++++++ I do not own the Walking Dead or any affiliated characters apart from my OC's ++++++

Nine

Andrea and I had been doing shots all the way through the memorial ceremony for that farm hand Otis. According to Andrea, the man had been the one that had shot Carl-something I knew nothing about-and he had 'sacrificed' his life to bring the medicine to Carl to save him.

That sounded fifty different types of suspicious if you asked me.

And no one was.

I actually liked Andrea. Once upon a time she used to be a civil rights lawyer before the world ended. She told me that she and her sister Amy-who was twelve years younger than herself. Apparently they were on a road trip, heading back to Amy's collage when they were stranded in Atlanta and rescued by Dale.

I could have opened up about my family but I had no idea where anyone was. Mum and dad were one a cruise somewhere when wildfire was declared, three out of six brothers were in Iran, one was in England on loan to MI6 and the other two had been stationed at Fort Benning. That was all I knew of my family apart from Ebony and Jade.

Andrea was very forthcoming with a lot of information about this group-that's the thing. If you're smart enough to ply certain people with alcohol, they will tell you anything that you need to know about anyone. I'd done it with Ebony once about two years ago-girl was very forthcoming with a tone of information she would never have told me.

After the memorial ceremony, I found Rick talking with Herschel. The two men were talking in hushed but angry tones about Daryl taking a horse without being asked and Rick keeping his people out of the house. There was a long list of things that Herschel didn't like about the group but the three of us-weren't on it.

I leant against an abandoned piece of farm machinery and cleared my throat. Both men turned to stare at me. I grinned, "sorry to interrupt but I'd like to start on those lessons now if I were you."

"Lessons?" Hershel asked the two of us.

"Hand-to-hand combat," I explained to Herschel. "I could teach you, if you want."

Herschel laughed. "PJ-I am far too old for that."

"Suit yourself," I shrugged. "Come on Rick."

Rick chuckled and followed me to a section of land near the small tent city. "So what exactly are you planning on doing?" he asked me. "Because I still can't see how this will help me against the walkers."

"Oh it won't," I laughed. "Think of it more as last minute insurance. Works great against people. I assume you know how to disarm a person?"

"I was a cop," Rick replied, a slight smirk on his face.

I removed all of my weapons and sat them on the hood of the Jeep. "Weapons, Rick," I ordered. "The less sharp pointy things we have on us the better. I don't fancy adding more scars to the ones I already have."

Rick removed his weapons and his jacket and sat them down with all my gear. "You know I've had my fair share of female suspects and I've handled them all very well."

"Well aren't you cocky?" I asked him. "Ok, give me your best shot. Or would you prefer I insult you a little bit to make it feel like you're gonna arrest me?"

He shook his head. "No, thank you." Rick came at me, I could see the hesitancy in his actions so I tangled my leg up behind his and flipped his legs out from right underneath him. Rick landed on the ground with a thud. He groaned in pain and stared up at me. "Ok-I hesitated."

I smirked. "Hesitate and you're dead." I offered Rick my hand and helped him to his feet. "Ok let's try this again."

This time Rick came at me and I ducked before using the significantly smaller weight of my body to throw him off balance. He landed on the ground a second time and by this time we had an audience. Lori stood there with a sour look on her face but her eyes were stuck on Shane. Rick grabbed my leg and pulled me down on the ground.

"Getting distracted?" he asked me.

I lashed out, elbowing Rick in the ribs and pressed my arm against his throat. "I'm gonna go ahead here and quote Lord of the Rings," I whispered in his ear. "You have no power here…" I smirked before jumping to my feet.

Rick got to his feet. "I don't feel comfortable hitting at a girl," he informed me.

"They're just breasts, Rick," I snorted. "Did you know that the ancient Brit's used to fight completely in the nude and covered in blue pain? Cause I can strip and run around in blue paint."

"I don't need that image," Rick laughed.

"You sure?" I smirked. I winked at him. The two of us seemed to be engaging in a battle of witty banter with the occasional punch thrown in. Rick grabbed my arm and twisted a little but I grabbed him, he kicked the side of my knee and sent the two of us tumbling to the ground. I kneed Rick in the side of the head and straddled his chest whilst he was dazed enough.

Rick stared up at me from in between my thighs. "Can you get off me?" he murmured.

I laughed at him. "Sure thing…officer," I smirked seconds before a gunshot rang out across the farm. "What the-?" I gasped, jumping to my feet. I grabbed my gun and flipped off the safety. Following Rick I ran close behind him, stopping when we found Daryl bleeding out on the ground from a gunshot wound to the head.

I stood back whilst Rick checked Daryl for any more wounds, Ebony came running over with Shane and Dale, one of the first aid kits in her hands. I could see Andrea standing on top of the RV with a rifle in her hands. Great, I thought, who let the drunk have a gun?