A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! Awesome people you are!
Disclaimer: I don't own the Walking Dead, but I'm sure that's clear by now.
"Hey Alice." Lori strolled over, her hands tucked in her pants pockets. Alice stopped taking her clean clothes off the clothesline to look at Lori.
She shifted her feet uncomfortable. "Oh, hey."
"I haven't seen you around much."
Alice kept her eyes on the RV behind Lori. "I've been busy I guess."
"How about we go on a walk, you know catch up like we used to." It was obvious Lori wanted to try to explain what had happened when everyone thought Rick was dead. She had a feeling Alice knew about her and Shane.
"I'm sorry Lori, I can't. I'm washing some clothes with the girls. You know how Shane hates to wear dirty shirts."
"Alice… You're not happy with him. You said so yourself. I just-"
"I don't want to talk about this. Just cause Rick's back, don't make everything alright again."
She quickly hurried away from Lori, afraid she might say more than she meant to. It frustrated her that Lori would try to justify sleeping with Shane and carrying on like two teenagers. She had been her closest friend, the one she talked to about her marital problems. She spent a week mourning over Rick, then found comfort in Shane's pants. Now Rick was back and everything was supposed to go back to the way it was. It wasn't fair to Alice how Lori got to have her family and Shane. What did Alice have in this new world to call her own?
Before Rick was thought to be dead, Shane never even looked in Lori's direction. Once Rick had 'died' Shane wanted to be the replacement. He tried harder to win Carl over, he made sure not to anger Lori and keep her happy, but what about Alice? Now that Rick was back and the affair had to end, she was left right back where she started, alone and pretending to love someone who didn't deserve her.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got with herself. She was so weak. Every time one of his affairs didn't go the way he planned, he always turned back to Alice, whispering how much he loved her and how he was going through something. She wasn't sure if he knew she was on to him and Lori, but he never showed it.
Alice felt her chest tightened as she reached the reservoir. There Shane was in the water playing with Carl. If one didn't know any better, it would seem like that was the boy's father. She wanted a child so badly for so long, but Shane had always refused her, saying it wasn't the right time.
A part of her was grateful they never had one. She would love it no matter what, but in times like these, she had no idea how she would be able to keep it safe.
Shane would have been a good father; she would have been a good mother. Now she'd never know what it felt like to carry life, she'd never know what it felt like to have her proud husband lay his head against her stomach just to feel movement. Alice held her bundle of clothes tighter to her chest.
Lori was always so lucky. She had a loving husband that risked his life to find her; she had a smart, wonderful son. Their problems were small, but Lori didn't see it that way. Alice would trade anything to have a life like hers.
Just by the look on Shane's face when Rick returned and embraced Lori proved that he loved her like he never loved Alice. What she would give to receive a look like that from a man.
Alice wasn't sure what had made Shane turn back to his old ways of being a ladies man. When they first started dating, Shane seemed to change. He was only interested in Alice, he spent all his free time with her. Sure, he suggested more than once that she let go of her dream to become a dancer and do something more practical, but he meant well.
And it was alright with her that he didn't notice how much of a passion dancing was to her or that she felt like a piece of her was missing when she stopped.
She loved him and would do anything for him. Maybe that was her biggest mistake. She never told him 'no' for fear of losing him. Now she saw the errors of her ways, but was it too late to change things? The world was overrun by the living dead and surviving was all that mattered to most. Would it matter if she became stronger in her dealings with Shane?
"What took you so long?" Amy asked as she scrubbed out her shirt.
"I was trying to decide how many of Shane's shirts I should wash." Andrea and Jacqui rolled their eyes as they scrubbed their own clothes. Carol just washed hers silently. Who was she to judge Alice? Her situation was no better.
"I don't know why you put up with that man. He doesn't even notice you half the time."
Alice frowned. "That's not true."
"Oh, but it is." Andrea corrected. "You wash his shit, bring his ass food every night, and what does he do for you? He sneaks around-"
"Andrea stop." Amy warned.
"You know what I miss? I miss my Maytag washer." Carol spoke suddenly, ending the tension in the group.
"I miss my cell phone!" Amy whined, relieved that the topic had changed. She felt bad for Alice and knew she hated talking about her situation. Who could blame her?
"Cell phone? I miss my coffee maker with the gold drip filter and grinder." Jacqui let out a sigh as she reminisced about all the good coffee she used to drink because of that machine.
"I miss my makeup." Alice admitted as she washed one of her many tank tops. She felt like her lack of sleep was showing more on her face and she had no makeup to cover it.
"I miss my vibrator." Amy scrunched up her nose at her sister before she started to laugh. Alice blushed. Carol glanced behind her quickly, making sure Ed wasn't listening.
"Me too." All the girls busted out laughing, surprised by Carol. Even Alice let out a little laugh.
"Who would have thought!"
"Hey! This ain't no comedy club!" Ed yelled as he marched over. Carol flinched at the sound of his voice. He walked over and just stood there. Andrea stood up and faced him.
"If you don't like the way your clothes are being washed, you can do it yourself!"
"Oh, you go to college and think you can talk any old way to people huh?!"
"What is it you do around here anyway Ed? Sit around, smoking? If you don't like it so much, wash your own shit." She tossed a wet shirt at him. Ed grabbed it and threw it in her face, making her gasp in surprise.
"Come on Carol." Carol quickly gathered her things before Jacqui pulled her back.
"No, you don't have to go."
"She does have to go cause I said so! Now come on."
"Why? So you can add another bruise on her?! We've all seen them Ed!" Jacqui yelled, catching Shane's attention.
"I said come on!" Ed grabbed Carol, but Andrea and Jacqui tried to pull her back. Without warning, Ed swiftly back handed his wife. Carol let out a loud cry, holding the side of her face. Alice jumped up and wrapped Carol in a hug.
"You pig!" Alice yelled, shocking herself. That wasn't like her at all.
"What'd you say?! You bitch!" Ed went to strike Alice, but was grabbed by Shane before he could come close to her. He tossed the man to the ground and began punching him over and over.
"Shane stop!" Andrea begged, tears coming to her eyes.
"If I find out," he punched Ed again. "you put your hands on your wife or daughter again," Ed got punched again, his face covered in blood. "I won't stop next time." Shane slapped his face mockingly before standing up. "And if you ever try and strike my wife again, I'll kill you, you hear me Ed?" he kicked him in the ribs. "I'll fucking kill you!" he warned one last time before walking off. Carol broke away from Alice and ran to Ed. She kneeled beside him and cried, apologizing repeatedly to him. Alice watched Shane walk off in shock; she had never seen him that angry before.
Shane shook his hand out. It had hurt more than he thought knocking sense into Ed. He knew he over did it, but he was angry.
He was angry with how things went with Lori. He never expected to fall in love with his best friend's wife, but he did. It was wrong what he felt, especially now that Rick was back, but he knew Lori didn't love Rick.
No one gets over someone they love in a week when they supposedly die. He knew Lori loved him; he just had to show her that she did. Maybe if Rick were really dead, they could have really been together. Rick was his best friend, he never wronged him, but he loved Lori.
He was going crazy, he felt it.
It didn't help that Alice was there. She was his wife, the woman who put up with him no matter what stupid thing he did. He loved her too, he knew he did. It was the main reason why he never left her.
It was why he married her.
It was wrong to cheat on her, but he needed to prove to himself that he still had it. That appeal that women loved about him.
It wasn't fair to her, but Shane knew he'd go mad if he knew she was with someone else. He was use to Alice always being there. He wasn't sure what he would do if she had ever left him. She deserved better, someone who could love her and only her, but he wanted her to always be there for him. When something with another woman didn't work or got to serious for him, he needed to know Alice would always be there to take him back as if nothing happened. He just couldn't do the right thing and set her free. He knew it was selfish, but he was a selfish man that wanted it all.
He loved Lori, but he also loved Alice in his own way.