This Night

Chapter 155

Author's Note: More people finding this story makes me happy! Know what else makes me happy? Reviews! I'm needy what can I say? So, since Rick and Carl had a bigger episode, I'm back to them and Lexi for this chapter. Lexi's gonna lose her temper. She's got a right (I wanted to slug Carl myself in this episode) I got to get them settled before Michonne and someone else meets up with them. Thought I'd slip? Yeah, no! I have 595 reviews, can we make it 600? Please review.

Rick, Carl and Lexi:

Lexi took a breath as they walked up the stairs to the house. "Street looks clear," she said as she helped Rick up the stairs.

Carl went to open the door but Rick stopped him. "Hey, we need to make sure it's safe."

Lexi could see the anger in Carl's eyes and knew he was about to do something stupid. "Carl…don't," she said with a pleading sound in her voice.

Carl looked at her then at Rick before he pounded on the door. "Hey asshole! Hey shit face! Hey…"

"Watch your mouth!" Rick told his son.

"Are you kidding me? If there was one of them down there, the would have come out," Carl said with a role of his eyes.

"How about we get inside before any that may be in other houses or on the street come this way attracted to all the noise you just made?" Lexi asked as she cast a glance down the street. "Or any not so friendly humans," she added under her breath as Carl opened the door. Lexi shook her head as she watched Carl go up stairs. "Should I go with him?"

Rick sighed as he went to the kitchen. "He's being reckless."

"He called Jewel mom…before she got on the bus," Lexi told him.

Rick looked at her. "He did?"

"Yeah, he did. It's the only reason Jewel got on the bus….he's the only reason that maybe she's still alive. Maybe the baby is still alive," Lexi told him. "You need to clean up…maybe this place has some bandages or something," she said as they heard Carl come back into the other room. "Find anything?" she asked as she came into the room.

Carl nodded to the door where he had used a cord to tie it shut. "I tied the door shut."

Rick nodded. "Help me push the couch over," he instructed the teens.

"You don't think it'll hold?" Carl asked.

"Carl," Rick warned.

Lexi looked at him. "Carl it can't hurt for extra safety…" she told him.

"It's a strong knot! Clove hitch. Shane taught me, you remember him?" Carl asked.

"Yeah I remember him. I remember him everyday," Rick said as he pushed the couch to the door with Lexi's help. "There something else you want to say to me?" he asked.

Lexi took a breath and looked at both of them. "STOP IT!"

Both Carl and Rick looked at her. "Lexi…." Rick said.

"We're all hurting Carl! But you know how lucky you are? You know you're dad is alive! He's standing right there in front of you! I don't know if Sasha or Ty are alive. And if they are, they don't know I'm alive! I'd give anything to be standing in front of Ty or Sasha. I'm sorry you don't know…if Judith or Summer or Jewel's alive Carl! Don't you think your dad is hurting? You're being selfish, and I can't stand it! I'm going upstairs!" Lexi said as she started up the stairs. She turned around and looked at Carl. "And another thing Carl Grimes, I stayed with you, because you wanted to help your father."

"I didn't ask you too," Carl told her.

"You didn't have too," Lexi said.

"Lexi," Rick said softly.

"I'm sorry Rick, I need to get away from him right now before I punch him," Lexi said. "I'll clear any room before I go in. I'll look for something to clean up your wounds. I'll call if I need help. I can assume if I call for help, Carl, you'll put your anger away to save me," she said as she marched upstairs.

"Lex…" Carl said as he started to go upstairs.

"Carl let her be, she needs some time," Rick instructed his son.

Carl rolled his eyes as he sat down in front of the couch. "Fine."

"Heard you called Jewel mom, it's what got her on the bus," Rick said as he gave him some food.

"Not that it matters now, she's dead, the baby is dead," Carl said as he pushed the food back. "I'm not hungry."

Rick looked at him. "Eat. And we don't know if they are dead. Don't say that again."

That night:

Lexi sat in the bedroom with her knees up to her chest crying as a knock came on the door and Carl came in. "You know I know it's been a while since we've had to follow social normalcy, but you wait for a person to say come in before you enter a room. How's your dad?"

Carl sat down on the floor with her and handed her food. "He fell asleep. Thought if I waited for you to say come in, you'd say go away. Dad wanted me to make sure you got some."

"You're right, I would have said go away," Lexi answered as she took the food bag.

"You alright?" Carl asked.

Lexi glanced at him. "No, Carl I'm not. I woke up this morning with a roof over my head, my sister was recovering from the flu, and was about ready to go outside for the first time in days. Then a one eyed pirate showed up in front of our home with a tank and a bunch of naïve people who just wanted to survive like the rest of us. Let's not forget the fact that every single minute of every single hour of every single day the dead come back to life and want to eat us. Plus you are acting like a complete jerk to your dad. So, no I'm not alright, I'm far from it," she said as she let the tears fall.

Carl looked at her and wiped her cheek. "I'm just mad, you know. Dad was supposed to protect everyone and now…"

"Yeah, I know Carl, you're mad. I'm mad too, but not at Rick. I'm mad at this whole world, a world that makes people like the Governor exist," Lexi told him. "You ever feel like fighting isn't worth it anymore?"

Carl shook his head. "We went to the CDC, after the attack on our Atlanta camp. We thought, dad thought maybe if anyone was prepared for this, it was them. We got there, and it was a dead end. We found one scientist, a man named Jenner. He let us in, gave us food, we had hot showers, the adults got drunk, except for Jewel. Found out later that's where dad and her had there first kiss. We thought we were safe, we thought we wouldn't have to go out there anymore. But, Jenner….he let us in knowing full well that the building was going to blow up. He brought us in, didn't say a word about it, we wouldn't have even known if members of the group, Dale, dad, Jewel, Daryl, Glenn, Shane, Carol, T Dog, hadn't started asking questions. There was this big clock, I remember thinking how the numbers were so big, but they were going backwards. It was counting down to the end," he said.

"Why did the Doctor let you in if he knew?" Lexi asked curiously.

"Summer called him a coward, said he didn't want to die alone. But he said wouldn't it be easier to die holding our love ones close, then going out there and facing an agonizing death. All the adults, Summer, they fought him on opening the door giving us a chance. That it was our choice, and in the end one of us did stay, Jaqui. She made her choice, she went out her way. Jewel thanked him for opening the door, for giving us a chance, he said that we would be cursing him in a few days. It hasn't been easy, but things wouldn't have happened if we didn't go out there. We wouldn't have met Hershel, yeah I got shot, but still, Jewel and dad wouldn't have fell in love, Judith wouldn't have been born, and we wouldn't have met, and I wouldn't have got the hat. Yeah, we've lost…we lost Shane, Dale, T, Sophia, mom, Andrea and so many more….now Hershel. But we gained too. I guess…thinking that we lost everyone, that I won't get to meet my baby brother or sister, or here Summer sing, or just sitting on the bed with dad, Jewel, Summer and Judith…I just don't want to lose anyone else. But I also don't think it's not worth fighting for," he said as he turned and faced her. "Guess you wonder huh?"

"Yeah…every time we lose someone. I thought I was gonna lose Sasha, and I didn't know if Ty and I would survive. I put on a big show of being brave, so they won't worry. I did it when mom died, and I would go into my room and sit like this and cry so they wouldn't have to worry about me," Lexi said.

"Hey you don't have to be brave all the time, especially not around me," Carl said. "I can't promise not to be a jerk," he said with a small smirk.

"I wouldn't know what to do with you if you suddenly became unjerk like," Lexi teased.

"Unjerk? Seriously? Is that a word, or is that a word in the Lexi dictionary," Carl asked.

Lexi punched his shoulder. "Hey, someone is going to have to write the next dictionary. I'll be the next Webster, but I'll call it post-Walker dictionary," she said. "Got to include Jewel's Hells Bell's in there," she added. "Plus all the names we've heard the Walker's being called. Of course, Walker is definitely going to be the official name."

Carl looked at her. "You're just weird," he told her.

"Yeah, like you've never called me that before," Lexi shot back.

Carl laughed and shook his head before quickly kissing her. "Sorry…I…"

Lexi looked at him. "You…just…did you mean to do that?" she asked as she stood up.

"I didn't think about it! I just…well your lips were there," Carl managed to spit out.

"They are on my face," Lexi pointed out and laughed. "Wow…not how I expected this conversation to wind up. We should um go check on your dad," she said as she went out the door. She popped her head. "Just ask the next time you want to kiss me, so I know it's coming," she said before she went out the room again.

Author's note: Awkward first kiss! But they are 14. I had been planning on something like that for a while, just didn't know where to put it. This worked out perfectly.