A/N: this is a work of fan fiction and not meant to infringe upon the properties of Kirkman/Moore/AMC.
Redemption (The Road to Alexandria)
By Leah Pensotti
Chapter Seven: Geronimo (Bombs Away)
Anna appeared at Rick's door twenty minutes later with a book, a pack of playing cards she found and a flashlight...just in case. Carl let her in and she saw that everyone else was already inside. Carol came out of the kitchen wearing an apron and Daryl shook his head in disbelief.
"Come help Anna. Ignore the unwashed Daryl."
She followed Carol into the kitchen and found her making a giant pot of egg noodles.
"Dinner's almost ready. I'm afraid it's no frills."
"I'm sure it's better than anything we've had in weeks," Maggie chimed in.
Anna held the strainer for Carol as she emptied the pot into the sink, "There is a garden in the back of the house I am in. At some point, if this all works out we can start canning some things."
Once the pot emptied, Anna moved the strainer back and forth to get rid of all the water and poured them back into the empty pot.
Carol smiled and Anna gestured to the apron, "So what's with all this? I heard you wanna join my junior league?"
"It's called keeping up appearances. I'm making myself invisible in case I need to save us."
Anna nodded, "Well then, we should start a book club too. Just to throw them off more."
Tara put down a stack of plates, "God, you guys are like The Real Housewives of the Apocalypse."
Anna chuckled, "I'm assuming this Is why Daryl looks so disapproving?"
"He is happier in the wild. Like most of us, he assumes this is probably too good to be true."
Anna agreed, "I don't blame him. It feels wrong to go back to something like this. Not that we shouldn't have homes or clean clothes...I mean to act like nothing is happening out side those walls."
Rick walked into the kitchen carrying a freshly bathed Judith and sporting a soaking wet t-shirt.
"Can one of you take Judy for a minute? Bath time was a disaster."
Anna put her arms out to Judith and with a giggle, she eased into Anna's grip. She seemed to be in happy spirits. Rick went to the back door where his basket of clothing was. He stripped off the wet shirt and Anna felt herself redden. His chest and arms were lean and muscular, and tanned thanks to days in the sun.
She turned away from him just in time to avoid meeting his eyes. Judith patted her cheek and gripped a handful of her hair. Anna didn't really want to ever go back to what the world had become, especially now that Judith had come into her life. She knew then that she would do anything she could to protect that child.
Rick appeared in her periphery, thankfully wearing a dry blue shirt.
"She seems to have taking a liking to you, Anna. Wanna feed her?"
Anna nodded, and tried not to feel like she had before the world ended. Uppity housewives in her circle had done this out of pity, knowing that she was desperate to have a baby of her own. But in this world, she was helping a single father. She was being useful. Judith hadn't been clean and well fed in a very long time.
Carol scooped out a few egg noodles into a bowl and Rick handed her a jar of the Alexandria Applesauce that they made from the apple trees nearby.
She moved into the living room and sat with Judith on the floor. The baby ate with gusto and a big grin. Carl sat close to Anna and watched the joy emanate from Judith's general direction.
"I haven't seen her smile since the first night in Gabriel's church."
Anna nodded, "Babies tend to feed off the reactions and emotions of their keepers. If you all felt safe and happy, even just for a minute, she did too."
Carl watched a few minutes more, "So you'll be there tomorrow...in the school?"
Anna dipped the spoon in the applesauce and fed it to Judith, "I suppose so. I don't have any idea of what this Deanna expects me to teach anyone. I guess graduating from college makes me sound more impressive in these circumstances."
"I think it's silly to have to go."
Anna turned and looked at Carl, "Yeah. Me too. But at least we'll have each other? Maybe we will give it a shot for a few days and if we still don't like it we can talk to the boss lady?"
Carl shrugged, "Ok."
Everyone ate and settled in for the night. Anna taught Noah and Carl how to play rummy and a friendly competition evolved. Later in the evening, there was a knock on Rick's front door. Deanna Monroe appeared and looked at all of them in one room. She told Rick it was smart.
Anna was one of the first to awake the next morning, and before she left to go "home" and clean up, she woke up Carl and told him that she would walk with him to school. She washed her face, brushed her hair and teeth. She dressed in jeans, a black t-shirt and the white knit sweater she was given. On her way next door, she spied Carl waiting on the porch donning his sherriff's hat and talking to his father, Michonne and little Judith.
Carl stood up when she appeared and Rick nodded in his son's direction, "Do me a favor. Keep an eye on him today."
Anna flashed a small smile, "Of course. But neither of us really know what to expect with this 'school' thing. He might have to keep an eye on me as well."
Michonne chuckled and bounced Judith on her knees, "Deanna hasn't given either of us a job yet. So we're gonna get familiar with this place and do a little recon."
Anna and Carl said their goodbyes and walked in the direction of where Deanna said the school was, and saw her standing in a driveway and waving at them. She explained to them that the school wasn't just for math and reading, but it was also about teaching the youth in Alexandria how to become vital members of the community. They needed farmers, people to sew, build and etc.
Deanna's husband, Reg, had been teaching the kids math and reading, but Deanna thought that Anna could teach some practical classes like growing food and making clothes.
Basically, home economics.
Both she and Carl introduced themselves to the group...Mikey, Ron, Enid and Sam. They sat and listened to the lessons together and then they were all dismissed for the day. On the way back to their houses, Anna felt a little deflated. She didn't know what she was expecting, but she wasn't expecting to be a den mother to her own little group of scouts.
She wanted to be a little more vital than that, here in the end of days.
When Carl and Anna reached their homes, they saw Rick and Jessie speaking in the driveway.
"Carl, Jessie wants to know if you wanted to go visit her son?"
Jessie looked hopeful and Carl shrugged, "Sure."
Carl followed Jessie in the direction of her home, leaving Anna and Rick standing in the street.
Rick watched Jessie walk away with his son, and he turned to look at Anna, "How was school?"
She sighed, "Well, it turns out they didn't want me for my college education. They want me to teach kids house wifely duties. Gardening, sewing. Cooking. Stuff like that."
Rick shrugged, "I mean, that is what you did...before, right?"
He saw a quiet fire in her green eyes, but managed to stay calm, "I just don't want to solely be known as the token pet housewife. That world doesn't even exist anymore."
Rick took her gently by the elbow and leaned in to whisper lowly to her, "You've noticed what Carol has been doing?"
Anna nodded and Rick continued, "Use this to your advantage. Don't be the pet house wife, just pretend to be. And be stronger for your group. Our group."
She stopped walking and looked him dead in the eye, "You're being serious?"
Rick nodded and put his hands on his hips, "I am. Tonight Deanna is throwing us a welcome party. Carol needs to be covered to sneak away...if you could help her to disappear...it would be helpful. Maybe use some of those southern debutante charms I know you have."
"So you actually want me to play up the Steel-Magnolia-Scarlett-O'Hara bullshit?"
"I think you could serve as a pretty distraction."
He saw Anna flush pink and she turned away and walked to her door.
"I'll see what I can do." She said as she closed her door behind her.
A/N: thanks for reading :) if you made it this far, I would love if you'd leave me a review!