Dead Days
Chapter Seven
For the Best
Hi guys! I managed to get a few chapters written so I've decided to celebrate and update twice this week!
I can't promise this will happen again next week, but at least for this week, you'll get an update today and again Sunday.
Hope you enjoy!
"I can see the truth
No, you don't have to lie
to me
Don't fill your head with
things and think you're free
-Monster by Willyecho
Remington led the convoy down the dirt road toward the white farmhouse. She was back in her vehicle with Shane, Pixel, Nala, and Landon. She drove, even after Shane had suggested he should as he could see the exhaustion creeping in on her. Waking up every couple of hours had left her feeling exhausted from the interrupted sleep but she had to keep pushing on. Soon they would be at the farm and then they would need to prepare a space for all of them to set up their tents. She wanted to keep everyone close. Remington would then need to inform them of the search for a new place while she tried to talk Hershel into letting them stay longer.
She wasn't certain if she would be able to, not without everything happening the way it had before. She wasn't Rick. Sure, certain people seemed to like her, and she had managed to even befriend, and help two people who had been destined to be disliked for their actions. She had managed that.
Surely, talking Hershel into allowing their group to stay on a more permanent basis would be easy.
It was just another change.
Just another change.
Pulling up to the house she parked the car next to the splattering of trees that she remembered the group setting up tents by in the show. She figured it would yet again be the best place for them to camp while they stayed here.
She slid from the car as Daryl rode up, parking next to her, and began to glance around the area. Remington felt herself slipping into a role that was coming easier to her. She grabbed Landon's hand before walking over toward where Lori and Carl were slipping out from Carol's Cherokee.
"I'll lead you to where Rick is," she said. "I've got to talk with Hershel." They began to walk toward the farmhouse but as they passed by Shane and Daryl Remington had them stop. "Daryl you should come with me. Shane, can you have the others hold on until I talk with Hershel? I need to make sure he's okay with this being the spot we set up camp."
"Sure thing, darling," Shane said, easily stepping up to take things over for her. It had been happening slowly over time, but people were beginning to lean more toward Remington when it came to things. She had begun to direct them. They easily and comfortably allowed her to fill the role of leader without anyone other than Lori speaking up against it. "I'll keep 'em busy until you get back."
"Thanks, Shane." She motioned for the others to follow her inside. Maggie glanced over from her place in the kitchen as they entered the house. She began to move toward Remington in a greeting as she eyed the newcomers behind her.
"You guys are back?" she asked with a smile. "Rick and Merle are doing fine. Rick was even awake a little while ago, but daddy gave him some painkillers and he went back to sleep. Maisie is back with Merle telling him all about the animals."
"Animals?" Landon asked, interest shining in his voice. Maggie's eyes fell to where he was holding Remington's hand.
"If your mom is okay with it, I can take you out tomorrow to help with taking care of them. Maisie went with me today." Maggie didn't bother asking if this was okay. In her head, the girl's father had given her permission, and Remington seemed to trust the Greene family and seemed to hold no reservations about Maggie taking the girl places around the farm.
"That would be nice, thank you," Remington said. She squeezed his shoulder as Landon glanced up at her. Most had assumed she was his mother, but no one had come out right and said it. He looked up at her, amazed that someone had stepped up to save him, and then continued to go the extra mile. Remington may have seen him as a child, and someone to protect, but she could have easily dumped him with the next nearest adult as soon as they found more people. Except she hadn't. She had stayed by him, treated him like she would Maisie, and though 'I love you's' had never left her lips, he could see it in the way she looked at him. "Is it okay if I bring Rick's family to see him, and let Merle's brother see him?"
Landon allowed her to gently lead him forward as he frowned and stared at his feet. She hadn't promised him anything aloud, most everything was just assumed, but Landon felt that he had become a part of her family.
He wanted that.
He never wanted to leave Remington and Maisie. Even if that meant he was stuck with Merle for the rest of his life.
"Sure." She motioned toward where the rooms were. "You know where they are. I'll let daddy know your back so you two can talk."
Remington nodded as she began to lead Lori and Carl to the little room that held Rick. She stopped both of them before the door could be open. "Lori." She pitched her voice low just for Lori to hear.
"Rick, he got bit out there." Lori snapped her head up, her eyes turning heated, as she opened to yell something out, only for Remington to silence her before she could. "I took care of his hand to keep the infection from spreading. You don't need Carl to hear about that. It's gonna be hard enough for the boy when he sees it. I just wanted you to be prepared for what you're about to walk in on." Remington reached out to grip Lori's shoulders, forcing her to focus, and pay attention to her. She could see the anger swirling in her eyes. "Your family needs you right now. You can yell at me later."
Remington opened the door, showing where Rick was sleeping on the bed, his stump wrapped and laid carefully on top of the blanket. Carl, upon seeing his father, began to cry and ran over to him. Lori followed closely behind as she collapsed next to her son at her husband's bedside. Remi didn't stick around, allowing the family their privacy, as she closed the door behind her. Turning around she grabbed Daryl's hand and led him and Landon back toward Merle's room.
"Hershel wants to keep him here for another day before letting him go stay out with the rest of us." They walked down the hallway and stopped in front of the door Merle was behind. It had been closed making Remington wonder if he was sleeping. She gently opened the door tugging both Landon and Daryl in after her. On the bed, Maisie sat quietly playing with an old-looking doll. Not something she had ever owned, making Remington believe that Maggie had given it to her to play with. Beside her, Merle was fast asleep looking pale and exhausted.
"Momma," she said softly, her face perking up, as she twisted her body to look at the door. "Landon. Daryl." Her smile broadened as she took in each face, happy to have them all back, but disappointed not to see Shane among them. "Where's Shane?" She frowned but didn't leave her spot next to Merle.
Remington dropped the hand of Daryl as she led Landon over with her to sit in the seat next to Merle's bed. It had been the same La-Z-Boy recliner Maisie had started out sleeping in the night before.
"He's outside. You can go see him if you want." Maisie bit her lip as she glanced over toward the door and then back at Merle. Remington found it surprising that he hadn't woken already due to all of the talking and became worried that he may have exhausted himself if he was sleeping this deeply. She reached out to lay a hand on his forehead, searching for a fever, and not finding one. Relief eased some of the worries. From the look Daryl was sending his brother, he too, felt the same way.
"I'll stay here a little longer," Maisie said, reaching out to hold Merle's hand. "I promised I'd tell him all about the animals, but he got sleepy during it." Remington reached out to brush Maisie's hair away from her eyes as she smiled and nodded.
"I'm sure he'll enjoy that." She turned to Daryl as she spoke. "I need to go speak to Hershel. To clear some things up. Are you going to stay here?"
That intense look was back on his face. He was watching her, his eyes sometimes falling on his brother, and then the children, before settling back on her. Remington felt that warm feeling creep back through her bones and immediately broke eye contact. It frightened her how easy it was to feel this way for not just this man, but two others as well. She reached out to ruffle both kids' hair before telling them that they could go outside but only if they found Shane, or Daryl went with them. She wanted them to get used to the farm and come to understand the new rules of their surroundings, before being given more freedom.
"I'll stay here for a bit," Daryl said. "I'll go out to do the tent after you've set us up a place."
"All right," Remington nodded before she quickly scurried from the room. She felt his eyes on her until she disappeared around the corner and out of sight.
By the time she found Hershel in the kitchen, she was beginning to breathe again and nagging thoughts had eased. Within minutes she had her confirmation and Remington disappeared to go make sure her camp got set up, and her people settled in.
It was easy to guide people into doing what she asked. They looked to her for guidance, and though it had momentarily scared her when she realized this, Remington, as she did with most things in life, fell in line, and adapted to her new role. She talked Dale into setting up the camper in a way that they could use it for watch, and the others began to set up their tents around the bunched-up trees, close to one another.
As she was putting together her own tent, the one she would share with her kids, and dogs, once again, Remington couldn't help but feel a tug of sadness at the thought of no longer sharing a space with the three men. They had made her feel safe and comfortable. Worries over Walkers and people weren't a constant concern on her mind when they were nearby. She wasn't alone in watching out for danger anymore. So, when Shane began to set up his tent right next to hers, Remington couldn't help but feel at ease. Her hopes over Daryl putting the Dixon's tent on the other side of her were dashed when her brother snatched up the area, but it made her feel just at ease. She hated the fact that their relationship had been strained recently. That talk they had back at the cabin had helped but there was still work to do to fix everything.
Remington glanced at the spot across from her tent, noticing it was big enough for the Dixon's tent, and decided to help them out by putting it up for them. She knew Daryl had said he would do it, but Remington wanted to do something helpful for them. Shane had joined her after finishing his own, not speaking at all, but his presence and help caused a burst of warmth to engulf her chest. Butterflies joined the warmth and Remington tried to force the confusing feelings away as she focused on the tasks ahead of her.
She could not be getting distracted.
When the tent was finished Remi smiled in thanks to Shane as she decided it was time to drag their stuff out of the cars. She would need to round everyone up, and explain her plans, as she wanted to keep a couple of packs of mixed supplies in each car just in case, they had to make a fast escape. She remembered how in the show they would lose places and then a substantial portion of their supplies were also just gone as they had to be left behind. That was not something Remington wanted, nor needed, to worry about. They needed to do this properly, and if something were to happen, leaving only the bare basics behind. It would suck having to get new tents, but it was doable. Food, weapons, or meds would not be something Remington easily left because of lack of time.
"Would you mind helping me gather everyone?" Remington asked him. "I'd like to get some things organized now before everyone starts pulling their stuff out."
"No problem," Shane said, reaching out to tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear. Remington felt herself blush at the action. It confused her, how often he made reasons to touch her and melted her insides into a puddle of goo. It was a strange mixture of emotions that would cloud her thoughts, and for a moment make it hard to remember what she was doing. "Want to gather them at the R.V.?"
"Hm," Remi hummed, trying to reform her thoughts. "Yeah. That works."
Shane flickered his eyes over her face, taking in the warm cheeks, and soft expression that had taken over her features, before reality slowly took back over. A smirk tugged at his lips as he tilted his hat at her before taking off to do as she asked. He figured she would be grabbing those from inside the house and didn't mind gathering those who were outside. He couldn't help turning back around as she made her way toward the house, his eyes falling onto her ass, lingering there, before shaking his head and walking off.
Lori hadn't been pleased with being dragged from Rick but had instructed Carl to stay behind in the room, as she headed out toward the RV. She didn't like how easily Remington had fallen into the role of leader recently. One moment it had been her husband people wanted to follow, and then out of nowhere, Remington helped them with one thing, and people now trusted her choices more. Rick trusted her more. He had been more than willing to take a step back and hand over the reins to that woman. Lori did not trust Remington.
One day she entered the camp and changed everything. Shane was no longer willing to speak with her, wanting to out their relationship with Rick, and break ties with her completely. This was not a decision he would have made without Remington's help. Lori just knew it. It was almost like Remington had every intention of ruining Lori's life.
Lori didn't like her, and decidedly never would.
Remington, however, didn't care what Lori thought of her as long as the woman didn't cause any trouble. Lori wasn't even on her mind as she walked outside with Daryl, who upon noticing his tent set up, sent Remington a questioning glance.
"I figured you could use some help," she said with a shrug. "You and Merle do a lot for the group. It's just my way of helping a bit. Shane helped so I didn't do it alone." An unreadable expression passed over his face before he nodded and glanced away from her.
As they met with the group Remington prepared herself to talk in front of everyone. Well, her eyes drifted to the farmhouse, almost everyone. It felt strange not having Merle there to back her up, or Rick to keep Lori from making her snide comments, regardless of how lost he looked when trying. Remi felt comfortable in the knowledge that she could handle Lori if it came to it and knew that Shane would step up as well.
"With everyone's tents up we should start settling in with our things, but I want all the essentials packed away equally in each car. If we need to make a quick retreat, it's gonna be the one thing to save us from starting over completely." There were a few nods of heads from those that saw the truth in what she said. It gave her the confidence to keep speaking. This may have been happening more often recently, but it always left her with some anxiety. "There's something else." This was not what she wanted to tell these people, but she couldn't have them getting comfortable here, not when it was possible that they would be leaving. A big possibility if she couldn't talk Hershel into keeping them longer.
"What?" Lori asked, frowning heavily at her hesitance.
"Starting tomorrow I want groups to go out scavenging for things that we need to survive, but I also want everyone to keep their eyes open for potential places for us to fortify and stay in."
She watched the varied reactions around her. Not a single one of them was positive. Most were filled to the brim with anxiety at the mere mention of moving somewhere else.
"Why?" Amy questioned, being one of the more concerned looking out of the bunch. "Are we not going to stay here?"
Remington wanted to fill their heads with hope, to tell them that they would, that she would make sure of it, but Remi wasn't like that. She wasn't like Rick. She couldn't give these people hope only to tug it out from under them later. She would do her best to talk Hershel into letting them stay but if he still disagreed all she could promise was to get as much time here for them as she could. Remington wasn't in the habit of lying. Withholding information yes, but not outright lying.
"Hershel only wants us here long enough for Rick and Merle to recover. He gives them a week. Either I somehow talk him into letting us stay, or we move on and stumble along until we find something. Now, I'd like to believe that you all know me better than that by now. I don't go stumbling around in the dark. Before we leave here, if we must leave, I plan on us having a place to go."
Several of the people in the group began to nod their heads. They obviously didn't like the idea of leaving but they were comfortable with the knowledge that she wouldn't let them go out without a plan.
"How are we going to do this?" Shane asked, stepping forward, helping the lead conversation where Remington needed it.
"I'd like to take today to set up a proper grid with groups and everything. Hershel has given me a map of the area and we'll use that to help keep everyone on track."
"Who's all gonna go?" T-Dog asked.
"It'll be purely made up of volunteers. I know there are some of you that don't feel comfortable going out there and I don't want anyone out there who's going to be afraid, or uncomfortable with it. We'll set up some training, get everyone comfortable with a weapon, and help with any unease. I'll have Jackson and Shane helping me with that, and with the groups of who's going."
She hoped it went without saying why she had chosen those two to oversee helping her. Both had professional training, had trained others at some point, and understood how to keep a level head. If anyone was going out there, she always wanted one of them with a group. Remi, herself, was the next best person qualified, because of her brother's training, but she had nothing on those two.
"I'd appreciate it if everyone who wants to go out could come to talk to me right after so I can jot down names and start figuring things out. I also want to make it known that just because we're on this farm doesn't mean that our security is going to lax any. Security rotation will be the same. Regardless of where we're at. Someone can keep watch on top of the RV while the other walks the perimeter. We'll get that set up today as well."
"Are we really only staying here for a week?" Carol couldn't help but speak up. She looked like one of the nervous ones. Remington wanted to help ease those worries, but she knew there wasn't much she could do, except throw out what she did, and show that there was some hope still.
"If I have anything to say about it, we'll be here for longer," Remi stated, making sure to try to catch everyone's eyes individually. "I'm going to do everything I can to find us a safe place, regardless of whether it's here, or someplace else. No matter what happens I think it's a good idea to try to find a backup place just in case." She paused, waiting to see if anyone else would speak up, and when they didn't, she decided to press forward. "One last thing before we get started on unpacking. I'd like to take a group out tomorrow, separate from those who are out searching for a new place, to the highway. There was a pile of cars with who knows what inside of them. A truck full of water. We won't really need it here on the farm, not when they have wells, but having it in our possession, for backup won't be a bad idea. We should also start looking for winter supplies. That'll be upon us before we know it."
"She's right," Shane announced. "We had a harsh winter last year. It's only safe to expect another like it this year. We've gotta start preparing now."
"Okay!" Remi clapped her hands. Sending everyone a smile she tried to ease some of their worries. "Let's get unpacked, and don't forget to talk to me about volunteering, the sooner you do the sooner I can start to plan."
She noticed a few had rolled their eyes good-naturedly. Everyone seemed to have caught on to how she liked to be prepared. They could laugh all they wanted. They would be grateful when it saved all their asses.
Remington watched as Lori stalked off back toward the farmhouse. She hadn't expected her to stop and volunteer for anything other than helping around camp and that was fine. Remington wouldn't have allowed her to if she had tried. She bit her lip as she remembered the pregnancy test, she had stashed away in her bag. Remi would need to have that talk with her soon. Later in the evening, when everyone was busy eating and settling in for the night. It would be better if they had this talk in private. Remington wasn't in the business of airing out dirty laundry in the open where just anyone could overhear. She was classier than that.
She also didn't want to go and hurt Rick or Shane by doing that. Lord knew that one way or the other they would be going through hell soon. Remington refused to stand by any longer. She knew this secret between the three would only tear a hole in the group and Remi couldn't afford for that to happen. Shane, in her mind, was still in danger of being dragged down that path from before and dying, if something didn't change.
There would be no Rick needing to kill Shane.
Shane would not go off the deep end.
Rick will either forgive Shane, or not, but Remington would make sure there was no need to kill the man.
Forcing her mind to focus on the tasks ahead, Remington smiled at those who approached her. She began to write down names and thank them, promising to get with them later in the day to give them their assignments for the next day.
Remington had decided for the first day she would separate them into two groups. The scavengers on the highway, and those out looking for a safe spot for them to go. She felt more at ease having Jackson take a group out searching for a place for them to call home if everything fails them here. It would need to be small and so she decided Glenn and Daryl would go with him. She'd send Shane, T-Dog, Andrea, and Morgan out to the highway, and then once that was cleared out, she'd send them in a separate direction to search.
Remington wanted to be out there searching with them, but she knew someone needed to stay back at camp and keep things flowing there. Other than Hershel's family she was the only one that knew about the Walkers in the barn. Remi didn't think that would have changed and she decided that after dealing with Lori she would go investigate the barn and make sure the Walkers were there.
Until she could talk to Hershel Remi would make sure no one else found out about it. If anyone found out about it, they would hate her, but Remington had seen how panic ripped through the group easily. She would find a few who could be trusted not to go off the deep end and have them help her. There was no need for events to go down like they had in the show. They had grown exceedingly lucky that Hershel allowed them to stay on the farm after that, and even continued to be a part of their group once they left the farm. Maybe it was because he didn't have any better options, but Remington could see it going down so much worse. That wasn't something she decided to push under her leadership.
The next issue she needed to deal with was the possibility of Randall's group. She was not just going to leave it up to chance. With her luck, they would run into them in a bloodier way than in the show. Granted that had ended in several people's lives but she didn't want it to be at her end. She had kept so many people alive. Several fates were changed. Remi didn't want that to end up being for nothing.
A headache formed at the back of her eyes telling her she was already stressed. Taking a swig of water, she squinted into the distance as her mind went over what her options were. There was no telling where the group was settled in right now. She had no clue where to find them, but she'd warn the groups to keep an eye out regardless. That's the best she could do for now.
Pushing away all her thoughts and plans, Remi focused on the ones that needed to get done now. She called out for Jackson and Shane to join her as she pulled out the map. They would be in charge of each group and would need to know the most details. She didn't want them wandering out there blindly, going anywhere, and if something were to go down leaving the rest of the group without a way of finding them. No, if they did this organized, and didn't go out of their grids, then if something were to happen, they could be found more easily.
By the time Remi felt like she could breathe again the morning had faded into the afternoon, and the evening was fast approaching them. Remington had popped in to check on both Merle and Rick several times, happy to find that they were both awake more often than not. Maisie had barely left Merle's side and Landon had done as Remi asked. Throughout the day he could be found attached to her hip or Shane's. Everything was running smoothly until she had gone to check in on Rick and found him sleeping.
At first, nothing seemed to be wrong with the picture. Carl and Lori had both been in and out of the room. They were there when he was awake, and checking in on him while he slept, but they too had been preparing their tent and bringing out any of the stuff they owned. Remington only shrugged figuring that's what they were doing until she had gone back out, and her eyes gazed curiously over the people's faces she saw there. There were a few people missing. Daryl, Shane, Jackson, Lori, Carl, and T-Dog. She could see Glenn up on the RV for his turn-on watch. She knew T-Dog would be out there roaming the perimeter, and it was possible one of the others had gone with him. It was strange not to find Lori or Carl here, but she still wasn't overly worried about it.
As long as they followed Hershel's rules everyone was allowed to do what they wanted and only had to help with their assignments.
It was the one thing Remington wouldn't allow slacking on. They decided they wanted to follow her, had come to her for what to do, and this was how she knew things should get done. It was clean, and organized, and gave them their best chance of survival. If they wanted a change, they could tell her that and find someone else to lead. Except she had seen it on all their faces. They desired not to be in charge, to be the ones making all the tough decisions, just the ones that would show their pain and emotions when it all went wrong. Remington's job was to make sure it never got to that point. Even Rick had seemed relieved when she had started to step forward. Not that she could blame him.
As she walked toward their little makeshift camp Remington narrowed her eyes on Landon who had climbed up onto the RV to sit with Glenn. It was safe enough, and the boy liked Glenn, so Remi didn't mind but she couldn't help but wonder where the others had gone off to. Shrugging, deciding her children were safe, and their whereabouts were accounted for, Remi moved to check off another thing on her list.
She had asked Maggie about where they could get their water from and had talked the woman into meeting her at the well. Remington knew there was going to be a Walker down there, and she did not want a repeat of what happened last time. There would be no trying to drag it out just so it could break into two and cause a larger mess. It wouldn't matter even if Remington found a way to get it out of there all in one piece. There was no way she was willing to drink water that a Walker had been swimming around in for God knows how long. No, if a Walker were down there, she would have Maggie seal it off and show them another well to use. Glenn wouldn't be lowered down inside of it begging to be bitten and the group wouldn't have to bother with getting rid of its remains.
A win, win situation Remington thought.
This would be the last major thing she did today. It made her feel good. Knowing that things were getting done and all that was left would be maintenance.
As suspected Remi and Maggie found a Walker swimming around inside of it. She watched as Maggie glanced away with a disgusted look on her face as they peered down inside. Remington only frowned.
"You got some way for us to block it off?" Remi asked. "I wouldn't trust drinking that."
"No, you're right," Maggie said. "It's a good thing we came out to check on it. Would you mind helping me search the others?"
"No problem." Remington shrugged. She didn't mind. Felt it was safer doing it this way. She approved of the idea. After they made sure it was clear this well shouldn't be used the two women began to make their way to the other wells so they could check on them.
"Your group seems to look up to you," Maggie pressed in curiosity.
"I suppose." Remington glanced over at the younger woman. It felt strange to be older than Maggie. Remington was certain that in her universe the actress had been older than her. "They used to follow Rick's orders pretty well, but things drifted over to me."
"You seem like a natural leader." Maggie smiled at her. "I don't think anyone else would have thought to do this. I overheard you all earlier. You're organized. You keep their spirits up."
"I try at least." Remington wasn't certain that it really helped but Maggie had noticed something, so it gave her hope that her group saw something similar.
"I'm curious," Maggie started, as she peeked a glance at the older woman. "If you don't mind my askin'." Remington felt confused but motioned for her to go on.
"I'm really not trying to be rude, or nothin'. I just couldn't help but notice, and well, I just had to ask."
Maggie never seemed the type to stumble over a conversation. She had always just confidentially exclaimed whatever it was and that made Remi even more curious to see what could have possibly made her act like this.
"Just spit it out, Maggie," Remi said, sending her a smile to ease her nerves.
"Maisie's Merles." Remi felt floored, not quite sure what had led to this revelation, but didn't get the chance to ask before Maggie was plowing forward. "He answers as her father and I've seen how the two of you act with one another, so it's obvious that you're together, and not with Rick like I first assumed. But I've seen the way you act with the other two as well. How did that start? Your relationship with all three. Do you know Maisie's is Merles, or do they all just claim her, and you guys don't care about who it is biologically?" Remington tried to intervene, feeling confused, and beyond embarrassed, at the misconception of what was going on between them, but at the same time extremely warm and happy that she had thought this, except Maggie was always faster. "I'm not judgin', honestly, I'm just curious. They all seem to adore you, and I wonder how they all get along like that."
"Maggie," Remi said, turning to grab her arm and calm the girl down. "Breath. I'm not offended, but Maisie isn't Merles or any of the others."
"Is there someone else?" She looked surprised, and honestly, maybe just a bit excited at the prospect of some gossip, and drama. Remington couldn't blame her. She was sure it had gotten quite boring out here surrounded only by her family.
"No," she shook her head. "There's no us at all. I'm not with them. We're just close friends, I supposed you can say." Close friends that Remington had dreams about at night and couldn't help but fantasize about during the day. God, she really was acting like a schoolgirl with a crush. "Maisie's dad is no longer in the picture."
"Oh." Maggie looked embarrassed, a blush crossing her cheeks, as she sent a guilty look her way. "Sorry. I just assumed. The way you look at one another and interact. You seem like a little family."
"I mean, we are, of sorts. The whole group. We've been through a lot."
Here, Maggie raised an eyebrow, sending a look that clearly stated that Remi should know she hadn't been talking about the whole group.
"Not what I meant."
"I don't think they see me like that. They care about me, sure, but I think that's just it. I've helped them out a bit and they're looking for a way to pay that back."
"Sure," Maggie said in a tone of voice that stated she didn't believe it. She dropped it, however, seeing how Remi was nervous about it, obviously liking them more than just friends, and was trying to wrap her mind around it. "I just have to say that a man doesn't keep quiet and doesn't correct them when someone mistakes him as a kids daddy, unless he's already feeling that way himself, and cares enough about a woman to see them as his family."
They began to walk in silence, coming up on the next well, and when that one showed itself to be clear they walked to the next. They had started to get closer to the trees causing Remington to put up her guard. She knew the Greene's hardly ever had to deal with the dead on their property, at least not until after their group got there, but she wasn't willing to take any chances. As they walked up to the final well Remington saw something darting in between the trees. At first, she thought it was a Walker. Her machete came out of the holder attached to her hip as she began to stalk forward.
Maggie's eyes had grown wide as she asked Remington to stop. Hesitating, Remi knew they dealt with Walkers in a certain way, and though it nagged at her, something screaming at her not to let them continue doing that, Remington knew she needed to gain their trust.
"I should go get Otis if it's one of the sick," Maggie announced. Remi's shoulder drooped and just as she was about to say okay, she saw the figure again.
Except it wasn't a Walker.
It was smaller.
Child size.
Remington felt the breath get knocked out of her once she realized who it was, but then the anger came, and Remi found herself stalking forward. Maggie called out behind her, still not noticing who it was, as she followed Remington quickly trying to get her to stop. Except Remi was far beyond anyone telling her what to do when all she could see was the boy in front of her, whose eyes had grown wide, as he stared in shame at being caught. Maggie fell quiet upon finally noticing who it was Remington had gone after.
"What are you doing out here, Carl?" Remi asked, her voice stern, disappointed.
He shuffled, eyes twitchy, as they looked everywhere except at Remington.
"I-I was just walking around. I got b-bored. I-I just wanted to explore."
Remington took a step forward, reaching out for the boy, as she dragged him forward to stand directly in front of her. Then she was patting him down, searching for anything he may have taken, and though she was happy not to find a gun on him like in the show, Remington found herself disappointed in how defenseless he had left himself. Crouching, she gripped both of his arms firmly as she moved to catch his gaze. They flittered around her, not able to focus on her, as he waited for the trouble, he knew he was in.
"What do you think you're doing?" Remington was frustrated. He hadn't even been at the farm for a full day. Had seen what shape his father was in, and yet still thought it was a clever idea to do what he did. It pissed her off, even more, to know that Lori was wandering around somewhere without any knowledge of where her son was. Why wasn't she more worried? Especially with her husband once again being hurt. "It's not safe out here Carl. Do you see how far away from the house you are? If you screamed out here, there's no guarantee someone would hear it. And you have no weapon on you. How did you think you would defend yourself?"
"I'd run if I saw a Walker." He jutted out his lip, his face settling in anger and defensiveness.
"You'd run." Remington shook her head, taking a deep breath, as she tried centering herself. She wondered when she had felt this much anger, and frustration, over a situation. This was not the time for her to be losing her temper. Her fingers pressed a little firmer into his arms, as she forced him to look at her so that she could make him understand what he had done wrong and not to ever do it again. "That was a stupid idea."
He flinched a little at her words. Remington refused to feel bad about it. She ignored the fact that behind her she could hear Maggie as she shifted in discomfort. This was a boy's life. If he continued to be stupid, he could get himself killed, or someone else. Remington wouldn't have it. She just wouldn't.
"I knew what I was doing." He bit his cheek glaring at her. Remington itched to grab him and punish him herself, but she could just hear the fit Lori would have over it. It was obvious to her that talking to the boy, sending him off with stern words, wasn't enough. It hadn't been in the show either. He hadn't stopped wandering off even after it ended up getting Dale killed. He still followed his father that night and was surrounded by Walkers.
Remington wasn't going to allow those mistakes to happen again.
"You didn't. You're just a boy, Carl. A boy who has been dumped into a terrifying situation, and who is making choices that will get himself, or someone else killed." She watched the scared look enter his eye, the guilt that began to form. She could feel bad about it later, making him feel this way, but if it kept him from doing this again, then Remington would get over it. "If you had come across a Walker, and managed to run away, you'd only lead it right back to camp. If you did that and kept it a secret, you'd put everyone in danger. Your actions have consequences. You cannot be coming out here like this. You won't anymore. Do you understand?"
Hesitantly he began to nod.
"Look at your father, Carl. He's a grownup, who made one wrong choice, and now he's hurt. I don't want you to end up like that. You're a kid. Follow our rules, all right? They were put in place to keep people safe."
He nodded again, his lip began to shake, and Remington sighed as she let him go. Reaching forward she pulled him into a hug.
"Are you going to tell my parents?"
"Yeah, I am, bud." She pulled him back. She could see the tears forming in his eyes. He was upset, but Remington would rather have him crying, than dead. "You understand right? You did something wrong, and they need to know." He nodded again as the tears fell down his cheeks. Remington reached out to wipe them away softly before standing up. "Where's your mom at?"
Carl shrugged as he tried pulling himself together.
"I don't know. She left me with dad, but he was sleeping, and I thought I'd go out to explore."
More anger flared up inside of her.
"Did she tell you at least who to stick by?"
"No. She just said I could go play if I wanted to."
Remington felt her eye twitch. Lori was a real piece of work.
"From now on you stick close to the adults. You got that? If your mom goes off and doesn't want, you to follow her around then you find Carol or myself and stick close by one of us." Carl looked confused, and ashamed, as he took this as a punishment. Remington frowned as she caught the array of emotions on his face. "I know it doesn't sound fair, but Maisie and Landon follow the same rules. It keeps them safe. You should always stay within the eyesight of an adult so they can protect you. Eventually, one day Carl, you're going to be strong enough to protect yourself, but everyone, even us adults, needs help sometimes to stay safe."
She wanted to get this point across to him. This wasn't a punishment. It was survival.
Turning to Maggie she sent the woman a sorry look. Maggie looked surprised and shocked, but there was a hint of understanding there.
"I'm sorry, but I need to go find Lori."
"I understand. That was the last well anyway. I need to get back to the house. We'll talk later, okay?" Remington nodded as she reached down and grabbed Carl's hand. From there she began to lead him away, the anger inside of Remington rising the longer it took them to find Lori. She wasn't even easy to find. It reminded me of how back in the beginning she would sneak off into the woods, without telling Carl, or anyone, to meet up with Shane.
A flare of something, dark, and painful clutched at her at the thought of how they used to be together. The mere thought of it was enough to make her feel horrible and jealous. An emotion that Remington tried shoving back because she had no right over feeling like that. It would only complicate her relationship with the man and Remington wasn't looking to alienate him. She needed to stop with all these emotions.
Only it grew darker, and heavier when Remington spotted Lori with Shane, by the windmill, and the well they had closed off. Something tightened in her chest, feeding the anger that she was already feeling, as Remington stormed up to the two of them. She kept herself calm enough that she wasn't dragging Carl.
"Lori!" she called out, her face set in a scowl, her eyes dark, as the energy surrounding her erupted in chaos. Remington was pissed. The scowl on Lori's face only deepened upon seeing Remington, before clearing away to confusion at the sight of Carl. Shane, who looked just as angry, and annoyed, found himself inching toward Remington the closer she drew. Turning to him, Remington tried to force away the jealousy at the sight of the two of them together. She knew this wasn't like in the show. Shane wasn't pining after her, wishing to have her back, and plotting ways to do that. He had made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with Lori. But Remington found that it was hard to tell her heart that, and even though it was entirely stupid, Remi couldn't sweep it away so easily. "Do you mind watching over Carl while Lori and I talk?"
"Sure," Shane said, growing uneasy at the look on Remington's face. He glanced over toward Carl who looked like he had been crying, and the need to comfort him rose within him.
"What's this about?" Lori demanded. "Shane doesn't need to watch him."
"Obviously someone needs to," Remington snarled as she gently let go of the boy and nudged him over toward Shane. "It's evident you're not going to. Guess where I found Carl at Lori. Go ahead guess." The woman floundered for words, her eyes bouncing from the obviously pissed-off leader, and her child who looked upset, and guilty. "In the woods!"
"What?" Lori's eyes widened as panic settled in. "What were you doing out there?"
"Bored. Because someone told him he could do whatever he wanted."
"That's not what I said!" Lori took a step back, growing defensive, as she crossed her arms.
"Doesn't matter what you said. You didn't give the boy clear boundaries and he's just a kid Lori. Surely you know they'll go off and do whatever unless clearly told not to. What are you even doing out here? You should be watching that boy."
Lori's gaze bounced over to Shane before whatever emotion that leaked through was forced away and locked up. Remi wasn't even sure if she wanted to know what Lori was thinking, or trying to do, as anger over the situation burned away inside of her.
"Let's go back to camp, bud," Shane said. He glanced between the two women, startled, and uneasy, as he wondered if it was a good idea to leave them alone together. Remington was obviously upset, and Lori would soon be heading that way if her body language were anything to go by. "Do I need to come back?"
"No." Both women said at the same time. They glared at one another.
"Just watch Carl until I'm done with Lori." Remington tore her gaze from Lori to glance over to Shane. She could read how uncomfortable he was over this situation. Could see the confusion. Once she was calmer Remington would even remember the way he had looked when she stormed up on them. He didn't look comfortable then. Irritated, yes, but comfortable, no. He hadn't wanted to be there. She would remember that. "Please."
"Yeah." He reached out to grab Carl's hand and as he walked by Remington, he reached out to squeeze her shoulder. Automatically Remi reached up to cover his hand with her own, taking comfort in the action, before he began to walk away.
"Can you ask Daryl and Jackson to take a look around in the woods?" She stopped him, thinking of the protection of the group, even though she itched to get Lori alone. "Just to do a quick search and make sure no Walkers saw Carl."
"I'll make sure it gets done, Rem." She nodded before turning back to Lori. They waited, listening as the footsteps died down, and when Remington knew they could no longer be overheard she took a step forward.
"Your choices are going to get that boy hurt."
"How dare you say that." Lori snarled. "He'll be just fine."
"You keep going off and leaving him alone. It's obvious the boy makes some questionable decisions. There are Walkers potentially everywhere and he decided to go off into the most likely area they would be in. He was away from the group, Lori. What would have happened if I hadn't been there to find him?"
Lori had begun to breathe heavily, her chest heaving, as she searched for something to say, to throw back in her face, as she was backed into a corner. She knew Remington was right. She just didn't like it.
"How can you say that? Knowing that you're not with your own kids right now. You've gone off and left them multiple times now Remington."
"There's a difference between the two of us." Remington felt herself boil over as she planted her feet firmly on the ground, rolling her shoulders, as she tried to release some of the irritability bubbling up inside of her. "I know where my kids are, regardless of where I am, I can tell you right now where you'd find them back at camp. Maisie hasn't left Merle's side all day, and Landon has been glued to me, Shane, or Glenn. I can bet anything that he's still up on that RV with Glenn right now. My kids are safe. You don't get to even try and throw that in my face."
"Do you think you're better than me?" Lori asked. "A better mom. A better person?"
"The way I deal with things is better." Remington did not want to get into this conversation. Lori wasn't the worst person Remi had come across, she just didn't have her priorities in line, and kept thinking that this was like the world before. "You need to realize this is our new situation. Start dealing with things like we need to in this new world. Not like you used to. Those rules don't work anymore, Lori. That boy needs you. He needs you to be an example to follow. He needs order."
"I do give him that."
"Then you need to do better. Let him come and train with Maisie and Landon."
"I don't want that for my son, Remington. I want him to stay innocent. I want him to be a child. He's just a kid. He shouldn't be out learning how to take Walkers down."
"This is the world we live in now. He's going to need to eventually. I get it. I don't want Maisie and Landon to lose it either. They shouldn't have to be worrying about things like learning how to kill. I'm just doing what I must, and you need to as well."
Remington could see on Lori's face that she wasn't going to relent on this topic, so Remi cut her losses. She was only here for two things anyway. To make sure Carl was watched after better and to figure out if Lori really was pregnant.
"Just keep a closer eye on the kid from now on." She then pulled the pregnancy test from her back pocket and tossed it toward Lori. She reached out automatically to catch it, her eyes widening at the sight of it, as she once again grew defensive.
"What's this?"
"Don't be stupid. We're alone. You should go ahead and use it while you have someone to watch over your back. It's better you know now rather than later."
"This is none of your business."
"As the elected leader of this group, I believe it is my business. I need to know about everyone's health to make sure I don't make a mistake." Glaring, still feeling irritated, Remi motioned for her to do it already. Turning around she gave Lori a sense of privacy. "Just get it over with Lori. It's not safe having this stay up in the air. If your pregnant we've got to start preparing for it now."
Behind her, she could hear Lori moving around, before the sound of a zipper, and the curses that fell from her lips as she complained about Remington. It eased some of her anger to know that Lori hadn't fought her on this at least. She tuned out the sounds of Lori peeing, knowing it's gotta be embarrassing enough, having someone you hated being the person looking out while you did this. Remi may not like the woman, but she wasn't a monster.
The sound of Lori's belt buckle jingled announcing she had become decent once more. Remington gave her another moment to pull herself together before turning around and watching as Lori stared down at the test.
"What are you going to do?" Remington asked.
"What do you mean?" Lori asked, scowling as she turned her attention away from the test.
"If it's positive."
"We don't even know if it's going to be. That would be the worst-case scenario, wouldn't it? Me being pregnant."
"Is that how you see it?"
"Wouldn't you? You can't honestly tell me that if you got pregnant in this world, right now, you would be okay with it?"
Remington tilted her head up to the sky as she thought over it. It wouldn't be something she sought after that's for sure. She was already stressed enough about keeping Maisie and Landon alive. Except, Remington had never been one that would turn away a miracle that having a baby would be. She knew they would make a safe haven to live in. That eventually, if humanity was to continue, then babies would need to start being born.
Perhaps right now it wasn't an option she would seek, but eventually. Remington could see having another child, once things settled, and calmed down, and she didn't have to worry about living out in the open. She had always wanted more but had been too afraid of bringing another child into the life she once lived. Once there were walls it could safely live behind, well, Remi found that she quite liked the idea of one day holding a baby.
"It's not the most opportune time I'll admit," Remington starts slowly. "But eventually, we could make somewhere safe, start having order, and it would be fine. Humanity always finds a way to survive after all. People have always found time to have babies during crises. It's how we live on."
Lori shook her head. Remington wasn't sure if she wanted to deny this fact because Remi, herself, was the one delivering this news, or if she truly hated the idea of having a baby. She remembered that it had been a hard decision for the woman to make in the show but hadn't been able to go through with the plan of ending it.
"I don't know." She glanced down, her face growing pale before all emotion was wiped away from it. Remington didn't need to know what it said, she already knew. Had known from the moment Lori had vomited back at the cabin. Baby Judith was written in the stars, was always supposed to happen, and Remington just wanted to give her the best start she could. "I don't know if I can do this."
"Doesn't matter if you can or can't, Lori." Remington took a step forward, clasping her hand on Lori's shoulders, trying to make her pay attention. "You're pregnant. Who knows how far along you are. You need to tell Shane and Rick. We need to get Jenner and Hershel involved so they can keep an eye on you and the baby."
Lori pulled herself away, wrenching Remington's hands from her shoulder, as she began to shake her head.
"No!" Remington frowned at the sudden yell. She hadn't expected Lori to fall into line quietly, but this told Remi that she wouldn't easily do what was right.
"You can't just not tell them, Lori. They are going to find out eventually. Especially when you get big."
"No, I mean not Shane. I'm only going to tell Rick. He isn't going to find out about Shane and me. It'll be his baby. It's gotta be his baby."
Remington could feel that rage that had started to cool down spark back to life. Lori wasn't looking at her still, but staring down at the stick, ignoring her as she pitifully thought over how to keep the truth from Rick.
"You don't think he's going to be a little concerned about when you guys had the time to get pregnant?"
This caused Lori's hackles to rise.
"He wouldn't have to be. I have sex with my husband Remington!"
"We've barely had a moment to breathe! I'm sure he's going to question it a little unless the two of you have been going at it like rabbits since he's gotten back."
The look on Lori's face told Remington that they most definitely have not been going at it like Rabbits. It was always possible that this baby would be Ricks, but highly unlikely. None of the timing added up, even with Remington screwing up the timeline as she had. They were late for everything, having stayed longer in places than had been planned, but one thing Remington could feel in her heart was that baby was Shane's.
"It's not right Lori."
"Who gets to choose what's right or wrong? I'm just trying to save my marriage."
"And I'm trying to save more than that. You're burning the relationship between Rick and Shane, and have you noticed the way this is eating Shane up on the inside? He hates this secret. What do you think is going to happen when he learns you're pregnant? When he knows he's the father but gets no say in being in its life? He should have a say, Lori. He should get to choose whether he acts like a father or not."
"I can't have that. Rick would leave me."
"Rick would be understanding if you'd just be upfront about this from the very beginning. He did everything he could to be back with the two of you. He would have willingly forgiven you. Except you didn't do what I suggested and yes, it's gonna bite you in the ass. But it's like a band-aid, pull it off, and keep moving on. Rick is a good man. He'll do what's right."
"You don't know that. You keep butting your head in where it doesn't belong. None of this involves you. You may need to know that I'm pregnant but there is no way you should be having any say in what I tell Shane or Rick. Or how I go about doing it. So, fuck off Remington."
Lori shoved the test into the pocket of her pants angrily as she went to walk by Remington. Except for that anger, Remi had been feeling exploded, and she wasn't able to keep it contained.
"You're such a bitch, Lori," Remington hissed out. She reached to grab Lori's arm, to keep her from leaving, before letting her go almost immediately after. "How can you go about playing with either of those man's emotions like that? I may not know Rick well but he's a part of this group. It's my job to protect everyone from harm, and that includes psycho wives." Remington took a step forward, crowding in Lori's space, as she glared up at the woman. Remi didn't care that she was slightly shorter than her. She was not going to let that intimidate her, or cause Lori to believe she had some kind of ground over her. "I care about Shane. I swear to God if you do anything to harm him, in any way, I'll make sure you regret it."
Lori took a step back. The narrowing of her eyes lessened as for a moment she looked almost scared.
"You don't care about Shane. He's just a little project for you." Remington's hands twitched. The urge to smack her hit her full force but she held it at bay.
"I think you've got us confused. He's not like that to me. I'm giving you two days, Lori. Two days to gain the courage to tell your husband before I deal with it. I won't allow this to be what puts a tear in the group. Rick and Shane are too important to be losing their minds over games you want to play, and you know this is something that'll screw them both up. Deal with it, or I will."
A hand lashed out, smacking Remington's cheek, and causing her head to turn. Pain exploded under her skin as Remington lifted her hand to softly touch the wound.
"Leave my husband alone. Leave Shane alone. You won't say shit, Remington."
Remington surged forward, grabbing the hand that had hit her, as she caught it in a vice-like grip.
"It's fortunate that you're pregnant Lori. Otherwise, I wouldn't be so lenient like this. We do not tolerate hostiles in this group. Get your shit together, or I'll be forced to react. Hit me again and you're not going to like the results."
Lori turned on her heel and took off back toward the farmhouse.
Remington watched her go, following quietly behind her, as she watched her snatch Carl away from Shane, and high tail it back to Rick. Remington trailed slowly behind, following the path Lori took until she came to stand next to Shane. Her cheek still throbbed but under the darkening sky, she knew no one would make out the red tint to her skin.
Hopefully, it wouldn't bruise. That would just piss her off some more.
"That talk go over well?" He glanced down at her and watched as she kept an eye on Lori until the woman disappeared inside the house.
"Talks with Lori never go over well."
"Ain't that the truth." He noticed the tense way she held herself. It was typical after a run-in with Lori but usually, by now she had started to calm down. There was none of that. The fight must have been worse than usual. "Daryl and Jackson say they didn't find anything out there. I talked to Carl. He swore he never ran into a Walker."
"Good." She nodded her head. She forced her thoughts to back away from Lori and what would need to be done in the next two days. "That's good. Did I upset him much?"
"The kid was upset that he got caught and made you mad. Probably would've preferred being caught by one of his parents, to be honest. He looked scared shitless."
"Maybe he won't do that again then. We can't have the kids wandering out in the woods alone."
"I said the same thing. He'll be on better behavior from now on I think."
"Hungry?" she asked. She could smell the food in the air and knew that if Daryl hadn't grabbed the food yet, she would need to.
"Could go for a bite."
"Want to join us in Merle's room?"
"Private dinner with my favorite little clan," Shane smirked. "Count me in."
Remington rolled her eyes as she lightly bumped him with her arm. He snatched up her hand, lacing it with his own, as he began to lead her toward where everyone was settling in for dinner. She felt the way her heart jumped at the contact. She cared for Shane. She hadn't been lying to Lori. Except it went above and beyond how a leader cared for the people in her group, or how a friend cared for someone else.
She was completely screwed, because any time one of them did something like this she found she liked it, and it made her blood hum and her heart sing. She cared for all three of them, Shane, Merle, and Daryl. It was equal, and strong, and made her feel something so pure, and invasive, that it was like nothing she had ever experienced with Eli.
Her fingers tightened around Shane's causing him to glance back with a small, confused smile, but Remi didn't say anything.
She felt selfish wanting all three of them.
There was no way they could be okay with that. No way could she ask that of them. She even doubted they liked her in the same way she wanted them. Sure, she was close to them, and they were nice, but a part of Remington wondered if that didn't have to do with the changes she'd made in their lives. She's helped them. Anyone would be nice to a person who's done that. They want to be her friend, but she doubted anything more than that. Any signs she thought she noticed about any feelings they may have toward her were immediately shoved into a box labeled not real.
Surely, she was just imagining it all.
Like right now.
Shane wasn't holding her hand because of any romantic fondness he may have toward her, but out of friendship, and obligation for what she'd done for them all.
That's what she kept telling herself, so she didn't fall into disappointment. It was better for her to rid herself of these emotions.
Noticing that Daryl hadn't joined the group yet, Remington spoke aloud her thoughts on grabbing enough for Merle, him, and the kids as well, and Shane was quick to agree. They gathered three plates each of the meager meal prepared for tonight, but as she turned around Daryl was right there, with two kids attached to his hips. Maisie beamed a smile up at her mom as she began to wave her arms around, silently begging to be held, while Landon gently tried to calm her down.
Daryl was quick to grab the plates from her hands, juggling them, as he motioned for her to take care of the kid.
Maisie didn't hesitate in climbing her mother like a jungle gym until Remington scooped her up into her arms.
"Merle's awake!" she said, excitedly. "He listened to the rest of my stories about the animals, but he's hungry, and told us to find you. We want you to eat with us."
"That's a good thing I had already planned on it, huh," Remington exclaimed dramatically as she bopped Maisie's nose. The little girl giggled as she began to bounce happily causing Remington to struggle to hold onto her.
"Are you coming to, Shane?!" the little girl asked as she twisted around to look at the deputy.
"Already been invited." He held up the last three plates.
"Yay!"
They walked together, growing quiet in respect to Hershel and his family as they began to make their way into the back of the house where Merle was. Remington caught Maggie's gaze as they walked by, and the younger woman's eyes widened a bit before she smiled, waggling her eyebrows in a suggestive way before waving them through. Remington felt her cheeks growing warm as she tried to ignore the obvious reminder of their earlier discussion as she walked into Merle's room. He was impatiently waiting on the bed, glancing up as they entered, and looked relieved to see them all.
"Yah've been away all day, woman," Merle griped as she moved to set Maisie down on the bed. He already had a spot for her, the doll next to him, just as it had been all day.
"I've had things to do," Remington explained.
"The group's putting more responsibility on her shoulders," Shane said, collapsing onto the floor, as he sat up against the wall to eat. "See her as the leader of the group."
"Hm," Merle nodded, eyeing the bags under her eyes, as he took the offered plate, she handed to him. He glanced over toward Shane and Daryl, noticing how they too were watching her closely. "Your cheeks a bit red, ain't it."
Remington blinked, raising her fingers to caress the sensitive skin, and realized Lori had smacked her harder than she had thought.
How annoying.
"Strange," she said, deciding she didn't want to get into it. Not tonight. Not before giving Lori the chance to do what was right. If she told them now that Lori had hit her, they would want to know why. Remington shouldn't even care to give Lori the chance, but she knew Shane wanted her to be the one to come clean, to be given the opportunity, and well, Remington just didn't feel the same. She was doing this for Shane.
Though each of them wanted to press it further they had seen the clear dismissal in her tone and words. They respected it. Instead, quiet talk about what each had done that day, and complaints from Merle about being cooped up, filled the room. Merle announced the only thing keeping him sane that day was Maisie, and the little girl beamed with pride, as she stared at Merle with adoration and love.
Remington was surprised to see it shine so brightly, different from the day before, but it warmed her heart to see how Merle reflected it right back. Remi couldn't help but look for the emotion in Merle's eyes, remembering what Maggie had told her, and wondered if Merle simply hadn't corrected Maggie because he didn't trust her, or if it was for something more.
After, when everyone had eaten, Remington piled their plates together, before moving to kiss the children on the cheeks, telling them they had another thirty minutes before she would drag them off to bed. Remington didn't think about it when she turned to kiss Merle's cheek as she took his plate from him. Nor when she ended up doing the same to the other two.
Merle watched her carefully, her movements, that look in her eye, the way it didn't change when she interacted with each of them. It was the same for him as it was for Daryl or Shane.
As she left the room he turned to watch as the two other men's gazes were glued to her as she disappeared from the room.
Merle decided right then and there that maybe they wanted the same thing he had come to accept. He found he didn't mind the thought of sharing, as he wanted his brother to be happy, and Shane had become someone he respected and grew close to. If they all wanted the same, and it didn't bother either of them, Merle began to wonder if they all could be happy.
The woman surely felt the same. He could see it.
All he needed to do was talk with the guys. Figure it out before making a plan of action. Figure out whether she felt the same.
He just wanted what was best for them all, and their happiness was what was best.
I see some possible relationship talk in the future!
Are you guys as excited as I am?