A/N: Hey everyone! I am so sorry for being MIA for so long. Just know that it's never my intention when I take over a month (this time it was more like two ugh,) to write a chapter. Life gets busy, sadly. However, I am very happy to announce that this is the second to last chapter before we FINALLY get to season six! It's my favorite season, so I'm really excited! I have so much planned for it, and I just can't wait to start.

And a quick note, I'm going to continue using Not How We Were for season six. When we get to season seven I'll start a new one. That's all; on with the chapter!

I wake up alone the next morning. My hand searches the other side of the bed, my eyes still closed as I scrunch the covers. Nothing.

I suppress a sigh. Of course he left. I force myself to sit up and stretch my arms.

The clock on the nightstand reads 8:45. Where did he go? Did he leave me just to go to class? That doesn't even start until 11:30!

A small white piece of paper rests on the nightstand in front of the clock, folded neatly in half. I grab it, the edges crinkling as I pull it open.

"Angel, I went over to Ron and Sam's house to play some video games again. I would have woken you up, but you looked like you could use a few more hours. I'll see you in class.

By the way, I'm sorry for being a dick last night. It won't happen again. However, I am NOT sorry for leaving hickies on your neck ;)

See you soon! Carl"

Hickies? Oh, he did not! I head to the bathroom mirror, pulling my hair aside from my neck. Sure enough, a small patch of angry red marks shine on my pale skin. "Oh, no." I groan. "How the hell am I supposed to cover these up?"

I shake the thought out of my head and get dressed in a pair of jeans and a tee. I also try and not notice the soreness in my thighs, or the little marks on the inside of them. I really should get him mad more often. The thought immediately brings a blush to my cheeks. Thankfully, a slight banging sound fills my ears and grabs my attention, and I crinkle my nose in confusion. What the hell?

I follow the noise down the hall, to the bedroom on the left. The one that I found mom and Rick in yesterday. My hand gives a quick knock, for curtesy's sake, and I open the door.

My eyes follow mom as her hands bring her katana against the wall, resting on two nails she hammered in.

"Woah..." I breathe. "You sure you wanna do that?"

She looks over to me, conflicting emotions passing through her face. "I... I don't know."

"I do." She presses. "I really do, but..." Mom shakes her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

"You don't think you should."

"Exactly."

I go over to her, grabbing the katana from where it rests against the wall. My short stature almost stops me from grabbing it, but with effort I manage to. Slowly, I pull the blade out of its sheath, showing off the hidden shine, and set it back on the wall. This time, it's not completely covered and hidden, just like the world outside isn't completely missing behind these walls. She can't forget it, but she can adapt.

"How about that?" I ask. My head goes to rest on her shoulder as we stand, and her arm goes around mine in response.

"Yeah, that's good." She nods.

We stand in silence, savoring the company. I don't want to move from her, but I do and we begin to walk down the hall and to the stairs.

"So, what keeps you home so late in the morning?" I ask. "Aren't you, like, super important now? Constable and everything?"

"Well, yes, but we just kind of walk around town and look tough. So I thought I could take a couple minutes to myself."

"I see." I nod, hopping down the stairs.

"Like you're one to talk. You've slept in two days in a row!" She playfully shoves my shoulder with hers.

"Yeah, but at least I'm sleeping." I shrug.

"Sure, sleeping." Mom throws air quotes around the word. "That's what you and Carl do at night."

"It is!" My checks burn in embarrassment. "Just because we sleep in the same bed doesn't mean we screw every five seconds."

"Then how'd you get those?" She jerks her neck down to mine, her eyes gleaming in victory.

My hand clasps over the marks. "We didn't... You know..."

"Have sex?" She offers.

"Yeah, we didn't… We just kissed! A lot." I say. And then I think of the little marks on my thighs. Yup, just kissing. Totally.

"Mmhmm." She rolls her eyes playfully.

"Mooom!" I groan. She won't budge.

"Hey, I don't care if you guys do." She holds her hands up in surrender. "So long as it's all safe. I know you have the condoms."

"We didn't do anything that required condoms last night." I give her that much. No need to get into extensive detail. I'm not talking about his fingers, his tongue, him biting my neck as his hips push against mine...

Nope! Not going there, Alyssa. Stop that right now!

Mom raises an eyebrow. Am I blushing? I'm totally blushing. "I thought you just kissed?"

"Kissing doesn't require condoms, does it?" I cross my arms and point my chin up at her. "Also, I am so not getting into this conversation with you."

She chuckles and holds her hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright. I'll stop pushing. But you do have condoms. Use 'em wisely." She ends with a wink, and I internally scream.

"Were you the one that put them in the room?!"

"Nah, that would be Maggie. She and Glenn were the ones who found you two curled up together."

"Oh my god." I bring a hand to my face, sighing into it.

"Speaking of, Glenn, Tara, and Noah are heading off on a legitimate supply run today. Wanna say goodbye before they head off?"

"Yeah." I nod eagerly. Finally, they get to use their full potential on a run. Hopefully Aiden will let them be.

"They should be by the garage near the pantry. I should head up with Rick and go back on constable duty." I open the door for mom and let her head out on the porch first. "See you at lunchtime?"

"Of course." I plant a kiss on her check before taking a left past the yard. "Love you."

"Love you too." She goes straight at the porch, heading past the gazebo to the other side. I quickly follow the path to the garage, where a large van is being filled with empty boxes for supplies.

Deanna and her husband stand close to the door, watching as Aiden helps Glenn fill up the back of the van. Maggie stands on the other side, handing Noah, Eugene, and Tara each a gun. Woah, Eugene too? He must be doing this against his will.

"Hey kiddo." Glenn walks over to me, ruffling my hair with his free hand.

"Hey!" I protest. "I just brushed this. Ugh, you messed it up."

"That was the point." He grins down to me. "What're you doing here?"

"I just wanted to say good luck on the run. And to give you the mandatory good-bye hug, like normal."

"Of course, how could I forget?"

My arms go around his middle, and his nearly encircle my whole form. "Stay safe out there, okay?" I whisper to him.

"I always do." He replies, letting go of me.

"C'mon, everyone! Daylight's burnin'!" Aiden yells out to us. His fist bangs on the outside of the truck before hopping in the driver's seat.

"See you soon." Maggie tells Glenn, giving him a sweet kiss goodbye before he hops into the back with the rest of our guys. She takes a step to the side of me.

"They'll be back before ya know it." Maggie tells me. The van engine revvs up, and horrible electro music blasts from inside.

"I know." I say easily. It's just a run. It's not like they haven't done this before. It'll be fine. "They'll be okay. Glenn'll be okay."

"Exactly."

I take a light stroll around Alexandria, watching everyone go about their normal lives. As I walk past the Anderson household, I almost head inside to see the other guys. But I don't. I've had enough of them last night. Jessie's in the garage, picking up pieces of scrap metal that litter the ground. I awkwardly wave to her as I pass by. She smiles back and gives a strong one in return.

My brain shuts off as I walk around, and I somehow make it to the gazebo in the middle of town, on the edge of the pond. Enid's sitting on the bench, her legs kicked up and holding her sketchbook in place.

"Hey!" I call out and wave to her.

She gives a small wave with her pencil in response. Her facial features show absolutely no interest in me, which almost makes me laugh. At least she tolerates me.

I jog over to her. "You didn't make it to the party last night. I was hoping you'd make an appearance."

She gives a half-hearted shake before steadying her hand and putting the pencil to the paper. "Nah, I don't do crowds much. Besides, Ron was there."

"Yes, he was." She moves her feet a bit closer to herself, allowing me space to sit beside her. I take the gesture kindly.

"What'cha drawing?" I ask. Making small talk with her is difficult because she hardly ever chats, but it's not impossible.

"Just doodling." She answers, her tone nearly monotonous. I think I'm starting like it.

"Doodling what? That's not a real answer." I press. "People? Nature? Naked statues?"

She cracks a small grin. "I can't draw a tree for shit, and I haven't seen the Statue of David lately, so take a guess."

"Ah, people." I nod. "Anyone I know?"

"Maybe." A small blush rises to her cheeks. "It's actually from a movie I used to watch as a kid. I started to forget what she looks like, so I'm trying to keep the memory alive."

"Can I see it?" I ask gingerly.

After a pause, she nods and takes her feet off the bench. She scoots over to me and twists the sketch pad into my line of vision.

"Woah..." I beam in awe. "How did you learn to draw like this?"

There's so much detail in the drawing; no colors, just a pencil was used, but there's definition everywhere. The shading points the chin upward with an elegance, and the hair is twisted into a tight bun. There's a texture in the poofy dress that the character wears, and the shoes underneath shine brightly. Some lines are thick, some thin, and there's blots of granite to give each spot differing shades. And to top it off, there's a small little mouse in the bottom right wearing a loose shirt.

"My parents had me take art classes when I was a kid. And in middle school, I just kept working at it. Painting was a favorite of mine, but it's not like I can just grab an easel and oil paints." She explains. It's more of a ramble than anything, like she's embarrassed about the hobby.

"It's beautiful." I say, amazed. "Cinderella?"

She gives a small nod. "Yeah. She used to be my favorite Disney princess as a kid."

My thumb lightly flicks at the edge of the page. "May I..?"

"Go for it." She shrugs.

I quickly flip through a couple pages. Some are of real people in camp that I recognize. Some of Olivia, Deanna, and Jessie, and one of both Ron and his little brother Sam. And there are some fictional characters; Mulan, Violet from the Incredibles, Hermione, Alladin and the genie, and Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Each is extremely detailed and elegant, and my jaw drops just a little lower when I flip the page each time.

There's two people that I don't recognize towards the beginning of the book. They're older people, a man and a woman. The man has his hand gently placed on the woman's waist, and they are both waving. The grins are wide and bright. Her parents, maybe?

"When Ron found out I could draw, he asked if I could draw the two of them together." Enid says, and that brings me back to reality. Sam and Ron, yeah.

"None of the others asked?" I look back to her.

"No. I just draw them. Mostly when I'm bored."

"That's so cool." I grin. I close the pad shut and hand it back to her, and she takes it happily.

"It's really nothing." She shrugs and sets her pencil in the spiral that holds the pages together. "I just get bored a lot, so I have free time on my hands."

"I see." I say with a nod. Hoping to continue the conversation, I add, "I used to sing a lot. For the group. Maggie had a sister, Beth, and she and I would duet at night."

Enid nods. "Were you two close?"

I give a sad smile. Silently I pull my knees up to my chest and tighten my arms around them. "She was my first real friend in their group. I was an outsider."

"You weren't with them at the beginning?"

I shake my head. "No, mom and I earned our keep with Team Family. They hated us at first. But Beth? Beth was always kind. She and I shared a room for almost a year at our camp before..."

I don't finish my sentence. I'm sure Enid gets the idea. God, I miss her.

I slump a little in my seat, resting my chin on my knees.

"I'm sorry." Enid says. It sounds earnest.

"She didn't suffer." I add solemnly. "Single shot, through the head. Probably didn't even feel a thing."

"It's better that way." She tells me. "My parents... They died, early on."

I look up to her quietly. Don't stop. I wanna hear it. My eyes search her features. Her shoulders visibly slump, but she remains the same. She's been dealing with this for a while.

"Our car broke down. They were trying to fix it. They never did." That's all she tells me. But that's all I need to know.

"I'm sorry." I tell her. She doesn't seem to be the type that looks for a hug when she's sad, so I keep my distance.

Suddenly, she stands from her spot on the bench. My eyes glaze over her hands, how they tighten around her sketch book and pencil. Her knuckles are nearly white from her grip.

"I'm gonna go." She tells me. I nod. "Over the wall. Don't follow me."

"I won't." I tell her. She needs her space. I understand. "See you later?"

"Eventually." She responds. And she runs off. I don't watch as she leaves. She deserves her space. I'm almost certain that she doesn't talk to most people about her past. It's probably a bit of a shock for her. My eyes go to the pond, watching silently as the water ripples and moves with the calm breeze until I don't hear her footsteps anymore. Then I stand, turn, and go back to wandering around Alexandria.

I don't make it to classes at 11:30. In fact, no one does. There isn't any.

Just as I begin to trek back to the house, the van that Glenn and the other runners take flies through the gates, Eugene at the wheel. Oh my.

The second it stops they pull the back open and Glenn hops out, covered in blood. "HELP! I NEED HELP!"

I immediately run over to him and Eugene pulls out of the front seat. "What happened?!"

Tara and Nicholas are unconscious in the back, though Tara looks much worse. There's a half-assed bandage made from a ripped up shirt wrapped around her head, blood already seeping through one side of it. On Nicholas, there's some blood trailing down his face, and it looks like he was punched. His nose seems broken.

"The mission was both a success and a failure." Eugene quickly explains. He jerkily grabs Tara and slings her over his shoulder. "We gathered all necessary equipment as planned, but we didn't account for the amount of walkers in the area, or the immediate betrayal on the Alexandrian side. There were some casualties."

"Casualties?" My blood boils at the word, "betrayal," but that's not important right now. Who did we lose?

A small crowd begins to form around us, Deanna leading the pack.

"Aiden and Noah... They didn't make it." Glenn huffs out as he pulls on Nicholas' legs, trying to get him to the edge. I can feel how upset he is. It's almost tangible. A small gasp sounds behind me, and the heartbreak is immediate. Deanna.

I turn to her, looking at the shock and pain across her face as she brings a hand over her mouth. "Aiden..?" Small tears threaten to fall from her eyes. "He's..?"

She can't bear to say the words. But the despair on Glenn's face is enough to bring her worst fear to life. "Oh, no." She groans out, the tears freely falling. She bends forward, her hands covering her face as she repeats the words. "Oh, no. Not my son! No!"

"I'm sorry." Glenn chokes. He brings a hand to her shoulder and she immediately jerks back. "I'm so, so sorry."

What the fuck happened out there? Glenn has never been on a run that ended in two deaths and two people knocked out. He's efficient, smart, understands all the potential problems and coordinates around them. So, who fucked up and how?

"I don't mean to interrupt your grieving process, Deanna, but my friend here and Nicholas are in dire need of medical intervention. We need help getting to the infirmary." Eugene cuts in. I note how jittery he sounds as he readjusts Tara on his shoulder.

Deanna wipes away her tears, trying to get ahold of herself, before Eric steps out of the crowd. "I'll take you there." He shuffles over to Deanna, quietly whispering something in her ear, before she nods and goes back inside her house. "C'mon." He gestures to Eugene and Glenn, both with Tara and Nicholas slung over their shoulders.

Jesus Christ, what happened out there?

The news of Aiden and Noah dying spreads like wildfire quickly around Alexandria. All classes (aka the kid class and teen class,) are canceled for the next few days so we can all, "grieve appropriately," and spend time with our family. Runs are to stop until next week, when a new leader is chosen and a new person volunteers for the position that Noah had.

It's a lot to take in, and it all happens really fast. By nightfall, all the adults come back from their respective jobs. Dinner is quiet and solemn without Tara and Noah. Glenn and Eugene are especially silent. I don't think I've ever seen them this sad. Glenn is always so cheerful most of the time; it hurts to see him moping over spaghetti and meatballs.

After dinner we all head to bed, though Carol stays up to make the Monroe's a casserole. It's a nice gesture, but I don't think they want anything to do with us right now. If anything, they probably want to crucify us. I don't voice that out loud, though, and head up to bed instead.

Carl's already there, lying under the sheets. It's the first time I've seen him all day, besides dinner with the group.

"Hey." I greet lazily.

"Hey." He responds.

Quickly I grab a t-shirt and shorts from the drawers and change in the bathroom before hopping into bed beside him. His arms go around me tightly as I snuggle into his side, and my head finds its way into the crook of his neck. Silently he leans forward, past my shoulder, to get to the lamp behind me and he shuts off the light.

"I missed you today." I tell him. "Were you busy?"

He pulls the sheets up over us as he answers, "Kinda sorta. Ron and Mikey are hardcore gamers, in case you were wondering."

"How were they?" I make small talk. My arm goes around his middle and I shimmy a bit, trying to get comfy.

"They were fine. I had the honor of playing Halo with them for a couple hours." He whispers into my hair. His hand gently rubs up and down my arm, and I take comfort in the touch.

"Fun." I respond. "I hung out with Enid for a bit, before... everything happened."

"How was she?"

"Fine." I shrug in his embrace. "Enid-like. Quiet."

"That's good." Carl says softly. "How are you?"

I shrug again, though a swift wave of sadness washes over me. "I'm fine, I guess. I didn't really know Noah all that much, but he was a good guy. And I'm worried about Tara. I hope she pulls through."

"Agreed." I can feel him nod above my head.

My mind thinks of earlier, when the van pulled in and I could hear Glenn screaming. "When Deanna found out," I start, holding Carl closer to me, "about Aiden... It was like her whole world collapsed. She was so sad. Her face just dropped from curiosity to complete heartbreak. And all I thought about was how she loved him so much. She lived with him, cared for him his whole life, couldn't imagine being without him for even a second..."

My eyes gleam up to Carls', trapping them in an intense gaze. "Don't ever leave me. Ever." I say. "I don't think I can go through what she did."

Softly, he brings his lips to mine, giving a gentle and reassuring kiss. I press back harder, trying to convey just how much I love him, and how much it would hurt if I lost him. I think I would die, too.

He breaks the kiss, his lips gliding along mine as he slowly tells me, "Never."

"Promise me." I say.

"Promise." He kisses my forehead before pulling me close, and with that, my eyelids flutter shut and I fall into a dreamless sleep.

Morning comes too quickly. I can feel the sun shining through the window before I even open my eyes, and all I feel is frustration. I don't feel relaxed in the slightest. I barely slept a wink.

My hands ball into fists and I furiously rub at my eyes, softly whining at the sunlight streaming through the blinds.

"You seem chipper." Carl mumbles against my neck. Of course he got some sleep. I'm starting to think he could nap through anything. Tornado, thunderstorm, alien invasion. Lucky bastard.

"Just peachy." I grumble in response.

"What time is it?" He asks. I twist my head over to look at the clock.

"I'm-not-moving-my-ass-o'clock." I answer. "Also known as 6:45."

"Of course it is." He groans lightly. "Why are you up so early?"

"Couldn't sleep." I shrug in his grasp. His arms, which somehow remained around me in our sleep, tighten around my middle.

"No," he demands, "you're not moving. Stop that." He presses a gentle kiss to my neck in hopes of stopping my shrug. And he does. Not like I have the energy to do much else right now.

My eyes go up to his face as I feel his fingers brush my hair away from my neck. "What?" I ask. His finger gently trails along my skin, etching something out.

"They're still... very..." Oh, the hickies.

"Prominent?" I offer. Carl nods at the word choice. I chuckle lightly. "You did a number on me. My thighs aren't that bad, though."

"There are marks?"

"Oh, yeah." I laugh. My hands grab at the blanket and quickly shoves it away from my legs. Now freed, I pull up the bottom of my shorts on one leg, revealing soft little purple bite marks on the inside. "They're not as bad as yesterday, and they weren't bad to begin with, but they are definitely there, cowboy."

Carl's cheeks tinge pink at the remark. "Sorry. Guess I was a little... feisty."

"Oh, a little?" I challenge, raising an eyebrow.

"A lotta feisty." He admits defeat with a chuckle.

"Damn right you were." I readjust the shorts and set them back properly as I continue, "But don't be sorry. I liked it."

And, now it's my turn to blush.

His hand slowly makes its way down my side, down my leg, and grasps at the bottom of my shorts. "This side like that, too?"

"A little bit." I nonchalantly answer as his hand pulls the shorts up. My skin isn't too badly marked, but Carl still takes the time to trail his fingers feather-like around each little mark. He glides around my soft skin, each spot alight with the feel of electricity under his touch. He swirls his fingers around, slowly inching their way closer and closer to where I really want him. Teasing me. Quietly, I close my eyes and focus on breathing normally. If I didn't, it would turn quick and heavy by the millisecond.

"You keep teasing me like this, you better be adding more." I warn with a grin.

Carl smirks down to me, though after a moment his face becomes somber. He drops the edge of my shorts, pulling away from me and standing up. "Sadly, not today, angel. Everyone's on their guard. Even the Alexandrians."

I sit up and stretch my arms out above my head, relishing in the few POPS that sound from my back. "Yeah, I know." My arms go around my knees, and I think for a moment. "Do you think that they believe our people killed Aiden? I mean, we heard from Glenn and Eugene that they tried to save him, but Nicholas wanted to leave Aiden behind. Maybe Nicholas is telling a different story."

"I don't know." Carl shrugs. He grabs some clothes from the dresser and hops into the bathroom to change, leaving the door ajar for his voice to travel. "Maybe. Some of them want us out. Think about it; what better way to get our group exiled than to just… make us the bad guys of a bad run?"

I follow suit and grab some new jeans and a t-shirt to change in. When Carl gets out of the room, I get in. "It's pretty full-proof, except for the part where he needs to convince Deanna. She's grieving, but she's smart enough to see bullshit." At least, I hope so.

"True, very true." Carl trails off, his mind wandering elsewhere.

"You okay?" I step out of the room and walk over to him by the window. The shades are completely open, letting in the harsh sunlight. Ouch. Warn a girl first, will ya?

"Yeah." He answers. Then he points to the bottom of the wall. "Just noticed her climbing up."

My eyes trail over to the bottom of the wall, where Enid is. As she hoists herself up, she puts down one of her tiny metal bars through the loops on the wall, creating a makeshift ladder like she always does.

"I think she likes being outside as much as I do." I admit. "Probably more. She went out yesterday, too."

"Did she?"

"Yeah, after talking to me." I answer. Then I pull away from the window and head to the edge of the bed, grabbing my boots from the ground. I shove them on my feet as I add, "Follow her, if you want. She knows you do."

Carl looks over to me. "She does?"

I laugh as I fix my laces up. "Yup. Sorry, Carl. You are many things, but quiet is not one of them. You manage to stomp on the crunchiest grass possible every time you're in the forest."

"I take offense to that."

"Feel free to." I chuckle and walk over to him. "But seriously, go follow her if you want to." He gives a curt nod in agreement. "Maybe she'll talk to you, too. I think she likes us."

"Yeah?" He motions for me to go on before sitting on the bed and pulling his own boots on.

"I like to think so, at least." I shrug. "She doesn't really talk to anyone here, unless they're from outside. She doesn't trust 'em. Which I get; I don't trust them much, either."

"You don't?" Carl asks, curious.

"Not really. They're nice, sure, but think about it. If the walls fell right now, who would be alive tomorrow? Who would be able to fight off a hoard?"

It doesn't take long for him to answer. "Our group. Maybe a few of them."

"Exactly. I trust that Enid would get out alive. Sam, too. But Ron? Mikey? I don't know."

He nods quietly. "I want them to. They're good people. They can learn."

"I hope so." I agree.

He rises from the edge of the bed and silently we head down the stairs together. Neither of us want to wake anyone in the house up. I'm tempted to go down the hall and sneak a peep into the last room, just to see if mom and Rick are sleeping in the same bed together. They might be. They already use the same shower. They both have their clothes in there. I inwardly gasp. What if they're together-together? And they just aren't telling us? Oh, I would be so happy for them!

I'm pulled out of my thoughts as we make it to the door and Carl says, "See you at lunch?"

"As always, cowboy." I grin to him and give him a quick peck before he turns to the wall and starts jogging over. I turn the other way, quietly strolling down the street.

With a quick glance around town, it looks like no one else is awake. Some other families may be having breakfast, but it doesn't look like it from the outside of the houses. For once, it's peaceful. I drink it in, glad for the silence that looms over the town. Looking back, I think that's why I hated Alexandria at first. The noise. Multiple people talking, laughing, cackling loudly with not a worry in the world. Some play music inside their homes on stereos, and I can hear the pulsating beat from outside. Don't these people realize that sound attracts the dead ones?

Either way, this quiet, gentle morning is definitely soothing. Maybe waking up so early wasn't such a bad thing.

"Hey, ST!"

Or maybe not, I think with an inward chuckle.

I twist my head to the left, and I see Sam running out the door of a large pale blue house.

"Be back before dinner!" Is quickly shouted behind him. The soft voice is vaguely familiar.

He quickly stops and yells back, "Sure thing, Eric."

"I mean it!" Eric calls out to him, trying to be stern as he pops his head out the door. "'Before dinner' doesn't mean during or after, it means before!"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Sam huffs out quickly. "See ya later, bye!" Is added in one breath.

"Morning, Sammy." I say. The two of us begin walking down the street side by side, no destination in mind.

He wrinkles his nose in disgust at the nickname. "Don't call me that."

"What's wrong, Sammy?" I tease lightly. "Don't like the name, Sammy?"

His response is a light lunch to my shoulder. "It makes me sound like I'm five. And I'm not." He puffs his chest out comically and deepens his voice. "I'm a man."

"Whatever you say, kiddo." I respond, ruffling his already shaggy hair.

"Hey! Knock it off!" He shoves my hand away and begins to try and fix the mess I made. "You know how long it takes to make this look? How much product I use in the morning?!"

I roll my eyes teasingly at him. "Oh no, your hair. I'm sooo sorry." I drawl. And I can't stop the chuckle that escapes afterword.

He sticks his tongue out at me. "Rude."

I shrug. "What can I say? It's easy being evil. Next thing you know I'll start sprouting devil horns."

The sarcastic chatter dims down as we pass by the Monroe house. Through the window of the library I catch a look at Deanna wiping away tears with a messy tissue. Her eyes, normally bright, are red and puffy.

"By the way, my condolences." Sam says, his voice soft and serious. "I heard you guys lost Noah yesterday. He was a good guy."

I nod quietly. "Thank you. If I'm honest, I never really knew him all that much. But he was good, and he certainly didn't deserve to die."

He gives a solemn nod, and we grow quiet as we continue our walk.

"Wanna get your mind off of it for a bit?" Sam breaks the silence suddenly.

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Maybe. What were you thinking?"

"I can grab my throwing knives from home." He offers. "We can go to that tree again and just toss 'em. Your aim was getting better."

I shrug, though a smile does form. "Sounds like fun. Why not?"

A few hours later, the sun is fully in the sky, beating down on the two of us sprawled on the ground. The three knives are stuck high in the marked up tree (my aim has definitely gotten better, thank god,) with neither of us having the intention of yanking them out.

"Tell me," I pant out from the ground, "why did we decide running was a good idea?" After our quick tournament of Who Can Get Their Knife the Highest, which Sam sadly won, we decided to have a race around town. It's blurry on who won.

"Beats me." Sam answers with a laugh. "But it was your idea. You can't pin this one on me." Once he finishes the sentence he takes a quick gasp of air.

I frown. "But that's my favorite part of the day. Blaming my mistakes on you." Jesus, I'm so out of breath. C'mon, lungs, you got this. I try to slow the pants down, but I'm barely successful.

"Sorry, chica, not this time." He wheezes out. In one swift movement, he sits up with a grin. "Did I win?"

"Oh," I pant out, following suit, "I have no idea. Tie?" I hold out my hand to him.

"Tie." He agrees, giving me a firm shake.

When I finally get my breathing under control, I pull my hair back and fan at my face and neck. Good lord, I'm sweating buckets. It only provides temporary comfort against my hot skin.

"Glad to see you and Carl are better." Sam says as he stands from the ground.

"Huh?" I ask. He holds a hand out for me. I take it gratefully and pull myself up.

"You two seemed a little tense after the dinner the other day." He explains. "But it looks like you two figured it out. Considering he marked his territory." And he smirks as he points to my neck. I immediately blush and pull my hair back into place. How could I forget they were there?!

"Shut up." I mutter, embarrassed.

Sam laughs at my sudden shyness. "For what it's worth, you can tell him he has nothing to worry about. I'm no lady-stealer. Especially when said lady would probably stab me in the neck if I truly tried anything."

"Duly noted." I respond with a playful grin. My breathing has finally gone back down to normal, thank god.

The playful mood is broken with the sound of glass shattering somewhere in Alexandria. With a quick look between us, Sam and I immediately start running to the middle of town.

There's a small crowd forming in front of Jessie's house with two people on the ground, fighting. As Sam and I get closer, I immediately recognize said fighters. Rick is in his constable uniform, with blood completely covering his face. His hair and clothes stick to him with sweat, darkening the color grossly. The look would never frighten me normally. I've seen it all the time outside. Hell, I've looked like that before. What truly frightens me is the look in his eyes. The burning anger behind his baby blues solely driving his mind. No logic, no reason; just complete rage.

Underneath him is Pete, Jessie's husband. He doesn't look too far off from Rick. Blood covering himself, sweaty as hell, anger fueling his actions. What the hell happened between them? Pete manages to buck Rick off of him, throwing him to the concrete and straddling him. His hands immediately go to Rick's neck, chocking him harshly. Rick grasps at Pete's neck above him, but he's already losing his strength as Pete chokes him out. Shit!

Jessie runs over, tears in her eyes, and she grabs at Pete's arms in vain. "Pete, stop! Stop it!"

He swings an arm back to her, forcefully punching her in the face. She falls to the ground, her hands go to her nose, a trail of blood already forming from the hit. But that action just makes Rick see red. With newfound energy he pushes Pete and manages to get back on top, and with the switch he's able to put force into his movements. He brings his hands back down to Pete's neck, his grip unwavering. He grits his teeth as Pete tries to push back.

"Dad, get off!" Carl goes to his dad, desperately trying to pull him away. Rick swings an arm out, pushing Carl away and knocking him down. Immediately Sam and I run over to him, pulling him away from Rick. I give him a once over and a quick, "Are you okay?" Once he gives me a nod of reassurance I pull away from the two and grab at Rick's arm, holding it tightly in place.

"This isn't helping anything, sheriff!" I yell out to him. I grunt as I feel him push at me, and my grip loosens. "Let him go!"

I wail as his fist connects with my nose, and I pull away in an instant. My hands fly to my nose, which already feels swollen from the trauma. Warm blood slowly drips out onto my fingers as I take a few more steps away from him. His head turns in my direction, and I see the millisecond shift from anger to regret as he looks at my horrified figure. The second is gone, though, and he goes back to his onslaught with Pete.

"Shit, you okay ST?" Sam pulls me further away from the two and his eyes scan over my nose. I jut my neck out a bit, allowing him to search more area around my nose.

"Just pissed." I respond with a bite. "Does it look broken?"

"Can't tell." He says truthfully. "Out of all the injuries I've had, a broken nose isn't one of them."

My attention is brought back to Rick and Pete on the ground as they shift over, Rick's arm completely encompassing Pete's neck. Is he really gonna choke Pete out in front of all of Alexandria? What happened to the two of them?

"STOP IT!" Deanna runs over to the group, panting heavily. But there is much bark in her voice as she commands, "Stop it. Right. Now."

"Touch 'em again, and I'll kill you." Rick growls in Pete's ear.

"Damn it, Rick, I said stop!" Deanna orders. A few of the Alexandrians take tentative steps toward the two, intent on pulling Rick away from Pete, before Rick sits up suddenly.

"Or what?" He grins wickedly as he pulls a gun out from his waistline. "You gonna kick me out?"

All the Alexandrians, Deanna and her husband included, take tentative steps back. All their hands raise in surrender.

"Put that gun down, Rick." Deanna calmly suggests, her eyes wide in fear. I guess this is the first time any of them had a gun pointed at them. That, or Rick is completely insane and they're scared. Or both.

With a harsh shake of his head, he drops his arm. "You still don't get it." He looks out to the crowd around him and shouts out, "NONE OF YOU DO!"

He shakes in place, his mind obviously not right. "We know what needs to be done and we do it. We're the ones who live." He points accusingly at Deanna in front of him with the gun. "You! You just sit, and plan, and hesitate." With each word he shakes the gun in anger. "You pretend like you know when you don't."

Oh, I think, this isn't going to help them understand, Rick. This'll just make things worse.

"You wish things weren't what they are." He continues. "Well, you want to live? You want this place to stay standing? Your way of doing things is done! Things don't get better because you- you want them to. Starting right now, we have to live in the real world. We have to control who lives here." With the gun he points down accusingly to Pete, and I'm genuinely surprised he's still awake. His eyes burn with fury at Rick from the ground.

"That's never been clearer to me than it is right now." Deanna glares at him, though her tone is unwavering. She's gonna kick us out one of these days, Rick. Because of this single moment.

"Me?" He points to himself, a grin forming. "You mean me?" He lets out a wild laugh before hissing out, "Your way is gonna destroy this place. It's gonna get people killed. It's already gotten people killed. And I'm not gonna stand by and just let it happen. If you don't fight, you die. I'm not just gonna stand by and-"

He doesn't get a chance to finish before mom runs up behind him and punches the back of his head, knocking him completely out. Oh thank god.

With a heavy pant she picks the gun up from the ground beside him, flipping the safety on and silently handing it over to Deanna. The movement is harsher than necessary. She's pissed.

"Kids, both of you grab an arm." Mom orders. In a quick second Carl and I are at the ready by an arm. "I get his legs."

"What're we doing?" I ask.

As she grabs his legs the three of us lift him off the ground. "Moving his sorry ass somewhere he can cool down." She looks over her shoulder at Deanna. "Where do you want us to put him?"

A/N: Ta da! And the next chapter marks the end of season five! How exciting!