A/N: this is a work of fan fiction and not meant to infringe upon the properties of Kirkman/Moore/AMC.
I am really excited about writing this story. I wanted to watch the finale for season 5 before I posted another chapter. It didn't end how I expected...so once I catch up to where the show left off, I will be taking the lead from the comics.
Redemption (The Road to Alexandria)
By Leah Pensotti
Chapter 14: Bridges
Anna awoke in dim sunlight, a light throw over her. She remembered the sound of Rick's heartbeat and Willie Nelson lulling her to sleep. Anna stretched against the pillows of the couch, not really wanting to face the sadness or the realness of the day.
She felt her cheeks warm at the thought of the night before, laying everything bare with Rick. Anna felt happier than she should, considering the memorials for Reg and Pete and having to deal with Jessie, who was now a widow.
She finally sat up and looked around and saw movement in the kitchen. Anna padded quietly to the linoleum and saw Rick, with Judith on his lap, sitting at the table attempting to feed her oatmeal and apple sauce. Anna leaned against the doorway and smiled. He finally noticed her and she saw a ghost of a smile pull at his lips.
"Hey there."
Anna nodded, "Hey back. Need some help?"
"Sure."
She sat close to them and took the spoon from Rick's hand. Judith looked up at her with her huge eyes and Anna couldn't resist kissing her sweet little forehead before ladling a spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth. She looked down to get some applesauce next, but felt Rick's hand on her face. When she looked up, he leaned in and kissed her softly on her lips.
He pulled away slowly and chuckled, "Sorry, I couldn't resist."
Anna felt herself flush, "Nothing to be sorry about."
Once Judith was fed, Rick handed her to Anna, and he set out to fix breakfast for them. Anna bounced Judith on her knees and asked, "Where's Carl?"
"Got up early. Went to go visit Mikey and Sam."
Anna nodded, how could she forget? Suddenly, that old black rain cloud rolled back in. She wanted to stay here in their little, sunny bubble and not have to see the heartbreak today.
Rick sat a mug of strong, black coffee infront of her and a bowl of oatmeal. She took her spoon and stirred in a bit of the applesauce for flavor. When Rick sat down with his own breakfast, Anna took a bite of oatmeal and continued to bounce Judith on her knee.
"So tell me the plan for today."
Rick stirred his oatmeal with his spoon, "Tend to Deanna and Spencer. Get plans in order to get the community ready. Stop in and see Jessie and the boys."
Anna hated to admit that she didn't really like that last part. But she also knew that Rick was responsible for killing Pete...infront of all of the adults in Alexandria. He would have to try and make some sort of amends. If that was even possible.
It must have read across her face, because his hand took hers, "Anna, let's ride this out. Keep things to ourselves until things heal a bit. I made a rash decision about Jessie. And now I killed her husband, in front of her. It's time to tread lightly."
"I know. Part of me would just like to stay inside this little bubble with you and Judy."
Rick smiled sadly, "So would I."
The intensity broke between them when the front door slammed. Rick and Anna both sprung to their feet and Anna held Judith close to her. They didn't need to wonder for too long, because Carl came into the kitchen sporting his dad's Sherriff's hat and a newly formed black eye.
Rick reached out for his son, "Carl, what in the hell happened?"
"Mikey wasn't too happy that my dad killed his dad. He punched me in front of Enid."
Anna grimaced, Carl's eye was turning blue purple as she watched. He also had a bit of a cut on his cheek. Rick sighed and put his hands on his hips, which was an indicator that he was angry, Anna had learned.
"Is that it?"
Carl shook his head, " No. I hit him, too. And then came home."
Rick sighed, Anna put a hand on his arm and motioned for him to take Judith, "I've got this. Maybe we should keep our distances from the Andersons for now...until after the memorial."
Rick took Judith and Anna sat Carl down in a kitchen chair. She took a dishtowel and a wet wash cloth. She cleaned up his cut and then filled the towel with ice from the freezer tray. She held it to his eye and told him to keep it there until it melted.
Carl nodded and then skulked off upstairs and his bedroom door slammed.
They stood in silence for a moment, until Anna spoke up, "I think he's more upset about Enid seeing it. Teenage boy egos don't change...even in the apocalypse."
Rick turned to her, "You mean..."
"Yes. Your son is sweet on a girl. Same girl who is currently Mikey's girlfriend."
Rick shook his head, "Ouch."
Anna agreed, "Yeah. You got that right. All sorts of teenage angst."
Rick closed the gap between them and Judith clapped happily. Anna stroked her baby-fine hair and smiled. Rick's hand snaked around her waist and pulled her close.
"I think I'm going to go next door and clean up. Maybe find some flowers for poor Deanna."
Rick nodded, "I hope I get a chance to see you later. Just us."
Anna fought the cheesy grin she wanted to display giddily. She wanted more than anything to see him that night.
"I hope so, too. Let's try to keep the trouble to a minimum today."
With that, she kissed him slowly and then kissed Judith's smiling cheek and once finding her shoes, made her way next door.
When Anna got home, she took a hot shower and braided her long, yellow gold hair to the side. She wore the black dress again and went downstairs and into the back yard to find the small set of pruning shears she had found in the shed.
She began her hunt around the sides of the house and then the little shed. All she could find were clusters of little purple Johnny Jump-ups and Baby's Breath near the fence. It wasn't much to work with, but it would do. Anna clipped bunches of both flowers and took them inside. She found small glass jelly jar and a tatted lace doily and attemped a sort of tussie-mussie arrangement by cutting a hole in the doily, sticking the stems through and then putting the whole bouquet in the small jar full of water.
Anna cleaned up the kitchen and picked up her humble gift, left her house and then made her way down the street to the Monroe home. She was nervous, she hadn't really spoken to Spencer since the the day he told her about the meeting. She didn't even know if she could look at him without giving herself away. He said he could be good to her, take care of her. But she had made her choice.
When Anna reached the front door, all of the blinds were shut and the house looked dark. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. For several minutes, she waited and wondered if she should leave the flowers, until she heard slow fumbling at the door. When it opened, Spencer appeared. He was drunk off his ass.
"Hi Anna." He hiccuped.
"I just came by to check on you and your mom. Brought her some wildflowers. You been drinking?"
"A little."
"Have either of you eaten anything?"
Spencer shook his head and took a drunken step sideways. Anna stepped inside the house and took Spencer by the arm.
"Come on, I will make you all something."
She lead Spencer into the kitchen and sat him in a chair at the table and put the small jar of flowers in the center of the table. Anna skimmed the pantry quickly. Rice, instant potatoes, oatmeal and cubes of bullion were the only things that jumped out as comforting.
So, steel cut oats it was.
As the water boiled on the stove, Anna placed a glass of water infront of Spencer and told him to drink. Once the oatmeal was ready, Anna ladeled out two heaping bowls and added a bit of powdered cinnamon she had found. She refilled Spencer's glass and sat his bowl infront of him and stuck in a spoon.
"Spencer? Is your mom upstairs?"
He nodded and shoveled oatmeal into his mouth. She found a tray and took the second bowl to Deanna along with a mug of her oolong tea. Anna climbed the steps carefully and saw the shut door of the master bedroom. Anna knocked timidly, "Deanna?"
When there was no answer, she let herself in. In the dark room she could make out Deanna's tiny form in the bed. Anna placed the tray on the dresser and went to open the blinds. When the sunlight streamed in, Deanna rolled over and groaned.
"I don't want to see anyone."
Anna nodded, "I know. I won't stay. I just wanted to bring you some food."
"If I hadn't let any of you in, Reg and Aiden would be still alive."
Anna was taken aback, this didn't sound like the Deanna she knew. She looked at the bed, and then saw the two empty bottles of wine on the side table.
"I know you think that now, Deanna. But I know you truly don't feel that way. Do you want me to tell them to delay the memorials? Until tomorrow morning?"
"I suppose that is for the best. I can't do it today."
Anna turned the blinds again, and the room darkened once more, "There is food on the dresser if you are hungry. I'll make sure someone brings some dinner. Maybe not drink again until after the memorials?"
She heard Deanna sob, "I'm sorry, Anna. I didn't mean that. I'm just so angry and sad all at once."
She knew that feeling. She wasn't mad at the former congresswoman, instead she shook her head, "I know Deanna. Please eat something."
Anna shut the bedroom door behind her and walked down the stairs. Spencer was asleep at the table, his arms cradling his head. His bowl of oatmeal was empty, so Anna showed herself out. She walked two houses down to Maggie and Glenn's and knocked on the door.
Maggie looked anxious when she opened the door, "Anna! I am so glad you're here. I've been trying to help Glenn...he came home shot this morning."
Anna shook her head, "What?"
Maggie pulled her into the house and Glenn sat on the couch applying pressure to his shoulder.
"I don't suppose you want to tell me what happened?"
Glenn shook his head, "Not really, but do you think you can help? We're trying to involve as few people as possible."
It hit Anna that now that Pete was gone, he could no longer attend to the critically wounded.
Maggie nodded, "I've cleaned him up and we were lucky, he got shot straight through. But we need an extra pair of hands."
She nodded and went to wash her hands. She helped Maggie stitch up Glenn, dress his wound and settle him on the couch. When Glenn drifted into an exhausted slumber, Maggie asked Anna why she had come.
"Well, I just came from the Monroe's house. Both Deanna and Spencer have been drowning their sorrows. Neither of them are up to the memorials tonight. And you being her secretary, I thought you could get the word out that they have been moved to the morning. And maybe someone could take them some dinner?"
Maggie squeezed her hand, "Absolutely. Thank you so much, Anna."
Anna nodded and showed herself to to door. She felt completely ragged. She walked down the street to Carol's house, Rick mentioned that he was going to catch up with Morgan, Michonne and Daryl there.
Rick, Carol, Michonne and Daryl all listened with rapt attention to Morgan's stories of his journey. How he looked for signs and found them. And those signs led him there, to Rick, just as God had intended. He had even gone to Gabriel's church and found the map Abraham had given him. The one with Rick's name on it.
Morgan, since Rick had last encountered him, had become very zen. Hopeful even.
They also discussed the trap at the food plant that Aaron and Daryl got stuck in. The walkers with the "W" carved in their head.
Rick saw it as all the more reason to prepare the Alexandrians to fight. To be ready. They talked together, bounced ideas off of each other and thought about running the place as they had run the prison.
A knock came upon Carol's door and she rose to open it. Rick heard Anna greet Carol and she made her way in. She looked tired from the last time he saw her. He remembered the feel of her against his chest on the couch and they met eyes furtively.
Anna gave a wave to everyone and spoke up, "I just wanted to drop by and tell everyone that I stopped by Deanna Monroe's house and neither she or Spencer are feeling up to the memorials today and asked that we move them to the morning."
Michonne raised an eyebrow, "Not feeling up to it?"
Anna nodded, "No. Not at all. I'm actually worried about Deanna. I stopped by Maggie's to see if she could take them some dinner later."
Carol offered Anna some coffee and she declined and said her goodbyes. Rick popped up and followed her outside.
"Hey, are you ok?" He called after her.
She turned around and nodded and then walked closer to him, "I'm fine, Rick. Deanna and Spencer had been drinking all night. Hadn't eaten, and as far as I could tell, she was somewhere in between spitting mad and soul crushingly depressed."
He wanted to take her hands, comfort her. But he knew too many eyes were watching at the moment.
"I was wondering if you could go check on Carl for me? He has Judith. I was going to swing by the Andersons before I came home."
Anna looked surprised and walked closer, "You sure that is a good idea? With Carl..."
Rick put a hand on her shoulder and whispered, "Trust me, Anna. I'll be home later. We'll talk then. I wanna talk to you about the school, too."
She looked at him with those green eyes, and all he wanted to do was kiss her infront of God and everybody. She nodded and said, "I trust you. I'll go check on Carl and Judy."
He watched her walk away, and then walked back into Carol's house to bid goodbye to the others, so he could check in on Jessie and her kids and be home to spend time with Anna and his own kids. The delay in the memorials made things less real, like they had another evening of respite before the overhaul of Alexandria began. In the morning, they would bury their dead and begin anew. They would fight, protect and build together. And he hoped that he and Anna would eventually be able to go public...and maybe even live in the same home, sleep in the same bed.
But for the time being, he had to keep the status quo. Make amends with Jessie somehow. Wait for things to settle down, and then build the community together with a real line of defense.
A/N: I am so thrilled with the response to the last chapter! Thank you so much Savannah's Angels, smclendon, Sharon and my most faithful reader who always reviews but doesn't leave a name :) thank you all so much. And also, Thanks to Lexi, xoxorick, Paty S and dead head for your previous reviews too.
i can't wait to hear more of what you think as we wander the world of The Walking Dead with Anna :)
Please read and review :)
love, Leah!