Charlie slowed at a huge boulder in cropping that from the front looked to have no entrance but Dawn soon found she had been fooled as Charlie stepped around it disappearing from view. She followed suit finding herself in a large cave. Dawn's eyes adjusted to the dim glow of the dying embers burning in a fire pit located in the middle of the big room of rock. The dripping of the cave echoed off the cave walls emanating from small droplets falling like tears from the ceiling. On the far side of the cave sat dozens of arrows and a few homemade bows. Bags and cans were scattered across the dirt floor everywhere even on a little mattress set against the wall next to her.
"Wow," Dawn murmured at the place, mesmerized by the sense of peace she felt being with someone familiar to her.
"Not that impressive actually," Charlie offered from behind, making Dawn pull her knife on him. Charlie caught her wrist with quick reflexes before gently taking the knife from her hands and pulling Dawn into his arms. He laid his cheek on her head while stroking her long blonde hair. She wrapped her arms securely around his waist and listened to the beating of his heart like she always had when he comforted her. The memory flashed before her eyes like it had been yesterday,
"What do you mean he is dead?" Charlie screamed with fury. Dawn flinched back his yelling making the throbbing in her head quicken and grow louder.
"He had some problem the doctor said I already told you he…" but she never finished Charlie grabbed her by the shoulders pulling her into him then did what he had never done to her before, he kissed her long and hard. Kissing Charlie wasn't like kissing her husband, no it wasn't a chore, it was not demanding, or even rough it was real. He pulled away but held her close, he asked again but softer,
"How did Daniel really, how did he really die?" His voice was thick with emotions and his eyes were pleading, Charlie deserved to know he was more of a father towards Daniel than the man who biologically was. Dawn swallowed hard and whispered,
"He killed him Charlie…Mike killed him." At the mention of her husband Charlie went rigid tightening his grip around her, making Dawn feel a new sense of regret fill her.
"Dawn?" Charlie's call pulled her back to the present. Her vision was blurred and Charlie was staring into her eyes lovingly. Dawn pasted a fake smile onto her face and choked out,
"I just can't believe you're here, that you're alive!" Charlie sighed then pulled her face to his, brushing his lips softly against hers before pulling her into a tighter hug than before.
"Charlie?" Dawn called quietly. Charlie kissed the top of her head then responded,
"Yes Hun?" She felt like time had stood still, and she felt all of her feelings rush out of her heart making her cry even harder. Dawn cried for the loss of her son, and she cried for Rick, and for the world ending, and she cried for her past. She cried for wanting to kill herself earlier, Dawn cried for loving two men at once and she cried for her luck of finding the one man who had ever known her and loved her for her in life. Charlie patiently held her while hushing her and cooing to her with words of love and encouragement until she couldn't cry anymore finding herself sitting in Charlie's lap on the floor now.
"I'm sorry Charlie," She apologized hoarsely. Charlie laughed then questioned,
"For what Hun, being upset that the world went to shit? Don't apologize to me just try not to make me cry is all I ask." She giggle despite herself and pressed her lips against his briefly before crawling out of his lap towards the mattress a few feet away. Charlie sighed audibly as she plopped down on the hard mattress,
"What?" Dawn whispered staring into those familiar comforting eyes,
"I just don't know what I did to deserve a woman like you, then to get you back unharmed, miracle would be an underestimation," Charlie replied softly staring intently into her eyes reminding her of life before the dead walked:
The bar had been in this dead in town for as long as Dawn could remember. It complimented the back streets of Georgia well, full of scum and criminals looking for someone to prey on. Like the bar tender himself he took money when he could from everyone and he always made sure to jack up those meal prices for those who couldn't buy it. Oh yes Oliver Thompson was just about the lowest of the low to every living thing, with the accepting of Dawn that is. The cruel man had a way of slipping her extra cash into her pay checks, or not charging her for her rounds of beer or whiskey she enjoyed when Mike got bad. Dawn sighed hating the fact she got caught up in her thoughts even on the new medication her newest specialist seemed to think would work so well.
"Hey Dawn," Oliver's southern drawl tore her from her thoughts yet again.
"Yeah boss," She called staring hard at a mysterious red stain painting the polished wood counter. Oliver slapped a huge hand down on the bar counter making her look into his soft grey eyes,
"You can go on home, I will pay ya for your extra hours no trouble, jus' go get yourself some rest girly," He offered quietly, he looked up around his tavern. It had an sports bar kind of look with the bar counter sitting in the middle of the eating space there were booths up against the walls and wooden tables with matching chairs scattered around the room in an unorganized fashion. Business was slow as usual on Friday mornings, but she had been working since the night before without so much as four hours of sleep. Dawn sighed and responded,
"No, I-I wanna work Olly, home might not be good for me right now…or ever again." She mumbled the last part mostly to herself but of course he heard. Oliver tore the cloth from her hands and yanked her over the bar counter towards the kitchen where they could truly be heard, Dawn smelled speech as he pointed to a bar stool next to the stove,
"What he do now?" Oliver prompted crossing his muscled arms firmly across his chest. Dawn hoped that her curtain of bangs would hide her throbbing black and blue eye; she was thoroughly surprised Oliver hadn't noticed yet. She only shrugged and replied,
"I'm still alive aren't I?" Oliver sighed running a thick hand through his curly brown hair. He walked forward and gently brushed her hair behind her ear before roughly cupping her chin in both hands and making her look at him.
"Damn it, why didn't you tell me?" Oliver raged making Dawn's head throb. She shrugged pulling away from the man she considered a brother for so long. She sighed and tightened her apron carrying the few things precious to her,
"Look lunch time is about to roll around and Jim is going to come with his buddies for a beer and burgers like always and I need to get out there to get my tips, so if you don't mind chief I got work to do!" She growled at the big man she called her boss, the one man who had never turned her back on her; instead he only got closer every time she ended up on his doorstep with another black eye or even a broken limb.
Dawn gasped at the memory of Oliver and his love towards her in his brother like ways. She swallowed hard and locked the memory of her bosses smiling face away with a few others.
"Dawn?" Charlie shook her vigorously. She opened her eyes quickly to find his worried eyes staring into hers. Dawn pasted a fake smile onto her face like so many other times and she uttered those same lies again as usual,
"I'm fine…" And she wished it was but schizophrenia made it harder…
Sorry for the short one but my ideas feel like they are running thin, this chapter is dedicated to Sissymac because of her inspiration for me to keep going and also dedicated to Tori D. Read and review, if you have ideas please shoot and i will be sure to give you peoples credit! any song ideas also tell me and i'll give em a look, oh and i am looking for someone to co-write another walking dead fan fiction, interested then PM me! Love you guys more then you could possibly fathom, please oh please oh PLEASE REVIEW it keeps me inspired and happy!