Carl's POV

I left them a note.

Glenn,

I've gotta do something. Go back to the prison. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I'll see you tonight.

-Carl

I grabbed my bag and a box of bullets. I needed to get her bag. It's important for us to have something to remind us of the life we used to live. To remind us who we are. For me, it's my family. For others, it's a family portrait. I'm pretty sure that for Riley, it is something in that bag. Without a reminder of our old lives, we could fall apart. I've seen it happen. We lose hope and we lose sight of the meaning of life. I must get that bag.

Lucky for me, the road here is mostly clear. And lucky for me, the first car I try has a full tank. I'm quiet when I get in the car, I don't want them coming after me. So as the engine starts and I pull away, I think about what Riley said to me.

Don't do anything stupid…

Well, this isn't stupid. It's straight up idiotic.

Riley's POV

When I hear the gates open I run outside to see if it's actually them, but once in the courtyard, I break from a run to a walk.

Play it cool. Don't be so clingy.

As I walked down the path towards the gate, I wasn't focusing. I was imagining a scenario. He'd get out of the car, smile. He'd run to me, and I'd hug him, maybe kiss him. Okay, no. I wouldn't kiss him, but I would want to.

I was snapped out of my daydream when I saw Rick's face. He was staring down at a piece of paper, hand over his mouth, slightly shaking. He ran his shaking hand through his hair, and then I saw something that made all the panic rise in me. A tear slipped down his cheek. Just one, but it was enough to make sprint over to where they were.

"Rick, I swear we tried to find him, but we were literally at a fork in the road and I have no idea which way he went… I didn't know what to do."

"I understand." He said surprisingly calmly and then gave a shaky laugh. "He's done this before. He'll be back."

"Where is he?" I asked. Rick looked at me. "Carl. Where is Carl?"

"We don't know." Rick said.

"Shouldn't we go look for him or something? Come on, it's dangerous out there. You must have an idea of where he is?"

Glenn and Max left me and Rick to go put away the supplies they picked up. The tears were threatening to spill, and then they did.

"Riley," Rick said coming towards me. "I need you to calm down."

"Calm down? Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down? I have been worrying all day that he wouldn't come back."

Rick put hand on my shoulder. "He'll come back."

"How do you know that?" I asked, because it was true. How did he know that Carl would even survive?

"He's my son, Riley, and if there is one thing you need to know about him, it's that he is a fighter. He'll be back." And for a moment I couldn't tell if Rick was trying to comfort me or himself.

Carl's POV

Two cars and several hours later, I had arrived in the neighborhood where we picked up Riley. There was a decent number of walkers out and I was feeling like this plan was growing more idiotic by the moment.

I had to think, Think about what Riley and I had talked about. I had to pick apart conversations.

Favorite color.

"Blue." She had said. "I don't know why but I just love that color."

The houses here were colorful, but there were only two blue ones. A one story and a two story. The two story house was the one my dad and I had been in.

I was thinking that it was probably the one story home, when suddenly something came to me.

"I wanted to get to heartland early, to get the top bunk if our dorm had one."

Heights. She likes being up high.

Although it wasn't much to go off of, it was better than nothing. I parked to car, but left the keys in the ignition, and got out, but the second I stepped inside, there was a cross bow pointed at my head.

Riley's POV

I was sitting up in the guard tower when Maggie found me. She was holding a plate of food and a cup of water.

"Hey, hun." She said as she sat down with me. I was sitting on the edge of the balcony, with my legs hanging off the side. My arms rested on the railing.

"Hi." I said. I hadn't talked to Maggie much, but I have always liked her.

"Here you go." She said and handed me the food and water.

"Thanks. You didn't have to bring me this though."

"Well I figured that you weren't going to come down from this tower for a while."

"Yeah…"

We didn't say anything for a moment. Then when I took a bite of my sandwich, she started speaking.

"Do you know how I met Carl?" she asked.

I shook my head no.

"I met him on my farm under the most inconvenient circumstances. Our ranch hand, Otis, accidentally shot him while he was hunting for deer."

"What?" I asked surprised.

Maggie laughed. "I'm guessing he hasn't told you this story."

"Nope."

"Well, Carl was only a little thing back then, but he was full of fight. The second he recovered he was asking questions about Sophia. She was Carol's daughter, and his playmate. She had run off when a walker scared her, and when Carl was shot they were looking for her. He refused to believe that anything had happened to her. He looked and looked and looked. He even snuck off one time to go find her."

"Did he?"

"Not in the way he was expecting to." Neither of us said anything for a while. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that you have nothing to worry about. Carl is loyal, and if he was that persistent in the search for Sophia, then I promise he is going to return to you."

"I hope you're right."

"I think I am." Maggie stood up. "Riley, he'll be back."

Carl's POV

"Carl, what the hell are you doing here?" Daryl asked bringing the cross bow away from my head.

"Darryl?" I heard Micchone ask from the other room.

Now I'm really dead.

"Carl? What in the hell are you doing here?"

"I forgot something here."

"You forgot something? So you decided to grab a car and come five more hours out of your supply point to get something you forgot?"

"Yeah." I said. "So, I'm just going to go look for it."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up." Michonne said.

"Something you forgot or something Riley forgot?"

I gave in. "She needs it, okay? She's going to fall apart without it."

I hadn't noticed Darryl left the room until he came back.

"I'm guessing this is it." Darryl said and threw me a burlap backpack. "It says 'Riley Cinder' on the side."

"Yeah, this is it."

Michonne let out a disappointed sigh. "Help us get this stuff loaded into the car."

How would Riley react when I returned? And how would she react when she sees that I brought the bag? Well, I was going to find out soon.

We arrived back at the prison late. The only people there were Glenn, Maggie, and my dad.

Shit. My dad.

How was he going to react? I knew it wasn't going to be good, and considering it was late and he was tired, it wasn't going to be pleasant.

He grabbed me the second I got out of the car.

"How many times have you done this now? Gone somewhere without me knowing? Five?"

"I'm fine! I've never come back hurt!"

"Where the hell did you even go?"

"To get Riley's bag." I said. He was about to open his mouth to talk but I stopped him. "And before you give me another lecture about my recklessness, listen to me for once." He shut his mouth, but I knew I only had a few minutes to talk. "You always say we need something to remind ourselves of who we are so we don't fall apart. Unlike us, Riley doesn't have a family. She needed this stuff."

"Then you better get it to her." He said. "But Carl, this is the last time you will do this, you understand? Next time, those gates won't be opening." And then he was gone. He was bluffing. He had to be. I'm his son. He wouldn't do that.

I was about to walk away when somebody else stopped me. Glenn.

"Not so fast."

"Whatever it is, can I hear it tomorrow?"

"Carl, what the hell were you thinking? Do you know how much trouble I am in with your father? You left without saying anything!"

"I get it!"

"No, I don't think you do. Think about others for once, Carl. We can't keep worrying about you every second of the day. It's time to grow up."

Then he was gone. It was one after another hounding me, telling me how I'm so irresponsible. Then I saw Maggie.

"Maggie, please. I can't take anymore tonight."

"I'm not here to yell." She said. "It's great that you got that pack for her, but do you know what you being gone has been like for her?"

I didn't answer because I didn't know.

"It's been tears, tears, tears. You mean more to her than a stupid backpack. And I know you guys aren't dating yet or whatever, but she expects you to come back to her, Carl. Riley has only been here for a few months, but she needs you to come back to her."

"I get it." I said.

"No, you don't. But one day you will." Maggie said. "She's in the tower." And then she was gone.

Riley's POV

I was shaken from my dreamless sleep when the door at the bottom of the stairs closed. The noise echoed off the wall. It couldn't have been Carl. I would have heard the gates open, but then he was there. At the top of the stairs. He was covered in dirt, as always and looked exhausted. Tears were on their way, I knew they were.

"Hey." He said.

I ran over to him and wrapped arms around him. He pulled me to him even tighter. And then the tears came.

"Don't you ever do something like that again." I said.

"Scared I wasn't going to come back?" He asked in a teasing voice, but still not letting go.

"Yes." I said.

"I'm sorry." He said.

I pulled back a little bit.

"Hey," he said wiping away my tears. "No more crying."

I just had to. Fuck playing it cool. I pulled on his jacket and brought him down to me, and I kissed him. At first, it was just me. My lips on his, nothing in return. Then right before I pulled away he moved one hand to the small of my back and pulled me to him, while the other hand stayed on my cheek and he kissed me. Damn. That boy was good.

We both pulled apart for air.

"If I pull more stunts like that, does that mean I will be welcomed home like this?" he asked with his forehead against mine.

I hit his chest and he laughed. "You─" but he cut me off. I was going to call him jackass or something, but he never gave me the chance. His lips swooped in to shut me up.

"Hey," he said eventually. "I got you something."

I looked down. And there it was. My worn and torn burlap bag was sitting at his feet.

Author's note.

Soooooo, are y'all satisfied with this chapter? I thought it had been long enough. It was time for these two to get together. So leave me your thoughts, comments, suggestions, and advice! I love to read them.

Thanks!