Hellooo again! I've been writing this chapter for the past couple of days, it's been
driving me crazy! x.x It's not my favorite, but I never like chapters that I don't
just sit down and write in one go...but I hope you enjoy!

I do not own The Walking Dead!


Hope always hated her name. It was supposed to hold some sort of sentimental value or something to her mother. Her mother loved her name, but it always seemed ridiculous to the girl. Especially now. Hope? What a terrible name to have during the apocalypse. She felt like when she introduced herself, someone would take it as some sort of sign and she would have to disappoint them. She wasn't going to be bringing anyone "hope".

It was as if the past two days hadn't happened. She was only able to sit up on that roof, silent, unable to look at anyone, just staring off into space. Really, though...it was probably worse. She had all but blocked that last part of her story out. She knew the truth in the back of her mind, but she wouldn't ever acknowledge it. She had held it out at a distance, but then it came tumbling out of her mouth...Everyone had tried to comfort her. It wasn't her fault. What choice did she have? She did what she had to to survive. Were those things really supposed to comfort her? When she was growing up, she used to have trouble squishing a spider. Then the world ends, and she's suddenly supposed to be okay with shooting another human being in the head? That wasn't really something she could wrap her head around. Now that the memory was playing on repeat, front and center in her brain, she was...well, horrified. All of them were at it for half an hour before Rick suggested they give her some time, and they disappeared back into the base. Glenn stayed with her on the roof, holding her hand, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. Still, she wouldn't respond.

"I knew this wasn't a good idea." He sighed quietly, giving her a warm peck on her forehead.

"Why don't ya go inside an' get her some water, Glenn?" Daryl, who had been quiet the whole evening, finally spoke up. Glenn looked at him incredulously. "She prolly needs it. She drained her cup 'ah while ago, an' you two stayed up in that room jus' about all day." When Glenn still looked reluctant, Daryl continued, his tone stern and serious, though it still held a bit of foreign concern. "I'll make sure she don't go running off the roof or nothin'."

After a long moment of the two men just staring at each other, Glenn reluctantly let go of Hope and hurriedly disappeared into the base. It was another long moment before Daryl spoke up.

"What they was all sayin'...yanno they're right, huh?" He inquired, his eyes still scanning the darkness.

"I kill a human being and get off scot-free just because I started crying? This world's more messed up than I thought." Hope scoffed, her expression dark. Daryl seemed surprised.

"I know it'sa different world now, but yanno you'd prolly be right in the old one, too." This caused Hope to look at him, uncertainty in her glare. He smirked a little, his eyes surprisingly soft. "Self defense an' all that."

"..You know, you don't have to be nice to me just because I spilled my guts on this roof."

"Whatchu mean?" Daryl asked, genuinely confused. Hope furrowed her brow.

"You've never actually said anything to me before...why else would you be so comforting all of the sudden?" At this, the country boy laughed and looked like he was considering this for a moment.

"Jus' tryin' to be nice." Then he tilted his head and turned away from her, looking back out into the darkness. "An' you kinna remind me 'ah someone."

Before she could question him further, Glenn returned with her water. He approached her uncertainly, realizing he just interrupted something.

"Everything okay?" He asked, his voice quiet as he handed Hope the bottle. She gave him a small smile and nodded her head, taking the bottle from him.

"Yeah...thanks." Glenn looked surprised for a moment, but returned her smile. That's when they heard Daryl clear his throat. The couple looked over to see Daryl appearing uncharacteristically uncomfortable.

"Problem?" Hope asked, realizing her attitude was easier to find when it was directed at Daryl, for whatever reason. He tried to hold back another smirk.

"Why don't y'all head back inside?" He adjusted his crossbow. "Think I'm gettin' a cavity."


Hope had decided not to join the others for dinner. She had somehow convinced Glenn to get food for himself. She wanted to sleep. They both knew that she wasn't going to, however. The girl may have been exhausted after that (now embarrassing) display, but there was no way she was actually trying to go to sleep. It was Glenn's turn to keep watch after dinner, so he'd be gone a few hours. She just had to make it a little while...she would find something to do.

"Okay...book." As if talking to herself would make her feel better, she continued to mumbled under her breath as she reached into her bag. Every time she opened the thing now, she just had to laugh at the contents. Pretty underwear, toothbrush, iPod...and a book. Nothing very practical. Hell, she hadn't even thought to bring band aids. It was a wonder she had made it so far. Of course...she wouldn't have, without all those people. And before she could dive back into that train wreck of a thought process, Hope pulled out a book from her bag and hopped back onto her mattress as if monsters were crawling around beneath it. Looking at the old book fondly, she ran her finger down the spine and opened it up, a picture falling out. There was an older woman smiling at the camera, along with a younger woman holding a little girl in her lap.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and Hope sat very still from her spot against the pillow. There seemed to be a hesitation behind the barrier, but the doorknob clicked and Hope watched as Lori peaked her head in. When she found Hope staring at her, she was surprised, and instantly embarrassed.

"Oh! Sorry! We just thought - "

"Go ahead and step in." Hope heard Andrea's calm voice from the other side of the half-opened door. Within moments, the two women were inside and staring at her, Andrea holding a plate of food in her hands.

"Here." She offered it to her, taking a seat on the bed next to her. "Glenn said you wanted to sleep, but...we decided to take a shot." Andrea gave her an encouraging smile. "You probably haven't eaten all day, have you?" There was a brief pause before Hope shook her head, and took the plate from her.

"Thanks." That one little word sent such a shot of optimism through Andrea and Lori's expressions, Hope briefly wondered if she should keep up the silent act. Maybe that way everyone could get excited when she actually did speak. Both women were caught so off guard, it took a moment before they spoke again. Finally, Lori thought of something to say.

"Hope, about what you said on the roof, we - "

"Am I getting kicked out or not?" Both women stared at her in shock as she continued to eat her food.

"What...? Hope." Lori stuttered a bit, still at a loss for words. "Why would we even - "

"Hope." Andrea took over, causing the younger girl to turn her attention to her. "Listen to me. You did what you had to do to survive. That man was just as - he was worse than the Walkers that were after you. He already sent one man to his death that you know about, and he was about to throw you to them as well. No one blames you for that." The room went silent again as Andrea's words hit her. Really...no one was upset with her? They didn't realize how serious this was? She killed another human being...but she was defending herself. And he was trying to sacrifice her to the Walkers.

"I'm pretty sure Daryl's a little proud of you." Lori couldn't help but smirk softly at the thought. And that's when she felt it. An odd little glow in her chest. It wasn't like the feeling she got when Glenn looked at her, when he smiled at her. It was warm and...happy. But in a different way. It was similar to the feeling she would get after her mother praised her for learning a new song, or when her grandmother would make such a big deal about her making a good grade on a test. It had only been a few days...how did these people already feel like her family? Some were more distant than others, of course...but there was a huge difference in this group than any of the others that she had encountered. None of them really seemed to be perfect for each other...but they all came together, they all cared about each other. Just like normal families do.

"Look...Hope." Andrea continued after her brief attempt at keeping her laughter in. "We know you've been through a lot, we know you've seen a lot." She placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "And we know you trust Glenn, and we're thrilled, but I want - I think what we all want you to know is, you can trust us. We're not going to leave you, we're not going to throw you out to be Walker food. You're safe with us." As safe as you can be. Hope knew that's what she meant without her actually saying it. The words echoed through her head until they settled into her heart. The women were quiet as she let the thought sink in.

"Thanks." Hope spoke in a low voice, making sure to keep her emotions in check. She had already cried once that night, so she was a little worried that the waterworks might start again. The young woman was still horrified at the turn her life had taken, and probably a little shell shocked as well. The past few months of her life had been a living nightmare, with no time to stop and take a breath. Now, it seemed there was time. She could take a breath without having to worry about what was creeping up behind her. Sure, she wasn't perfectly safe, but she knew now that there were people looking out for her. And wasn't that really what family was supposed to be about? Lori took a seat on the floor near them as they three women sat there, enjoying the new feeling that had settled on the group.

"So..." Lori spoke up, getting a sudden twinkle in her eye. "Just how close are you and Glenn?"

"W-huh?" Hope stammered, her eyes suddenly widening. The two women howled with laughter.

"She's just teasing you, Hope." Andrea said through stifled laughs, "..But we do have certain forms of...protection. Should you two choose to get any closer."

"It's only been a few days, guys!" Hope groaned, hanging her head to hide her blush. She could feel the movement of the mattress as Andrea shrugged.

"The days are getting longer..."

"And when you haven't - yanno. In a while, you.." Lori stopped as she noticed a strange look on Hope's face. "...What?"

"Well, I..." Hope stopped before she could stumble through her words again. It was painfully obvious that she wasn't good with guys before. Chock it up to her having trust issues, or just being too socially awkward with too much baggage, whatever makes sense. The bottom line was that the farthest she had ever been with any guy, was PG-13 rated at best. (Or worst?) So, the thought of having sex was...still a little scary, to be honest. And she was just making fun of herself for thinking about it the other day. How many times was she going to contradict herself...

"Oh..." Andrea sat back and stared at her.

"You're a...well then." Lori smiled warmly. "That's very respectable. Sorry, we didn't mean to offend you."

"Oh, no...you didn't." The words were out of Hope's mouth before she could stop them. The women sat in silence for a moment.

"Well...do you want to?"

"Andrea!" Lori gasped, looking positively shocked.

"It was an innocent question!...sort of. I'm just saying, if she wanted to, she could ask us any questions she might have. There's not exactly a sex ed book laying around anywhere. Google's certainly not going to do her any good."

"Actually..." Hope's voice took on a timid tone again as she picked at the edge of her old book. "Do you think...he's expecting it?" Andrea and Lori both paused and glanced at each other.

"Well.." Lori started, obviously trying to think her words through carefully. "I'm sure he'd be thrilled to be with a beautiful girl like yourself, but I wouldn't say he was expectin' it." The older woman glanced at the platinum blonde nodding for reassurance.

"She's right. Glenn's a sweet guy - always been a perfect gentleman. I can't imagine him trying to push you into anything..." Andrea laughed fondly and looked at Hope, smiling. "I think you'll have to send him some pretty strong signals...but you should probably talk to him about it, if it's bothering you."


Glenn felt like he was on the edge of his seat the whole night. If Walkers were going to try and wander into the base, that would've been a mistake. He felt distracted, but his instincts were sharp. He was trying not to think about Hope...but he hadn't been able to accomplish that since she fell into his life. When he thought about what she'd been through...it made his chest ache. Sure, the group had seen horrifying, unspeakable things since the world went to hell. Atlanta was hell enough, but by that time he had already found a group he could trust. Sure, they had lost some along the way, some willing, some...most definitely not. But the thought of Hope out there with people she could rely on, or just alone somewhere...thinking about all the times where she so easily could've been lost, it made him sick. He wanted nothing more than to get off of that roof, run back to their room and hold her close again. Which is probably why he nearly knocked Rick off the building when he showed up to relieve him of his duties.

"Hold on a second, Glenn." The sheriff said calmly, placing a hand on Glenn's shoulder. The young man looked at him, clearly a little impatient.

"Why, what's up?"

"Well, I just wanted to tell you that Lori and Andrea brought a plate of food to Hope and sat with her a while." Glenn was growing more and more impatient by the second, but he tried to focus on what his friend was saying. "When I passed by, I heard a lotta gigglin', so I'm hopin' she's doin' better by now."

"Alright, good. I'm gonna go check on her." Before he could speed off, Rick stopped him again.

"Glenn." He paused, making sure the young man was listening. "I just wanted to ask you to keep us posted. Let us know if there's anything else goin' on. I think it was good that she got it all out in the open tonight...people seem to feel a little more relieved now that they know somethin' about her." At that, Glenn turned around to face the older man.

"Everyone feels better about themselves after making her relive the hell she's been through?"

"Glenn, that's not what I meant - "

"Just..." Glenn raised his hands in front of him before sighing and letting them fall back down to his sides. "I'm sorry. I've gotta get back to Hope."


During the five short minutes it took for Glenn to get from the roof to the front of Hope's bedroom door, he had already gone through every possible scenario in his mind about whatever terrible things could be on the other side. He also was trying not to feel awful about what he had just said to Rick. But he couldn't help it...seeing Hope in pain like that. Hopefully it would be good for her. Maybe it wouldn't weigh so heavily on her mind. He didn't know why her nightmares went away when he held her, he just knew he wanted to do anything he could to keep her safe. That included keeping her safe from her own subconscious. He quietly slipped inside the dark room, expecting to find her laying down, trying to sleep. Instead, she was sitting up and facing the door, as if she heard him coming.

"Hey," He said, softly. Almost immediately, he was at her side. "Are you alright?"

His long fingers brushed her bangs away from her eyes. There was a small candle lit on the nightstand next to her, which allowed him to see her eyes, pensive and troubled. Concern etched itself across his face, and he kneeled down in front of her, taking both of her hands in his.

"Tell me what's going on." His voice was soft and soothing. Hope closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them again, she looked nervous.

"I was talking to some of the girls earlier..." The way she was acting made him nervous.

"About what?" He asked, the anticipation killing him. After another long moment, she took a deep breath and looked him dead in the eye.

"I can't have sex with you." Silence filled the room so quickly, it took Glenn a minute to process what she just said before falling on his behind in laughter. Hope, however, did not look very amused.

"Why is that funny?" She asked, confused.

"Hope! You had me really freaked out for a second there." He stopped laughing, but continued to smile as he moved to sit next to her on the bed. When he noticed she still had her look of confusion, he had to continue. "What?"

"You don't even want to know - " Hope stopped herself, as she brought a hand to her temple and closed her eyes. "Sorry. That just...wasn't really the reaction I was expecting."

"You want me to ask why?" Glenn asked, clearly amused as he reached over to take her hand again.

"That was what I was expected." She mused, unable to look at him. He smiled fondly and brought his free hand to her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"Why?" The look of affection, amusement and the slightest hint of concern in his eyes just about made her heart melt, but she pushed on to speak, making herself look just past him.

"Okay, don't - don't laugh." Hope waited until he nodded and she felt him squeeze her hand. After taking a deep breath, she pressed on. "I promised myself when I was a little girl, that I would...wait. Wait for the right guy. And, to me, that kinda meant...like, after marriage, or something - you know, just to be absolutely sure. I thought that it would be best that way, because a lot of guys just like to make it seem like they're perfect, then they get what they want from you and they leave - not that I'm saying you're like that, I don't think you are, but it's really only been a couple of days, and I know we're supposed to be living like it's our last day, 'cause it could be, but I was thinking about it tonight. After the girls left, I was trying to look at, like, every possible angle I could, but I just really don't think that I can do it, I know it's probably dumb. The world's ended, but still I can't let go of that one thing, but it was important to me, and I feel like if I gave it up, that would just be it, I wouldn't be the same person I was before all of this, yanno? And I - "

Hope was forced into silence as she felt Glenn's hands cup her cheeks, and then his warm lips met hers. He tried to show her what he was feeling through the kiss. He was...amused. He was trying not to laugh. Above all, he just wanted to let her know how he felt about her - the pure affection he felt for her. It would be too soon to say that he loved her...but he did care about her a great deal. He would say that he loved her, but something told him she wouldn't take him too seriously. But...she was great. Strong. Obviously brave, even though she was probably terrified facing what she had to face in these past few months...she still made it into his arms. Glenn had never really thought too hard about destiny and the like before, but...he had to wonder if this is what it felt like. How else could he explain a beautiful girl just falling into his arms like this? And boy, did he think she was beautiful...When she slept, sometimes she just let out soft little sighs. After she showered, her hair would turn into these perfect little ringlets, until they dried completely, that's when they transformed into those perfect, golden waves. Her lips were always so soft against his...they were perfect. Sometimes her kisses were shy and timid, but other times something took a hold of her and she seemed to know exactly was she was doing. Glenn pulled away so that they could both catch their breaths, and he found her looking at him, her expression a mixture of confusion and happiness.

"...What was that for?" She asked, combing her fingers through her hair.

"You're cute when you ramble." He grinned, and he knew he made her blush, even in the dim candlelight.

"So...you're not upset?" Hope asked, shyly looking up at him from under her eyelashes.

"I'm not upset." He smiled a little more, and kissed her forehead. After a moment, he kicked off his shoes and turned back to her. Without saying a word, she stood up and pulled back the covers. As he laid there, his arms wrapped around her, he pulled her closer and breathed in her scent. He didn't know what the future had in store for them, but he knew as long as he had these moments to look forward to...everything would be okay.


Well, how'd you like it?
I think I'm going to to and write that Daryl story I was talking about, remember?
It would tie into this one, so I suppose it would be like a sequel...lemme know what you think!

I also have an idea for a Hope/Glenn oneshot that would be pure fluff...sometimes I feel weird sticking it in here, but if I had an entire little fic dedicated to it, no one can judge, right? XP
Make sure you keep a lookout for that as well!