No Matter What

It was hard to believe that she was here, that she was fighting right beside him. He had been so sure that he was never going to see her again after that car had sped away. But here they were, right beside each other, back to back, fighting their way out of Terminus. He reached out with one hand, lacing his fingers in hers as he shot down one of the snipers on the roof. He needed her, right by his side. He realized that he'd been hollow since he'd lost her. She was everything he wanted to be and when she wasn't around, there was nothing.

Back to back they fought off all of the cannibals that came after them. It was like they were indestructible, untouchable. He was impressed with her, she'd come a long way from the girl back at the prison. A hope started to spread through him. Nothing was going to take them down, not tonight. They were going to make it out of his alive. He was going to kill everyone who was trying to kill them, then he was going to push her up against a wall and kiss her like he should have done a week ago.

He risked a glance at her as the firefight continued, bullets raining down on them, blood splattering. She was a few feet away from him, her hair loose around her face, her clothes dirty, bloody, a gun strapped around her back, another in her arms. She spun around, barely missing a bullet that ricocheted off the ground by her foot. He couldn't help but think that she was utterly beautiful in that moment; it should be illegal how beautiful she was.

They were going to make it out of this alive; he realized as he carefully aimed another shot and took down another sniper. They were going to be the winners and they were going to make a life of their own, together. He realized in that moment he loved her and nothing was going to kill it. It was a little sappy, but it was never going to die, not what they had.

He saw it before she did. He grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the way, spinning their bodies around as a bullet clipped his shoulder, barely breaking the skin. She looked up at him, her eyes wide as fear filled her eyes. "I got your back," he whispered to her, getting back to the fight. He'd take a bullet for her, no matter what. He made a silent vow to her in that moment as they got back to the fighting that was going on all around them. He might be the last one standing, but he wouldn't be standing alone. They would be the last ones standing, the two of them. If he didn't have her, there was no reason.

He smirked as he took out another sniper. He didn't know how many they had, they just kept coming. There honestly couldn't be that many people here, could there? He glanced at her again, he couldn't keep his eyes off of her and that was dangerous in the current situation, but he couldn't help it, he had to make sure she was okay. He just hoped that when they made it out of this that she would believe him when he told her he loved her. The others wouldn't forgive them, they'd ridicule them for being in love, they would tell them it was wrong, he was too old and she was too pure, but he didn't care.

He smirked, watching her kill another of the enemy. Yeah, they were going to be just fine. They were getting out of this alive. He covered her as they moved closer to their group, closer to safety. He just realized that he loved her, that he needed her in his life. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her; ever. "Duck," he growled, watching as someone came from inside a train car and aimed his gun at her. She did as he said and he rested his gun on her back, pulling the trigger and hitting him in the chest with a bullet. She didn't move, he felt the barrel of her gun on his leg and the recoil when she shot. He looked over his shoulder in time to see a woman with a gun that had been trained on his back fall to the ground. He helped her up as they took cover behind one of the train cars.

He risked a glance around the metal as she checked her clip. "I'm almost out," she whispered, looking up at him. He nodded his head and looked around again. He took her hand and kissed her knuckles.

"We're going to have to make a run for it." She nodded her head and squeezed his hand before letting go to grip her gun better. He checked once more to make sure the coast was clear before he led her out of the cover, the group was close, he could hear Rick screaming something at Carl above the gunshots raining down on them. She followed, staying close to his side, covering the right while he covered the left. They worked in perfect tandem, like they'd been doing this for years. It was unbelievable how easily she read his cues, how he could read her body language. They worked like a well-oiled machine, in perfect synchronization.

He grabbed her shirt, seeing the danger before her again. She stopped, immediately, dropped to her knees and he put his gun on her shoulder and shot another body, but they didn't stop, didn't move. They couldn't. A swarm of cannibals came at them, guns loaded. They shared a worried look as they got ready. They were both low on bullets. He wasn't going to let her go anywhere. They were going to make it to the end of this shitty ass world. They weren't going to fall here, he wouldn't let her fade away, he refused. He'd sell his soul if that's what it took.

They lined him like a firing squad, their guns all aimed at them. "We're gonna be the last ones standing," he whispered to her.

"No, you're not!" one of them called out. He raised his hand and they heard the barrage of guns aimed at them cock, ready to fire. He smirked slowly, realizing their odds weren't great. Give them ten minutes, they'd be taking it back. "Any last words?"

"Doesn't matter, does it?" she called back. She rested her gun on her knee, his still on her shoulder, her other hand wrapping around her second gun. They were going to have to be quick and smart about this.

The firefight started without a warning. He didn't know how these people had made it this far in the world without being good shots, but they were terrible. The closest they got was a bullet that flew past his ear close enough for him to feel the heat. Other than that, they were terrible shots. He wasn't panicking, at least, not until he ran out of bullets. He swore, dropping his gun and reaching for her second one. "Fuck," she swore, her body spinning quickly and pushing him down. She cried out, falling on top of him. He saw the blood soaking her side. She kept a hand on it, gasping as the pain tore through her. He growled, darkly, dangerously, grabbing her gun. He showed no mercy. He killed them all as she rolled onto her side, using the few remaining bullets in her gun to help him.

He knelt by her side and ripped her shirt up past the wound, assessing the damage. "Fuck, this isn't good." He pressed against it, trying to stop the bleeding. He screamed for help until his voice went hoarse. Panic and fear set deep into him as she grew cold against him, blood starting to leak from her mouth as he breathing got ragged, her limbs shaking. "Stay with me, you're not allowed to go anywhere," he gritted out, putting more pressure on her side. "We're supposed to be the last ones standing."

Her hands wrapped around his and she shook her head. "Let me go," she whispered, tears in her eyes. He shook his head, refusing to let her fade away. She wasn't going to fall here. He screamed for help again, screamed for anyone to fucking do something. He could hear foot steps behind him and just prayed that it was someone he could trust, someone who could save her life, someone who would give her back to him.

…

He stood, looking over the camp from the rooftop, his crossbow across his back. They had won; they'd taken over Terminus and turned it into a true safe haven. The sun was rising over them and down below he could see Rick and Carl getting ready to make their morning rounds. He leaned over the edge of the building, resting his hands on the cool brick. She wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled his back. "I love you," he told her as he turned around and pulled her into him, his hand rubbing the still healing wound on her hip.

She smiled up at him with those blue diamond eyes. "Love you too."