xxxxxxxxxx Flashback xxxxxxxxxx
Sarah heard the car pull up to the house and she looked through the closed blinds covering the front bay window.
Rick, Lori, and John stepped out of Rick's car, each one looking concerned as they made their way to the front door.
She thought about pretending not to be home, but then remembered that she was the one that texted them that morning and asked them all to drive across town to her house ASAP.
She mentally re-read Jovan's text from late last night after he'd left her house having memorized it: 'You need to tell Rick, Lori, and John. It's not right. You need to get out and they can help you. Do it, Sarah. For your kids. For you. For your future. If you don't, I'm afraid you won't have one.'
The doorbell rang bringing her out of her thoughts. She went to the door and stood there, hand positioned over the handle but she hesitated. It rang again and someone knocked.
She took a deep breath, her ribs protesting, and opened the door.
Lori stepped in first, took one look at her and gasped. John looked around Lori and cursed. Rick pushed past them both and stopped short, his face moving through so many emotions: concern, confusion, anger, sadness, compassion.
Rick rushed up to her, his hands raised to her face and Sarah stepped back, holding her hands up. "Don't," she whispered, shaking, "please..." He looked confused and hurt and angry.
"Sarah? What - ?" Lori started.
"Please," she said, "come in and shut the door." She turned and walked to the living room, followed by Lori and Rick. John shut the door and walked over to join them.
Sarah sat on the couch, Lori and John both flanking her while Rick stood staring intently at her. Sarah looked down at the floor.
"Where are Liv and Noah?" Lori asked, looking around.
"They spent the night with Mom last night," she replied quietly as she wrung her hands.
"Where's Shane?" Lori asked.
"Taking a prisoner to the jail a few counties over," Rick answered, his eyes not leaving Sarah.
"Sarah?" John asked. "Sweetheart. What happened? Were you in an accident?" Sarah shook her head. "A fight?" Sarah shrugged, feeling every bruised and swollen part of her face pounding.
Rick got on his knees in front of her and peered up at her. She looked into his kind blue eyes, her best friend's concern written all over his handsome face.
"Sweet girl," he said, calling her by the nickname he gave her when they were teenagers, "you have to tell us what happened to your face." He slowly reached out and gently wrapped his hands around her shaking ones.
She looked at his kind face, tears welling up in her nearly swelled shut eyes, a face she had always been able to rely on and knew she was making the right decision.
"It..." she started, a sob wracking her body, making her gasp as a sharp pain shot through her ribs. Rick grimaced, but nodded his head in encouragement. "Rick. It was...it's...Sh-Shane. He...he was drunk last night and he...he came h...home," Rick's face faltered for a brief second, but she kept talking, staring into his blue eyes, "and Jovan was h...here - " she hiccuped and let out a sob, "we were just studying for our boards this week, but Sh-Shane was so angry and he...he..." Rick didn't let her finish before he pulled her down into his lap and wrapped his arms around her shaking body.
She flinched but she held on as tightly as she could, her ribs sore from where Shane had kicked her. Rick held her as gently as if she were porcelain as she sobbed and cried until she was sure she had no tears left.
"How long?" Lori asked her after a few minutes, placing a frozen bag of peas she had grabbed from the freezer and placing it gently on her face.
Rick was still holding her, her face resting on his chest, his strong heartbeat comforting her.
"Since before Noah was born," she whispered. Rick's arms flinched but he didn't say a word.
"So at least six years?" Lori asked.
"About six and a half, I guess," she replied, quietly.
"So it started about a year after you got married?" John asked. Sarah nodded. Rick continued rubbing circles on her back.
"He has always had a jealous streak," she started explaining, "so it started as 'You were flirting with the mailman,' or 'I saw you check out that guy.' But I know he was cheating the whole time...I haven't..." Fresh tears sprang to her eyes. "At first it was just him grabbing my arms or pushing me." She took a deep breath. "But in the past year or so..." She choked back a sob, "he's gotten really violent. He - he gets upset over every - everything and he knows how to hide the bruises so that no one can see..." Rick flinched again and she started to cry. "And last week, when Noah saw him...he saw him...he hit me...and Noah told me that he hated his Dad - " she stopped, a sob escaping her throat.
Lori fell to the ground next to her and threw her arms around her and Rick as Rick refused to let her go.
Sarah continued to look at the ground, feeling Lori rubbing her hair softly. "So last night, before Jovan left, he saw Shane was drunk and he had seen the marks before, and he was worried, but Shane charmed him into leaving so he wouldn't be suspicious. But Jovan texted me late last night...after...and I didn't tell him that it was this bad. But he told...he told me that I should tell you...I have to leave. I can't do this anymore. I can't live like this," she sobbed.
"You don't have to," Lori said.
"No and as your attorney," John said, "I can assure you that you will get out. You will get whatever it is you want or need. Full custody, the house, whatever..."
"You'll be fine. We are here for you," Lori added.
Sarah lifted her head and looked at Rick's face, his blue eyes moist with tears. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead like he had always done since she had known him, his expression telling her all she needed to know - she would be fine.
xxxxxxxxxx Present Day xxxxxxxxxx
The next morning, Sarah woke as the sun came up. She sat up and stretched her arms, yawning, and turned to the passenger seat. Rick was already up and watching her.
"Creeper," she quietly joked, smiling at him.
He laughed quietly. "Guilty as charged," he replied. "And not ashamed of it. You're beautiful. I can't help it." She blushed, sitting up straight and trying to get the kinks out of her neck and back. She caught sight of her reflection in the side mirror.
"And you're a liar," she replied. "I look terrible!" She wiped at the smudges on her face and tried to smooth her wild hair.
He sat up and leaned over, gently turning her face to his. "You. Are. Beautiful. Always have been, always will be."
She grinned and leaned over the center console, kissing him gently on the lips. He smiled.
"Good morning, by the way," she said, leaning back and looking at him, her head resting on the back of her seat.
"Good morning, indeed," he replied.
"Guess we better get moving this morning," she said, seeing people starting to mill around the camp.
"It's that time," he replied, sighing. "Back to reality."
Sarah sighed, sitting up and straightening her clothes and hair. She reached down to the floor board for her gun and leg holster, pulling it up over her capri yoga pants and securing it at her thigh. When she looked over at Rick, his face held an expression she had never seen from him before.
"What?" she asked.
He shook his head. "Nothing. You just have no idea how sexy you really are..." he whispered so the kids wouldn't wake up in the backseat. Her breath caught in her throat and he smiled when he heard it. "No idea..." His eyes held her gaze as he reached for her hand. She smiled, her heart racing so fast she was surprised he couldn't hear it. He gently raised her hand, bringing it to his mouth and kissing the inside of her wrist. She moaned softly, a pit forming deep in her belly. "Every part of you..." he pulled her closer to lean across the center console, resting her hand on the inside of his thigh and tilting his head to whisper into her neck as he wound his hand into her hair, "...is so perfect..." he pressed a kiss to the side of her neck and she nearly moaned out loud, her hand gripping onto his thigh as he continued to press light kisses and breaths over her neck, her breath coming in pants.
"Mama?" she heard a voice from the backseat. Sarah jumped back, nearly hitting her head on the roof of the car and jerked her hand back, putting it over her heart. Rick sat back and ran his hand over his face. "Is it time to get up?" Olivia asked.
Sarah nearly laughed out loud as Rick groaned under his breath, "Yep, almost..." She shot him a look, her green eyes twinkling as she smiled at him, her face bright red and flushed with desire and laughter.
"It sure is, baby. Let's go get something to eat!" she replied, trying to gather her thoughts and calm her racing heart.
Rick grinned at her as he did the same.
After everyone was awake, Lisa took Olivia, Noah, and Carl to the RV while the others around the makeshift eating area and it was decided that they would caravan to the CDC.
As everyone started to pack their stuff and prepare for the drive, Sarah went into the RV to make sure the kids had gotten ready for the day while Rick stayed outside with the others, looking over the map to plan their trip.
Carl and Noah were sitting at the table playing cards, dressed and ready for the day. Lisa and Olivia were in the bathroom.
Carol sat in the back on the bed, staring out the window. Sarah's chest ached for Carol and she gathered her thoughts and walked back toward her.
"Carol...mind if I sit down?" she asked quietly, gesturing to the spot next to her.
Carol looked up at her and shrugged her shoulders. "Sure," she whispered, gathering her sweater around her. They sat in silence for a minute, Carol sniffling quietly while staring at her lap. Sarah reached out and gently grabbed her hand. Carol sighed, her eyes filling with tears that spilled onto her cheeks . They sat that way a little longer.
Sarah saw Lisa exit the bathroom with the Olivia and she her at the table, getting them all toast and water for breakfast. Her heart ached again seeing her kids and Carl and knowing that Carol would never see Sophia again. Her eyes filled with tears for her new friend. She wiped them away before looking back at Carol.
"Carol..." Sarah whispered, "I know there is nothing anyone here can do or say...but please know that when you're ready to talk...I am here for you. Lean on me." Carol sniffled, reaching up with her other shaky hand to wipe her eyes and nose. She nodded her thanks.
Sarah squeezed her hand lightly before she let go. She stood up and leaned over to gently kiss the top of Carol's head and walked toward her mom and kids, leaving Carol to her mourning.
"I'm going to check in with Rick," she said to her mom and she nodded as she sat across from Noah and Carl, next to Olivia. Sarah leaned over and kissed all four of them on the forehead before going outside.
Rick was folding up the map and handing it to John, all the guys dispersing when Sarah walked up. Rick reached out and put his hand on her lower back, pulling her to his side. "Thanks for humoring me and wearing the gun at all times. Better to be safe and ready for anything." He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Plus, I thoroughly enjoyed watching you slide it on this morning."
"Of course," she replied, glancing up at him, trying not to choke on her words as Christy walked up. She cleared her throat. "The kids are in the RV. Mom's making toast if you're hungry."
He nodded. "I'll get you some coffee, too," he replied, kissing her on the temple and squeezing her hip before he walked away. She sighed happily as she watched him walk away, her eyes wandering down to his ass.
Christy laughed and Sarah turned back to her, her face reddening. "What?" she asked.
"I saw that...you were checking him out!"
"Whatever...let's go get ready to go." She pushed past Christy whose shoulders were shaking with laughter.
Once everyone was packed and ready, they reconvened by the cars.
Rick announced the driving arrangements: Dale was bringing the RV and riding along with him would be Glenn, Andrea, Jacqui, T-Dog, Shane, and Jim. Sarah was bringing the SUV along with Lisa, Liv, Noah, Carol, and Lori. Rick, Carl, and John would be in Rick's truck, and Daryl and Christy would be in Daryl's truck with his motorcycle in the back.
All of the siphoned fuel from the other cars were placed in gas cans in Rick's truck bed.
The other members of the group, the Morales family and a few others, decided to head south to try to connect with family. It was sad to part ways with them, but Sarah understood their need to find their families.
Once everyone was in their assigned cars and ready to go, Rick led the way with Sarah behind him followed by the RV and ending with Daryl and Christy.
Sarah hoped this was a good idea.
A few hours later, after getting through some abandoned cars and traffic snags, they reached their destination in the late evening. As they pulled to the curb, Sarah worried that they had reached a dead end.
Dead bodies littered the ground outside, flies buzzing around rotted corpses. Military convoys lay empty and big blasts of rocket, mortar and grime lay about against the walls of surrounding buildings and the CDC itself. Sarah's stomach sank at the sight. She left the engine running just in case. Rick got out and approached her window and she put it down and looked at him.
"What do you think?" he asked.
"Won't hurt to ring the bell," she tried to joke for his sake. She could tell he was stressed. He nodded, attempting a smile.
They all turned off their engines and gathered in a group outside of the military zone that was set up, each holding their bags of personal belongings strapped to their backs.
Sarah held Noah's hand as Olivia ran to Rick and he picked her up. "Let's see if anyone is left inside," Rick said, addressing the group, as he held Liv on his hip.
"Rick, there's no one left," Shane said, reaching for Olivia. She pulled back and hung on to Rick. Shane frowned.
"There might be. We have to check," he replied.
"The CDC goes way underground. It's the best way the government can safely house all of the viruses, vaccines, and research that goes on here. I can guarantee there's still someone here," Sarah spoke up. Christy nodded.
Shane shook his head, clearly disagreeing. "No, this is stupid. Rick, we should have headed for - "
"Let's just try," Sarah argued. Shane glared at her. Rick stepped in between them, staring at Shane.
"We are already here. We are not leaving until we try." Shane didn't reply.
Rick kissed Olivia on the cheek and handed her to Lisa. "Everyone have weapons up and ready," he told them, "except Lisa. You walk in the middle with Liv. Let's make sure none of these bodies are walkers. Let's be quiet and vigilant. Move slowly." They all nodded.
They moved together as a unit, each one being careful not to disturb any undead as they made their way to the front door. When they reached their destination, Rick tried the door to no avail. He wiggled the handle and nothing.
"There!" Carol cried out and pointed to a camera blinking red. When Sarah looked, it moved and panned over their group.
Rick ran up and looked at be camera. "Let us in!" he called out.
Just then the doors opened, waking a few undead laying around.
They all scrambled in as Daryl shot one walker that got too close. As the doors shut again, they turned to see a man in a lab coat.
"Anyone infected?" he asked as he held an M16 on the group.
"No. But we've lost a lot of people to the infected," Rick replied, his hands in the air.
"You all submit to a blood test. That's the price of admission."
They all nodded.
"Welcome to the CDC," he said, lowering his gun. "I'm Dr Edwin Jenner."
