I'd like to give a big thank you to masqueraderoses, for leaving a review on the first chapter. I definitely appreciated it! Also, I'd like to thank YourpalMoony for being a huge help with a certain scene in this chapter.
With that in mind, the last scene of this chapter contains some explicit material. If smut makes you uncomfortable then feel free to skip that scene!
Chapter Two
"She would certainly be a fearsome thing to behold."
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
Daryl had always been fiercely protective of his littler sister, even before the world had gone to shit.
He could never trust his father or Merle to step up to take care of her, it had always fallen onto Daryl's shoulders, ever since her mother had shown up on their doorstep so many years prior, Cordelia wrapped up in a heap of blankets in her arms.
Daryl could remember clearly peering past her at the pickup truck piled high with the woman's belonging. She had been off to start a new life, and she had no place for Cordelia. Daryl vaguely recognized her as the woman his father had brought home to screw some months prior, and he could already figure out what kind of person she was to abandon her little girl the way she was.
He had reached forward instinctively to accept the baby, peering down into bright brown eyes, nodding absently when the woman told him that her name was Cordelia.
His father hadn't wanted her and Merle couldn't be bothered with her, so it always fell on Daryl to wake up to feed her in the middle of the night when she started crying and he was the one who changed her diapers and made sure she had new clothes and food to eat and that she went to school every day and did her homework. As far as he was concerned, Cordelia Dixon had always been his responsibility, and that hadn't changed.
As capable as she was of fending for herself, and Daryl knew she was, he would always worry. Especially now, when death seemed to lurk around every corner and Cordy was so insistent of putting herself in harm's way. She was heading into the city at every available opportunity, and Daryl didn't know what he could do or say to get her to stay. She was, after all, an adult and any demands he made of her, she was likely to respond by doing the exact opposite. Not that he was surprised, Cordy was just like both Daryl and Merle in that aspect.
He had returned from his hunting trip, after being gone for three days, to find her returning from yet another trip into the city, splattered with blood but otherwise fine, as far as he could tell. She hadn't even been there to see him off before he left on his hunting trip because she had gone into the city with Glenn.
She was standing proudly outside the shitty SUV that she and the Asian kid had acquired to take runs into the city, watching with a smirk as the other occupants of their camp pulled supplies from the back.
She reached into the bag over her shoulder, pulling out a small stack of books and handing them to the short haired lady named Carol, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the children, who were hovering nearby, watching to see what had been brought into camp.
Cordy turned, sweeping her gaze across the camp until her eyes locked on Daryl and a wide smile split across her face. She was immediately reaching into her bag to pull out something before rushing across the camp towards him.
"You're going to love me." She said in a sing-song voice before presenting him with whatever she had pulled out of her bag. It was a box of Cheez-its, surprisingly untouched. Daryl couldn't help the small smile as he looked up at Cordelia's expectant face. She knew that Cheez-its were his favorite thing to snack on, had always been adamant when she was a little girl and they had gone to get groceries that there be a box in the house at all times because she knew how much he liked them, even if he had never said it out loud.
"Thanks," He said gruffly, scanning her over to make sure she was okay. There was a bit of blood splattered across her neck and face but it didn't look like hers and, besides looking tired, she appeared fine.
He reached forward, tugging her against his side in a rare one-armed hug, before pressing a quick kiss against her temple. Cordelia wrapped an arm around his middle, leaning against him for a moment until Daryl pulled away, uncomfortable with showing so much affection in front of so many people. But Cordelia was the exception. She had always been the exception.
"I'm glad you're okay." He muttered, suddenly aware of eyes on him. He shifted uncomfortably.
Cordelia beamed, punching him lightly on the arm. "I'm glad you're okay too." she said. "Get anything on your hunting trip? Glenn and I found a stash of canned vegetables."
"Squirrel." He answered promptly. "Not much of anything else."
Cordy frowned slightly, clearly disappointed. Daryl knew she had been hoping for deer, and he had come across some tracks but had been unable to find it.
"We could make stew." Cordy said finally with a shrug. "That'll make the teeny little squirrels go farther."
"Don't insult these teeny little squirrels." Daryl advised. "You oughta just be happy that there's fresh meat at all."
Cordy rolled her eyes, grinning good-naturedly before turning to saunter back over to the others. Daryl watched her go, a slight smile on his face. It had never been a question on whether or not he loved his siblings, that went without saying. Merle and Cordy were all he had in this world, had always been the only people to really care for him, but where Merle had veered wildly off track as far as healthy life choices went, Cordelia had far more common sense. The fierce love he had for Cordy came easily, felt as natural as breathing. With Merle it was a little harder, took more patience.
As if conjured up by simply thinking his name, Merle emerged from his tent, dressed in a dirty wife-beater and a pair of baggy cargo pants. His eyes were bloodshot, and he stunk of a mix between cigarettes and alcohol. He didn't even know where Merle would have gotten alcohol. Maybe Cordelia, but probably not.
"Baby brother!" He exclaimed, easing over to sling an arm around Daryl's shoulder. He smelled even worse up close.
"Merle." Daryl greeted simply, shifting away slightly.
"Get somethin' for us to eat?"
"Squirrel." Daryl said simply, gesturing to the ones he had hanging over his shoulder. "Gotta skin these furry little bastards."
As Daryl watched, Merle's eyes drifted past him to where Cordy stood, helping everyone sort through the supplies she had brought back. A scowl spread slowly across his face.
"Looks like she's turnin' into quite the little ce-leb-bri-ty." Merle drawled. "Oughta tell her to put some fuckin' clothes on. Don't like her runnin' round in them little shorts. One of these fellas is gonna get the wrong idea. And I think it might end up bein' the Chinese kis."
It was a good thing Cordy hadn't heard any of what Merle had just said, Daryl decided, because she likely would have lashed out out him like a viper, her words venomous. She didn't like being told what to do, least of all by Merle.
Regardless, Daryl couldn't bring himself to agree with Merle. Cordelia wasn't the type to wear shorts just to attract attention. She wore them in an effort to stave off the heat in the hot-as-balls Georgia sun.
And as far as that kid, Glenn, went...he seemed nice enough, though nowhere near good enough for his sister. Daryl suspected he would be too scared anyway, to attempt anything with her, the threat of making Daryl and Merle angry hanging heavy in the air. And Daryl was content in that knowledge, confident that he and Merle were intimidating enough that the kid wouldn't think twice about trying to screw his baby sister.
"Shut up, Merle." Daryl muttered, turning away. "She's fine."
Cordelia Dixon was dead sexy and Glenn was trying really hard not to notice. It wasn't the first time he had thought such a thing about the young woman, it was impossible not to, but on this particular day it seemed she was trying her damndest to distract him from their current mundane chore.
She sat across from her, dark hair tied into a messy knot atop her head, a pair of pink heart-shaped aviators perched on the bridge of her nose, shielding her eyes from the sun. She had found them earlier that day, she had told him gleefully on the ride back to camp, peering at herself in the mirror and making faces at herself. He had thought she was just acting silly then, but now he had to admit they looked good on her. She had her legs stretched out lazily in front of her, long and bare, with her boots and socks kicked off. Her legs were distracting enough on their own, Glenn thought, but paired with that shirt and the way one sleeve had fallen to reveal her shoulder and he was convinced Cordelia Dixon was looking to give him a heart attack.
What was more was the fact that Glenn was fairly certain that Cordy knew that he was trying really hard not to look at her like that. There had been times when his gaze had settled on her for just a fraction too long before he caught himself and looked away, and during those times, Cordelia's mouth had curled into a knowing smile.
The simple fact of the matter was that Cordelia Dixon was gorgeous, and she damn well knew it.
"Three boxes of crackers." Glenn told her, setting the boxes of saltines off to the side, in a neat stack. "Two jars of peanut butter."
Cordelia wrote quickly before pausing. "Is it creamy?" She asked.
"What? Why does that matter?" Glenn asked with a light laugh at the serious tone of her question.
"It's important to the integrity of the peanut butter." She told him. "Is it creamy or not?"
"Yeah," Glenn said, holding up one of the jars to show her. "It's creamy."
"Hot damn." Cordy grinned, leaning back in her lawn chair and writing it down. "Peanut butter and crackers. It would almost be like a sandwich."
"Pretty sad sandwich." He commented.
She huffed lightly. "Sorry. Do you have a bunch of actual sandwiches to compare my peanut butter and cracker sandwiches to? Where are you getting the bread, Glenn? You've been holding out on us. Should I add bread to the inventory list?"
He laughed at that, rolling his eyes before setting the peanut butter aside. They had taken to keeping an inventory of what they had so that, each time they went back to the city, they had an idea of what to look for.
"You know," Cordy said suddenly, tone thoughtful. "There are those apartments down the street from the grocery store we hit today. We could check them out tomorrow. The fire escape should give us pretty good access."
"But we might also end up pissing off any tenants who are hanging around." Glenn pointed out. "Dead or otherwise."
Cordy shrugged slightly. "Was just a suggestion. Most of the grocery stores are pretty well cleared out now."
Glenn paused for a moment, watching Cordelia curiously. She went back to writing, absently blowing a stray strand of dark hair out of her face. She always seemed to be ready to rush into the city, away from the relative safety of camp. And Glenn had a feeling he knew why.
He allowed his gaze to drift over to the spot where the Dixons had their tents set up. Daryl was sitting in one of the lawn chairs, cleaning the squirrels he had returned with after his hunting trip. Merle sat in the seat next to him, taking a lazy drag of a cigarette.
It was the common consensus around camp that nobody really liked Merle Dixon. He was lazy and ill-tempered. The only good things about Merle Dixon came in the form of his siblings. Daryl and Cordelia were an asset to camp, and they more than made up for having to deal with Merle, even if Daryl himself were less than friendly.
Still, while everyone at camp had to deal with Merle in doses, Daryl and Cordelia had been forced to endure him their whole lives. Glenn didn't know much about what the familial situation was when Cordy had been growing up, but he knew that Merle had helped raise her. That certainly couldn't have been easy. And Glenn imagined, if he was Cordy, that he'd want to get away from Merle as often as he possibly could too. Even if it meant braving the dangers of the city.
"We can try it." Glenn said suddenly, making Cordelia look up at him in surprise. "But we stick together for this. And we have to be careful."
She woke up the next day just as the sun started its ascent in the sky. From across the tent, Merle snored noisily, a sound she had long ago grown used to. Daryl was nowhere to be seen, and his sleeping bag lay empty. Not that Cordy was surprised. Her brother was a notoriously early riser. They had that in common.
She slid out of her sleeping bag, stretching and yawning, before pulling a fresh set of clothes from one of her bags. She changed quickly, making sure her hunting knife was attached to her hip and pulling her hair up into a high ponytail. She laced up her boots before grabbing her empty messenger bag and her bow and arrows and slipping out of the tent.
Outside, the inhabitants of their little camp were slowly but surely waking up. Dale was already seated atop the RV, shotgun slung across his lap. Lori Grimes, Carol Peletier, and Miranda Morales were seated by the fire, preparing something for breakfast. Shane Walsh was just emerging from his own tent, pushing his fingers through his hair before looking around, his gaze briefly meeting Cordelia's. He gave her a quick nod of greeting before turning to walk over to the women by the fire.
All around camp were stirring of life and yet, among them Cordelia could not find the two men she was looking for. Where were Daryl and Glenn? She and Glenn were supposed to leave early to head back into the city, but her friend was nowhere to be seen.
"Dale!" She called, catching the older man's attention. He turned to look down at her, raising a brow questioningly. "Have you seen Daryl or Glenn?"
Dale nodded, tilting his head in the direction of the lake. "They both went that way." He said. "Daryl followed Glenn down there about five minutes ago."
His words made Cordy frown, furrowing her brow slightly. Why in the world would Daryl follow Glenn down to the water? The reason likely wasn't a very good one and so, with a quick ''thanks' in Dale's direction, Cordelia hurried on her way, slinging her bow across her shoulder as she went.
It was still very early, the air comfortably warm and birdsong echoing through the trees. The area where they made camp really was beautiful, the kind of place that Cordelia and Daryl would have chosen for a casual camping trip, once upon a time. Now it was their home in what Cordelia could only assume was the actual end of the world. At least, it was the end of the world as they knew it.
She stepped down onto the rocky path leading down towards the water, gaze immediately settling on the two figures she saw there.
"-make sure she doesn't get herself killed." Daryl was saying as she approached, not yet aware of her presence as she walked as quietly as she could. "If she gets hurt you'll-"
"He'll what, Dare?" She asked, narrowing her eyes dangerously, stopping where she stood, placing her hands on her hips. She hoped she looked imposing, standing over them, elevated on a rock, a glare on her face and venom dripping from her voice.
Daryl cast her a look, scowling slightly, clearly upset that he had been caught threatening Glenn who looked terrified. "Nothin'"
"You're damn right nothing!" Cordelia practically snarled, the anger burning like a fire in her chest. "I don't need you making him feel like I need a goddamn baby sitter. I can take care of myself!"
Daryl, who was used to her anger, appeared unphased, but Glenn shrunk back slightly, watching her with wide eyes. Her dark gaze was set on her brother, eyes glittering dangerously. Her lips had tightened into a thin line. She hated it when her brother got overprotective. It made her feel as if she couldn't be trusted to care for herself. She wasn't really surprised that she had caught him doing this though, threatening Glenn. When she had announced to her brothers the previous night that she would be heading back into the city the following morning with Glenn, Daryl had been furious.
She stared at him for a moment longer before turning away. "Come on Glenn. We need to head out." She called lightly over her shoulder. All the bite was gone from her words now, her tone much softer.
Glenn started after her, taking care to avoid the gaze of her older brother.
The first few apartments they tried proved to be fairly empty as far as any scavengable supplies went. It wasn't until the sixth one they searched that they got lucky.
After having tapped lightly on the window they waited for a moment to see if the noise drew any potential Walkers residing in the apartment. None came, and so finally, Cordelia reached for the hammer she had slid through one of her belt loops and hit it sharply against the window.
The sound of shattering glass made the both of them freeze, casting each other a worried look as they had with each previous apartment. They waited for a few moments with bated breath, waiting for something awful to happen. In theory, they would be fine. If there was no walker inside the apartment and there was no way for a walker to climb up after them then there was nothing to worry about. Still, they were still alive because they were careful. They had to be nowadays.
When nothing Cordy sighed in relief before reaching carefully through the hole she had made to unlock the window, sliding it open a moment later. She slipped inside first, Glenn following a moment later.
The inside of the apartment was dark and tastefully decorated. It had once been owned by a young married couple if the wedding picture on the wall was anything to go by. Glenn watched as Cordy hesitated for a moment, eyes set on the picture.
"They got married only a few months before shit hit the fan." She observed, reading the date that was engraved on the picture frame. She turned, dark eyes taking in the room. "Poor bastards."
"The happily married couple might still be hanging around. Let's hurry up." Glenn pointed out.
Cordelia rolled her eyes before turning and walking into the next room, leaving Glenn to trail after her.
She had been in a mood all morning, though Glenn knew it wasn't directed at him. She was upset with her brother, angrier than Glenn had ever seen her. But he hadn't missed the expression of hurt that had flashed across her face earlier that morning, during her confrontation with Daryl. It had quickly been masked with cold, hard anger, but that moment of hurt was the most vulnerable that Glenn had ever seen Cordy.
He had been giving her her space all morning, not pushing her to talk about the subject with him because she clearly didn't want to. Besides, much like her older brother, Cordelia wasn't the type to wear her heart on her sleeve. If something was bothering her, she would keep it to herself.
The kitchen, much like the room prior, was nicely decorated. Cordelia immediately began to open cabinets and drawers, peering inside them, while Glenn walked past her to pull the pantry open. There was still an assortment of food to be found inside, and though the smell of rotting potatoes reached his nose, making him gag slightly, he stepped in, pulling his flashlight out and shining it around.
Most of the items were canned goods, and there was an half empty case of water at his feet. He began to sort through the items on the shelves, putting various items in his bag.
"Find anything?" Cordelia asked, making him jump slightly as she stepped up beside him, her arm brushing against his.
"Oh, uh…" He turned, holding up the can of pears he had found, laughing slightly when her lip curled up in disgust.
"Ick."
"Don't like pears?" Glenn asked as she reached past him to grab another can off the shelf, examining it for a moment.
"Not at all." She said. "Now this is what I'm talkin' about. At least these people weren't completely tasteless. Cherry pie filling." She held the can up victoriously so he could see. "These things are fuckin' delicious." With that she dropped it into her bag.
"Did you find anything?" He asked her, gesturing over to the drawers.
"A can opener." Cordy responded. "Which is good because we need another one. Also some silverware and some dishtowels. I was about to check in the rest of the apartment." With that she turned away, starting towards the doorway of the kitchen.
"No!" Glenn cried quickly, making her pause, turning to look at him with one brow raised. "I just….uh...think we should stick together is all. To be safe."
The look on her face was enough to tell Glenn that that was the absolute last thing that Cordelia wanted to hear. Her eyes narrowed, lips tightening into a thin line.
"Does this have anything at all to do with what Daryl said back at the Quarry?" She asked.
"No." He told her immediately, shifting uncomfortably where he stood. And really, it didn't. Though Daryl was quite intimidating, Glenn was just nervous being in this building in the first place, and the last thing he wanted was for one of them to get into trouble without the other one there to back them up. "It doesn't have anything to do with Daryl."
"So...what? Do you not think I can take care of myself? We don't usually stay together in the city anyway, Glenn."
"It's not that either." He insisted, but it was too late. He had clearly made her mad and there was no going back now, if the expression of anger on her face was anything to go by.
"I can take care of myself Glenn. I don't need you trying to protect me or whatever. Worry about yourself."
And with that she whipped around, striding out of the kitchen purposefully.
Glenn sighed. He knew Cordelia could be stubborn, and ridiculously proud. She was clearly offended, though that hadn't been his intention at all. He just wanted both of them to stay safe. They were both treading into new territory, scavenging from a building like this, and there was no telling just how many walkers could be inside, locked away in a room, just waiting for some poor, unsuspecting bastard to open the door. They were better off together. But after the argument she had had with her brother earlier that morning, Cordy clearly wasn't ready to listen to reason.
Part of him wanted to go after her, wanted to try and calm her down. The other part of him, however, was convinced that doing so would only upset her more and so, after standing there for a moment indecisively, he finally turned back to the pantry and began to place more cans inside.
It was getting late, he knew, and they would need to head back to camp very soon or risk being stuck in the city all night, the streets far too dangerous to attempt to navigate in the darkness. They needed to hurry and get all that they could carry.
The sound of the door to the apartment opening made him freeze, and a moment later he heard a gasp and the sound of something shattering that had him running out of the kitchen in time to see Cordelia go crashing to the ground, a rather large walker bearing down on top of her.
"Fuck!" Cordelia cursed, using one hand to push the walker's face away from her, the other holding herself up. She had shattered a vase, he realized distantly, could see her blood smeared on the wood floors from where she had landed on the shards.
He pulled out his knife, rushing forward as the walker snapped his jaws closed, growing ever closer to Cordelia's face. A moment later he brought the knife slashing down, the blade sinking easily into the geeks skull.
It slumped forward, it's weight crushing Cordelia beneath it and she let out a noise of disgust as she attempted to push him off, wincing slightly from the pain in her hand.
"Here." Glenn said quickly, reaching down to help. He rolled the walker off of her, allowing Cordy to get to her feet, clutching her still bleeding hand to her chest. She looked from the now dead walker to Glenn, her brow eyes wide and almost vulnerable. "Did it bite you?" Glenn asked gently.
"Shit," Cordelia breathed. "No...I uh...I'm fine."
"Let's drag him out into the hall." Glenn offered. "This bastard stinks."
Cordelia nodded after a moment and reached down with her good hand to seize the walker under the arm and together, the two of them worked to drag him back out the front door before stepping back into the apartment and closing the door behind them. After a moment of hesitation, Glenn put the chain lock in place.
"Why were you going out there?" Glenn asked finally, turning to face her.
"I wanted to see if any of the doors were unlocked." She responded, avoiding his gaze. "I thought maybe there might be some door keys hidden under welcome mats or something. I checked the peephole and didn't see any walker."
Glenn suspected that the real reason was out of sheer, stubborn pride but he knew better than to say anything.
"You shouldn't have gone out there." He told her carefully, before reaching out to grab her bleeding hand gently. He examined it, Cordelia avoiding his gaze the whole time.
"I know." She said softly, her cheeks tinged red.
She was embarrassed, Glenn realized with a start. Embarrassed that she had needed help and likely realizing that she shouldn't have tried to go off by herself like that.
"Let's see if there's a first aid kit." He said finally, choosing to change the subject. Pressing it anymore and trying to enforce the idea that she had been wrong would likely only upset her further.
He led the way down the hallway to the bathroom, Cordelia following slowly behind. She was being uncharacteristically quiet, dark eyes set on him with an unreadable expression. He stepped into the bathroom, searching through the cabinet for a moment before finding what he had been searching for.
"Let's go somewhere with a window, so we have some light." He said, gesturing to the nearest open door frame, the final rays of sunlight still illuminating it slightly. She nodded slightly, stepping inside what was obviously the bedroom and taking a seat at the foot of the large bed, still clutching her hand to her chest.
Glenn took a seat beside her, reaching out to take her hand gently.
"It's okay," He said finally, examining the cuts on her hand. There were no shards of the vase caught in the wounds, it seemed, which he was glad for, and so he got one of the antiseptic wipes, tearing it open. The cuts were only slightly oozing blood now and he didn't think they would need stitches. Which was good, really, because Glenn didn't even know how to stitch up clothes, let alone a person.
"It's not," Cordy said quietly. "I was an idiot."
"Yeah," Glenn agreed, making her look up at him with a huff, pursing her lips slightly. She obviously hadn't expected him to agree. "But I had your back."
"But if you hadn't-"
"But I did." He interrupted, swiping the antiseptic wipe across her hand, making her suck in a sharp breath. "That's what matters. And in the future, you'll be more careful."
She didn't respond, looking down to watch as he cleaned the cuts before wrapping her hand with the gauze that was in the first aid kit. He tied the whole thing off before looking up at her with a small smile. "There." He said.
"Thanks," She said softly. She looked past him, at the window, a frown tugging at the corners of her mouth. "It's almost dark." She said.
He turned to look, eyes widening a fraction. "Shit!" He cursed. It was later than he had though, Glenn realized with a start.
"Radio them." Cordelia suggested. "We can stay here for the night. Head back in the morning."
"I don't think-"
"We don't have much choice." She pointed out. "We're losing light fast. Do you want to be out on those streets in the dark."
He sighed heavily. "No," He agreed, reaching for the walkie talkie that was hooked to his belt. "I don't."
They spent the next hour searching the apartment for any other supplies, spreading their findings out across bed in the master bedroom. Both of them were avoiding the living room as best they could. Mostly because it still smelled like the rotting flesh of the walker, but Glenn suspected that Cordelia was still feeling embarrassed over the whole thing.
Eventually they ended up with a pile of neatly stacked clothes from the drawers and closet, as well as the silverware and food from the kitchen. In addition, there was the first aid kit from the bathroom and a small sewing kit. It seemed that the previous owners were fans of vanilla scented candles, because Cordelia found a small stash of them and ended up lighting them around the room to illuminate the darkened space.
"Oh!" Cordelia cried out suddenly, setting a box down from the nightstand onto the bed. "And these."
Glenn picked up the box, examining it for a moment, before turning to her, furrowing his brow. "Condoms?"
"Better safe than sorry." She replied with a shrug before grabbing a fork and the can of cherry pie filling she had found earlier. "Someone will end up using them. Probably Lori and Shane."
"Wait...are they…?" Glenn's eyes widened slightly as he looked at her in surprise.
"Uh...yeah. Haven't you noticed them sneaking off and giving each other bedroom eyes that they think nobody else notices."
"I just didn't think...I mean, she did just lose her husband." he replied.
Cordy shrugged slightly, opening the can and leaning back against the pillows. "And the world did just end." She pointed out. "Things like that happen faster, now. They have to." With that, she brought a forkful of cherry to her mouth.
"I guess…"
"There's no guessing. We might die tomorrow. We have to take what we've got now. Otherwise we might not have the opportunity." Cordelia said sagely.
They fell into a silence after that, Glenn getting his own can of pineapple to eat for a rather meager dinner. He wasn't sure when Cordelia got so profound, but what she said made sense. She was certainly smarter than many of the members of camp gave her credit for. Of course, Glenn had known that for a while.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw her take another bite of cherries, her tongue darting out to swipe across her mouth to catch any of the excess red glaze. She was smart and gorgeous and stubborn and absolutely infuriating. He had known she was those things from the first moment he had met her.
"Want some?" She asked suddenly, extending her fork towards him, lips curled up slightly in a knowing smile. The worst part of her being those things was the fact that she was perfectly aware of them, was content in the that she was an absolute pistol of a woman.
"Uhh…"
She didn't give him much of a chance to respond, pressing the fork against his lips until he had little choice but the eat them.
"They're good, aren't they?" Cordy asked, drawing her fork back, eyes alight with something mischievous.
"They're uh...really sweet." He replied.
She grinned. "They're meant to be." And with that she took another big bite of the cherries.
Something in the air around them had changed, Glenn realized with a start. The air felt thicker, charged with electricity. He wondered if she could feel it too.
"Glenn," she said suddenly, voice soft and silky. "Things don't just have to happen quickly between Lori and Shane."
Oh yeah. She definitely felt it too.
"What do you mean?" He couldn't help but eyes, eye set on her.
Cordelia rolled her eyes, setting the can of cherries aside before reaching forward to grab his can of pineapple and setting those aside as well. And then, with a small smile she leaned forward, placing one hand on his knee, making him tense.
She really was quite lovely, doe-eyed and dark-haired, looking at him expectantly like she was. The light from the candles flickered, sending dancing shadows across her face.
"Do you think I'm pretty, Glenn?" She asked.
Pretty didn't seem like a good enough word. She was vivacious, a breath of fresh air in a world that had otherwise gone to shit.
"Yes…" He answered anyway, his tone nervous, his mouth feeling very dry all of a sudden.
"And do you like me?" She tilted her head, smiling coyly at him.
"I do." His heart was thudding a mile a minute in his chest now.
"Do you want to kiss me?" Cordelia shifted slightly, moving closer to him, the room growing warmer by the second.
Glenn nodded slowly, making Cordelia's smile widen.
"Then kiss me." She whispered.
So he did, leaning forward to press his mouth gently, sweetly against hers. He pulled away a moment later, watching as her eyes fluttered open. They looked at each other for just a moment, his face tinted red, her brown eyes darker than usual, before she leaned forward suddenly, crashing her mouth against his. Glenn pressed his hand against her cheek, mouth moving against hers, heart pounding in his chest. She tasted sweet, like the cherries she had been eating, and he couldn't help but think how fucking appropriate that was. Cordy reached up, pushing his ballcap off of his head, raking a hand through his hair.
This time, when they pulled away, it was because they both desperately needed air. Glenn stared at her, panting slightly. Her lips were red and kiss-swollen, her cheeks now tinged with pink. Without taking her eyes off of him, Cordy stood, toeing off her boots and socks before unbuttoning her shorts and sliding them down her long legs.
"Wait," Glenn said breathlessly, standing up as well. If Cordelia was going to get naked for him then damnit he wanted to help in getting her clothes off. He gripped the hem of her shirt with shaking hands and pulled. He had expected it to slide off effortlessly, in an entirely sexy manner but instead it got stuck beneath her chin, making Glenn blush heavily while she giggled, reaching up to tug it off the rest of the way, leaving her only in her underwear, a purple bra and a pair of pale pink panties.
She was very pale, and ribbon thin, and more breathtaking than Glenn could ever have imagined. This was really happening. When they had left camp this morning, he had never expected their day to take this kind of turn.
Reaching forward, Cordelia tugged on his shirt, pulling it over his head and dropping it to the floor next to them. She brushed her hands down his chest and stomach before allowing them to settle on the waistband of the pants that were growing uncomfortable with each passing second.
"Are you sure about this?" He asked locking eyes with her. She smiled coyly, pushing her hands down to brush against him through his pants and boxers.
"Yeah," she responded. "I'm sure."
Thank God, he thought. Because he had been half expecting her to change her mind. But there was something so soft and sincere about her words that he couldn't help but wonder why he had thought she would in the first place. This was Cordelia Dixon. She didn't do anything unless she was absolutely certain first.
She popped the button of his jeans before dropping to her knees, and dragging them down along with her, eyes trained on his face, making his heart jolt in his chest. Without much warning she tugged his boxers down, allowing his hardened member to spring up.
She had just leaned forward towards it, when he stopped her, pushing a hand gently through her hair. "Cordy," he said gently. "As much as I want you to, and believe me, I do, if you do then this is going to be over way too quick. And I really don't want that to happen."
She paused for a moment, expression thoughtful as if she were considering his words, before smiling devilishly and standing up. "Fine," she practically purred. "Then you can do me." With that she stepped past him, pushing the supplies they gathered off the bed, before spreading herself across it, locking eyes with him as she slid her underwear down her legs.
He swallowed, unable to do anything but stare for a moment as he took in her words. He could do her? Hell yes he could do her. He'd be happy to do so.
Glenn moved forward, dropping to his knees to crouch at the end of the bed and reaching forward to grip her under her knees, pulling her towards him gently, her skin very soft beneath his fingers.
"I'm not going to break." Cordelia protested, propping herself up on her elbows to peer down at him. "You don't have to be so careful."
He didn't say anything, instead choosing to lean forward to press a soft kiss on her inner thigh, suddenly feeling even more nervous. What if he did something wrong? Something Cordelia didn't like. What if-
She pressed a hand to the back of his head suddenly, pushing his face forward into her wetness impatiently, obviously not nearly as worried as he was feeling. Glenn couldn't help but feel incredibly turned on by the action.
Distantly, part of him wondered if this was a good idea. The world had basically ended around them and she could be terrifying on her own, never mind the fact that every day was a fight for survival. But then he darted his tongue out, licking lightly up her folds and she mewled lightly, fingers tightening in his hair, and any doubts Glenn had flew out the window. This was Cordy spreading herself out before him invitingly, and he had had a crush on her since they had first met.
He slid his hands slowly, lightly up her thighs, licking slowly, drawing another moan from her.
"Glenn," She rasped, eyes blazing and set on his face. "I don't like being teased."
He grinned, and got to work, sucking lightly on her clit as he pressed a finger against her, sliding it slowly in. She was very wet and warm, and he couldn't help but shudder in excitement.
Cordy whimpered lightly, her thighs quivering on either side of his head. He added another finger, moving them in and out faster and she rocked her hips, grinding against him shamelessly.
"Glenn," Cordy moaned breathlessly.
He hadn't thought it possible to get more turned on, but the sound of Cordy moaning his name shot a whole new fire through him. He thought that, maybe, she was the sexiest woman left alive. He was incredibly lucky to be with her, like this, and Glenn had no intention of making her regret any of it.
"Come here," she said suddenly, tugging on his hair lightly, making him groan. "And grab one of those condoms. I don't want to wait anymore." Her tone spoke of desperation and Glenn wasted no time kicking of his shoes, and stepping out of the pants and boxers that were still pooled around his ankles. It took a second to locate the box of condoms amongst the mess on the floor and another few seconds to tear one of the packages open and spread it along his length. Finally he was able to crawl across the bed towards her, just as she started to scoot back to lay amongst the pillows.
Glenn settled between her legs, holding himself up and peering down at her for a moment, heart thundering in his chest, his nervousness back now. But before he could think about it too much, Cordy reached down, gripping his member and guiding it to her entrance.
He pushed inside slowly, watching her face as he did so, watching as her eyes fluttered closed and as she bit her lower lip, trying to stifle another moan.
She was so fucking tight, and for a split second Glenn thought he was going to burst and ruin the whole thing. It had been a long goddamn time after all, and besides that, as he moved inside her for the first time, he couldn't remember sex ever feeling quite this good.
"Cordy," He groaned softly. "You're really fucking gorgeous."
She opened her eyes, looking up at him and smiling softly. "You're not so bad yourself, Glenn." She said breathily, before pulling his mouth down to meet hers in a searing kiss.
He thrusted into her quicker, harder, making her moan into his mouth, her fingers tightening on his shoulders tight enough that he was sure they were going to leave marks.
"Fuck," she whimpered when they finally pulled away, biting her lower lip. "Don't stop, okay. I'm getting close."
Oh thank God, he thought, because so was he but Glenn refused to come until Cordy had. Eyes set on her face, he leaned down, mouth latching around a nipple. He sucked gently, earning a low whine of pleasure as she began to move her hips along with his, chasing after her high.
"So close." She whispered. "So fucking close."
And so was he, and there was no way in hell he would be able to hold on for much longer. Snaking a hand between them, his fingers found her clit, and he began to rub it in circles, drawing a louder moan from her this time.
And then, suddenly, Cordy was coming, her walls tightening around him as she threw her head back against the pillows, crying out his name. He was only a second behind her, spilling into the condom as he thrusted through both of their orgasms. Finally he stilled, pulling slowly out of her and panting, sweat clinging to his brow.
He collapsed next to her and a moment later she scooted closer, resting her head against his chest.
"That was nice." She said quietly. "This is nice too."
"Yeah," Glenn agreed. He slid his fingers up her back, before sliding them into her hair, playing idly with the strands. In the morning, it would be right back into the hell of Atlanta as they worked their way back to the car so they could return to camp, but it was like this had become their own little haven. Tomorrow, they would be back to fighting for survival, but for now Glenn was happy to cling to this.
"I like you too, Glenn. In case that wasn't clear." Cordy added, leaning up slightly so that she could look at him. "And I'm definitely thinking we should keep that box of condoms for ourselves."
He blinked, looking down at her in surprise. "Is that your way of saying you wanna do this again sometime?" He asked her with a grin. She didn't answer. Instead, she smiled and leaned forward to press her lips against his softly.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, so uh...let me know what you think. Cordelia and Glenn kind of took on a mind of their own in this chapter and they certainly progressed much faster than I had originally planned. I know this chapter took forever but I'm hoping the length will hopefully make up for it.
As always, please leave a review if you enjoyed this chapter. They really do help in getting chapters out quicker. Also I'm like...really nervous about this chapter so if you could let me know what you think that would be great!