A/N: I don't own anyone but Alex and the other OC's…..But damn it if I didn't wish I owned the others!
So I know it's been TOO long since this was updated! But with the Muse reading season 3 spoilers the gears are grinding (We don't have AMC….Cable cut by soon to be ex). I already have an idea of what is going to happen in this verse now that the Governor makes his grand entrance. Honestly I think their choice is eerily well done. I know he's part Hispanic in the graphic novels but for some reason David Morrissey fits.
I will say this: Shane will go darker and it is because of what will happen to Alex. Okay enough blabbing and onto the good stuff!
"Thanks for not panicking."
Alex forced a weary smile revealing splashes of pink and tan across her teeth. She could still taste the iron and copper bits along the palate of her tongue no matter how many times she had spat and chased it down with Jack. But then again not even the strongest alcohol could kill enough brain cells to silence the memories.
"Alex what in the Hell is going on with you? You're coughing up blood and dropping over like a lame steer then turn around pretending to be alright."
"I'm not turning into a Walker if that's what you're afraid of."
"Well that's reassuring. Do you realize you could've been seen at the quarry?"
"Wait you saw me? You saw me….." The blood drained from her face like water racing into the bottom of a sink.
"Yeah," Shane ran his hands through his hair with frustration. "I saw you and saw how you got rid of the evidence."
"I didn't want anyone to see. Like I said before everyone's in a state of shock and panic and this is the last thing they need to see right now. Knowing that crazed Redneck Daryl he would want to lop my head off first then ask questions later. Hell he's further up the ladder of crazy than you at this point."
Shane raised an eyebrow towards Alex who swung her head back taking another swirl of whiskey. The taste was finally breaking apart.
"Finally," she muttered in relief.
"So you're dragging around brain chunks in tubes, coughing up blood and God knows what else! Is there anything else you would like to share with me? If I lift the trunk up will I find a damned Walker?!"
She didn't respond vocally and offered the bottle up to Shane who accepted the remaining contents.
"No," her answer was flat. "You already know what I carry and why I'm keeping it hidden; even from Rick. Rick's too honest not to keep quiet about it. He's a great friend but this is for everyone's safety. But you Shane….."
She looked up casting a devious grin. "You can keep a secret or two. Remember in high school when I was 'sick'?"
"Oh yeah! That was so you could sneak off and drive down to Savannah because the Stones were touring?"
"It was well worth the risk! And besides you were a great coconspirator." Alex grinned wider but quickly dropped the smile. "But seriously, you can stay quiet which is why you're here. But first, you need to hear something and you won't like it."
"Okay what?" Shane shifted uncomfortably in his spot.
"Back off Lori okay? Right now the last thing we need is for Hell to be unleashed even further because you have a hard on for a married woman. If I am going to confide in you Shane you need to stay focused. Let Rick worry about her. He's back now."
His face darkened at her words but Alex's face was on par with his hardened stare. Shane knew she was right: He didn't want to hear it.
"You know I'm right Shane and deep down you know it too. So sit down and swallow that pride of yours would ya?"
Alex leaned against the frame of the cot, shifting to let her spine roll around the curvature of the rail. Her fingers rapped against her kneecap as Shane hovered in the center of the shelter. They carried on with their staring contest, neither one flinching. Seconds marched into minutes but neither one was backing down. Shane narrowed his eyes slightly, hardening the edges of his eyes at Alex. It was then she understood what needed to be done.
"Fine, be that way Shane," she shook her head with a sad smile. "Because I have no time for your childish antics. I have a mission to accomplish and I am not going to let a man with the mentality of a five year old hinder that."
Alex shifted around onto her knees and dragged the case from its hiding place.
"What are you doing?"
"Packing up," she answered in a causal tone like a teen announcing they were going out.
"The Hell you are!" Shane started to protest but Alex spun around pressing her nose to his nose. Her eyes were dangerously narrow as if they were two icy daggers stabbing him. Something had changed in Alex. Shane didn't have to say it; he could sense it.
"Well I can't get through that thick skull of yours Shane so I decided it's time to move on. I'll leave when everyone's asleep. No need to create a scene in front of the group."
She backed down, returning to packing her possessions. Shane fisted his hands through his hair in frustration.
"Damn it Alexandra! Why do insist on being so stubborn like a mule!?"
"I'm the one being stubborn?" She was taken aback by his accusation. "You are one to talk Shane Walsh! If looks could kill Rick would've been dead the second he set foot in this camp! And don't even attempt to lie about it. I wasn't the only one to see it."
Alex jerked around only to have Shane pull her right back around.
"Let me go Shane. I have to pack." Her voice dropped to a cold warning tone.
"No," Shane curled his fingers tighter around her bicep. "I am not going to let you leave."
"Why should you care?" She shook her head. "You're more worried about what Lori's doing. Hell, I'm probably just a rebound for you."
"R-rebound!" Shane sputtered the word.
"Yeah, you know; that person who gets used so the other one can feel better about themselves! I'm your rebound Shane."
Shane heard her voice crack as she talked down about herself. "How can I…."
"How can you what Alex?"
"Nothing," she shook her head. "You don't care. I can see it in the way you look at her. But I can see she doesn't care. I wasn't the only rebound in this camp."
Alex cast a content look before returning to her task. Shane just stood there, stunned at her harsh words. He watched as she locked and double checked each case before replacing them under the cot. Her duffel was packed tight as was the shoulder case that nestled alongside it. The confined space was growing hot and thick with the increasing tension. Alex wasn't about to admit she was hurting over Shane's continued lusting for Lori.
"So if you're going to continue eye fucking her every chance you can get then please leave. I have no time for testosterone fueled rages or fits."
"Alex," Shane groaned. "Wait, wait a minute."
"You have 60 seconds starting now," she bluntly responded without turning her back.
"I'm sorry alright? You have no idea what it's like."
"45 seconds," Alex's voice was void of empathy. "Clock's ticking Shane."
"I thought Rick was dead!"
"40 seconds."
"Alright I admit I've liked Lori! But I respected Rick and kept my distance!"
"So you just figured you could swoop right in and pick up the pieces. Is that it? And by the way you have 30 seconds."
Alex flashed her back to Shane but didn't resume her packing. Shane watched as her shoulders dropped and head dipped between them.
"Why…." She sighed heavily.
"Why what Alex?" Shane stretched his arm out with hand lowering over her shoulder.
"Why is it I go for the ones who always seem out of touch? You didn't see it; back in high school did you?"
Alex dropped on the cot with a shirt intertwined within her fingers. Shane had been a cop long enough to be able to read people. The solemn mask that she wore told him what he had been so stupid and ignorant to miss.
"You….." His voice croaked as his stomach twisted into tight knots.
"You never caught on. Rick knew it which was why it didn't work out between us then. He knew I liked you."
"Ah geez," Shane ran one of his hands over his face then paused just below his nose. Had he been so crazed and balls deep in his conquests that he had been oblivious to what had been standing right before him?
"I thought maybe you would snap out of it and take notice of me. But then I got the free ride to Manhattan and you didn't do or say anything. And right now it feels like it's happening all over again."
"Alex I'm sorry."
"Such as life I suppose," she snorted with bitterness. Shane growled at her indifference. But she deserved to harbor such sentiments. He had brushed her off, taking advantage of her friendship instead of stopping and listening. "So go, do what you want."
And with that Alex had dismissed him. The lawman couldn't see the shower of tears washing down her face. Why? Why did she have to feel this way? After fleeing Kansas and picking up survivors she felt alone despite the companionship and support from the group. Yes even in this new existence, Alex couldn't shake him and began to wonder if it wouldn't cloud her mind and push towards insanity.
"Alex," the sudden grappling of strong arms across her waist startled her from her musings. Shane molded his body to hers, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"What is it Shane?" Her voice came out angrier than she wanted. He winced at her words but continued holding on, tightening his firm but affectionate grip on her.
"You left. I didn't know you felt like that. I didn't see…."
"No you didn't see it," she shook her.
"But now I do; so please just stay."
"And what if you decide to let your dick do the thinking and go wandering? How do I know that you won't let those feelings or whatever you wish to call them creep back up and take over?"
"You will have to trust me please…."
Alex heard the shift in his tone, going from irritated to pleading. She wanted to believe him but it was increasingly difficult to vest her faith in him. His concerns and feelings for Lori were evident.
"Why should I take your word for it Shane? I saw how you looked at her even after…."
The kiss they shared the days before tasted sour in her mouth now before curdling her tongue and lips.
"What do I have to do Alex?"
"Let her go Shane," Alex was blunt. Shane knew she was right. He couldn't grasp straws or cling to what had been. If he truly cared for Alex as he told himself he did, Lori wouldn't be nagging in his mind. One arm climbed up and crossed the front of her chest with hand resting on the opposite shoulder.
"That is the only way I am going to stay with you and the group."
Her words ended with finality and not an inch for Shane to argue back. Shane was at the crossroads facing consequences with the wrong choice. His decision had better be the right damn one.
"Have you decided?"
"Stay."
"Alright," she shut her eyes and leaned back against him. "I won't leave. But please don't make me regret my decision."
Shane knew what she meant: Fuck me over and you'll never hear from or see me again. When she had become upset just moments before he had felt it; the burning blade that pierced him in the chest, twisting and tightening with each hurtful word but Shane knew it was warranted. He deserved it.
"But why did you cough blood? Please Alex just tell me what's going on."
"Shit she's crashing out!"
The blinding lights overhead forced her eyes shut. The light weight of the oxygen mask felt like a wet rag that covered her mouth and nose, absorbing the thick spray of crimson on the inside. Voices faded in and out like a bad radio signal with the frantic shuffling and thundering of feet static in the background.
"Get her stabilized now DAMN IT!"
The tearing of her vein as the needle pierced an opening didn't register to the semi conscious woman on the stretcher.
"The bleeding's not slowing!"
"Alright then get IT!"
The male voice barked hard followed by the slamming of metal off to the right.
"CODE BLUE!"
"I was very very ill before the world went to Hell. I worked at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility outside of Kansas State. I had Level 4 access meaning I worked with viruses and bacteria so deadly and dangerous that no cure treatment or a vaccine exists."
Alex broke away from his warm circle and sat on the edge of the bed.
"My clearance was classified. I answered to Homeland Security; the branch the government didn't want the public to know about."
"Jesus Alex….."
"I know what it looks like Shane but my expertise was in developing cures and vaccines, not create whatever the fuck turned the world into…..Hell I don't know what to call it anymore."
"Wait," Shane caught the slip. "You know what that is?"
"No I don't. If I did I wouldn't be here talking to you or have these cases full of brain pieces now would I? I lost contact with Dr. Jenner at the CDC and I was instructed to find him."
"What do you mean by 'instructed'?" Shane eyed the cases then shifted his anxious gaze to her.
"Fort Detrick, Maryland," she slapped her hands on top of her thighs. "If Manhattan and Atlanta fell then Detrick was the fail safe. But I lost touch with them right after I lost contact with Jenner."
"Damn it Alex what the fuck did you get yourself into?" Shane exhaled.
"I wanted to do what's right. I wanted to save lives. You have no idea what the HELL goes on or went on. I knew what was going on in places like Russia and Syria. Did you know Homeland Security had tabs on 25 scientists from the Old Soviet Block? They were in talks to sell off the stockpiles of Variola to known terrorist groups! Do you know what Variola is Shane?"
"No," science had not been his strong suit in high school.
"It….Is….Smallpox! The same fucking disease that wiped out whole tribes in the New World. Don't you understand Shane? I'm not the enemy. If we can find a treatment or vaccine or hell a cure, we can turn the tide. We won't have to stay on the run."
The glimmer of hope in her sapphire eyes made Shane stop to pause. What if they could find a way to stem this thing? What if the CDC could do it?
Slender warm hands wrapped around his as Alex started shaking.
"Hey," he saw her trembling beside him. "Hey it's alright."
"I'm sorry if I didn't tell you sooner but understand. I wanted to tell you sooner but with the Walkers and Austin, it was the least of my problems."
"You're telling me now."
"I know and I think that it's best for everyone to keep it between you and me."
"Thanks," she let out a small breath of relief. They sat in comfortable silence, the first since entering her tent. Alex wanted to fall asleep right then and there but gravel and dry Georgia grass being snapped and crunched prevented her from doing so.
"Shane, Alex," Dale poked his head through the flaps. "The Morales Family's decided to leave."
"What?" Alex jumped up. "Why?"
"Morales has family in Birmingham and he thinks they can find them out there."
"He's nuts! Especially with his kids."
"We tried talking him out of it but he and his wife are adamant about going."
Suddenly, Alex got an idea.
"Tell them to wait a minute. I wanted to give them something."
Dale and Shane traded a perplexed expression as she raced out the tent, kicking up gravel and rock behind her.
"Now what's gotten into her?" The older man itched his head.
"Mr. Morales," Alex didn't break a sweat despite the Georgia heat. The patriarch shut the door and looked at the woman rapidly approaching.
"Senorita Alex," he greeted her. "You cannot talk us out of going."
"I know but I wanted to give you something before you go."
Morales raised an eyebrow as she reached into her pocket and launched a set of keys his way. He caught the steel loop with two keys dangling off it. He stared at the offering like it was something foreign to him.
"I-I do not understand," he shook his head.
"That car," she pointed at the Fusion, "is yours. I have my truck and it would be left here. Take it. If you see your family you'll be able to stay together."
"Mio dios," he crossed himself and uttered a short thank you in Spanish. "Gracias Senorita Alex!"
Alex wasn't prepared for the bear hug Morales rewarded her with. She awkwardly patted his back while trying to breathe. His wife was in a state of shock over the generousness of the stranger.
"There's a gun in the glove box and one under the driver's seat," she whispered. "Ammunition is in the console."
"Gracias," he grew teary eyed at the additional blessing.
"Now remember, stay away from the cities," Rick advised. The smaller towns would be safer bets as the populations were either dead or gone with pockets of infected.
"Thank you everyone," the Hispanic man was beyond grateful.
"Be safe," Rick extended his hand to which Morales collapsed his in a vise of bone and skin.
"God bless Senor Rick," he smiled through the tears as he hitched the car up to the back of his vehicle. Shane came up behind Alex in time to see the family depart. The survivors waved their final goodbyes as the small caravan slipped into the horizon. Everyone in the group just stared at Alex as she suddenly felt as if she was on trial.
"We have enough transportation," she defended her actions.
"Alex we're not questioning your actions," Dale stepped forward. "What you did was nothing short of selfless."
"They have a long road before them. They will need all the advantages they can get; just like us."
Alex was cryptic in her words.
"I suppose I will retire. I mean we are heading into Atlanta."
"You're staying?" Rick couldn't but help to be elated.
"Yeah I am," she nodded. "It took some convincing," she paused and looked at Shane then back to Rick, "But I'm staying on the road with the circus."