Better Days

Chapter 323

Author's Note: So here's the whole story about how this came around. I wanted to be able to show Morgan, Aaron and Daryl and not neglect them. The only way to do that is by OC. I thought OK so Eastman could have a living daughter. Hunted and hunted pictures, got ones, went through baby name sites (see how much work I do for this?) and then got up to do other things. Well, want to take a guess what happened? Well, a male started talking to me, telling me how he was protecting his five year old sister when Morgan finds them. SO, then I had to find pictures of them and name them, which of course took time. So then I had to do a back story for them, but this is after the whole Eastman and Morgan not killing part. So this is part of Morgan's flashback (which I won't be doing Eastman because it wouldn't change) So what am I getting at? Please review cause this whole process took about three hours on and off.

OK so I didn't even remember Morgan's wife's name was Jenny until half way through writing this and then went, well there's more then one Jenny in the world.

OC's: Dylan O'Brien as Chris Norris

Skyler Wexler as Jenny Norris

Chris double checked the doors of an old office building as he took off his back pack and looked at his six year little sister. The seventeen year old gave a small smile as he bent down. "Who do you think won the argument, you or the tree, ladybug?" he asked as he checked her wounds. Jenny shrugged as he took out the first aid kit. "So, we're back to not talking huh? Well, that means I'm going to do all the talking and you know how I like to talk," he told her as he checked her eye. "This is going to sting," he told her as he put alcohol on the rag. "You ready?" he asked as Jenny nodded. "There."

"Ouch," Jenny exclaimed as she tried to pull away. "I'm sorry I tripped."

Chris looked at her. "Jen, that wasn't your fault, alright? You heard a noise and you ran, just like you should do. I should have been closer to you, but I was looking around that old school to see if there was anything of use. But that doesn't excuse me not keeping my eye out on you," he told her as he kissed the bandage on her cheek. "Nothing else hurts?"

"No," Jenny answered.

"You sure? You're not trying to be a brave little warrior like Mulan from your story books are you?" Chris asked. "If you don't tell me where you're hurt then I can't help you and then you might get sick. I'd be lost without my little sister, you know that right?" he asked.

"Nothing else hurts, I promise," Jenny told him. "Chris? Am I going to turn into a monster like dad did? Or like Aunt Gabby?"

Chris sat down and sat her on her lap so she was facing him. "Not if I can help it. You and me we're a team, remember?"

"Like peanut butter and jelly," Jenny answered. She looked up when she heard a sound. "Did they get inside?"

Chris shook his head as he stood up. "Get under the desk alright? Don't make a sound, don't come out until I come back."

"You'll come back right?" Jenny asked with her big brown eyes.

"We can't have the jelly without the peanut butter, can we?" Chris asked as he kissed her forehead. "Under," he told her. He pushed boxes in front of the desk as he checked his gun. He went out the door of the vacant office and looked down the hall. He saw another figure come out of another office door and raised his gun. "Put down your weapons," he told the other man. Chris's only worry was keeping his sister safe, and sometimes people were more of a threat then the monsters. He watched the man as he put down a long stick. "Your guns."

Morgan raised his hands. "I don't have any guns or knives. I don't believe we need to be killing each other."

Chris walked over to him. "Who do you think I am? Do you really think that I believe you just go around with a big old walking stick and nothing else?" he asked as he patted him down.

"It's actually a bo," Morgan told him. "I'm Morgan Jones."

"I don't care," Chris told him as he opened his bag. He pulled out the ragged old teddy bear with one eye. "Where did you find this?"

"A few miles back, by a tree," Morgan answered.

"Why did you pick it up?" Chris asked.

"Figured it may belong to someone, and hopefully that someone may be alive. You seem to be familiar with the bear, though I don't take you for the bear toting kind. There's a little one with you, isn't there?" Morgan asked.

Chris took out beef jerky from the pack. "You really don't have any guns. I'm not sure if you're a dumb idiot or a lucky fool."

"I guess I'm a lucky fool. You can't be such a bad guy since you haven't killed me yet," Morgan told him. "Look, we seem to going on the same way, and it's always easier to walk that way with someone watching your back. You're alone with a kid right? I had a son, I know how hard it is to be out here with a kid. We didn't have to move a lot, we stayed in a house, and I still couldn't keep him safe. Have you thought what would happen to that child if something happened to you? I'm assuming the two of you are alone. We work together, we watch out for each others back and we both keep that child safe," Morgan told him. "Look, I make one wrong move, you can kill me. If I was in your place, with a child out here, I'd be cautious too. But, I'm a man who carry's a stick, I have no weapons, and obviously no beef jerky, and I am offering to help you," he said as he held out his hand. "I'm Morgan."

Chris looked at him then back at the door he came out of. "Haven't had real good luck with people."

"I'm just someone looking to survive, trying to find an old friend, and it gets pretty tiring hearing myself talk and now you're taking my new friend away, at least you could keep me company," Morgan teased.

"His name is Chunky…I didn't name him. You do one thing and I will kill you," the teenager told him trying to be a man.

"Wouldn't expect anything else," Morgan told him. "Still don't know you're name."

"Chris," he told answered as he opened the door. "Stay by the door," he told him as he went in. He moved a box and bent down. "Someone was lonely and wanted to find his best friend in the whole wide world," he said as he moved Chunky in to the hole and flinched as a squeal came from behind the boxes.

A curly brown haired head appeared. "Chunky! How did you find him?" she asked as she grabbed him. She looked at the newcomer and slid back behind the boxes with Chunky.

Chris nodded for Morgan to move and come over. "I found him, looking all lonely outside a church. I had a feeling his friend was missing him. I'm Morgan."

Jenny peeked out again and looked at Chris then at Morgan. "Jenny….and this is Chunky…."

Morgan gave a small smile. "Well it's very nice to meet you, Jenny. My wife's name was Jenny and she was almost pretty as you," he said.

"Come on out, jelly. Morgan was nice enough to share some of his jerky with us. What do you tell him for bringing Chunky back?" Chris questioned her.

"Thank you, Mr. Morgan," Jenny answered.

Morgan smiled as he cupped her uninjured side of her face with his hand. "You are very welcome, Miss. Jenny. Now how did you get separated from Chunky? And how did this bear get named Chunky? I mean I know we've all lost weight, but this bear must have been very fat for a name like chunky."

Jenny giggled. "I'm Jelly, Chris is peanut butter, and this is chunky. Chunky Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich, get it?" she asked with an innocent grin. "You can be banana! Peanut butter, banana and jelly sandwich! They were good."

"Ok, but only you get to call me banana, Chris can call me Morgan," he told the little girl.

Nighttime:

Morgan looked over at Jenny, who was asleep under the desk. "How long has it been just the two of you?"

"Lost my Aunt Gabby about six months ago," Chris answered. "She was bit and turned, and was alone with Jenny at the time, I barley got there in time. She's the only reason I'm still going. She can still smile through all this, and I have to believe there's a whole better place then this for her."

"What happened to the rest of your family? I mean I can guess…" Morgan answered.

"I lived with my mom, my parents had divorced when I was ten and dad married his secretary. We were a living cliché. Jenny was born about two years later, and I hated her. If she wasn't around, maybe my parents would get back together. Looking back on it now, looking at her, I can't believe I ever could hate her," the dark haired teen told him.

"It was normal feelings, and you love that little girl, anyone can see it. Don't let the past keep you bogged down. I know how you can lose yourself in those dark thoughts," Morgan told him.

Chris nodded. "I was in school when this all started, dad called my cell phone, said he couldn't find Jenny's mom, wanted me to go pick up Jenny from pre school. I didn't drive, had my learners' permit, but I told him I would, but not before I made out with my girlfriend under the bleachers, yeah another cliché. I got to the pre school, Jenny was hiding under the desk, scared to death had peanut butter and jelly all over her face. That's when the whole peanut butter and jelly thing started. I hadn't been a good brother up to that point, but all of a sudden the only thing I could think about was getting this three year old out of the chaos. So I threw a blanket over her face and told her not to look at the monsters. I stole a car and drove straight to my dad's with her. Dad was there so was his sister, Aunt Gabby, and her husband and son. We never found my mom or her mom. Aunt Gabby took Jenny upstairs, packed her Cinderella back pack with things and we started heading to Atlanta. There was a traffic jam, dad and Uncle Shawn got out, we begged them not to….dad got bit. Jenny started screaming, which is the most heart wrenching sound in the universe. Ever try comforting a screaming three year old who saw monsters tearing people apart. It's not a pretty site. My uncle got bit, and Aunt Gabby took the wheel and went off road. We made it to a refugee camp, but it was bad, and then Atlanta was bombed. My cousin, he was fifteen, got bit as we were running, trying to get free. I was hitting people with a baseball bat while holding a blanket over Jenny's eyes. Aunt Gabby, Jenny and I kept getting in and out of groups. One group, was bad. They raped Aunt Gabby repeatedly, and we left before they could…." he said as he looked at Jenny. "Anyway, I went out on a supply run, and when I came back, aunt Gabby was outside the cabin with Jenny, who smartly climbed a tree. Gabby had gotten bit….she turned. I put her down. Jenny stopped talking, stopped smiling. I did everything I could to get her to talk. One night when I thought she was asleep, I just cried. She heard me, came over and put her arms around me, and said, I love you peanut butter. I had never been happier to hear that little voice. We saw signs for Terminus, but it wasn't standing anymore when we got there. Guess you were there too?"

Morgan nodded. "Was following a trail of an old friend," he said as he held out the map. "Found this outside the church near the school. Figured I'm going to be heading to Washington."

Chris scanned the note. "How do you know this Rick Grimes is still alive? If he's even the same person you knew?"

"If anyone is going to be the last man standing, it's going to be Rick. He helped me out of a bad place, it's time for us to be reunited. We made a good team. Washington could be safe for her, for all of us," Morgan told him.

"It won't be an easy journey, and she tires easily," Chris told him.

"You aren't the only one who got arms and can carry her. You need help, you don't have to do it by yourself. Plus I'm the banana, and you can't abandon me," Morgan answered.

"I personally didn't like Peanut butter and jelly banana sandwiches," Chris told him with a grin. "We'll have to get supplies. She's out growing her clothes, it's getting colder. We could get a car."

"Saw a clothing store not far back, near a mall. She could use some new shoes too, the duct tape is wearing out on the sole," Morgan told him.

"Why are you willing to team up with me? With us? I know that most people see both of us as liabilities," Chris told him.

"You're both still here, right? You're both still alive, you're both standing. I don't see liabilities, I see survivors and we can all help each other. I've needed a purpose for a while now, helping you find somewhere safe for Jenny, helping you keep her safe, keeping that smile on her face, that's the best purpose in the world," Morgan told him.

"To Washington then? To find this Rick Grimes," Chris told him.

"To Washington and finding Rick," Morgan agreed and nodded.

Author's Note: So I can just see Beth and Summer just loving on her and I can see her just being fascinated by Judith and Hope. Had no idea what this was going to turn into when it popped in my head, but I love it. Please review. Don't forget to vote on the poll.