I haven't done an AU in a while. Haven't really had the inspiration, but I wanted to do something kind of longer today, so… here's this! Plus, I had some stuff to draw on, AND I had a baby to relax with. I am very excited over this nephew of mine, because we have him for the week, and my sissy's home and it is just a happy week for me! But getting to the important stuff… I don't own anything, but I hope you enjoy!

Zombie Apocalypse AU: Survivors and Zombies

The end of the world. Some people scoffed and didn't believe it. Others panicked and made their preparations. The rest just went about their normal lives as if nothing was going to change, not in their lifetime.

People died. Too many to even begin counting the bodies. Cities collapsed and burned around the survivors, torn apart by looters and scavengers. People hurt and betrayed and killed each other for a larger share of whatever it was they wanted.

But the end of the world wasn't quite the end. Because as people were quick to find out, the dead didn't stay dead. Not for long. They came back, and they turned others just like them.

There wasn't much civilization left. People had long since abandoned the cities to the dead, and those who were lucky enough to be a part of a community didn't take to strangers kindly.

The living were just as deadly, and much more cunning, than the dead could ever be.

But life went on. The people who had survived lived, loved, and grew. Despite the increasing zombie presence in the world, survivors had adapted and created their own ways of living that suited this new, violent world.

Some became nomadic loners, preferring to keep to themselves, attracting less attention from zombies and less risk of being betrayed. Others worked in groups, travelling from place to place to scavenge for supplies and fight the zombie threats. Those unable to do those things either joined a community and worked, or they died.

Harsh, but those that survived had to be strong.

"Psst! Hey! Up here!" The girl leaned over the edge of the building, keeping quiet as she waved a hand to get the attention of the young boy hiding behind the dumpster.

"What?"

It was a wonder the boy had survived this long if he was this dense. "You'll want to get up here! There's like… hundreds of walkers coming this way!"

Squeaking quietly at a voice behind her, the girl disappeared for a moment before reappearing with a rope. "Here, grab onto this; we'll pull you up!"

"We?" The boy looked to be arguing with himself before the girl's voice jolted him out of his thoughts.

"Hey! Come on, we can't hang around waiting all day!" She waved the rope impatiently, looking up towards the street anxiously. "We don't want them hanging around here, so come on up and quietly!"

It wasn't even three seconds more before the boy grabbed onto the rope, climbing as the girl and her companions pulled him up, falling to his knees on the roof with a loud sigh. "Thanks."

"Don't worry about it!" The girl pulled him up quickly, dragging him towards the rooftop entrance with one arm. "You're just lucky we were looking around outside; we were planning on holing up in here where they can't get us!"

She nudged him into the room, waving at the blonde and the redhead inside. "Jaune, Pyrrha, we got a live one!"

"Alone?" The blonde looked up, concern in her eyes, although it wasn't clear if that concern was for the stranger or for them.

"Uh-huh! Hiding behind our dumpster!" The girl grinned, shoving her hands in her pockets. "Kinda the way we found Jaune, you know? Oh hey, I'm Nora by the way! And my partner who helped drag you up here is Ren!"

"Uh…" The boy scratched his head as the other boy came back with an armful of boxes from somewhere in the building. "My name's Oscar. Thanks again for…"

"Don't worry about it! We're always on the lookout for people, you know? Not a lot of us anymore! Oh Pyrrha, which bag was my Twinkie in?" Nora wasn't too worried over the strange boy -he didn't look like he could hurt a fly anyway- but food was always a major concern. Food took priority over practically anything else.

"I think it was in Ren's bag," The redhead answered, standing up to pick up a makeshift spear. The boy flinched, she was way too at ease with that thing, but she smiled down at him reassuringly. "Don't worry, I don't hit anyone by accident. Plus, I'm heading outside; I want to see how many zombies stay in town."

"Don't stay out too long," Ren replied, sitting next to Nora as she rummaged through bags. "It's looking like rain."

"I'll go with you," Jaune offered, standing easily. Nora bit her lip, amused at something, but let him go without saying anything. It was only when the other two were gone that she burst into giggles.

Oscar couldn't help but stare. It had been a long time since he had heard anyone sound so happy in the midst of the apocalypse that it was more shock than anything else.

"They are so not sneaky!" Nora was still giggling as she leaned into her partner, triumphantly pulling out her Twinkie with a flourish. "Okay, Pyrrha is subtle enough, but Jaune is never sneaky about getting time alone with her! And aren't we great people, letting them have their alone time?"

Oscar blinked, still trying to figure out what was going on. "So, are they…"

"Together? No, but we all know they want to be, don't we Ren?" Nora nodded her head wisely, opening the treat with a happy hum. "They're even worse back home!"

"Home?"

"Uh-huh! Oh, come on Ren, you know that Jaune'll invite him anyway!" Nora looked back over at Oscar, waving her sweet around as she talked. "We have a little community, right outside of where Beacon used to be! It's mostly all of us students, but the teachers who are still around help lead us around. We're actually on a mission right now; food hunting!"

Oscar glanced around, seeing the piles of food around the room with new clarity. "How do you get it around?"

Ren, probably realizing that Nora was going to talk anyway, answered instead. "There were a few Atlas trucks around; we use them when we make runs."

Oscar remembered seeing the truck, remembered thinking that it was out of place for a small town like this. But so many people had tried to run that he hadn't really thought much of it. "And… it's just you four?"

"Yeah, because we're the best! And what about you? You're travelling alone?" Nora bit into her Twinkie, suddenly focused on the boy with an intensity that scared him.

He had a sinking feeling that she was a lot more dangerous than she looked.

"No. I was with someone, but he went to see how many zombies there were," Oscar mumbled, shifting uncomfortably. He wasn't sure what had happened to his companion. He wasn't sure he really cared, except for the fact that it was by someone's dying wish that they team up.

"Well, he might have made it out!" Nora tried to reassure him after a long moment, stretching her arms over her head. "We'll find out in the morning, okay? It's a lot easier to shoot when there's light!"

"Okay…" At least there was safety in numbers… and at least he was out of the way of the zombies. If things went sour… well, he could always leave later!

()~~()~~()~~()~~()

Nora leaned into Ren, not as concerned as he was about Oscar's presence. The boy didn't seem dangerous, and it was painfully obvious that he wasn't a fighter like the rest of them. She highly doubted he was much of a fight for any of them, let alone all of them at once. But Ren was one to worry, while she was one to take things as they came. "Hey Ren?"

"Yes Nora?"

"I really regret eating that Twinkie."

Ren sighed, shifting so that Nora was more comfortably situated against him as he relaxed. "And why is that?"

"Because that might have been the last Twinkie in the whole world and I wasted it! I could have saved it for something special!"

Ren raised an eyebrow, glancing down at his partner, amused. "And what would that be?"

"I don't know… it could be a substitute cake for Pyrrha and Jaune's wedding, whenever that happens!" Nora grabbed a blanket with her feet, dragging it closer with a groan. "Or if, you know… Oobleck figures out a cure for all of this! Or…"

"I get it," Ren murmured, wrapping the blanket around Nora easily, one eye always on the stranger who had passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow. Ren wasn't sure how long Oscar'd been on the road for, but it had been long enough to exhaust him. Long enough to fall asleep as soon as safety was confirmed.

"But what'll we do now, if something good happens?" Nora wriggled, bothered enough by it not to fall asleep. "There'll be no sweets! How will we celebrate?"

Ren adjusted slightly, feeling Nora's head on his shoulder. "We still have that box of pancake mix back at home."

"…You're right!" Somehow, Nora managed to keep her voice down, although it was a near thing. She still had a hard time keeping quiet, even with zombies nearby, but since she could swing hard enough to smash a zombie's head in, no one really complained. "We can do pancakes to celebrate! They're kind of like cake! There's even cake in the name!"

Ren murmured agreement, feeling Nora was close to sleep now that her worries about celebratory sweets had been settled. It would be a long night without her to talk to -they normally took watch together- but he knew she could use the sleep. She did too much running around, used more energy than she had throughout all their trips. And then she refused to sleep until she was sure that everyone else would be able to get some rest.

It was a relief that she was actually getting some sleep.

Ren sighed quietly, resting his head on Nora's as he listened for anything going wrong outside. Hiding inside as they were, sounds were all he had to go by… and at least Jaune would make enough noise to wake even Nora up from her deep sleep if trouble came around.

Oscar stirred, just enough to catch Ren's attention, then Nora curling up closer to him. Smiling softly, knowing no one could see, Ren pulled Nora closer to him, finding peace in her instead of in sleep.

()~~()~~()~~()~~()

It had been a long week, packing the rest of their food and slowing their pace to make sure that Oscar didn't get himself eaten by zombies on their way home. But they had gone slowly, ensuring their survival, looking for other humans, continuing their mission to find food… and they were finally home.

Well, as much of a home as anyone could have in times like these. But there were roofs, friends who were a reminder that good things were still around, and safety behind the walls. It was certainly a better option than being out there alone.

And they were all still together. That was always a plus.

Nora helped Oscar out of the truck with a grin, laughing when he froze in shock. He probably hadn't seen this many people in one space at one time in a while, so it was easy to see his confusion. Having become quick to claim a space as Oscar's surrogate big sister, Nora dragged him around, introducing him to everyone, eyes lighting up with glee when Oscar became an instant celebrity.

He might have gotten separated, but Qrow of all people wouldn't have gotten killed by zombies. He was probably on his own mission, or looking for his young companion… which meant that Qrow would have to come back and check in with his nieces and the other adults.

That was something to celebrate.

Hours later, finally in their own rooms, Nora stretched out by their window, not bothered by the bleak landscape. "Well, that was a good run! Lots of food, some extra supplies, an extra hand, and signs that Qrow is alive! I think we've earned our break!"

"Mm-hmm." Ren rolled his shoulders, placing his bag calmly on his bed. Jaune and Pyrrha had chosen to walk off some of the after-run energy, leaving the two alone in the room.

It wasn't anything new, or uncomfortable. As much as he liked the other two, Ren was always more at ease with Nora than anyone else. Sitting next to Nora, he didn't move when Nora linked their fingers, relaxing as he couldn't with anyone else.

Their relationship was so simple, so easy in that they didn't need to talk about it. They didn't need to stress over what they were to each other, how they felt. But it was also so complicated because they couldn't talk about it. How could they, when they could die at any time? How could they work to define a relationship that was already so clear and simple? Wouldn't that just jinx what was already working?

Ren was pulled out of his thinking when Nora's grip tightened on his hand, a loud gasp managing to escape as she stared out the window. "Ren!"

He looked down to see Jaune and Pyrrha talking by one of the few trees that was still standing tall in the walls. "What?"

"They're holding hands!" Nora hissed, pointing with her free hand, eyes wide and excited. "They're holding hands Ren! They've never held hands before!"

Ren blinked, noticing what Nora was so excited about. He wasn't sure how she had noticed it, but he didn't doubt her romance-detector. She was near fanatical about Jaune and Pyrrha's relationship, whatever it was. "…Okay?"

Nora sighed, detecting her partner's lack of understanding with disappointment. She would have to be the only one excited then… "Oh man…"

The words were breathed out with even more disappointment as she shook her head. "This is a call for celebration Ren…"

Half expecting her to demand pancakes, Ren opened his mouth to just agree, to get ready to make the demanded treats, he was torn between being amused or surprised at what came out instead.

"I really regret eating that Twinkie!"

…No, I did not watch Walking Dead as I watched this. I mean, there is no spoiler here, but you know… Walking Dead. Good show, good show. Also, baby. There is a teeny baby at my house and I am happy. And distracted. Very very distracted. But my AU is here, feel free to request one if you want a particular one, and all that fun stuff!

Also, I'm not quite sure what to do with Oscar. Right now, I'm in a state where I'm gonna have the best of both worlds and have him and Pyrrha, but I might go more season 4 AU eventually. I don't know. I need more Baby Oz (my name for Oscar) to decide what it'll change as I write more stuff. I mean, I really like Pyrrha, so I'll still use her in stuff, but I have more people now… anyway, I'm sleepy and have work in the morning, so I'm gonna head off. Thanks so much for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter!