said we were worried?" the younger man replied with a shrug as he continued to watch a couple clouds float overhead. The three of them lapsed into silence for a long while as the day passed by.
"The days are getting shorter, and colder." his other said, having sensed the changes in the weather as of late. The symbiote not being a fan of the cold when the temperature started dropping.
"Fall's coming. Might need to reconsider the idea of going South for a while." Alex thought back. "Pretty sure we can handle the smell of burn zombie for a few months."
"Could see Disney World." offered the symbiote.
The host rolled his eyes, "Yeah... the Happiest Necropolis on Earth..." their mental conversation was halted when Maggie came out onto the porch of the house and called out that dinner was ready. The men climbed down from the RV and made their way inside where everyone else was already gathered around the table.
Given the large number of people, one or two had to stand off to the side while the others took a seat. Rick and Lori were having dinner in the room where their son was resting, food being brought up to them by Beth before she came back down and joined her family.
When dinner was passed out, small conversations broke out among the group. Dale and Hershel having a deep discussion about the latter's profession with animals. Glenn and Maggie kept sending each other fleeting glances from their sides of the room, an awkward aura around them both ever since they came back from their run into town.
Alex watched the others interact with one another as he ate silently, feeling the daggers being glared at him from Shane who didn't touch his plate. Andrea beside him, also sending looks his way that were hardly better.
It was obvious that the former deputy told her about them facing off and she immediately took his side in the matter.
The host merely ignored them and focused elsewhere;
"I ain't bullshittin'!" Daryl said to Dale, "Swear up and down it was a damn Chupacabra. Merle thought I was full of it, but I know what I saw."
"There is stranger shit out there these days." T-Dog threw in.
"Otis had a story that was similar." said Hershel, sending a sympathetic look at Patricia given her husband's recent death. "Said that he saw something out in the woods hunting a few weeks back."
"Really?" asked Carol, a little curious, "Did he say what he had seen?"
The farmer put his fork down and wiped his mouth, "I recall him being pretty shaken up when he came back from hunting. He said that he had gone out pretty far to the East given most of the local game moved elsewhere, managing to track a deer a couple miles when he came across a field...that's where he saw it."
Everyone had quieted down and listened to Hershel as he continued. "Otis said it was large, bigger than a man and stood on two legs. Skin blacker than an oil slick with claws that looked sharper than his hunting knife and a mouth filled with teeth like a shark."
"You sure he wasn't just drinking out there?" Shane said from his place, not really bothering to care about the story.
Patricia glared at the man, "Otis never drank when hunting. Whatever he saw out there, it scared him so bad he didn't sleep well for days and refused to leave the property until recently."
"You're tryin' to tell us that there's somethin' else out there other than walkers?" asked Daryl.
"Hard to say." said Hershel. "Regardless, I think it's best if you all are going out there for one reason or another you shouldn't be alone."
Alex had remained silent on the outside, but on the inside he was having another conversation with his other;
"I knew that we were spotted by someone that day." said the host, cursing his carelessness in thinking he had been alone out in the woods.
"Can't change the past now, though we doubt anyone except for the young spawnling we saved can make the connection."
At the mention of Sophia, Alex looked toward the girl and saw her glancing back with concern. He sent her a smile before making his way into the kitchen to put his empty plate in the sink.
All the while wondering if he should move the time of his departure up a notch or two.
X
Upstairs, Rick watched as Carl slept. Lori having taken their empty plates downstairs after their son had gone to sleep.
He didn't know what he would have done if they lost him, after waking up with so much already being lost, the only thing that kept him going was his family that he was thankful were still alive.
The former sheriff owed his best friend a lot for keeping them safe, but a part of him couldn't help but think that there was friction between his wife and Shane. Though both of them were tight lipped about it, he could see the tension clearly between them making him wonder what had happened for things to get that way.
Rick perked up when he saw Carl's eyes open, "Hey buddy, how you feelin'?" he asked.
"Still sore, but not as bad." the boy replied as he shifted around a bit. "Where's mom?"
"She'll be on her way back, just went to drop dishes off." the man replied, running his hand through his son's hair. "She told me you met our new friend earlier."
Carl smiled, "Yeah, Alex is pretty cool. Sophia said he took down the walkers that were after her super fast. He talks kinda funny though."
Rick chuckled, "That he does. He's gonna be around for a bit before setting off on his own." he saw Carl frown.
"Oh. That...that sucks." the boy muttered.
"I take it you're not too keen on him leavin'?" Rick asked.
Carl nodded, "Yeah, and Sophia will be upset too. She was hoping he would join our group. I mean, you said we all gotta stick together and everything."
"That I did." the former sheriff replied, "I'll have to talk to him and the others before any decisions can be made about that. Until then you just try to rest as much as you can, alright?"
Carl nodded and smiled, "Hey, I'm like you now. We've both been shot. Isn't that weird?"
Father and son both laughed at that fact. "I think your mother would prefer it if we had the same eyes. So lets keep that between us, okay? But since you're in the club now, you get to wear that hat now. Didn't you know?" Rick picked up his sheriff's hat and put it on Carl's head. "We'll pad the rim tomorrow, so that it sits better."
Carl ran his fingers along the rim of his dad's hat, "Won't you miss it?"
"Maybe I'll ask you to borrow it from time to time." replied his dad with a smile.
"We can share it." Carl added, making Rick nod before tucking his son in. "I love you, dad."
"I love you too. Get some sleep, alright?" Standing, Rick made for the door where Lori was leaning against the frame waiting for him. The two parents leaving the room and quietly closing the door behind them, "Guess our new arrival has already started getting to know everybody."
"He was pretty good with the kids, and Carol said Sophia talks about him like he's some kind of superhero." replied Lori. "I guess things could be worse."
"And the idea of him staying with our people?" Rick inquired.
His wife bit her lip, "He and Shane aren't on the best of terms. He's pretty adamant about making sure Alex is gone sooner than later."
Rick ran a hand through his hair before going into the room next to the one Carl was sleeping in. Taking off his badge and setting it on a dresser before looking himself in the mirror mounted on the back.
Removing his shirts, he looked down at the circular scar on his right side. The injury he had gotten that put him in the coma before the world fell apart.
Lori came in up behind him, wrapping her arms gently around his waist and kissing his cheek. "Get some rest, I'll stay up a bit longer." Rick nodded, feeling his wife give him one last kiss before walking out of the room.
Outside the house, Lori made sure she was far enough from where everyone was before taking out the pregnancy test she had Glenn pick up earlier that day. Sighing deeply, she made her way out into the field, far enough out of sight to do what she needed...
X
At the same time, Alex was laying on his back on the porch roof of the house, hands behind his head as he looked up at the sea of stars above. It was one of the things about the rural part of Georgia that he actually liked, being able to see the night sky as clearly as this. It was peaceful.
"You ever miss it?" he asked his other suddenly.
"At times. But don't forget that we were exiled from our home, it leaves a bitter feeling when those memories appear." replied the symbiote.
"Guess that's something we have in common. Neither of our homes wanted us." Alex thought back with a sense of bitterness. "And sadly, there still doesn't seem to be a home out there for us."
"That doesn't sound like the optimistic host we've come to bond with."
Alex shrugged, "I'm entitled to be a glass half full every once in a while." he kept his gaze on the billions of stars above when he heard one of the windows nearby open.
Tilting his head to get a better look, he saw Beth climbing out the window of what was more than likely her bedroom. A white nightgown covering her frame with her hair done up in a bun. When her bare feet were on the shingles of the roof, she turned to close her window only to jump slightly when she saw that she wasn't alone.
"We seem to be making a habit of making you jump." Alex said with a calm smile, remaining in his lounging position.
"I guess so," Beth replied, after calming down from her slight scare. "What are you doing out here?"
Shrugging, the host looked back up to the clear night sky, "We like to get up high, look at the stars and think sometimes. It helps."
Soft footsteps on the shingles told him the blonde was coming his way, sitting down beside him with her knees drawn to her chest with her own eyes looking toward the heavens. "I like to do this a lot too. It's pretty out here."
"Definitely a better view than in the city." Alex replied, "All the lights would block the stars, out here, it's crystal clear."
Beth looked over at him with a curious gaze, "What was it like? Living in a big city before everything..." she trailed off but he understood the question.
"Crowded is the best we can describe it. A lot of activity and day to day life. You'd be lucky to find a moment of peace and quiet depending on where you were living." Alex answered. "We honestly don't miss it much."
He turned his head and looked back at her, "What's it like living out here on a farm?"
"Too quiet at times." replied Beth, shrugging a delicate shoulder. "All of us grew up here. I always wanted to seem more of what was out there, daddy's pretty strict though. You should have seen him back when Jimmy and I were together."
"Jimmy?" Alex wondered.
"He was the one I went to talk to when we first met." the blonde answered. "We were together for a while, he always helped here on the farm. But things didn't really work out for us in the end, we're still friends though, thankfully."
Alex didn't know why, but hearing that little tidbit of information made his chest tense for a brief moment. His other chuckled in the back of his mind before going silent.
The two of them talked for a long while, about casual things like their favorite foods and music, or even a couple random stories. Beth found his way of speaking a little funny but had quickly grown accustomed to it while Alex would occasionally stumble on a word when those beautiful blue orbs caught his eyes.
He would be lying if he didn't find the blonde southern-belle attractive. The way she smiled and the bright look in her eyes when she did was hypnotic...Alex felt like he could drown in those eyes.
They sat in a comfortable silence for a while the crisp night air blowing softly around them causing Beth to shiver a bit. "You should head inside where its warm." said Alex, not willing to see her getting cold.
"It is getting pretty late." Beth said, stifling a yawn. The host stood, offering her his hand that she took with another smile as he helped her up and walked her back to her window. "Thank you." she said as she opened the window and climbed inside gracefully.
"Not a problem." Alex said back with a smile of his own, "See you tomorrow?" he asked, hope unconsciously slipping into his tone.
Beth smiled again and nodded to him before closing the window and pulling the blinds.
There was barely a second of silence before the symbiote laughed in his mind.
"What?!" Alex thought back, being momentarily thrown off from the sudden guffaw.
"The female has ensnared you!" his other laughed again. "Only two meetings and the urge to mate is strong, we can sense it clearly!"
Alex had the decency to blush, "It's...It's nothing like that! We just talked-"
"You forget we are one. We feel all that you do. And we must admit, she would be an ideal mate for you." said the symbiote. "She is small, frail even. But we can sense her spirit, her compassion. After everything you have endured, you deserve someone such as her."
The host paused, sending a look at the now darkened window where the blonde angel most likely slumbered. "...but she doesn't deserve someone like us...Not with what we've done." he thought morosely.
His other sending him calming vibrations through their bond but Alex shook them off as he walked slowly to the edge of the farm house roof, bending his knees and launching into the air before firing a line of black webbing from his hand and swinging into the nearby trees where he set up a hammock made from the same webbing for him to sleep in.
Getting comfortable, Alex stared up at the sky one last time before slipping into a light slumber. Both he and his other unaware that things on the Greene farm were about to take a turn for the worst.