A/N: I dunno how most people feel about Marianne and Luke, but I like them together. I dunno why, but I just do. Anyways, I hope y'all enjoy.
Forgetful: OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH! I was sort of disheartened but your review truly made my day! And I'm so sorry for the late release of this chapter but we had recently moved and I've also been busy with work and such. I really need my own computer as well because sitting up on this makeshift desk is a pain in my back and neck.
NOTE: I actually finally got my own laptop so this is great! I can actually comfortably work on my fics!
NOTE: Sorry for how late this took in getting out, and I apologize profusely!
Translations: Ler toil - Please
Chapter Genre: Romance, Friendship, Family
Chapter Rating: M
Rating Content: Brief Language, Mild Depictions of Blood, Brief Sexual Content, Mild Nudity
Two Weeks Later
Why were they late? They shouldn't be late. Maybe they just got held up somewhere... surrounded by Chompers. What if they met another group and got shot? What if they got separated?
"Go fish."
Marianne was shaken from her thoughts at Sarah's almost impatient tone. She quickly picked up a card from the stack and organized it accordingly in her hand (she always made sure to have numbers in order when playing games of cards).
Sarah carefully inspected her own cards, wincing at them almost comically. "Hmm..."
Did one of them get hurt? Were they stuck somewhere? Dammit, this is where things like Walkie-Talkies came in handy! They could communicate so they knew where everyone was!
Sarah tapped at Marianne's hand, shaking her from her thoughts once more. "Are you okay?" The younger girl asked.
Before she could respond, Alvin called from the kitchen, "They're fine, Maria! Probably just got held up somewhere; they'll figure something out."
The Scot sighed and shook her head. "If it was Becca oot there, ye'd be singin' a different tune." She chided.
Alvin didn't respond.
How long had it been since they left? Three hours, if not more. It was just a quick supply run (not that they were out, but it's always good to stock up) in the nearest town. A herd had passed through a few days ago, there couldn't be any stragglers. At least, not enough to trap two people.
Sarah, seeing that Marianne was plenty distracted with her own thoughts, decided it was best to read the book that she had found the previous day.
It was moments like these that she would normally be praying, grabbing her cross and bowing her head, whispering her silent prayer. But... not now. Not lately. She has been feeling that her prayers have often been going unanswered. People still die, people still get hurt, people still betray those closest to them. It was a constant cycle. And she didn't want to jinx herself.
So, she would just hope.
It wasn't even a few moments later when Marianne heard Rebecca say from the kitchen, "Who the hell is that?"
Marianne immediately shot up and before she could even reach the door, Luke burst into the house, looking around almost frantically. "Where's Carlos?"
"Restin'." She quickly responded. She watched as Alvin and Rebecca went outside, urging Sarah to stay in, who reluctantly went back to reading her book. "Is Peter okay?"
Luke nodded. "Yeah. He's fine. We just found someone, she looks like she's in bad shape."
He quickly dashed up the stairs to get Carlos and Marianne urged Sarah away from the window. Whatever was going on outside, if it was just as bad as Luke was making it seem to be, then Sarah didn't need to see it.
"I don't get why I can't go outside..." Sarah whined.
Marianne sighed. "Ah'll be honest with ye, lass, neither do Ah. But, it's whit yer Paw wants. An'... it's best tha' ye respect tha'. Ah know it's no' fair, but-"
A gunshot fired outside the cabin, making both she and Sarah jump. Luke, who was already barreling down the stairs, quickly dashed out the door, "Whoa, whoa, what the fuck?!"
Marianne gently grasped the young girl's shoulders. "Now, ye listen, stay away from the windows an' dinnae come outside."
Carlos, who was passing by, gave her an approving glance before going outside.
Sarah made a slight face. "But I want to see what's going on. You guys don't tell me anything!"
The Scottish woman hesitated. Although her father wanted her to stay safe and protected, she was right. She was part of the group, and she deserved to know things, even if the rest of the group didn't think so. "Ah understand how yer feelin', lass. Truly. An' Ah'll tell ye what; ye stay in here, an' once we all come back in, Ah'll tell ye what happened. Deal?"
Sarah still made a slight pout, but she nodded. "Okay."
Marianne patted her shoulder. "Good lass. Now, stay here, an' Ah'll see what's going oan."
Standing up from her kneeling position, Marianne straightened out her tank top and pulled up her yoga pants. She was getting thin again...
Once she walked out the door, she heard Nick saying,
"This isn't how we do things, man. When you get bit, you get put down; end of story!"
"We are no' creatures, lad." Marianne stated, walking down the porch stairs calmly but also quickly. "We dinnae get put down, but rather have our suffering ended."
Nick sneered at her. "Same difference."
She shook her head. "Now, what is going oan? Who is bitten? How do ye know fer sure?"
Despite a few disapproving looks, Marianne made her way through the group. "She said she got bitten by a dog," Carlos informed her. "But we don't know for certain."
"Who?" She asked again.
Once everyone was out of the way, Marianne finally got a clear view as to who this 'she' was. A young girl, no more than twelve. A vicious looking bite was on her arm, the blood dried and cracked, most of it had been soaked up by her long-sleeved purple shirt. Her hair was short and a baseball hat with a trademark 'D' covered most of it. Her eyes, so wide and almost innocent, was the sharpest of hazels.
Mariannes' brows furrowed slightly. Why did she recognize those eyes?
Those eyes widened at the sight of her. "Maria?"
That voice. Although it had changed in the past two years, she'd recognize it anywhere.
Marianne dropped to her knees in front of the girl, a small sob escaping her lips. "C-Clementine? My god, lass, it's really you!"
"Hold on, you know this kid?"
Nick's question remained unanswered (verbally, anyhow) as Marianne gathered Clementine in a fierce, strong hug, her tears now freely flowing from a mix of joy as well as sadness. "Oh, Clementine, Ah never thought Ah'd see ye again!"
Clementine, despite her bitten arm, hugged the woman back. "I thought so, too..."
Tears still in her eyes, Marianne gently pushed away to look her in the eyes. "Ye've grown, lass! Ye've gotten taller! How has Lee been, an' Christa an' Omid?"
Clementine's face immediately looked sullen and she looked slightly to the ground. Marianne hugged her once more. "Aw, lass..."
Nick suddenly made their bittersweet reunion short-lived. "Get away from her, Maria, she's bitten!"
She wiped at the tears and sniffled. "Whit?"
"She's bitten." Carlos repeated for Nick.
Clementine showed Marianne the bitten arm and, upon inspecting it, Marianne laughed (which sounded more like a sob than anything). "And ye all thought this was a Chomper bite?"
Rebecca sneered. "Like you would know the difference between a dog bite and a Lurker bite."
Gently grasping the younger girls' arm, Marianne compared the bite on Clementine's forearm to her own bite. "Ye notice how my bite is wider, whereas hers is longer? Chompers tug tae take a chunk oaf ye, hounds shake their heads to rip oaf flesh. An' notice how there are teeth marks here," She pointed to small puncture wounds on Clementine's arm. "A Chomper jaw cannae reach tha' far."
"Unless she got bitten twice." Nick huffed.
Marianne glared and stood. "Ah know this lass personally; she would never lie, especially about a Chomper bite!"
Peter, obviously not pleased with the situation, shook his head and sighed. "Look, Marianne, we can't ever be too careful. If it is a Lurker bite-"
"It's no'!" She hissed.
Luke approached Marianne and stood beside her. "Look, we're both in the minority here, but my gut tells me that she's telling the truth. It is just a dog bite." Luke then added, "Probably..."
Carlos stood up and turned around, to which the rest of the group quickly stood at attention. "What do you think?" Alvin asked.
He shook his head and crossed his arms. "With a bite like that, it could be anything."
As the group silently discussed among themselves, Marianne and Luke exchanged a look. "Ah know this lass." She whispered. "She would never lie."
"I know, Anne, but we're in the minority. They just don't want a repeat of what happened with Jess..."
Clementine looked between the two people, silently hoping that somehow they would convince the rest of the group that she was being honest. They seemed to have some sort of foothold in the group, maybe they could sway the incoming decision!
"In the morning, if she has a fever, we know she's gonna turn." Carlos said, turning his attention back to the three. "In the meantime, we can lock her in the shed."
Marianne's eyes widened in shock, and then narrowed in anger. "Ah won't allow ye!" She hissed.
"This is not up for debate, Maria!" Pete snapped at her. "Carlos is the doctor here. And although I do think she's telling the truth, we can't be too careful."
"But what about my arm?" Clementine pleaded. "It needs to be cleaned, and stitched and bandaged!"
"I'm not wasting supplies on a Lurker bite!" Carlos growled. "If it turns out you're telling the truth, I'll stitch it up for you in the morning."
"But-"
Carlos was already gone, practically storming back up into the cabin. Marianne's heart wrenched as she heard Clementine whimper. I'm so sorry, lass... she thought.
"Marianne, you can head inside. Nick and Luke will take care of this." Pete told her.
Heart heavy, conscience weighing down on her, Marianne sighed and her shoulders ever-so-slightly slumped, but she obeyed the man. Shooting one final, apologetic glance at Clementine, she made her way back into the cabin.
/ / /
Marianne waited in the bed, covers over her legs, a candle lit on the nightstand and her bible in her lap. She didn't read it as often as she should have been as of late, but right now, she could use a little extra boost of Faith and hope.
Occasionally, she would flip to the back cover and look at the leaf rubbing that Clementine had made for her. She smiled, remembering their time spent together. She was such a sweet girl, so wide-eyed and hopeful.
The rain gently pattered outside and the thunder rolled and once again, Marianne felt a pang in her heart. She needed to do something. Get Clementine some supplies, or at the very least just go and check up on her. Anything.
She heard a knock at her door. "Come in." She said.
Sarah peeked into her door and Marianne forced a smile. "Ah promised ye, didn't Ah?"
Sarah sheepishly nodded, but came into the room whilst quickly shutting the door behind her. She then sat cross-legged on the bed near Marianne's legs. "So, what happened?" She asked.
Marianne, setting aside her Bible, addressed the young girl. "Well, Luke an' Peter had found someone oan their way here. A young lass. She was... in bad shape."
Sarah's eyes widened with surprise. "Really? Was she dead?"
She couldn't help but chuckle. "Och, nay, she was alive. She just... had a dog bite, is all. We patched her up an' she's oaf, now."
Marianne absolutely despised lying so blatently, especially with Sarah, but it was best that she didn't know the entire situation at hand.
"Is she going to be okay?"
She opened her mouth to respond, but the faintest sound of a scream interrupted her. Shooting up, Marianne looked outside her window to see what was going on, only to see the pitch black of the evening.
"What was that?" Sarah asked.
Marianne ignored the young girl and, fearing the worst, dashed out of the bedroom, barreling down the stairs. If anyone were to attempt to go down the stairs at the speed she was, they would only end up hurting themselves due to how quickly she was moving. Swinging around the post of the stair, she ran past Luke and Nick and, forgetting that it only moved in, ran into the door. With a low growl, Marianne opened the door and took off towards the shed.
I knew we shouldn't have left her out there, she thought.
Once Marianne reached the shed, she attempted to open the door only to find that it had been padlocked, most likely by Nick. Marianne kicked viciously at the door, the damp, rotting wood merely snapping from underneath the pressure. With a frustrated roar, she grabbed at the padlock and began to pull with all of her strength. The nails that held the latches in place almost immediately gave way and Marianne pulled the doors open to reveal an almost grizzly sight.
A Chomper had somehow managed to get into the shed. It was currently impaled on some loose wood and Clementine had a hammer embedded in its head.
"Holy shit..." Luke cursed.
The young girl ignored him and yanked the hammer out from the undead creature's skull.
"How the hell did that thing get in here?" Luke asked.
"The girl's tough as nails..."
Marianne, finally snapping out of her initial shock, dropped to her knees in front of Clementine so she was at eye-level with her. "Clementine, are ye alright lass?"
"I'm fine..." Clementine stated.
She closely inspected her, like a mother would their child, and asked, "Did it get ye?"
She then looked at Clementine's arm.
Some stitches could be seen, bandages were wrapped around the dog bite, and the smell of peroxide lingered in the air. "Did ye... patch yerself up, lass?"
Nick took a threatening step towards them. "Where the hell did she get that stuff?"
"Did she steal from us?!"
"This doesn't change a damn thing, Rebecca!" Pete almost scolded her. "She hasn't done anything to us."
Marianne stood up and looked at Clementine in her eyes. "Lass?"
She nodded. "I did." She then addressed the rest of the group. "And I'm sorry. Really."
Marianne shook her head. "There's no need tae apologize, lass. If any of us were even half as tough as ye are, we would have done th' same thing."
"How can you still trust her?!" Rebecca barked.
She glared daggers at the woman. "Because Ah have known her fer far longer than any of ye have. She is no' a liar, nor a thief. She's a survivor, just like the rest o' us. So dinnae e'en start with yer bull-shite!"
She looked around at the group, her eyes set in a steady glare. Particularly on Carlos. The doctor didn't fail to notice and he rolled his eyes slightly. "Fine. Bring her in so I can look at her arm." And with that, he headed straight back for the cabin along with the rest of the group.
Luke and Marianne still lingered. "Ahm so sorry, Clementine..." She apologized.
The girl shrugged slightly, once again favouring her bad arm. "It wasn't your fault." She managed a smile.
As Marianne gently urged her out of the shed, Luke asked her, "Are you hungry?"
Clementine paused for a brief moment, never looking at the older man, and then she continued forward. Marianne gave Luke a look, 'What do ye think?', and then she followed close behind her.
/ / /
Luke paced almost nervously, never taking his eyes off of Clementine. Nick merely stood in front of the table, deep in thought (or perhaps just zoning out). Marianne sat on top of the table, her legs crossed and her cross in her hands. She knew the young girl was not in any danger, but an infection from a dog bite could be very serious. And, if the dog had rabies, it would be even worse.
"This may hurt a little..." Carlos warned her.
Clementine hissed as he applied pressure to her wound, making Marianne flinch slightly.
Luke stopped pacing. "So, how does she look?"
Carlos sniffed. "Her suturing skills are in need of work. Aside from that, she's doing just fine."
Marianne released a breath. "So it was no' a Chomper bite, then?"
Carlos wiped his hands off on a damp towel. "If it was," he explained, "the fever would have already set in and her temperature would be through the roof. She's not infected."
Nick suddenly took off and Marianne rolled her eyes, taking off after him. "Nick..."
When the man didn't stop, she stomped her one foot heavily into the floor. "Nicolas!" She growled.
He stopped dead in his tracks and, with a growl, turned around to face her. "What." He snapped.
"Look, lad, Ah understand yer concern. Truly." She approached him, then. Not threateningly, but in a comforting manner. "But ye got tae learn tha', sometimes-"
"Save your preaching for someone else, Marianne." He hissed. "I sure as hell don't need it."
"Only my Maw can call me Marianne," she growled.
"So can Pete." He scoffed. He then added, "And Luke..."
The implications in his tone weren't missed and she glared at him. "Ye leave Lucas oot o' this, lad. This is no' about him anyhow, it's about ye and yer attitude."
"My attitude? You know, you've got some nerve-"
"Just because Ahm calling ye oot oan yer bull-shite?" She sniffed and crossed her arms. "Look, Clementine is just a wee lass, trying tae get through just as we are. She has been through far more than ye know, more than what any wee lass should go through. It's no' fair tae her or anyone else as tae how ye treat her. The very least ye can do is apologize to her, Nick."
He sighed heavily and rubbed at his eyes. Marianne knew she was asking a lot from him, considering he despised swallowing his pride and admitting he was wrong or even apologizing to someone. But he also knew she was right. "Alright. Fine. I'll go and..." He gestured slightly and Marianne nodded.
"Good. Now, if ye'll excuse me, Ahm off tae bed."
/ / /
She could hear the faint footsteps in the hallway before the door to the bedroom opened up. She closed her bible before looking up to address him, smiling slightly. "Hello."
Luke smiled back. "Hey." He closed the door behind him and he placed his machete on the doorknob. "You know, Anne, that girl is tough as hell."
She nodded. "Aye, tha' she is. She can be a force of nature. She's also pretty smart."
"I can tell."
Luke made his way over to the bed and he removed his shirt, tossing it off to the side. Marianne rolled her eyes. "Can ye at least pick up after yerself? Ah swear, yer like a college boy some days..."
He laughed and, opening the drawer of the nightstand, took out a pair of his 'evening wear' (which was really just some loose-fitting pants and an old t-shirt). "I'm gonna be wearing them the next day, Anne." He said.
"It does no' mean ye cannae keep the place clean."
He chuckled and started to remove his pants, to which Marianne quickly turned away and flipped to a page in her bible, clearing her throat slightly. No reason to watch, she told herself. No need to act like a little schoolgirl, either.
She felt the weight shift on the bed beside her and she then closed her bible and placed it on her nightstand, blowing out her own candle.
"Marianne..."
She turned around to see that Luke had not put on a shirt. Normally he did, why wasn't he wearing one? And why was he that close to her? Why was she blushing? "Aye?" She cleared her throat once more as she heard her voice crack slightly.
He snorted slightly at her sudden loss of composure. "You don't need to be embarrassed around me."
She tilted her head. "Ahm no' embarrassed..."
"You're blushing."
She only blushed harder, making him laugh. He brushed back her bangs, kissing the tip of her nose. "Seriously, though, you don't need to be shy like that."
Raising an eyebrow, she gave him a mischievous smirk. "Would ye rather Ah stare at ye, then?"
She saw that he realized how he must've sounded, but he tried his best not to show it. "Only if you want to."
He kissed her, then, interrupting whatever response she was going to give him. Not that she minded. Swinging a leg over his hip, she straddled him, her hands coming to rest on his broad shoulders. For someone who hasn't eaten properly in almost two years, he still had some good muscles on him. Most likely from swinging his machete around and helping with heavy loads.
His own hands grasped at her hips, just above the curve of her arse. It was a surprisingly soft touch, not too bold or too rough. Kind of like him.
Luke pushed away from her slightly, breaking their kiss. "Anne."
"Mm?"
He shifted them so they were in a more upright position. "Are we gonna...?"
She ran a hand through his hair. "It's fine, Luke."
She kissed him, her body fully relaxing against his. Her hands slid from his shoulders down to his chest, her fingers brushing through the small patch of hair. Surprisingly soft, she thought. She'd have thought that a mans' chest hair would be a little more rough, but she wasn't complaining. It felt nice under her hands.
His lips moved from hers, sliding gently down to her neck and she tilted her head back, letting out a soft purr as he peppered her neck with light kisses, his teeth occasionally nipping at the soft skin. His one hand moved from her hip, up her side, and brushed softly over her breast, making her moan. "Ler toil..."
He didn't understand if that was a complete sentence (then again, he didn't understand the Scottish Gaelic language at all) but from the way she had arched into him, it must have been something good. His hands moved to the hem of her tank top and slipped it off over her head, throwing it off to the side.
Jesus, she wasn't wearing a bra.
One hand settled back onto her hip to steady her and the other cupped her breast, his thumbs brushing over her nipple. A whimper slipped past her lips as he touched her, pressing her forehead into his own. By god, that felt good. She could only imagine how it would feel if he were to touch her in other places.
She shifted in her spot over him, her hips grinding slightly against his. Marianne paused when she heard him hiss and his hand stopped moving. "Luke?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine." He quickly reassured her. "Just... the way you moved."
Her concern wasn't eased. "No' good?"
He quickly kissed her. "No it's... more than good."
"Should Ah... do it again?"
He nodded, almost too eagerly, and he moved both his hands back over her hips. "Just, roll them gently this time."
Marianne shifted her legs slightly from underneath her and holding tightly to his shoulders, she slowly rolled her hips forward, causing Luke to moan. "Jesus..."
She continued to roll her hips, her head coming to rest on his shoulder as her hands then clawed at his back. God, this felt... good. Different, but good. She had never experimented much with her own body before, leaving her unprepared for the waves of pleasure that she was experiencing. Driven by passion, Marianne ground her hips harder into his own, her body shuddering with both effort and restraint. "Lucas..."
His one hand rubbed at her back, a motion meant to calm her, but it only fueled her movements and she held tightly to him, releasing a breathy moan.
He got it, she was new to this and it was a lot to take in all at once, but Jesus, for a virgin she was really eager. Just how pent up was she anyhow?
Luke winced and bit back a yelp of pain when Marianne suddenly dug her (now very sharp-feeling) nails into his back, her body tensing as she gasped. "Oh, god..." She breathed.
His head fell back against the headboard with a small thunk and he groaned, realizing what had just happened. With a small sigh, he pulled himself up so he was in a better sitting position and he rubbed her back. "You alright, Anne?"
She nodded slowly. "Mhm."
He allowed her a few more moments to calm herself down, her breathing slowly returning to a normal pace. Marianne pushed against him so she could properly face him, kissing his lips and then nuzzling her forehead against his. "Tha' was... good."
Luke nodded in response, trying his best not to move his hips. "You seemed a bit eager."
"Ah've never done something like tha', Luke." She told him. "An' Ah never... tha' is, Ah did no' ever really..."
"What?"
"Ah never... touched myself. At all."
For a moment, his brows furrowed in confusion. Okay, that was only somewhat news to him. But what did that have to do with-
Oh. Oh!
His eyes widened slightly then. "You're telling me that was your first orgasm?"
Another blush painted her cheeks and she looked away. "Aye, Luke."
Jesus, he was stupid. "How was it? For you?"
"Different," she quickly replied. "But... good."
He gently stroked her cheek then kissed her lips. "That's good."
Marianne lifted herself off of Luke and to her own side of the bed, blowing out the candles on her nightstand before settling herself down onto the mattress. Luke smiled then kissed her cheek before getting off of the bed. "What're ye doin'?" She murmured.
"Getting changed." He chuckled. "We made a bit of a mess, Anne."
"Mm..."
Seeing that she wasn't paying much attention, Luke quickly made his way to the bathroom, where he closed the door behind him. Good, she didn't see him...
When he had said 'we', he had really meant 'she'. His erection still throbbed in his underwear and he gripped the edge of the sink, breathing heavily. He wasn't about to go back to bed without taking care of things, but he also didn't want to end up getting caught by Marianne.
There was a risk either way, but Jesus he needed to get off...
Clenching his teeth and pursing his lips, Luke slipped a hand into his underwear, his body quivering slightly.
Jesus...
/ / /
Luke swiftly changed into some fresh clothes and blew out the candle in the bathroom. Sneaking over to the bed, he could hear Marianne's slow, steady breathing, signalling that she was asleep. Careful as to not wake her, Luke got himself into the bed and pulled the covers over him, blowing out the candle on his nightstand.
Hopefully tomorrow, things would be a little less... chaotic. And less stressful. Less stress would be good.