A/N: I'm terribly sorry for the long wait. I know it's been forever. Life caught up with me and I've had too many thing to focus on. I promise I'll get more regular with the updating now though. As for good news: I passed my current literature courses and I was accepted into the school in Tokyo that I'd applied for. That means I'm moving to Tokyo in October, dude! So yay and all those things. And now for what you guys care about. Enjoy chapter 36.
"What?"
"I said stop the fucking car!" Evan repeated, louder this time. "Stop the fucking car!"
He slammed his foot on the break and they swerved sharply to the right, but he managed to keep them on the road.
"Are you going to explain," he began harshly, his breath knocked out of him, but Evan had already thrown the door open the second the truck came to a halt. "Hey!" he called after her. She didn't stop.
Evan's feet made contact with the pavement and her heart was going wild. Her mind was spinning and she felt like she might pass out and vomit at the same time. She was running, her hair dancing behind her and the sun kissing her face. They had stopped about 160 feet after her first urgent cries, but it felt like thousands and thousands of miles. Her breath had long since gotten caught in her throat and her fingers and feet had gone completely numb. She had the time to think a million thoughts as she hurled herself through the air; maybe she was going nuts, maybe she was hallucinating, maybe it was a dream, maybe, maybe, maybe.
It wasn't.
She threw herself into his welcoming arms with such force that they both staggered but didn't fall. Tears burned the back of her eyes as she clung to him so desperately she thought her fingers might break. Her lips found his when the first tears started to fall. Electricity sparked through her, jolting her to her very core, and she was still wondering if she was going insane. His hands found her hair and got tangled in it, when she deepened the kiss, tipping her head to the side. She'd wanted it and dreamt about it for so long. Yearned for it. For him. To see his face. Feel his touch.
Evan broke the kiss first, and was grateful for his arms around her; she would have fallen if he hadn't held her up. When she met his eyes she saw a million things in them, a million questions, but what tugged at her heart the most were the tears glittering in his eyelashes. She kissed him again, and again. Daryl was forgotten. Glenn was forgotten. All there was in the world was her and Rick.
"I thought you were dead," Evan whispered into his lips. "God, I thought you were gone."
"I thought you were dead."
The kiss deepened, and then turned into several shorter and softer ones. She was crying then, freely. Sobbing into his neck where she'd planted her face. Kissing his skin there, feeling her stomach and chest burn from the sensation of his skin touching hers.
She placed her hands on his cheeks, leaning back, staring deep into his eyes.
"I love you," she said evenly. He didn't have to say it back, she knew already, but he did anyway.
"I love you, Evan. God how I love you!"
Her eyes finally left his then, and she saw how dirty he was. Dried blood was splattered on his face and his stubble had gotten a lot thicker since last she saw him. His shirt was covered in blood and sweat. And yet he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. She leaned up and kissed him again, and then heard someone clear their throat behind her.
"Oh, Glenn," she breathed and then her arms were wrapped around the young Asian instead. "I'm so fucking glad that you're alive."
"Me too, Evan. Me too."
"Evan," it was Rick who spoke, and she released Glenn. "Carl…"
"He's safe! We've got another place, for the winter. Rick, he's safe!"
His knees buckled and he fell to the pavement, sobs ripping through him. Evan was there immediately, embracing him, pressing her lips against his cheek.
"Thank you," he told her. "Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you."
"I don't want to break this reunion up," Daryl butted in suddenly. He was hovering behind them, crossbow armed, shifting from one foot to the other. "But I'm not comfortable standing out here. Let's go. We can talk about everything back at the farm."
When Evan helped Rick stand she felt real happiness again, and she knew, deep inside, that in spite of how much she'd loved Tom, it had never been like this.
The return to the farm was loud and emotional. It seemed that no one had enough words, and tears spilled from more than one pair of eyes. Since the truck only had two seats, Evan had sat with Rick on the bed of it, and the sounds of the engine had been too loud for them to speak so they had settled for just holding each other tightly, as if the other might disappear if they let go. At the house Carl had thrown himself at his father first, just like Evan had earlier. Then everyone seemed to embrace everyone, and even Daryl got a hug from Carol who was glowing with joy. He excused himself shortly after though, to go keep watch, and Evan knew it was because he felt left out. It pained her to see, because to her he was just as vital as the others. He was family too, just like the rest were.
"I can't believe you're alive," Rick mumbled into his son's hair, his arms wrapped tightly around the boy's smaller frame.
"Me neither," Carl replied. "Mom, she's…"
"I know. I'm so sorry."
Evan let out another sob, and Rick reached for her, pulling her into the embrace too. She had one arm around Rick and the other around Carl, holding them both tightly and realizing just how much she loved the both of them. Behind them Carol was talking animatedly about the farm and everything they'd done with it, and then she pulled Glenn inside, with Dale following closely behind, obviously to give the others some privacy.
For a long moment the three stood together, emotions running wild in all of them. Then they released each other from the embrace, but not completely. Rick had one arm around Carl's shoulders and the other wrapped around Evan's waist.
"I can't believe you found another farm," Rick said when Evan lead him towards the house.
"Well, you guys were here once, but because it was overrun by walkers then you didn't even try to approach it more closely. Luckily for us." Evan's voice was lighter than it had been for weeks, and the smile on Carl's lips seemed to be everlasting.
"Are you hungry?" the boy asked, leaning his head back.
"Starving," Rick confirmed.
"You should shower first, though," Evan said. "You smell."
A grin spread across Rick's features just as they entered the house. "Is that so?"
"Carl, why don't you go look through the wardrobes to see if you can find some clothes for your dad, and I'll make sure he gets rid of some of the worst grime?"
"I'll help him," Dale offered, appearing from the kitchen. He took Carl's hand in his and they headed up the stairs, where most of the clothes were still kept.
In the kitchen Evan could hear Glenn and Carol talking animatedly and, more likely than not, they were exchanging stories of how they survived. But Evan couldn't move. Her eyes had locked with Rick's, and his hands had grasped hers. Just like they always had before. And now they were there again. He was there again. Without a word she led the way to the bathroom and showed him inside. While he stepped in and took a look around she closed the door behind them. The bathroom was a fair size, but relatively old fashioned.
"The water's cold," Evan finally said. "I can get you a towel, and leave you to it."
His body was suddenly by hers, pressing her up against the door. "Don't you dare leave. Not again. Not when I finally have you back." His voice broke at the last word and she reached up to touch his cheek.
"I'm never going to leave again," she assured him. "I can't even explain how much I've missed you. How much I've wanted to have you back."
Her hands reached for the hem of his shirt, pulling it up to reveal the smooth skin of his stomach and chest. He raised his arms, to make it easier for her to rid him of the dirty fabric.
"When Glenn and I ran, trying our hardest to stay alive, you were always on my mind."
Her lips touched his briefly. Then she helped him remove his jeans; they were just as dirty as the shirt had been.
"I saw Lori," Evan mumbled, leaning in to breathe in his scent. "I saw her, and thought that you had turned too. And I felt so crushed. For Carl. Because he'd have no one. I wanted to give up, but I didn't. For him."
Admiration glowered on his features as he moved forward, kissing her jawline. "It hurt so fucking much to see her like that. To know that I failed her. But the thought of you being dead. Of Carl being dead. I didn't know how to live with it."
She pushed against him, making him move backwards just enough so that she could reach the knob of the shower. She turned it and water cascaded into the porcelain tub.
"I realized I loved you," she said. "I realized it, but you were gone. I thought I would never get to tell you."
Their movements stopped and he looked into her eyes, hands on her hips. "Promise me that you'll never leave me again."
"I promise."