A/N: So, continuing past season 2 has taken the lead, and if I'm honest… I'm not too excited by that. Ignoring the fact that my motivation is sporadic as hell, not only was I determined to make this the first story I ever finished, but I was honestly excited for the idea of non-canonical oneshots. To tell the truth, I genuinely don't know if I have the motivation to actually extend this story past season 2, but regardless, the readers have spoken so far, and I'm a man of my word.

However, I will say this: thanks to an idea proposed by one Typical Revolution, who is a reader of mine on Ao3, this story is ending at Season 2 regardless. If I continue this story past season 2, it's going to be with sequels, not a massive story trying to cover the entire series.

My main goal is to finish out the events of Season 2 and, more importantly, the arcs I've created for the characters in this story. I will say this though, I do have ideas in my head for future seasons since that seems to be the direction we're heading in, and I assure you, whatever work I put into them, I will bust my ass to make sure they are more than worth it, because the future seasons are where things are gonna get crazy.

Anyway, that's enough for now, on with the story!


Shane

I did what John said. I've been sitting here with Carl for a while, just watching him, making sure he's alright, that he's sleeping okay. And I'm giving everyone some time to cool off.

I ain't seen much of Lori or Rick, so I'm assuming they're having their discussion about everything that just occurred, everything that Rick now knows. I'd like to hope that everything will be okay but despite John's words… Nothing's gonna be the same. I know that much.

I just gotta hope it doesn't cause problems for the group.

In the meantime… I sit here with Carl, and just… watch.

When he was born, Rick and Lori were so happy. Hell, I was happy to see them happy. Rick was having his first kid, and that's a milestone in life that anyone would be happy for.

For most of his life, I was always that cool Uncle Shane, you know? I'd sneak him drinks and snacks and spoil the boy rotten when his parents weren't looking, but I was always fine watching someone else's kid, especially the kid of my best friend.

But watching over him ever since Rick went into a coma and the dead started walking, I've come to see Carl as my own. I know I'm not his father, never will be, and I would never take that from Rick. But it doesn't change the fact that Rick, Lori, Carl… all three of them are the closest thing to family I have left in this world.

It's sad. I'd never put much thought into the idea of having a family of my own before. I liked being in the police force, and settling down never really was something I considered. But taking care of Carl and Lori, and that shit that happened between me and Lori…

It's sad. The dead have started walking and now is when I actually put some stock into the idea of a family of my own.

But… I don't think that'll happen for while, if ever. So I can take some comfort in the fact that I at least got a couple of people to take care of.

John, for example. He's not some superhero, he's not just a superhuman. All that strength of his doesn't matter, because no matter how powerful he is, beneath it all is a seventeen year-old kid who's lost damn near everything. He doesn't struggle to survive, he struggles to find a reason to live.

And even though I ain't known him that long… I wanna do everything I can to keep him safe, to take care of him. I see him as my own too. Hell, something tells me I'm not the only one. Sophia damn near idolizes him, and Carl thinks of him like an older brother, I'll bet. Hell, everyone here seems to have a soft spot for him, if I had to wager.

Sometimes, it throws me off, when he gives advice because despite the fact that he's only seventeen years old, you'd think he has years of life experience. John has the same kind of temperament any other kid his age would, but that strength gives him a sense of responsibility you'd be hard pressed to find in anyone else. Makes me wonder, honestly just how much he's really seen, even before the outbreak.

Every once in a while, I'll find myself thinking about when we all asked him questions back on the road after we left the CDC. A lot of questions were answered, but the whole thing he said about his powers… what happened to him? That'll eat away at me every once in a while.

Sure, it ain't any of my business, but I sometimes wonder what the hell happened to him. After that whole thing with Ed back at the quarry, I kind of figured his life wasn't the happiest growing up, and considering Superhumans don't get abilities through any sort of fun way… is getting beat how he got his powers, or was it something else?

I don't know. I do know that it kind of messes with me, though.

But, no point in dwelling on it. John doesn't want to talk about it, and I'm not gonna try and go behind his back or anything to find out. It's none of my business anyway. Sure, I've entertained the idea of asking Rachel, but usually, I toss the thought out immediately. I'm not gonna put a teenager in that position, not even mentioning that pissing off a girl who can fry my ass with questions about her best friend is about as far from a good idea as it can get.

Believe it or not… sometimes it's easy to forget that they're superhumans. Don't get me wrong, we're not oblivious to it, but they're still a couple of kids. And despite moments of wisdom that you would expect from someone much older than them, they act just like kids most of the time. Hell, John's first day at the camp, he found himself playing tag with the kids.

Despite the hardships they've both been through, they act like the kids they are, cracking jokes, making mistakes, and just having fun where they can get it. You see them walking by, being normal- well, as normal as you can be in the world these days, and they look like ordinary kids.

And then John lugs a car around or Rachel lights a fire with her hand. And just like that, you remember the kind of abilities they have. That other people in this world have.

Suddenly the world feels a lot less safe than it was before… but then comes the reminder that we've been blessed with a God-given miracle. Because John and Rachel aren't just normal superhumans. Rachel is the Flamethrower and John's the Juggernaut.

We got two of the most well known superhumans in our group, known for their power and efficiency, and we got them by pure luck.

If there is such a thing as divine intervention… this is certainly it.

I'm thrown from my thoughts when I hear the sound of a door opening, and I don't know who I'm expecting, but admittedly…

"Hey." Rick says as he walks in, slowly, taking each footstep with an audible tap. His expression is guarded, I can tell that, but I honestly can't notice anything else.

Honestly, I'm surprised he's here. I'd have figured he'd want to stay as far away from me as he could for the time being. It's not like our last interaction was exactly pleasant.

"Hey." I say back slowly, keeping my weary gaze trained on him as he steps closer into the room before I turn my gaze back to Carl.

"Have you been in here for the past few hours?" Rick asks me, and that makes my eyes fly wide, my eyebrows shooting to my hairline as my gaze snaps to him.

"A few hours?" I can't help but ask in disbelief. "It ain't been that long, has it?"

At that, Rick actually grins, before he looks out the window. "You really zoned out, didn't you?"

I follow his view, and I see that the sun is beginning to set, a brilliant orange color in the sky rather than the vibrant blue of a clear day.

"Shit." I honestly can't help it when I grin too, and I turn to look at Rick as he meets my own eyes. "Guess I got lost in thought."

At that, Rick lets out that little quiet laugh he has, before his grin fades. "Yeah…"

I got a pretty good idea of what kind of conversation we're about to have, and I'm honestly not sure we should be having it here, in front of Carl. Whether he's asleep or not.

But I don't get to say anything.

"So… how long?" Rick asked, not even looking at me. Instead, he raises his eyes to meet the view of the sun shining through the window.

I don't need to question what he means.

"Not too long after we got to the quarry." I answer with a sigh, feeling guilt gnaw at me like a pack of piranhas. "And it ended right when you got to the quarry."

Rick doesn't respond at first, simply nodding his head in silence as he takes in what I said. I almost add on the obvious 'we thought you were dead', but honestly? That probably doesn't justify the fact that me and Lori got together pretty damn quickly if I'm being honest.

"How long was I in the hospital?" Rick finally asks, still refusing to look at me.

I take a few moments to decide my response because I'm not particularly sure what exactly he's asking.

"About… five months when we started. Ten months in total."

Once again, Rick gives a silent nod, before his head falls slightly and he lets a puff of air escape his lips. "Lori told me about the same." He finally said, before turning his head to look at me. "How deep does it go?"

I look at Rick for a moment, before letting out a sigh and leaning back in the chair, taking my gaze away from Rick and looking up in the air at nothing in particular, my eyes meeting the ceiling. "Being honest? I do actually feel something for her still, despite the way it might have seemed earlier… but I'm not stupid, and I hate that I was that kind of man. She's your wife Rick. You're my best friend. I shouldn't have… I shouldn't have had anything with her."

Even though I'm not looking at him, I can feel Rick's eyes on me, staring at me. What's it they say? I can feel his gaze boring into my soul?

I don't really know where me and Rick will stand after this… but I'm not gonna lie to him. Hell, keeping it a secret as long as we did only made the guilt worse, and it was only… five days ago now?

I'm a piece of shit.

"It lines up with what Lori told me." Rick says with a sigh, leaning back in his chair as well from what I can hear. "I guess I'm still just… processing it."

"Wanna punch me in the jaw?"

"Hmm… not sure."

At that, I can't help but chuckle. That's Rick for you. He's got quite a bit of restraint. A lot more than me. When we were with the force before all this, I was usually the one who would crack a guy and knock him the hell out and be done with it, while Rick was the talker. If I'm being honest, Rick was usually the one keeping me in check. In the time between Rick going into a coma and the virus hitting, it's a wonder I kept a cool head as much as I did.

Maybe because I was always asking myself what Rick would do. It's why I didn't immediately try and blow Gary to hell when he shot Paul, right about when the virus really hit. Last I remember, Gary and Leon were staying at the station while I went to pick up Rick. Speaking of which…

"You said you went back to the police station?" I'm not even gonna try to deny the fact that I'm trying to change topics for a bit. If Rick's gonna sit here with me, I'd rather not feel like I'm walking on glass. Or rather, sitting. "Did you get those guns from Leon and Gary?" I ask as I look at him.

"Gary? Gary Taylor?" At that, Rick turns to look at me in confusion. "Patty's dad? Your ex-girlfriend?"

At that, I can't help it when a cloud of sadness overwhelms me at the mention of Patty.

"Yeah, that Gary."

Rick being Rick, he picks up on the sadness within me.

"What's wrong?"

"Patty was the second walker I killed." I admit to him as I let my head roll back to face the ceiling. "Her boyfriend, Paul, turned somehow. He attacked Patty, bit her I guess, don't know exactly what happened, and I didn't have time to see the wound. I was outside his place talking to Miss Heller, and we heard when Gary blew his head off, and at the time, I wasn't sure what was going on, so I had to convince him to let me take him to the station."

"Damn…" At that, Rick looks genuinely apologetic. "I… I didn't know."

"How could you?" I can still remember that day clearly, every second, because that was the same day I went to pick up Rick, and ended up believing he was dead. "Patty came in to try and convince me to let Gary go, and we had Robb Spanner in the cell with Gary at the time. What we didn't know, was that Spanner was turning. He killed Don and nearly killed Gary before I killed the fucker. Leon went to check on Patty, and… she had already turned."

Me and Patty… we broke things off, but whether she knew or not, she still held a part of me that I'd given her and never took back. Killing her… it was one of the many hard things that happened that day.

"You killed her?" Rick guesses, and I nod my head.

"Had to shove Gary out of the way, and lining up the shot was a lot harder than usual considering the history me and Patty shared, but in the end, I put her down. As hard as it was, to this day, I'm thankful I did. If I'd have left her as a walker… I'd have hated myself all the more."

Rick nods his head, silent for a moment, before sighing. "I'm sorry, Shane." He says, sincere in his words. "I know you still held a torch for her."

"Yeah…" I nod my head slowly. Talking about Patty is just bringing up more bad memories. "Anyway, before I left, Leon and Gary said they were gonna stay at the station, where they thought it was safest."

"Well, they were wrong if I had to guess." Rick says with a shake of his head. "I didn't see Gary or Don, so I'm assuming Don turned, but I put Leon down before we left the station."

"We?" I pick up on that, and it confuses me. I thought Rick was alone up until John got him out of that tank.

"I went home after I woke up." Rick explains. "Met a guy and his kid, Morgan and Duane. Duane mistook me for a walker and knocked me upside the skull with a shovel."

At that, I can't help but chuckle. "Couldn't catch a break, could you?" I almost immediately regret the words, as current events spring to my mind.

But to my surprise, Rick lets out the first genuine laugh he's given since he came in. "I woke up in the middle of the apocalypse." He says as he looks at me with a raised brow. "What do you think?"

At that, I can't help but laugh right along with him.

"Anyway, it was them who taught me how to survive." Rick admits. "Every day when I get up, I take my radio, and I try to get ahold of him, just like I promised, telling him everywhere I've been, where we're at as best as I can."

I look at him for a moment, waiting for him to continue. But he doesn't. Instead, he turns to look at me. "So, what'd you do when you left the station?" He asks me, and I can't help it when my face falls, guilt eating at me once more.

"I came to pick you up." I answer, and at that, silence befalls us at the unintended, but very clear, reminder of the current situation.

Rick's expression falls, and he averts his gaze one more, as do I, and nothing else is said between us…

For a couple of minutes, we just sit there in silence, neither of us really sure what to say, how to start up another conversation, or, more importantly, address the giant pink elephant holding a 'kick me' sign in the room.

And then… Rick speaks.

"You two thought I was dead." Rick says with a sigh, sitting up straight as he turns to look at me, causing me to force myself to meet his gaze. "I know that. I shouldn't be mad, and I don't think I am. I can't thank you enough for keeping Carl and Lori both safe. But… it just hurts, knowing that my wife and my best friend had an affair."

I can't help but wince when it's all blatantly laid out, but I keep silent, letting him continue speaking.

"I think what it boils down to… is I just need to process everything." He says before his gaze turns stern. "But it better never happen again."

"Never." I reply, and I mean it. I really do. Whatever I may or may not feel for Lori, nothing can come of it anymore, or ever.

Rick stares me down for a moment, before he nods slowly, his expression softening. "Alright." He says with a sigh. "Now all that's left is for you two to make up."

I can't help the humorless chuckle that escapes me. "Yeah, I don't know if that's gonna happen. Lori's hated me since you came back, and she probably hates me even more with the way I told you."

"Maybe." Rick admits. "But we're a group, and I'll tell you what I told Merle: The world's different now. We survive this by pulling together, not apart."

I look at him for a few moments, because he is completely right. Yet… my response is something completely different.

"Was this before or after John laid him out?"

At that, Rick grins. Really grins.

"After."


John

So, Shiela and my little walk took a helluva lot longer than expected, but then again, this is a big place, and honestly, we weren't talking for all of it. A lot of the time, we'd just go silent, and enjoy hanging out with each other again. Sometimes, different topics would come up, like old memories, things we wanted to do before when we got older, or, in Shiela's case, what powers would fit Shiela if she became a superhuman.

Now, we're making our way back to the main area of the camp, smiles on both of our faces as we walk back. These past few hours have been more fun than I could've imagined, so much so that I almost forget the events that occurred before I got back to the camp.

Almost.

However, as we make our way back, we spot Rachel sitting on the picnic table, facing away from the table itself, looking as if she's in deep thought.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what, and suddenly, my happy mood disappears to one of uncertainty as we come closer. Rachel's gaze moves towards us in response to the sound of our approach, and almost immediately, her eyes meet mine.

"Hi, Rachel!" Shiela says in a happy tone, oblivious to the tension in the air as she walks up to the brunette. "What are you doing right now?"

At Shiela's words, Rachel gives a smile that looks both genuine and forced at the same time as she looks at my little sister. "Nothing, Shiela. Just… thinking, for the time being."

"About what?" Shiela presses a habit that unfortunately runs in the family. Even I do it at times without meaning to.

I rest a hand on Shiela's shoulder and give her a smile when she looks up at me. "Why don't you go find Sophia? You can tell her all about the day me and you had together. Me and Rachel need to talk." I give Shiela the truth, albeit only a sliver of it, and Shiela immediately nods. That clued her in that something was going on between me and Rachel, but she also knows better than to try and press me for answers of all people.

So, she nods her head, and the look of suspicion that appeared on her face for a second disappears in place of a smile as she nods.

"Okay, I'll see you at dinner!" She says, and with that, she turns and walks off.

Once she's out of earshot, I turn to look at Rachel once more and find myself staring into her eyes.

Those beautiful hazel eyes…

I snap myself out of my stupor and wordlessly move to take a seat next to her, her eyes following me as I take a seat. For what feels like forever, no words are spoken between us, just a tense silence as neither of us are sure what to say, how to even broach the subject that needs to be addressed.

I find my gaze focusing on my hands as they clench together, my forearms resting on my knees. I find myself studying every little hair, every little crease in the skin of my knuckles… basically, anything to distract myself from the impending conversation.

Funny. I've faced down psychopathic superhumans, had actual trees and boulders thrown at me, I've been mutilated for an experiment… and yet, it's a conversation that makes me nervous.

Because this is a deeply personal conversation that we need to have.

And finally, one of us speaks.

"Do you regret it?" Rachel asks softly, her voice a far cry from the normally confident pyrokinetic girl she usually is, almost like she's scared to ask. The question catches me off-guard before I shake my head. I don't regret it. Not a single bit.

"No." My voice is so low that I honestly surprise myself when I speak.

The silence befalls us once more, and honestly calling it tense doesn't sound like the right word. It never did. It's just uncomfortable.

So, I decided to speak first this time, returning her question.

"Do you?"

She doesn't respond for a few moments, causing me to just barely turn to look at her out of the corner of my eye. Her head is facing away from me, her hair obscuring her face. And when she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper.

"It was everything I could've dreamed of."

Now that causes me to sit up straight, my eyes flying wide as saucers as I look at her in surprise. Out of everything she could've said, that definitely caught me off-guard.

"Wha… What?" I can't help but ask in disbelief.

Slowly, Rachel's head drifts back towards me, meeting my gaze.

And I can't help but be surprise when I see her tear-filled eyes.

"I feel so guilty." Rachel admits, her already saddened expression twisting into one of absolute anguish as her hands grip her knees with a more than likely unhealthy amount of force. "I've liked you for so long… but I've only been back a day, and I feel like I just spit in Maddie's face."

The utter disbelief that goes through me with each word that leaves her mouth… because everything she's saying…

It's exactly how I feel.

"What do you mean… it was everything you could've dreamed of?" I can't help but ask slowly, propping a hand on one leg while resting an elbow on the other, turning to face her fully. I'm not judging her, I'm simply curious.

Rachel brings her hands up, trying to wipe away the tears in her eyes with the palms of her hands, but even I can see it's a fruitless venture, her body shuddering as she hiccups.

"I… I like you a lot, John. Really like you" Rachel finally says, bringing her gaze to meet my own wide eyes as best as she can through her tears. "I-I think I… I think I love you."

And that… that stuns me.

I can only stare, jaw-dropped, practically inviting flies into my mouth as I stare at her. I'm… I'm not sure how to respond… how do I respond? I opt for the only response I think is acceptable at the moment: close my jaw, stay silent, and let her continue.

"It started when we were training you, and it just… grew from there." Rachel continues, letting her hands drop to her knees once more. "So many times I wanted to ask you out, ask you for a date, tell you how I feel… but Maddie admitted to me once that she loved you. And if anyone deserved you, it was her." She sucks in a deep breath, trying to reign in her emotions from what I gather, with little success. "So I kept my trap shut and tried to ignore my feelings. I was content with being your best friend, even though as time went on my feelings only got stronger… but I thought it was just a serious crush, not love, not like you and Maddie had… and… and then…" It looks as if Rachel is struggling with her emotions, struggling to say what she feels she needs to.

I let a hand come up and gently rub circles upon her back, trying to reassure her, to let her know that everything's alright, that she can tell me what she needs to.

Rachel takes in yet another deep breath, her eyes refusing to meet my gaze as she continues speaking. "When my powers overloaded, when we thought I was going to die, I wanted you all to just dump me somewhere and be done with it, but there you were, fighting against me, against Alex, even Peter about the option until it became obvious that it was the only one left, and even then, you sat with me and carried me when I passed out." She continues once more, swallowing a little. "I wanted to tell you so badly about my crush, but I didn't think it would be right, or appropriate, because you were with Maddie, but I found out everything from Peter after I woke up, and I… I realized that I had real feelings for you. Not just a crush, an infatuation, an attraction… whether it was love or something predating that, whatever I felt for you was real."

My expression softens as she recounts that time, and lays bare the things I didn't know, I never would've guessed.

"And now I feel like I just ruined it all!" Rachel's emotions finally boil over, her hands coming up to her face in shame as she begins to sob, quiet enough to not draw attention, but loud enough that it's clear she's struggling with this.

I thought our actions were hitting me hard, but the aftermath is wreaking complete and utter havoc upon Rachel in ways I never could've predicted. I… I never could've imagined how deep this really goes.

I was wondering if this was just a one time thing, or something more… but Rachel has been scared that she may have ruined what relationship she did have by acting even remotely on her feelings. Feelings that I had no idea existed.

I can't help my own sadness, my own heartache at Rachel's anguish, and I wrap an arm around her and pull her into me in an attempt at a comforting hug, my opposite hand coming up to gently caress her head.

"It's okay, Rachel…" I mutter softly, but it seems that Rachel isn't having it.

"I'm sorry!" Rachel whimpers in between her sobs, hiccuping as she fails miserably to try and maintain what little fragile grip she has left of her emotions. "I shouldn't have… I shouldn't have-!"

"It was my choice too, Rachel." I speak up once more, my voice louder, but still soft, interrupting what was sure to be a self-hating rant. At my words, she quiets down a bit, but the sobs are still prominent in her jerking frame.

My eyes glance up, and I can see a few group members looking at us in confusion and concern. I can see Carol, Jacqui, and Amy looking at us, looking torn between staying out of it and coming to check. I can see Jim in front of the RV, looking ready to march over here. I can see Dale atop the RV, confused worry clear on his face, silent asking what's wrong, asking if he should come down.

I look and each one of them, make eye contact, and shake my head.

No.

They get the hint.

I look back down at Rachel and lean my head closer to hers, and I do the first, and so far, only thing that comes to mind.

I gently kiss the top of her head.

At that, she quiets down, and after a few moments, I remove my hand from her head, though I still hold her close, as she brings a hand up and begins wiping away her tears as best as she can as she brings her gaze up to meet mine.

She looks… she looks broken. She looks like someone has destroyed her whole world.

She thinks that her own actions have destroyed what remains of her world.

But it didn't.

"You know, before me and Maddie got together, I used to think about what it would be like if me and you ever got together." I begin to tell my own story because Rachel just poured her heart out to me for Christ sakes. I'll be damned if I won't do the same. Rachel's eyes widened in surprise, her eyes still shining with tears, but they seemed to have diminished some. I smile at her as I continue. "I mean, you're extremely attractive, Rachel. I'd have someone unfazed and completely unafraid of my strength. And you'd have someone that you didn't have to be scared of hurting."

Rachel goes quiet as my gaze moves away from hers, and I find myself looking up at the sky.

"Those thoughts stopped completely, any attraction basically wiped away when I got with Maddie." I admit to her. "That's just how I work. Once I'm taken, I'm taken, and that's that. But today, those thoughts have popped up a few times, and I've questioned if that makes me a piece of shit. I mean, it's only been one fucking day. Actually, not even that."

Rachel whimpers at the reminder, so I turn to look at her once more, taking in the sight of her beautiful features. Features marred in unseen but obvious pain.

And I give her a soft, reassuring smile.

"Regardless of whether I like it or not, Maddie's not here." I say, my tone saddening a little as well when I mention Maddie. "And the truth is that I may never see her again. If I do, that's good, but I may not… and you know me. I've always been quick to accept reality for what it is." My head slowly leans down, until my head is touching hers, and I find myself staring into her wide hazel eyes. "The truth is… I think I want to give this a shot. Because I do love you. Maybe not the same way I loved Maddie, at least not yet, but that doesn't mean I don't love you at all."

There. I laid it all out. And… as unbelievable as it sounds, it's positively liberating.

I can't believe I actually just used the word 'positively', but then again, since when do the dead walk?

Rachel stares at me, her eyes still bleary, but the tears have stopped, her expression one of… is shellshocked actually a facial expression? Because it perfectly describes Rachel at the moment.

"Do… do you really mean all of that?" Her voice is barely above a whisper, but I hear it clearly enough.

Any other time, I would've made a joke to reassure her.

Not this time…

"I do. Every word." I say with a sincerity that even surprises me, and Rachel can only stare at me for a moment, before smiling, giving a little giggle as she brings her hands up to try and dry her tears once more.

"You have no idea how much that means to me." Rachel says, a relieved, joyful laugh escaping her as she turns to look at me.

At that, I smile, and lean closer, until our faces are inches apart.

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea."

And then, for the second time today, our lips meet.

Only, this time, it's not a passionate, lust-fueled kiss. There's desire there, sure, but it's not sexual in nature. No, this time, it's something else. A longing being fulfilled. A connection that's finally flourishing.

Suddenly, I'm more aware of her body. Not in the sense of sexuality, though. I can feel my hand on the front of her waist, just shy of her belly button. I can feel the way my arm is folded around my lower back. I can feel her small, fit body against me.

Her lips upon my own make me more aware of her presence, and it makes me… happy.

Her presence calms me, makes me happy… that's the best way to put it.

When we separate, Rachel's eyes flutter open, and she looks at me with a gaze I've only ever seen on one other person.

Maddie.

"I love you." She murmurs softly, before her eyes close as she leans into me once more, resting her head in the crook of my neck.

I let my head rest upon the top of hers, making sure my chin isn't poking her head, and a content smile works its way onto my face.

"I love you too." I reply. And regardless of whether it's on the same level as what I had… what I still hold deep inside for Maddie… I do mean it.

We sit there, content with our place for the time being. There's nothing else to deal with. Nothing else matters. It's just… us.

And as my gaze drops down to look at her… I find myself wanting some time alone with her. To show her how much she means to me.

"Wanna head back to the tent?" I ask, pulling my head back so that I can look down at her. She shifts her head so she can look up at me, without pulling away from me whatsoever.

"What for?" Rachel asks curiously, and I give her a small smile, leaning my head down once more, gently touching my head to hers.

"I want to show you how much I love you." I tell her softly, my eyes gazing into hers.

It takes a few moments, but Rachel eventually gets my meaning, and a red hue creeps onto her face as her eyes widen.

"Again? Are… Are you sure?" Rachel asks in surprise, and I nod my head, my hand coming up to her face as I gently run my thumb across her cheek.

I pull my head away from hers ever so slightly and nod my head. "What happened on the run was just lust. I want you to feel loved."

Rachel actually looks a little unsure for a second, like she's nervous, something I take notice of.

"If it makes you uncomfortable, we don't have to." I assure her, turning my gaze to face the rest of the camp. Everyone who was looking at us earlier has returned their focus to their earlier tasks, though I can see smiles on their faces, which makes me guess that they saw everything.

I continue to look for a few moments, before I feel Rachel's hand, smaller and softer than mine, grip my own as she stands to her feet.

"Come on." Rachel says with a small smile, causing me to smile once more as well as I stand to my feet and let her drag me to my tent. Well… our tent.

The tent is far enough away and everyone else is busy enough that we should be able to have some time to ourselves without being disturbed. Sure, there's still a chance that someone walks close by and hears us… but opportunities for this are few and far between. I guess we'll take what we can get.

"It's a good thing it's a safe day." I hear Rachel mumble under her breath, causing me to mutter in amusement.

We clear the distance to the tent in no time, and when we make it, we slip inside, Rachel letting go of my hand so that I can turn around and zip it up.

Once that's done, I turn back to Rachel, who has situated herself on her knees, looking up at me, as if she's nervous.

"You okay?" I ask as sit upon my knees as well, taking a seat in front of Rachel, who nods her head in response.

"Yeah…" She says, before averting her gaze out of… embarrassment? "It's just… this is my first time actually being with someone I like. I used to be so confident in this situation but with you…"

I look at her, my expression softening as I realize that Rachel is genuinely at such a loss at how to begin, completely unsure of what to do.

So… I figure as may as well begin. But first…

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I ask her once more, causing her to turn her face back to me. "Again? Are you really sure?"

Rachel looks at me for a moment, before a grateful smile worms its way onto her face as she slowly nods her head. "It wouldn't be the first time, would it?"

I look at Rachel for a moment, seeing that her joke is a way to alleviate her own nerves, and I decide that maybe I should take the lead on this.

I decided it was best to just go ahead and get ready, try to make her feel comfortable, to feel no false judgment that might be in her mind, and so I begin to remove my clothes.

In this tent, it feels like a little bit of a hassle, but my boots come off first, followed by my socks, and then my shirt, and then my pants.

And as I finish removing my underwear, I sit myself back down in front of Rachel on my knees once more as I toss my undies aside, looking at Rachel with a reassuring smile.

Rachel's face is now a bright red color, wide-eyed as her eyes drift downward towards my penis, before fixing her eyes upon my face.

And all I do is smile.

And that seems to be all Rachel needs.

Slowly, she begins removing her boots as well, resituating on her but so that it's easier, before removing her socks. However, unlike me, she follows them with both her pants and underwear, revealing her shapely, smooth legs to me, as well as her surprisingly still shaved mound, something I didn't get to see during our first time together.

However, I don't question it. No judgment whatsoever.

She resituates herself upon her knees before removing her shirt, followed by her bra, revealing her gorgeous, bountiful breasts to my view.

Unlike my rough skin, every square inch of her body is completely smooth and soft… she looks like one hell of an angel.

Finally, once finished, Rachel sits in front of me on her own knees, her face a bright shade of red as she looks at me with an almost shy gaze.

Our first time, we weren't naked. It was in the heat of the moment, and clothing was merely resituated rather than removed, so this is both our first times actually seeing each other's bodies in their entirety.

When I see the shy look on the normally confident girl's face, I give a soft smile. "You're beautiful, Rachel."

At that, Rachel smiles, before inching closer to me, waddling a little as she tries to walk on her knees.

I feel her soft touch upon my chest when her hand comes up to settle upon it, and my left hand comes up and rests upon her waist.

Her body is so soft… so fragile, and I lower my lips to hers, giving her a tender kiss to reassure her even more if I can. My right hand settles upon her hips, my fingers touching fitting in the curve of her butt, enjoying the feeling of her.

When we separate, Rachel's looking at me, her expression one of question, asking silent permission to continue.

Causing me to give about the millionth smile of the day.

"It's okay, Rachel." I assure her.

Rachel's face softens, and finally, she feels a little more confident, bringing both hands up to brace against the back of my neck, as she leans in once more and plants her lips upon mine.

And what follows… it isn't fueled by lust, by desire.

It's fueled by love.


A/N: And there's the chapter. I was thinking about writing a sex scene, but honestly, I didn't feel the need. I may still do it as a separate story, a one-shot, as I did with my story Hazbin Hotel: The Unexpected Help, but I feel that the point comes across well enough.

One thing I'm not sure if I handled well is Rachel and John's relationship. Despite their wisdom beyond their ages, they're still teenagers, albeit older teenagers, and I wanted to try and convey that as they got together. I wanted it to basically be a rebound of sorts that turns into something real. However, I'm happy enough with how it turned out.

Also, sidenote, the exchange between Rick and Shane about the day Shane left to pick Rick up from the hospital? None of it is my own idea. They are a recount of the events that occurred in The Walking Dead: Dead Reckoning, a comic-style game that takes place… well before Shane goes to get Rick from the hospital. Props to anyone who noticed.

One last thing: Thank you to Typical Revolution for proofreading this chapter. Considering my own issues with grammar, I honestly can't tell you how much I appreciate it.

Anyway, that's all for this chapter, and I'll see you in the next one.