Firstly, I don't own The Walking Dead. All credit for this amazing show goes elsewhere. Sam and Dean are based on Supernatural, and unfortunately I don't own that either. Now I've gone and depressed myself.
This is a long fic only because I fell in love with the characters and I couldn't stop writing. I love feedback, but no pressure. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you do decide to give feedback or rating, please don't be cruel. I'm a big ol softie... Thanks!
Hope you like the beginnings of Shane's feeling developing here, and for the interactions between the group. I enjoyed feeling them out. And yes, I based the characters of Sam and Dean on Supernatural. It just seemed to fit somehow, but there is no storyline based on Supernaturals Sam and Dean's hunter lifestyles...
And since you've gotten this far, a review or two would rock my world! Thanks!
When Shane woke and found Trouble gone, he glanced at the clock. 7 am. He thought about the events of the previous night, and he sighed deeply. What a screwed up night. But, he thought, Trouble had come through. Hell, she even shot Ian, so she double points for that. He chuckled and rubbed his face tiredly. He got up and got in the shower, and let the hot water get rid of the aches he felt in his muscles. He sighed, thinking of his discussion with Rick before everything went down. He hadn't realized just how far the man had fallen until he's stopped and paid attention to it.
He went to Rick's room before breakfast, intending to drag the man out whether he liked it or not, but as he opened the door, he was surprised to find him gone. It was only 8, he was never awake these days at this time. He started to go, but stopped and turned around, realizing what he was seeing. Rick's bed was made and neat, and there were no dirty clothes laying on the floor, trash scattered. It was actually pretty neat. Huh. Anna must have been up and around early.
He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a cup of coffee, wandering into the dining area. He stopped when he saw Rick at the end of the table, cheerfully talking to Carl and Carol. He was clean, he'd shaved, and his shirt was tucked neatly into his pants. Shane eyed him warily, and moved to his spot at the table slowly. He glanced across to Trouble, who was looking at him with a little smile. She wiggled her eyebrows at him and nudged her head toward Rick. Shane looked back at her wide eyed, confused, and gave her a little shrug of his shoulders. She chuckled into her coffee cup.
Ian had not let being shot get in the way of his appetite, as Dean was teasing him loudly. Ian grinned and responded that Trouble had only taken out his arm, not him stomach. They had apparently gone through the whole list of 'please don't shoot me' jokes because Trouble was starting to look a little exasperated. She finally picked up her plate and took it to the kitchen and Shane followed.
"What the hell is that in there, 'cause I know that ain't Rick." He asked in a low voice at the sink. She looked up at him and smiled brightly.
"I guess you're better than you thought." She said quietly. She chuckled.
He narrowed his eyes at her, he knew her well enough to know when she wasn't telling him something. "What did you do?"
She shrugged, wiping her hands on a towel. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm going to go shower, and then I think we need to discuss how to fix that wall." She turned and left the room and he stood there, staring after her in disbelief. He turned and could just see Rick at the table. He was finished up a cup of coffee and laughing at something someone had said, and Shane grinned. Unbelievable.
Trouble showered quickly and threw on a clean pair of jeans and a red tee shirt that tied in the back. She put her hair in a messy bun and brushed her teeth, thinking about breakfast the whole time. Rick had really come through. She knew it had made him uncomfortable having everyone watching him quietly disbelieving what they were seeing, but he'd stayed strong and kept his chin high. It was going to take a while, but he was going to be fine. She could see that now. Seeing Shane's face was priceless.
She headed back out to the control room to check the solar panel output readings. It had been long enough, she would be able to tell if she needed to adjust anything more. Warren was watching the screens but it was otherwise empty. She grabbed her notes and stuck a pencil in the bun on her hair, grabbing the manual and studying it closely. She jotted a few things down and made some calculations, and she saw that indeed, it had helped. They were up a quarter from where they were before. There was one number off, and she tapped the paper absently, biting her lip. She thought she knew just where it was wonky too. One of those panels had been looser than the rest, and she'd already adjusted it twice. She was going to have to figure out how to keep it steady.
She frowned and grabbed her notes, the manual, a walkie, and a white jacket she kept in the room for when she needed to go out quickly. She quietly made her way to the elevator and to the lobby. She skipped up the stairs quickly and was up the ladder and on the roof in a minute. She went to the tool cabinet and got a screwdriver and a couple things she thought might help and made her way to the panel she thought might be the problem. She was just getting into it when her walkie crackled to life.
"Trouble, you copy?" Warren's voice called over the walkie.
"Copy. What's up?" She called back.
"Location?" Came the response.
"Roof." She answered, anxious to get back to her work. She clipped the walkie on the waistband of her jeans and got down on her knees to inspect the settings.
Ian climbed through the access panel and onto the roof, looking around for Trouble. He wandered along the edge, and he heard a shuffling of gravel to his right. He moved around the panels and saw Trouble on her knees working with one of the panels. She had stuck pencils in her hair and she was furiously biting her lip as she worked. He smiled, watching her. He loved this.
She sat back, clapping her hands on her knees and sighing. She grabbed her notes and one of the pencils out of her hair, making a quick note before sticking the pencil in her mouth and checking the manual. She was so engrossed he could have stood there forever and she wouldn't have noticed. He gave a light cough, and she looked over at him, pencil still in her mouth. He grinned and walked over to her, his hands stuck in his jeans pockets and a cocky grin on his face.
"These things make that much of an impression on you, huh?" She took the pencil out of her mouth and grinned at him. Her sunglasses reflected his image back to him like a mirror.
"What can I say, I'm a sucker for shiny things." He shrugged, crouching down next to her. "Giving you a problem?"
She looked at it and sighed. "Not much I can do. The mounting is loose somewhere on the inside. It's got to be a manufacture error but I don't think they are open today."
"Bastards always leave early." He said seriously and she chuckled, leaning forward to lift the edge of his sleeve, exposing the bandage.
"How does it feel?" She asked.
"I told you it was fine, but if you want to go ahead and kiss it and make it better, that'll work too."
"Smartass." She smiled and leaned back. "Anything going on down there?"
"Well, Anna's making lunch. Tuna. Yum." He said with a grimace. "And there's a pod person that's pretending to be Rick Grimes. I'm trying to get a group of angry villagers together. You want to carry the torch?"
"He does seem to be doing better." She said, focusing back on her manual. He watched her for a second, and pulled the book away from her.
"You wouldn't know anything about it, would you?" He raised an eyebrow at her knowingly.
"Why would you think that?" She looked up and tilted her head.
"Because, my dear, I have learned that when there is great change... you are usually involved in some way. Deny it." He said with a smirk.
"Maybe I talked to him a little. It's no big." She shrugged it off and tried to take the book back. He held it away from her and she sighed and looked at him. "What's the big deal?"
"What's the big deal? Are you kidding?" He asked, getting up and walking away from her. He stopped and stared at the ground, silent. She got up, confused, and stepped toward him. Before she could say anything, he looked back up at her and shook his head. "The big deal is, you just gave a kid back his father. You should see him down there. He's playing with Carl like he's 12. The kid is over the moon. And," He stepped toward her and laid a hand on her cheek. "And it's because of you."
She stepped back, embarrassed. "Please, Ian. It was his choice. I just told him it was time to make it. I take no credit for that."
"Of course you don't."
"What?" She asked, adjusting her glasses
He stepped forward and used his thumb to wipe a spot of black from her skin. He stared at her closely and sighed. "You done up here?"
"Yeah." She said softly.
"Ok, come on." He put his arm around her and they walked back to the access panel together. They made their way into the common room, and they were not even noticed, there was so much activity. Rick and Carl were on the couch engrossed in a video game, car racing or something, and they were screaming with laughter and competition. Rick was totally into it, he was laughing like she had never seen. Sam was a third player, and he was trying to get past them, but Carl and Rick were on one team, and they were working together to destroy him.
She let out a deep breath, and walked past it all and down the hall to the control room. It was empty, but Ian had followed her. She had such a lump in her throat, she just took the jacket off and tossed it in the corner and set about jotting her notes in the panel books. She grabbed the manual and put it away, finally turning to face him.
"I'm really happy for them." She smiled. "But I want you to drop it, ok? I'm really tired."
He held up his hands. "Not pushing. You know me."
She laughed and walked by him. "Yeah, rethink that one." She patted him on the arm as she passed, but she noticed the kitchen light was still on. She went in and saw Anna wiping the counter down.
"Anna-banana!" She called out more cheerful than she felt. She went to the sink and started washing the grease from her hands. Anna came up beside her to rinse her rag out. Trouble grabbed a dishtowel and dried her hands off.
"Are you hungry, dear? You skipped lunch." Anna smiled at her.
"No, not really." Trouble smiled. "Thanks anyway. But if you still need those bulbs changed in the laundry room I can do it now. I'm kinda on a roll."
Anna raised an eyebrow. "Yes, that would be wonderful. And if you could take a look at the dryer cord as well, I would appreciate it. I'm afraid it's becoming terribly worn."
"You got it." She kissed Anna on the cheek and headed back to the laundry room. She grabbed a box of bulbs from the closet and a chair. She was in the middle of replacing the burnt out track lighting bulbs in the ceiling when Shane stuck his head in.
"There's my girl." He said cheerfully, and she looked down.
"Hey." She said, screwing a new bulb in. It flickered to life and she came down off the chair as he came across the room. He put his hand on her cheek and kissed her. She smiled and picked up the chair and moved it a few feet before hopping up on it again.
"Where you been? I haven't seen you." He asked, watching her. She unscrewed the bad bulb and she looked closely at it.
"I was on the roof. The solar output is back up but there's a bad panel. I got it to the best angle it can go I think. At least until the end of winter." She said, screwing the new one in. It came to life and she came down off the chair. She tossed the bad bulbs in the trash and put the box back in the closet.
He watched her work, his face slightly concerned. "You're keeping awfully busy."
"Gotta get this stuff done, you know?" She forced a smile. "What are you up to?"
"Actually, Rick wants to go hunting." He was grinning. "So we're headed out in a little bit."
She frowned. "So close before dark?"
"Only be gone a little while. Don't worry." He smiled and kissed her again.
"Be careful, ok?" She said and he shot her a salute as he left. She sighed and went back to the closet. She pulled a box out of the closet and got down on her knees to go through it. It had spare parts, extension cords and things in it and she dug to the bottom and couldn't find what she was looking for. She sat back and sighed. Shoving the box back in, she headed back to the kitchen.
"Hey Anna?" She called out.
"In here." She heard from the dining area, and she found Anna setting the table for dinner. "I'm going to need to go to the supply bunker for that cord."
"The supply bunker?" Anna stepped forward, concerned. "Are you sure that's safe with the wall being broken the way it is?"
Trouble shrugged and grinned. "You know I'm careful. And I go with backup."
Anna nodded tentatively. "Alright then. Thank you, dear."
"No problem." Trouble answered as she left the room and headed down the hall. The boys were still playing with Carl but she noticed Rick had gone. He was probably getting ready to leave with Shane and she didn't want to take them away from the boy. She headed down towards Ian's room and knocked.
He came to the door and seemed pleased to see her. "Hey." He stepped back so she could come in, but she shook her head.
"Hey. Actually, I could use a hand with something."
"Ok, well, how about you come in and tell me what it is first." He said holding out his hand. She sighed and walked in, flopping in a chair that actually still had a visible seat. He offered her a beer and she took it. He sat down across from her on the bed and took a drink of his own. He lit a cigarette and she came to sit next to him on the bed, taking it from him when he offered it.
"What is this you need help with." He asked.
She handed the cigarette back to him. "I have to go to the supply bunker. The dryer still needs to be fixed and I think there are some cords out there."
He looked at her warily. "Will you be armed?"
She looked at him flatly. "Nevermind." She moved to get up and he laughed, pulling her back to her seat.
"I'm kidding. Finish your beer and we'll go." He smiled, punching her in the arm lightly.
She took a drink of her beer and shook her head, smiling. He handed her back the cigarette and she took the last drag, then emptied her bottle. She crushed out her cigarette and they headed to the control room to get a walkie and weapons. Warren was already there, and they loaded up on clips for the Glocks on their hips and headed out to the elevator.
"Where's Ranger Rick?" Ian asked on the way up.
"Hunting with Shane." She answered, double checking her weapon.
"Huh." Was all he said and they left the house in silence. She went to her Jeep and he hopped up in the seat as she started the vehicle. She drove fast and he held onto the roof as they bounced along. "Slow down there, speed racer." He joked and she smiled. She loved driving, and she never got to do it anymore. They drove past the fallen bodies of the walkers from the night of the storm. They hadn't had a chance to get them cleaned up yet, and it turned the normally beautiful grounds into morbid graveyard. She stopped by the supply bunker and Ian hopped out, retrieving his keys. She grabbed a knife from the console and followed him, her eyes alert on the surroundings. She kept her back to him as he unlocked the door and looked inside. He stood back and kept watch while she went in.
It was bright enough with the open door that she started digging around the shelves, looking for anything that would work for her purposes. She was inspecting a large gas heater when she heard him.
"Got any big plans tonight?" He leaned against the wall and kept his eyes ahead. She chuckled as she cut the cord from the machine.
"Thinking of seeing a movie. Maybe getting a burger after. You?" She said sarcastically.
"No, that sounds pretty good, actually." He said, shrugging. "What are we seeing?"
"How about 'Night Of The Living Dead'?" She said, moving on. "Maybe get some pointers."
"Doesn't the hero get shot in the end?" He paused. "Oh... riiiight."
"Ha ha." She picked past a group of shelves to the blocked back of the shed. She found a hulking grey metal box. A washer. From the 50's maybe, but.. "I can finish the job, you know." She called back to him. "Oh, God, it smells horrible back here."
"I'm hurt. And there are dead bodies all over the place. Not exactly fresh out here either." He made a face and coughed lightly.
She grunted as she tried to move the thing to the back, the cord that she saw looked perfect. She couldn't move it very far and had to squeeze past the shelves to reach the end. She coughed a little. "No, I mean, it's really bad." She took the knife and felt with her fingers to the connection point in the back of the machine. She began to cut and severed it completely. She grinned and tugged, but it was caught in something. She yanked harder and the shelves next to the machine started to lean. She watched as they fell back against the rear concrete wall, sending small metal and glass things flying. The loud crash elicited an 'ahem' from Ian outside.
"If that wasn't loud enough for you I could always find a church bell to ring. Maybe... Big Ben?" He said loudly.
She tugged again, and she could see the cord was being pressed down by something. Small... grey and... "Oh my god!" She exclaimed and flew back, the cord in her right hand, her left reaching for something to catch herself. She flew backward into the shelves she had squeezed by and her hand landed flat on the sharp corner. Ian hadn't appeared behind her at that moment.
"What's wrong?" He blurted, turning her around.
She made a face. "I think I know why Bruiser hasn't set off the alarm lately." She grimaced and turned her head into his shoulder. He kept his arm around her but peered past her. He just saw the hunk of maggot infested fur and he let a disgusted sound out of his throat.
"Did you get what you needed?" He asked, backing out of the shed with her arm in his grip.
"I think so." She said, letting him lead her out. He went out first, looking around. When he was satisfied, he grabbed her hand and pulled. It was slippery and wet and he looked down at his hand as she came into the sunlight behind him. His hand was bright red with blood and his heart jumped into his chest. He grabbed her arm and raised it up and her face looked confused when she saw the blood on their hands.
"Did you cut yourself?" She asked and he grabbed her hand, turning it palm side up. A huge gash cut across the palm and she was dripping blood. "Oh." Was all she said.
"Oh." He repeated, looking at her incredulously. "You're joking, right? Do you ever go out and not come back bleeding?" He asked, locking up the door and leading her back to the Jeep.
She was slightly offended. "Yes. Often."
He grabbed a clean towel from the back of the Jeep and wrapped her hand in it, a frown on his face. He put her in the passenger seat and climbed around to the drivers side. Starting the car, she looked at the now bloody towel.
"Look at the bright side." She said and he looked over at her blankly. "It's not my shooting hand." She smiled and he groaned, pulling away towards the house.
Hershel finished the stitching up of her palm and wiped the last of the blood off her skin. She inspected the wound as he prepared the bandage. Ian was grumpy, but hadn't left her side since it happened. She kept trying to get him to smile, but he wasn't taking the bait.
"It's just the law of probability." He was ranting as he stood, arms crossed, watching Hershel bandage it tightly in white gauze. "Trouble gets out of bed, she is probably going to end up bleeding."
"I don't think that helps, young man." Hershel said patiently.
"Thank you, Hershel." Trouble said, getting up.
"You're very welcome. Don't get it wet, and take some of these when it starts to hurt. Because it will." He said, handing her a small packet. She accepted it with a smile and left the kitchen table where the old man had been doing his work. She and Ian were almost put the door when he called to her and she turned around. "That is the second time I've stitched you up. Try to not go for a third, ok?"
She grinned and left the kitchen with Ian. "Told you." He said as they made their way down the hallway. He followed her right into her room and she chuckled. He was just a mess.
"It's my hand, man. I don't see why you're so upset." She said, digging for a clean shirt in her bureau. She found one, a dark blue halter, and realized he hadn't responded. She looked at him, sitting on her bed, and he had a strange, hurt look on his face.
"You don't know why I would care if you got hurt?" He asked. He narrowed his eyes and stood up. He walked to the door and she jumped in front of him. He backed up and glared at her.
"Ian, that's not what I meant, and you know it." She said, her good hand pressing on his chest. He resisted, and she moved closer, putting her arms around his neck and pressing her head into his neck. "I know how much you care. Please don't take it like that."
She held him until she felt him soften a little and he put his arms around her waist, holding her tightly. He kissed her hair and sighed. "You got to quit doing this to me. I'm getting old before my time."
She laughed, letting him go. He stuck his hands in his pockets and wandered back to the bed while she slipped into the bathrooms. She came out dressed in a blue halter top and black shorts, and her hair was neatly back in the ponytail. She looked like a lithe tennis player, and he grinned. Looking at her you wouldn't know things like tennis didn't exist anymore.
He grabbed her remote and turned on the music and she looked at him, surprised. She raised an eyebrow and gave a little smile. "80's hair metal. Very nice."
"Skid row, and normally I wouldn't, but it just seemed right." He shrugged and watched as she danced a little and picked up the dirty clothes from her floor, singing along and bobbing her head.
"You have spent all day in warrior mode and now you're like a flying chipmunk. What gives?" He finally had to say it.
"Maybe I'm bipolar." She looked up and her eyes went wide. "Do you think?"
"Maybe. But I like this side better." He leaned back. "So what did Hershell give you?"
"I don't know, I didn't look." She said, going to the dresser and grabbing the packet from the top. She came and sat next to him on the bed and opened it, shaking them out in her hand. "Looks like Vic."
"The way you're going, you better get started. That is going to smart soon." He advised and she took three of them and popped them in her mouth, swallowing with some water she had next to her bed. She held them out to him. "Your arm."
He nodded and she offered the water. He swallowed and grinned. "Well, tonight should be fun."
She chuckled and went to gather the large piled of clothes and dump them in the hamper. "I'm going to get something to drink. You want?" He nodded and she left the room. He looked around the room, at the bed. It was rumpled and he could see which side was hers and which was Shane's. The thought made him mildly ill, too think he was sitting where that moron slept. He gave the man's side a disgusted look and moved closer to her pillow. He leaned down and he could smell her shampoo. He leaned back up and smiled. His stomach was empty and the medicine was taking its effect quickly. He coughed lightly and blinking, rubbing his eyes with his fingers, hard.
"You ok?" She asked, holding a bottle out to him and he grinned. She had brought him a beer. She knew him so well.
"Yeah. You realize we have not eaten, right? This is going to make us fly higher than kites." He said taking it and cracking it open.
"Here's to hoping." She said flatly and took a long drink of hers. "Especially since I doubt anyone is going to want to drink in public places around here for a while, I thought this would be a good opportunity."
"Ah, because of Ranger Rick's new sobriety." He said.
"You got it." She said, putting her hand on her hip and looking around the room. "Let's go to your room. I don't want to stay here."
"Ok." He said, pleased. He clicked the music off and followed her out of the room. He shut the door behind himself and when he entered his room, she was choosing a book off his shelf and went to his bed, where she landed on her stomach and opened it in front of her. She put her bare feet up in the air and flipped through it, her face calm and beautiful.
He threw himself down next to her, on his elbow, and watched her for a minute. "Please tell me it's not quiet reading time."
"What do you want to do?" She closed the book and raised up, facing him. He raised an eyebrow devilishly and she scoffed. "Right."
"No, really." He laughed. "I thought we had a date." She looked at him, confused. "We were going to the movies, remember."
"Right, then a burger after, right?" She laughed. "You're right, but I don't see IHOP being open."
"That was after. One thing at a time." He admonished her, and she held up her hands, scooting back to be next to him on the pillows. She watched him, amused, while he flipped through the remote. The black and white screen came up, 'Night of The Living Dead'.
"Oh my god, you're kidding. I thought it was 'no zombie movies' around here." She laughed.
He put his arm around her and pulled her close. She smiled and let her cheek rest against his chest. "I think we can make an exception. If you want." He said, against her hair.
"Yes, please." She said and felt him nod. He only left her once during the whole movie, and came back with another beer for her. The lights were down and the movie was surreal. She felt light and peaceful and sleepy.
"Don't go to sleep, yet." He whispered in her ear as the ending credits.
She was laying almost completely across his chest, his arm, the one she had shot, holding her tightly against him. "I'm not." She opened her eyes and saw the time. 7:54. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, trying to get a focus. She woke up a little and looked back at him, at his surprised face. "It's getting dark."
"Yes, that's usually what happens." He said, his face darkening a little. She wasn't thinking of him right now.