Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead comic book or TV series, nor do I own the characters...I wish I did, but I don't!
Summary: Betty was far from the typical refined southern heritage. Having drifted from her family at a young age, she never saw or heard from then again.
So when a apocalypse hits, she doesn't really care. That is until she meets her brother again.
One week later, the young man who had been left for dead in town had finally started to heal and had come to consciousness. He revealed that his name was Randall, and that he had a group larger than every member at the farm. Shane and Rick had been discussing his fate, whether to kill him, ditch him or incorporate him into the group. Tensions had risen, until Rick had come to the conclusion of taking Randall to the outskirts of town and "cutting him loose".
Although Randall was the biggest issue on the farm, other members had begun to notice a particular member of the group having changed drastically. Betty had been dealing with Shane's revelation in silence, she hadn't told anyone and her behaviour was noticed. She didn't stick around long enough to have a decent conversation with anyone, not even Johnny could crack her silence.
But Johnny was determined, and he found her sitting beneath a tree not far from the farmhouse.
"Betty we need ta talk" He said firmly, interrupting her from a daze. She grunted at him, but he slid down the tree and sat beside her. "Wha's gotten into ye girl?" He asked her curiously. She remained silent and Johnny studied her face intently. "Is it got ta do wit ye 'n Daryl?" He pressed.
She shook her head firmly, then faltered before shrugging her shoulders.
"Tell me Betty, otherwise I'll git Dale talkin' ta ya" Johnny said, he noticed her stiffen as Rick and Shane drove past them. He frowned, watching the jeep veer off into the distance, transporting Randall off to the outskirts of town. "Randall?" He guessed, when he got no response he pressed again. "Shane?"
Her head lowered and Johnny grabbed her chin, "Wha' did he do ta ya, did he touch ye?" He demanded.
Betty shook her head quickly, "He ain't touched me, jus'-" She croaked, and Johnny could see tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
"Tell me!" He said softly.
And so she did, Betty told him everything that had happened with Shane. She even went into the heated conversation she had with Daryl. Naturally Johnny was angered, he gritted his teeth and his hands clenched into fists by his side. He was ropable and wanted nothing more than to wring Shane's neck.
"Ah can't believe that!" He snapped, "Wha' a low thang ta do"
Betty sighed heavily and she rose from their seated position. "Ah jus' need some time alone Johnny, see ye in a bit" She mumbled before disappearing out of sight. Johnny stayed there for a while, thinking of ways to break it to Valerie.
#
Valerie watched from a distance as Betty walked away from Johnny. She had been watching the older woman lately, observing every little action she made and she knew something was up. Betty was even more distance than ever, and whatever she had with Daryl had surely ended. Valerie had also noticed the change in Daryl, although he stopped snapping at everyone who approached him, he had become more reclusive.
She watched Johnny shake his head, before he got up and started to walk towards her. His steps faltered, and he smiled sheepishly at her, he then diverted his path to Dale's RV. Valerie frowned but shrugged it off, assuming that Johnny was just looking for Dale.
She glanced around quickly, scowling when she couldn't find Shane anywhere. She walked slowly towards the RV, sneaking around the large vehicle until she was just crouching beneath the window. She could hear Dale rustling around inside, and Johnny's soft voice quietly muttering to him.
"What did you say?" Dale said suddenly, his voice louder than usual.
"Daryl 'n Betty had a fight" Johnny elaborated.
"No, not that!" Dale muttered, "The other thing, about Shane"
Valerie's ears perked up instantly, she peaked through the window and stared at the two men inside. Dale was staring hard at Johnny, surprise evident in his facial expression. Johnny looked at the ground, his face crestfallen.
"Shane 'n Betty had a fight" Johnny mumbled.
"No the other thing" Dale said irritably.
"Shane's tha reason Betty went ta Juvi" He explained, "As revenge"
Valerie covered her mouth quickly, restraining a loud gasp to fall through her lips. She heard Dale gasp softly, a sound of disbelief.
"Son, you can't be serious" Dale whispered, "Of all people"
Valerie watched Johnny shake his head quickly, "Betty jus' told me 'n thats why she's been actin' funny. She ain't lyin' neither, ah know" Johnny said quietly, "Ah dunno wha' ta say to Valerie" He added.
Dale shrugged, "Theres nothing to say, its none of her business" He argued.
"It is if she's wit sum low life dog" Johnny snapped, he started to near the exit of the RV. "Maybe ah should tell her"
Dale grabbed Johnny's arm tightly, "No, its none of your business to tell anyone anything. If Betty wants to tell Valerie, she will. Lets just hope it isn't too late, I certainly hope Shane doesn't do the same to Valerie thats all"
Valerie backed away from the RV quickly, she didn't want to hear anymore of what the two males had to say. She skulked back to the farmhouse, she didn't believe it, she couldn't believe it. The sweet man who had cared for her all these weeks when Betty wouldn't, would never do that to Betty. He had told Valerie that Betty was like a sister to him, excluding the affection.
She snorted to herself, of course Betty was lying. She would do anything to get someone to turn against Shane and lately that seemed easier than ever. She went back into the farmhouse, concentrating on doing all the chores around the house so she would have free time with Shane when he got back. The thought brought a smile to her face and she was finished with the work in the early afternoon.
As she scrubbed her hands clean from raw chicken meat, she made her way out to the front porch, just in time to see Rick and Shane return safely. To Valerie's surprise and everyone else's, they returned with Randall unscratched in the boot.
Heated words and murderous glares were exchanged between Shane and Rick, before Shane dragged Randall down to a small tool shed with the help of Andrea. Rick and Lori talked for a small moment, before he followed Dale into his RV. Valerie frowned, it certainly wasn't the return she was expecting.
She waited up at the porch, until she was sure that Shane had returned his tent and he would of cooled down. She started down towards the tent, deciding she would confront him about the whole Betty incident to settle the suspicions she had regardless of her denial. She strolled towards Shane's large tent, faltering briefly when she heard soft muttering from within.
"Shane you've got to stop this"
Valerie frowned deeply, that was Lori's voice. She crept closer to the tent, so she could hear the barely audible conversation going on inside. She listened to Lori whisper in hushed angry tones, and her name was mention a few times.
"What about Valerie?" Lori muttered.
"What about her?"
Lori scoffed, "You two obviously have something going on. She loves you, I can tell" Lori argued angrily. There was silence, before Shane cleared his throat.
"I don't love her Lori, thats the thing. It was suppose to be a one time thing, but then it turned into casual and now she's calling me her boyfriend. I have no interest in being with her, she's not even my type. You're the one I love Lori" Shane whispered.
Valerie felt her throat thicken, her heart stopped and her legs weakened. She could barely restrain the tears that fell freely down her face, she was in shock, how could this be happening? She swallowed down her sobs, saving it for later.
"Shane, I don't love you" Lori snapped.
"Yes you do, and I'm going to love you and this baby. Our baby" Shane said quickly.
Valerie heard a resonating smack, and she knew Lori had slapped Shane. She backed away from the tent, as soon as she got a good distance away, she ran straight for the woods. Sobs broke from her lips, her face scrunched up in pain as she felt her first heart break. Not that Shane would be affected anyway, he never loved her, he didn't even want to be with her.
She sunk to her knees and cried heavily, he hadn't just used her for sex, she had washed his clothing, cleaned up after him and basically did everything for him. He had used her entirely and now Valerie had no one. She placed her hands over her face and sobbed, what else was there to do? She felt her chest heave with each new wracking sob, and each time the sob escaped her mouth, she was close to throwing up.
She had been out there for a long time, the sky was darkening and the wind was cold. Valerie didn't notice, she didn't even register the comforting hand placed on her shoulder, she flinched from it but the grip was firm.
"Valerie?" Johnny's voice was so close to her ear. "Wha's wrong hon?"
Valerie cried even harder, and in between sobs she managed to get out a sentence. "Shane. Doesn't. Love. Me" She cried. Johnny wrapped his arms around her small shoulders and pulled her into him, she nuzzled into him and snivelled.
"I heard him talking to Lori, he said he loved her and her baby" She croaked.
"Loris pregnant?" Johnny gasped, he glanced down at Valerie who glared up at him. "Sorry, carry on" He mumbled.
"He was just using me Johnny" She started to cry softly. Johnny angrily hugged her tighter, there wasn't anything to say. What could he say? "And the worse part is, Betty was right in the end" She sobbed.
Johnny patted her gently, he started to rock her back and forth. Her cries were starting to die down, and she started to relax in his arms. "Did Shane really put Betty in Juvi for revenge?" She asked quietly.
She felt Johnny stiffen, "How did ye know?" He exclaimed. He glanced down at her quickly, and saw her eyes stare up at him expectantly. He sighed heavily, "Yeah...yeah he did" He muttered.
"Oh god" Valerie cried, she buried her face in his chest and he felt it dampen. "How could I be so stupid?" She complained. Johnny patted his back, words of comfort just on the edge of his tongue before a loud crack filled the air and the echo of a bang rang out to them.