I've been a total space head atm - I'd like to thank all my fantastic reviewers - YOU GUYS ROCK!

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

Thirty-Two

Ebony and I were on guard duty in the tower for the afternoon leading into the evening. Despite the times we were living in all I could think of was how much like before the apocalypse this was. Whenever I was home we would sit on the couch and just talk and talk and talk until we were practically asleep-I needed to know everything from the moment she was separated from us to what she had been doing now. I also needed to know who the African American was with the sword to which Ebony said that she would explain when we had a chance.

Well now here was our chance.

"Tell me everything," I urged her as I stared out the scope I was using as a binocular.

Ebony sat her rifle up against the bench and sighed. "Well I told you that I crawled out from underneath the heard. There was so many of them, PJ. Grabbing at me and each other, I was able to crawl out from underneath them and I ran for days. I made my way back to the highway but Herschel's truck had been abandoned and the fuel was gone. I couldn't stay long so I went back to the cabin where I stayed for a few days. A herd forced me to move on."

I continued listening. "Go on," I nodded.

Ebony sighed. "I was almost walker chow when someone stabbed the walker in the head. When I looked up John was standing there with his hand out-I knew who he was the moment I saw him. I've seen those photos and that one time I saw him at the Christmas party." She sighed, "John and Merle took me to Woodbury. I met the Governor and everyone else, they were all nice, but they weren't you…"

"I missed you," I whispered.

"I missed you," Ebony replied. "I wanted to be out there every single day to look for you," she continued. "Then one day the Governor comes and tells me they found her body…she was a walker…John said he had to put her down, I wanted to see it but they said they burnt her…"

"Should have been your first clue," I mumbled. "John would always let you see the body. He judges reactions based on fear and sadness. Easier to manipulate…he learnt that from my father."

"I thought I loved him," Ebony whispered. "He was always so good to me…there were moments where he scared the crap out of me but-"

"Can you say ex-boyfriends for seven hundred dollars?" I judged her.

Ebony rolled her eyes.

I reached out and squeezed her hand. "I let you go," I whispered. "I should have never let you go…"

Ebony shook her head. "You said it yourself…they would have tipped the Jeep…I let go."

I stared at her, stunned. "What? No-"

"I let you go," she assured me. "The safety of my daughter is paramount over everything else…I just wish she would talk to me."

"Give her time," I suggested. "Whilst you've been living in the safety of Woodbury-we've been running from a herd of two hundred head for eight months. It's been hard. Really hard, Jade will come around when she's comfortable enough." I patted her shoulder, "she loves you-you know that."

Ebony nodded. "Yeah I know…It's just I've missed her so much. I want to sleep curled up next to her and not in a cell next to her."

"It will happen," I assured her. "Just let it flow. Ok?"

Ebony sighed. "Ok…I love you."

"I love you," I replied as we bumped fists and made little explosions with our hands.

"Speaking of," Ebony started, changing the subject. "Why aren't you in there strip teasing Officer Grimes?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Babe-Judith is three days old…Lori died three days ago after I cut her open to remove her baby. He may have kissed me in Woodbury but as far as I'm concerned he'll come to me when he's ready. Not when you need to listen to my sex life and not when I'm ready. When he's ready."

"I've done duty before," Ebony smirked. "Go-go have some fun with the police man…see if he still has his handcuffs."

I punched her in the arm. "You're a dork." I turned back to my scope, "and no offence but Officer Grimes still doesn't trust you and Matthew so I have to stay. I'm second-in-command here so I have to trust in what our leader says."

"So essentially you're First Lady of the Prison," Ebony smirked.

"Eb's-you want an arrow in your face?" I asked her.

Ebony cracked up laughing. "Just face the music my honey. You're First Lady of the Prison now, Rick's got his eye on you. You should have seen how he looked at you when you were holding Judith. And the added bonus of Carl hugging you and how he acts around you-kid's giving you the go ahead."

I shook my head. "Unbelievable, Eb's. So tell me about this Michonne."

Ebony launched herself into a tale of how Merle found Andrea and Michonne in the woods-Andrea was almost dead from the flu apparently. Ebony had been so happy to see her thinking that she knew something but the blonde knew nothing. Merle had been sent out after Michonne when she escaped the town but reported back falsely that she had died. Neither John or the Governor were concerned-they just wanted to know what the prison was. The two of us continued trading stories until Matthew and Carol came to relive us of guard duty. When we returned back to Cell Block C, Ebony flashed me a wink and disappeared into her cell to get some shut eye. The last thing I heard from my best was her crying herself to sleep. I shook my head and deposited my weapons on the top of the bunk before giving myself a wash down with the water that Beth had placed in my cell for me. When I was semi-clean and dressed in my pyjamas, I set out to looking for Rick to tell him everything Ebony had told me. I found our leader in his cell down below just putting Judith to sleep. Someone-most likely Beth or Carl had found a box and written Little Ass Kicker on the side-man I missed my partner in crime.

"How is she?" I asked, scaring the crap out of Rick.

"Hungry," he answered honestly. "I don't know what we would have done if you and Daryl hadn't gone looking for supplies."

I shrugged. "Protect and defend-" pausing with a grin, I shook my head, "sorry-that's your motto." I leant against the cell door, "I've got some information from Ebony-you should know everything you can about the Governor and my brother John."

Rick raised an eyebrow. "Your brother John?" he quoted.

I nodded. "He and the twins-Michael and Matthew hooked up with the Governor-Matthew is the one that is one duty with Carol. Matt's got a moral compass cleaner that a priest. He's also an engineer so he'll help us sort this place out."

Rick nodded. "What can you tell me about John?"

"Pure psychopath," I answered truthfully. "My parents pretty much let him do whatever he wanted with the rest of us since he'll be the next head of the family. God," I sighed, "he gave me more broken bones than any enemy solider or drill ever did. The Marine Corps sure knows how to spit out its psychopaths. John will be the one we need to look out for. The Governor is just a spoilt child crying over someone stealing a toy that's not even his."

"You could have been killed," Rick spoke.

I shrugged. "In case you haven't noticed Rick-life holds no guarantees these days. I'm resigned to my fate-if and when it happens the last bullet will be for me.

He shook his head. "PJ-I care about you."

"I know," I replied. "I may be resigned to dying but I am not going to be some rebound lay. When you're ready for me Rick you come and get me. Not before." I shook my head as I talked. "There's no way I want you to avoid me for the rest of our very short life because you think you made a mistake."

He just stared at me.

"We'll finish this tomorrow," I declared. I walked over to Judith's makeshift crib and leant in to kiss her on the head. "Live long and prosper, Little Ass Kicker," I whispered. I rubbed her head and turned to leave however Rick was standing behind me.

"You're not some rebound lay," Rick assured me before he backed me up against the wall and started kissing me.

"Than what am I?" I managed to get out in between kisses.

"Someone that I care about very much," he disclosed. "Someone I'd like to try to be with even after everything that's happened. But that's up to you. You can turn me away now but I know what I want."

"How can you?" I frowned.

Rick patted his chest. "I feel it." He took my hand and placed it on the skin over his heart. "Can you feel it?"

"Show me," I whispered. "Show me, Rick. Show me what you know you want, show me what I want." I stared into those grey-blue eyes and kissed him much slower this time. Finally, was all I could think when he started pulling at my clothes.