Talks Amongst the Living
So I was going to write the rest of the CDC stuff but apart from adding in two other people who would just likely take lines from everyone else, I couldn't think of anything else to do with it so instead, I'm just jumping to the gap between the end of season one and the start of season two.
Plus I've kind of gotten into loving Shane but I'm not quite sure what I plan on doing with him. I got a little bit of an idea, obviously he loves Lori and all that but I think I'll wait to see what you guys think I should do.
"Well...that was short lived." Anna muttered, gazing out the back window at the smoke coming up behind them.
"Nothing we could have done." Rick explained quietly, hands gripping the truck's steering wheel. Anna turned back around to look at the back of his head before she looked at Carl sitting on the other side of the back seat. She liked the boy, she got along with him fine. The only person who seemed to have issues was Lori and for the life of herself, Anna couldn't figure out why. She knew that dark glint in the mother's eyes, had seen it several times before. She had lost a lot of friends growing up when they would break up with their boyfriends because they were all sure that Anna had been having affairs with them.
And yet, she was the one who remained single all the time. After the break ups, she still talked to the boys, hell, she was friends with them before she was friends with most of the girls. But she was just one of the guys, there was never that sort of interest in them. So seeing the look from Lori did next to nothing to the younger woman. There was something else in Lori's eyes, not just that dark glint of jealousy but something that almost looked like guilt. Anna wasn't entirely sure on how to solve this so for the time being she was going to not mention it. Whenever she got a chance alone with the other woman, she figured she'd try and reason with her.
Ahead of the car, leading the convoy of vehicles, Bo rode on the back of Daryl's motorcycle, her hands planted on the bit of seat still behind her as she leaned slightly backward, looking around at the surroundings to keep a sharp eye out for anything that could be even remotely helpful or hurtful.
"Woman, if you do not put those damned arms of yours around me, you are going to go flying off this bike and I ain't stopping." Daryl snarled backwards at her. Bo raised an eyebrow and grinned before leaning forward, her arms encircling his waist once more and her chest pressing to his back.
"Better?" The woman called over the wind. Daryl just grunted, head nodding once in affirmation. Bo still looked around, slower then before, not wanting to knock heads with the redneck.
A loud noise made her whip around and then she squeezed Daryl, signalling for him to stop. When he did, she jumped off the bike and moved back to the RV as steam rose from under the hood.
"Well this doesn't seem too bad." Anna announced after checking over the engine. "Just need a few things and it can get fixed up, no problem."
"Spread out, let's see what we can find." Rick called to the group. Daryl, Bo and T Dog went in one direction, Bo and T Dog talking energetically with each other about different things they were glad they didn't have to deal with anymore. Rick was almost certain he heard the term "gay ass Justin Beiber music" as they moved away. He could actually see Daryl cringe at that topic and he distanced himself from the other two.
"Shane's gonna help me." Anna told Rick, coming up next to him with a smile on her face.
"Alright, don't be getting too far." Rick warned.
"Don't worry, I'll watch her." Shane declared, moving away with Anna. Rick watched the two of them and raised an eyebrow at Shane putting a hand on Anna's back.
"Okay...umm...cell phones." Bo thought out loud.
"You don't miss them?" T Dog asked, almost looking amused. "Good little city girl like you?"
"Oh fuck no, I hated the damn things." Bo laughed, opening a car door and looking inside, examining a dead body carefully. "Just another way for the annoying people to bug you. I gave up my blackberry at one point for an android because I had this one girl on my messenger who flipped out if I didn't respond to some of her messages and she could see that I had read them." She nudged aside the body gently and looked around. "You know, because once you've read the message, a little R would pop up by it."
"I'll take your word on that." T Dog muttered, checking another car and frowning at the bodies of a family inside. "I never went for the fancy smart phone things."
"Well you don't really get the option when you go into medical school." Bo explained. She leaned out of her car and looked around then tilted her head. "Does this count as grave robbing?"
"Think that only applies if we actually dig them suckers up." Daryl answered from a few feet away. Bo tilted her head and accepted the answer, getting the trunk of the car opened to see what was inside.
"So how long have you known the Grimes?" Anna asked, looking around as Shane broke into vehicles and hunted around.
"I don't even remember." Shane muttered, laughing slightly. "What about you? How'd you end up meeting Rick?"
"I was in the hospital when he woke up." Anna explained. Shane looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "I was with a group, scavenging and all. We all sort of split up and I ended up having to hide in one of those body shelf things in the morgue. Rick heard me banging away inside and I just...helped him since."
"Lucky him." Shane commented. Anna shrugged and smiled before looking under the hood of a vehicle. Shane returned to scavenging and then let out a gleeful cry. The woman looked over at him and raised an eyebrow then grinning and shaking her head as he produced a large jug of water.
"Nearly would have thought you found the holy grail or something from the noise you made." Anna remarked.
"You know, lady...you look like you could use some cooling off." Shane mused. Next thing she knew, water was getting tossed on her and Anna had to put in an effort not to yelp out loud. She jumped and turned an unamused expression in the cop's direction. He just grinned at her.
"You little..." Anna started but died off, eyes shifting to behind Shane and widening almost fearfully. Shane spun around, gun drawn instantly and looked around, finding nothing there. Anna laughed softly behind him and he realized then that there had just been some pay back dished out. He put his gun away and turned back to see the woman burying herself in the engine. He walked over to her, placed himself directly behind her with his legs spread enough to be either side of hers, then leaned over to press his chest to her back, hands falling to her hips lightly.
"That wasn't nice." Shane muttered.
"Neither was your trick." Anna shot back, looking over her shoulder at him. "Not exactly protecting and serving if you're drenching the mechanic."
"Well maybe I thought I was providing a service." Shane remarked. His arm dropped then looped around her waist. He straightened up, an action that brought her up as well due to his hold. Anna just seemed curious as she kept her eyes watching him. "Nobody likes behind hot after all. Besides...little bit of water never hurt no one."
"But a lot can drown ya." Anna pointed out, even though she was looking amused now.
"Well, not a problem resuscitating you, should that happen." Shane explained simply. He leaned a little closer, almost near enough to count the gold specks in her green eyes. "All I'd have to do is..."
"Walkers!" Rick's voice, quiet but firm, stretched out towards them and they instantly went on alert. Shane dropped his arm and withdrew his gun, not exactly wanting to use it but ready if he needed to.
"Here, get it!" The cop ordered, pulling the girl around to the side of the car and opening the door. He shoved her inside and pulled a dead body on top of her. He ignored her small whine of disgust as he carefully shut the door and then dropped to the ground to get under the vehicle. He sighed as he laid there, listening to the shuffling and groaning of the undead, watching their feet slide by. They certainly took their time getting by, moving along.
It felt like hours before they finally seemed safe, only to discover that Sophia had taken off.
***TWD***TWD***TWD***TWD***TWD***
"No offence or anything Rick but if I ever figured that one of them kids was gonna run off, some reason I always figured it would be yours." Bo muttered, ducking under a low branch and looking around. She glanced at the Sherriff but got no response from him. She heard the twang of Daryl letting loose and arrow and hurried over to the fallen walker.
"There's flesh..." Rick pointed out, fading off as the trio examined the once living body.
"Ya don't think..." Bo faded off. The answer came in the form of Daryl using his knife and ripping into the things stomach. Rick shuddered and gagged, quickly covering his mouth. Bo felt the colour drain from her face but actually felt a little proud of herself for not gagging.
Way to go medical school training.
"Woodchuck." Daryl muttered, shifting through the remains.
"At least we know." Rick stated, trying for some level of optimism.
"Gonna be dark soon." Daryl mused, wiping his knife clean and looking around. "Get this search going again in the morning, first thing." Rick nodded in agreement. Daryl's eyes drifted over to Bo who was looking around through the trees. Her eyes darting left, right, up and down, taking in everything in every direction, wondering on the little girl's motives.
"Bo?" Rick questioned, eyebrow raising. He got no response as the woman kept up her visual search.
"Bo Bo?" Daryl tried this time. It was fine, him calling her that when they were alone, but in front of other people she would usually snap at him. When that got no response, he sighed and lifted his hand, dropping it heavily onto her shoulder. "Isa..."
"Yeah?" Bo finally reacted, turning her head in his direction.
"We gotta get back to the others." Daryl pointed out. Bo sighed and gave one last look into the trees before nodding and heading back the way they came. Daryl slip his knife back into place before shouldering his crossbow and following with the Sherriff.
"She's...interesting." Rick mused out loud but still quiet enough that only Daryl heard him. The redneck shot a sideways glance his way and grunted in response. "I haven't really been told much about you...and her."
"Whatcha getting at, law man?" Daryl asked, not one for vague and subtly.
"Just...trying to get a better understanding of everyone." Rick explained. He had been witness to Bo's little needle panic back at the CDC but other than that, and this slight moment of vacant thought, she had usually been a happy optimistic person. Going so far as to tease the others in such ways that they ultimately end up smiling even in rough times.
And then of course, there was the pairing of Bo with Daryl. Two very completely different people from what Rick had been told from Lori. His wife had explained that Bo was up state, upper class, med student while Daryl was...well...Daryl. Lori really wasn't able to find a proper term to use. The more Rick observed, the more he agreed with her in the sense that there was really no solid sort of description for the hunter.
"Ain't nothing much to figure out." Daryl shot out. Rick looked at him but the other man's eyes were locked firmly on the female leading them. More specifically, they were locked on her ass. There was a tone of finality in his voice which kept the Sherriff silent for the remainder of the walk.
***TWD***TWD***TWD***TWD***TWD***
Rick swore he had never been happier to have Anna around then when she had stepped in and assisted him with the enraged mother. Carol was all set for blaming him for Sophia's disappearance, getting on his case about him leaving her hidden while he drew away the walkers. Anna had jumped in, led the mother away and silently managed to calm her down.
Rick wasn't the only one that observed this with a sense of admiration, Shane was quite astonished as well. It was something that kept both of them thinking for a while afterwards. Rick left Lori and Carl asleep by the car to go and check on Anna as she persisted to work on the RV, even in the dark. As he approached the vehicle, he heard her softly laughing at something and then the sound of Shane's voice made him pause while he was still unseen.
"You didn't." Shane laughed, clearly amused by something.
"Yep, buck naked." Anna remarked. A wavering beam of light swept off the RV and Rick came to the conclusion that Shane was holding a flashlight for the woman. "It was just wild."
"And they got ya?" Shane asked.
"Sadly yes, spent the night in a cell with this lovely little woman who offered to teach me how to do drag make up." Anna explained, getting a louder laugh from the officer. "Least, you know...I think it was a woman."
"Wouldn't surprise me if it wasn't." Shane attempted assurance, even as he was trying to control his laughter.
Rick leaned on the side of the RV and thought things over. Anna was becoming a very good friend of his and of course, Shane was his best friend. He was certain though, after having Lori, all while crying, confess to having slept with the man, that Shane held some deeper type emotions for his wife. Although, saying that, Rick suddenly felt a little foolish, not to mention actually guilty. If Shane and Anna were getting nicer, closer, that was a good thing. It was pointless to have any possible feuding in a group where everyone relied on everyone else. And if Shane and Anna were getting closer, then Rick should be glad that Shane did not, in fact, have those deeper type emotions for Lori.
"So, apart from doing crazy dares which oddly, more often than not, involved you stripping away your clothes...what did you do before the world went to hell?" Shane's voice brought Rick out of his inner musings and he listened carefully, surprising himself that he didn't already know this answer.
"I don't wanna say." Anna replied, suddenly gaining an almost embarrassed tone to her voice.
"Oh come on, it can't be that bad." Shane prodded. Rick heard small noises, a clinking here, a slight shuffling there, and leaned a little closer to hear a ruffling noise followed by Shane's voice at a quieter level. "I'm not gonna tell anyone."
"I was...a cleaning lady at a hotel." Anna confessed with a sigh. "And not some big old fancy one. More like one where you would not want to know the things I had to clean."
"So how'd you learn this car stuff then?" Shane asked.
"I took auto classes in high school and did a year of college for it." Anna explained, tinkering away once more. "You gotta lift that light higher."
"You dropped out?" Shane guessed, his voice getting quieter again, causing his partner to have to move even closer still to continue listening.
"Had to, my dad died and I couldn't afford everything." Anna muttered. Rick suddenly felt horrible. Some friend he was if he was only learning all of this now. Why had he never bothered to ask her about any of this? Had he really been so caught up in his own issues and finding Carl and Lori that he hadn't bothered asking about the woman who was helping him?
He supposed that explained why she always quieted down on the topic of family though.
Things had gotten quiet for nearly a minute and Rick chanced a look around the vehicle, not entirely sure why he was just spying and eavesdropping. He was actually caught off guard by the sight of Shane standing directly behind Anna, one arm around her waist while the other was lifted over them to shine the flashlight down at the engine, and his head resting on her shoulder. Anna didn't even seem to mind as she slowed her working to almost nothing. In fact, it was nothing, she was done. One of her hands was resting on the rim of the hood while her other hand was grasping Shane's as it rested on her hip.
They were close...very close.
Well...good for them.
Rick nodded to himself as he slowly tore his eyes off the sight and made his way back to his family. Yeah...good for them.
Okay so that got more of Anna out but don't worry, there will be more of Bo soon enough. She's going to get one on one time with Rick, probably next chapter, and of course they'll be talking.
And what does everyone think I should do in regards to Shane, Rick and Anna? When I started this story, I didn't like Shane but now he's actually grown on me after some things I've read and all that. I really do not want to be creating any love triangles but like I've said so many other times, I don't like Lori so you can actually expect her to be going away at some point. If people like Shane, I might not kill him. I also might actually have another person in mind to come into this story.