A/N: this story uses the characters from my "Redemption" fic, but in an AU setting, so if you haven't read that fic, you can still read this one without missing anything. However, if you'd like to read it, it is complete! I only own Anna, the rest belongs to AMC and Robert Kirkman. No infringement intended.
Simple Twists of Fate
By Leah Pensotti
Anna made some iced coffee for Gwen with the Keurig and watched as her friend peered out the kitchen window to where all the guests were milling about.
"I don't know, Anna. How old is he?"
She put a red and white paper straw in the glass and sat the drink infront of Gwen. Anna looked out the window and saw Rick happily chatting with Bob and Daryl. Sometimes he looked so handsome, he took her breath away. She exhaled slowly and shrugged, "I mean...does it matter really? Have you seen his arms?"
Gwen turned around and sipped the coffee through the straw, "I'm just not sure of anything anymore. I'm sorry I showed up like this. I just thought it would be easier to deal with being alone."
Anna brushed her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear, "You're not alone, ever. You always have me."
Gwen's big brown eyes welled up with tears and she sneered a bit, "Goddammit, you have to stop making me cry."
Anna caught sight of Rick and Daryl heading up the back steps, "Well ya better look alive, because here they come."
Gwen wiped her eyes and sat up straight as Rick and Daryl walked into the kitchen. Rick looked to Anna and then to Gwen, "Oh hey Gwen. I didn't know you were here. Anna, food's ready."
She smiled, "Alright. Gwen this is Daryl...Daryl, this is my friend Gwen. We went to nursing school together and work at the same hospital."
Gwen flashed a toothy smile and bobbled a bit...still drunk, "Hi."
Daryl nodded and said "Hi" lowly. Anna didn't think Daryl would be the shy type, "Daryl? Need another beer?"
He nodded, "That'd be nice, thanks."
Anna reached into the cooler beside her for a beer and popped the top off before handing it to him. He gave her a nod in thanks and he and Rick headed back out of the house. Anna picked up the huge bowl of potato salad and looked a Gwen, "Well?"
"His arms are nice. But that was really bad."
Anna sighed, "Well luckily, you both only said one word. If you get some food on your stomach, it will help."
Gwen rolled her eyes, "This whole thing actually makes me want to drink more."
Anna shook her head, "It's your choice. Let's go out and be social. I've made way too much food."
She made her way down the back stairs and placed the bowl on the table outside. Anna made a plate for Dawn and introduced her and Gwen. She sat next to Dawn for awhile asking her about physical therapy and how she was feeling.
"I'm okay I guess. I've never really been the sit around type. I've always had to do something. I've been able to do more recently, so that's good. What about you and Rick? I bet you're excited that he is being considered for Sargeant."
Anna's eyes went wide...Rick was up for a promotion?
"It is exciting. We've been adjusting. Having to look for schools for Carl here. Getting used to home life together. It sounds boring, but it's been a lot of fun."
Anna continued to mingle and talk to everyone while they ate. She looked at Gwen, who was talking to Mary Jane and Pat, but was openly eyeing Daryl. She saw Rick duck into the house and she followed discreetly with her red solo cup.
He was opening another beer when she put her arms around his waist and pressed the side of her cheek to his shoulder. She could hear him chuckle and she patted her hands, "You having a good time, Sweet Thing?"
Anna nodded and lifted her head, "I am. But I'm attempting to keep Gwen from devolving into a puddle of tears and alcohol."
Rick turned and looked at her, "She showed up drunk?"
"Yeah. She got a ride though, didn't drive. She evidently has heretofore unmentioned anxieties of being the only single person at a party."
He shrugged, "I get it. This past Christmas Bob and Maria had me over for dinner on Christmas Eve. It wasn't my best. I didn't get to see Carl."
Anna felt like the story was familiar...maybe he had told it to her before? She wasn't about to bring up the promotion thing until after the party, she was sure he had his reasons not to tell her yet. Hell, maybe it was supposed to be a surprise?
"So...is Daryl having fun?"
Rick shrugged and sipped his beer, "I think so. Doesn't seem super talkative and that's okay. He's going to stay here tonight. I thought we could christen the fire pit we got last week."
Anna smiled, they had gone to Home Depot to get ideas to maybe freshen up the paint in the guest bedroom, which would soon be a nursery, and somehow they had walked out with a fire pit. She couldn't say no to that man and his happy face.
"Sounds perfect. Glad I bought stuff to make breakfast in the morning."
Rick pulled her to him playfully and stole a kiss before going back outside and Anna set to work getting dessert ready to serve. As she worked she tried to brainstorm ways of getting Daryl and Gwen to talk to each other.
Surely it couldn't be that hard.
Later that evening, the guests slowly drifted home. Dawn and her parents, Mary Jane and Pat and finally Bob and Maria. Bob had a little too much fun and Rick helped Maria get them to their car. Anna loaded everyone up with plates of leftovers covered in plastic wrap. She was like Donna Reed, he almost didn't recognize her. Ultimately he chalked up her hostessing skills to her society grooming in Savannah.
He couldn't imagine her ever being like her mother though.
Once Bob and Maria were on their way, Rick went to start up the fire in the back yard so the lasts of the guests could sit around it and talk if they wanted too. He certainly wanted Anna to take a load off, she had been on her espadrille wedged feet all day, buzzing around the kitchen and making sure everyone had a drink in their hand and a smile on their face.
She had to be exhausted.
When he came into the kitchen, he saw Anna leaning against the kitchen counter eating a plate full of potato salad and a super burnt bratwurst on a bun. He couldn't help but smile, "You look like you didn't eat or something."
Anna chewed for a moment and shrugged, "I didn't."
He turned to look at her with a surprised and almost upset look on his face, "The whole night? Anna...the baby..."
Anna sighed, "I know. I just fell back into this thing...being a hostess. I was too busy. I remember my mom doing the same thing. June would put her food in the oven until all of her guests had left and she would sit at the breakfast bar alone and eat. Sometimes even after midnight."
Rick wanted to laugh, thinking that Anna was describing Sonja like something from Gremlins, but he thought the better of it, "Honey...you have to make sure you eat. You're pregnant and it's important."
Anna smiled, "Yessir."
He put his hand on her stomach, it was still early but she was on the brink of starting to show. She just had a clever way of dressing.
"I'm going to go start a fire. Come on out."
Anna nodded, finishing up her plate of food. He walked outside to find Daryl and Gwen, sitting around the patio table and chatting about motorcycles. Of all things. He wouldn't have called it a super charismatic conversation, but it was friendly...and he guessed that was a start.
Rick smiled and motioned to the fire pit with his head, "Gonna play with my new toy, grab some drinks and we can all sit around the fire."
Gwen got up and walked inside and Daryl helped Rick arrange the chairs, the wood and the kindling. Rick thanked him and they sat down, watching the flames catch and grow. Rick took a sip of beer and looked at his friend, "Have a good time tonight?"
Daryl shrugged, "Anna's cake was amazin' and everybody seems nice enough. I ain't ever been too good around people. This is the fanciest house I've ever been in. I keep thinkin' I'm gonna break somethin.'"
Rick laughed, "Nah. Besides...this isn't really what I'm used to either. The house back in King County was nice, but pretty much what you'd normally see in small town Georgia. Anna comes from a family with money. You oughta see that house."
Daryl shrugged, "My family is about as redneck as it gets. Mama died when I was little, Daddy got out of the state pen some years back but I ain't seen him. And Merle, well ya know where he is."
Rick nodded, that he did.
"How about a family of your own? Marriage and kids?"
Daryl looked like he wanted to laugh out loud, "Nah, I'm happy to be on my own most the time. Besides...what could I possibly have to offer anybody?"
Rick took a long drink from his bottle. He couldn't believe he was getting ready to say what he was thinking, "Well, Gwen seemed to like you. She's single."
Daryl's eyebrows disappeared upwards into his shaggy hair, "She's a little young ain't she?"
"Thirty in a few months."
Once again, Daryl looked like he was going to laugh, "I wouldn't even begin to know how to make heads or tails out of a girl like her."
Rick nodded, knowing the feeling all too well, "You know, Anna's way out of my league in almost every way. But it works. For some reason she is crazy about me. So much so she's having my baby. And I'm so crazy about her, on Friday I'm paying off an engagement ring."
He realized it was a lot of information, but couldn't help but laugh when Daryl almost dropped his beer but caught it quickly, "Congrats, man. She's a looker for sure...and seems to be a damn good cook."
"That she is on both accounts. She also works her ass off and dotes on my son. I don't know how she does all of that and gives so much of herself and still manages to be as kind as she is. It's exhausting watching her."
Daryl laughed and soon Anna came back out with a plate of her cake and strawberries, Gwen followed with three bottles of beer. She handed one to Rick and one to Daryl and sat down with one for herself. When Anna sat down, she exhales and stretched her legs out infront of her.
"Jesus Christ. This cake is amazing."
Rick laughed and finished off his first beer to start the new one, "I think you did June proud."
Anna smiled, "Maybe. I fudged the recipe a bit. She would be furious. But damn, the only thing I can think of that would make this better would be three fingers of bourbon. I miss that a lot."
She must've realized she had alluded to the pregnancy and her eyes went wide. Rick shook his head, "It's okay. Everybody here knows about the baby."
Anna exhaled, "Cool. Welcome to the circle of trust, Daryl."
Daryl nodded, "Thanks. So ya'll haven't told anybody?"
She shook her head, "It's early yet and I've had trouble before. Just being cautious. Only about four people know besides me and Rick."
Daryl shrugged, "Makes sense to me. I think ya'd make a good mom."
She looked down at her plate and Rick knew she was tearing up, "Thanks."
It was a nice night and they just drank and talked and watched the sky. When they all went inside for the night, Anna and Gwen decided on a movie and they cuddled up on the couch together. Something from the eighties that Gwen had not seen and Anna had to fix.
He kissed her goodnight and walked Daryl upstairs to the guest room. He got him a towel and showed him the bathroom. Just as he was about to open his and Anna's bedroom door, Daryl called to him.
"Eh, Rick...thanks for invitin' me. It was a nice night."
Rick nodded, "No problem, man. See you in the morning, Anna's making breakfast."
Daryl chuckled, "Figured she would."
"Night Daryl."
Daryl nodded and Rick fell straight into bed, he was completely wiped out from the day.
A/N: hey loves! I'm hoping for one more update by Sunday :) up next: the morning after, Rick buys the ring and they are off to Savannah!
you guys are awesome! I'm so glad everyone is still enjoying this story and I have so much more planned :) please drop me a line and let me know what you think!
super special shout outs to: Ruth Ashley 55 (I might be a bit of a tease, but I am really going to pay it off when they get to Savannah, I promise. Hope you enjoy this chappie!:), Angie B (I'm so glad you liked the Carl/Anna talk. It took me some time to play it out. Oh Gwen, well we know Daryl is a slow burn anyway. There is lots more of them to come. I'm so excited for Sunday. Best VD ever! :), CLTex (I'm so glad you liked the Anna and Carl interaction. She is so much more put together than I would be ;), angelicedg (Aw thanks! Gwen and Daryl could be nice, we will have to see where the story takes them :), and 19irene96 (aw thank you! I hope to hear from you again! Enjoy!)
Thanks and Love,
Leah P!
