Wow- next chapter! SPOILER ALERT- Cark saves her! There's still an old flame. Please R&R and tell me if you like the Carl/Jamie paring!
She didn't dare scream for fear of attracting walkers. His hands were rough and fierce, trying to get at her. But if there was one thing she'd learned from all this, it was how to fight.
She head-butted his face, blood burst from his nose and his grip on her hand loosened. She struggled harder, and he snarled. "Dammit, bitch! Stop moving! Trust me- once we get started, you'll like it."
"Burn in hell." she spat, eyes burning. He slapped her across the face, her cheek in the dirt, dazed, still fighting, clawing blindly at his face, now. He was straddling her, now, and he ripped the knife from her hand, starting to slice open her shirt at the collar...
There was a metallic sound, and he fell onto her heavily. She scrambled out from under him, shocked, as blood pooled on the leaves around her.
She heard leaves crunching, and a moment later Carl was beside her, hands on her shoulders. "Are you okay?" he asked, anxious.
She nodded. "I... yeah. I'm fine. You shot his head?" her breath was still coming in short gasps, though, her eyes were wide, and he gently took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze, he wouldn't try to get any closer to her now, and he wasn't thinking of her as attractive. He was thinking of her as a friend who needed help.
"Yeah. Bastard ain't coming back." Carl said. They both looked over at his body, faced own, the anticipatory, sick grin still on his face, now splattered with his own blood.
"Let's cook this stuff and get to the tree." Jamie said, stabbing a piece of rabbit meat and placing it over the dying fire as though nothing had happened. Truthfully- she was rattled to the core, but she couldn't let Carl know that. Any weakness shown would be exploited, whether it was by the living or the dead, and there was no way she'd let hat happen. She cooked the first piece of meat thoroughly, knowing Carl wasn't used to eating things raw, before cooking her own, leaving it a little bloody.
She nodded to him, and they both walked to the creek together, after putting out the fire. Carl looked over at her. She seemed to be tinted silver by the nearly full moon. She looked on ahead, nodding when they'd found the tree and starting to climb.
Before long they both sat in the branches, out of the reach of walkers, eating rabbit meat.
"You didn't seem afraid." Carls aid. Jamie looked up from her meal to meet his eyes, wiping some rabbit blood off her face with her sleeve.
"Don't have time to be afraid, whether it's the living or the dead baring down on you."
"Yeah, but you had to be scared." Carl said, looking at her. She hadn't shown any fear throughout the encounter, had only looked scared at the end, once it was over...
She shrugged. "Not really. It's happened before."
"You were..." Carl gaped at her.
"No- but people have tried before, a man I met on the road got shot for trying. You will too, you try anything." she said, eyeing him warily.
Carl had to admit that hurt a bit- but she had a right to be suspicious of ALL men, to possibly hate them, after what she'd been through.
"I'd never do that." Carl said quietly.
"I know." she said, moving to straddle the branch next to his.
"I know you hate me for killing that kid..."
"I never hated you. I was disappointed, sure, a lil afraid of what you were becoming. But I never hated you."
Carl nodded, surprised. And then she was hugging him, straddling the same tree branch he was, arms wrapped around his torso... He hugged back. God, she smelled good, like pine needles and dirt, her hair fell onto his shoulder...
He wanted more. he wanted to much more from her tonight, forever... But he didn't dare take it. He'd have to be a sick bastard to try that, she was still probably emotional over what'd happened with the man. To take advantage of her after that would be sick.
She finally pulled away, brushing her raccoon tail from her face, eyes meeting his own in the silver moonlight.
"Do you love me?"
"Yes." he spoke without hesitation, and she smiled sadly. "Daryl would be pissed as hell..."
"Who says Daryl would need to know? That anyone would need to know? About our relationship, I mean. I'll move as slow as you want to, where you wanna be, I'll be there."
Jamie smiled slightly, looking at him. "Man I love this."
"Love what?" Carl asked, looking anxious.
"When I got you all worked up over nothin', following me around like a lil kid. When I ain't even tryin'."
Carl smiled. "Who said anyone would have to know, anyways? We could hold hands when no one was looking, sneak off sometimes to talk..."
"I'd like that." Jamie said, smiling at him. He teeth shone so beautifully white in the moonlight, he couldn't help but stare...
She laughed. "Not tonight, Grimes." and she slid over so she was back on the tree branch next to his, settling, back against the large tree trunk, looking up at the stars.
"You ready?" she asked, looking over at him. He couldn't help it, and she smiled. His eyes were bugging out. "Carl!" she snapped her fingers in front of his face.
"Huh? What? Oh, tomorrow... right. Yeah, I'm ready to go back, I guess..."
"Good. We have to head back early- don't want Rick and Daryl heading out to track us. We'll hope the herd has passed by. We have ti be back by dawn..."
"Get some sleep. I'll keep watch." Carl said calmly.
She looked like she was going to protest for a moment, but Carl stopped her with a serious look. "Sleep. You need it, after today. Besides, I won't sleep anyways... I'm not used to cuddling up with trees."
She gave him a slight smile, muttering, "city boy." before curling up against the bark truck and drifting iff to sleep. She was exhausted, and Carl was content to just watch her sleep, now, knowing she was his.
Dawn came all too soon, but he shook her awake and they headed along the creek, walking the winding path of it back towards the prison, every now and then their hands brushing each other. They mainly were focused on hooding their weapons, though, and talking, the words flowing as easily as the water did in the creek...
The adults all gathered nervously as Rick and Daryl got ready. Ever since Jamie and Carl had disappeared into the woods, they'd been grim and serious.
"You're coming back. Right?" a woman asked nervously.
Rick simply nodded. Daryl was loading his crossbow, hoping he wouldn't have to use it. The horde from yesterday had dispersed, it was relatively clear today, with the few, normal amounts of walkers...
There was an eerie call from the tree line, Daryl's head snapped to the side, and he nodded to Patrick. "Open the gate, kid."
He cupped his hands around his mouth, letting out a similar call, and both children emerged from the brush, Carl standing guard, gun ready, while Jamie retrieved the arrows that'd been stuck in the fallen walkers from yesterday.
She finally nodded to him, when her quiver was half full, and they both noted the position of walkers before sprinting through the gate.
Everyone seemed to gape, and Daryl stepped forward, nodding to Jamie, and she fell into step beside him, walking off to discuss what'd happened.
Rick smiled, stepping forward and hugging Carl, who stiffened before awkwardly patting his father's back. Rick blinked furiously- he'd known his son was with Jamie, known his boy was tough... but it was good he was safe again, where he could protect him.
"You alright?" Daryl asked, looking over at her.
She nodded, and he licked his thumb, trying to remove a streak of dirt from her cheek.
She looked disgusted and pushed him away. "Damn- you're getting to be more like Carol every day."
Daryl chuckled, and they kept walked.
"What happened to your face?" he asked, nodding towards the scratches.
"Blackberry bushes." she said. She was glad the grime covering her covered the fingerprint bruises on her arms, or else he'd be demanding to know how'd she'd got them.
"You made out alright?"
"Yep. Killed a rabbit, ate it. Followed the creek back here."
Daryl nodded, smiling at her. "Knew you'd do it. Don't tell anyone, but Rick was a total wreck, not that a blame the man, after what happened with Lori, but he didn't sleep. Just wandered the fence line, calling for Carl."
Jamie cocked an eyebrow, giving him a glance. "And you?"
"I sat by the fence all night. Wasn't worried none, though."
Jamie rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.
"Really! I wasn't. I just called every now and then, figured you'd be holed up in a tree somewhere, but I figured I should stay up and listen in case you needed help or somethin'- or you called."
She rolled her eyes again. "Don't gotta worry 'bout me, Dad- I survived for months before you found me. Ryder and I been in tighter spots before."
"Like what?"
"Like at the Georgia state line. Surrounded by walkers, no way out, feeding frenzy over some kid. Sat under dead bodies for hours, just bein' still and waiting for them to pass."
"You were lucky." Daryl said, still looking concerned.
"You don't make it this far by bein' lucky." Jamie countered, looking over at him. "I just know not to be afraid no more." she said. And it was true. She hadn't been afraid, hadn't shone fear until her fight with the man in the woods was over and he'd laid dead.
Daryl nodded. "Just- be careful, alright?
She nodded seriously, before grinning at him. "Wanna wrestle?" she asked, a challenge glinting in her eyes.
"You're on, kid."