Reviews:

BabySlothXYaoi- That's fair, Enid is definitely written as a massive stereotype, to begin with... definitely started to like her more in later seasons. Ah, the story?... that may or may not have been based on other characters in Rhys' life and prior chapters. Thank you very much, that means a lot. I like the idea that Noah is learning from Glenn, that's sweet to think about. The secret surprise shall be revealed very soon!


-One Month Later-

-Early April-


"Gabriel? Where the hell is Gabriel?" I screech, flustered as I scramble around the kitchen of 101 in search of a lighter.

"He'll be back, man. Calm down," Noah laughs at me.

Chaos is ensuing in the house. Everyone from 101 and 102 is cramped into the kitchen joint living room of 101, waiting for bossy instructions to be blasted at them by either Michonne or myself.

"Tara..." Michonne sighs, holding a hand over her mouth as she looks at the banner hanging before the front door. "Are you sure it's not crooked?"

"Michonne," Tara gives a tight smile. "I understand why you may think that... but if I have to get the tape measure out one more time... I'm legit going to freak..."

"Abraham!" I stand on the sofa to call over the busy room of bustling heads. "Did you get the fizzy drinks from the pantry?"

Abraham holds up two bottles in either hand, "Don't know how fizzy they'll be, but I got your soda, young Rhys."

"Brilliant," I spin on my heels, stumbling on the plumped sofa cushions as I look around. "Glenn, can you check with the girls and see how everything in the kitchen is going?"

Glenn stops what he was doing, letting a half-blown balloon tear throughout the house with high pitch squeaks, as he runs to the kitchen, where Rosita, Carol, and Maggie are working hard with too few ingredients.

I look back to the door, Michonne and Rick standing on chairs as they straighten the bright yellow banner, Tara sitting on the sofa looking irritated.

Leaning out an open window that looks onto the porch, I call out, "Daryl!"

The smoking biker looks up at me.

"Do you mind grabbing Jude from her room?" I ask.

Daryl grunts, which I take as either a yes, a maybe, or a no, relieved when he stubs out his cigarette and gets up.

"Oh," I stop him on his way around the porch to the front door, "can I borrow your lighter." Daryl tosses it to me, shaking his head.

Just as I'm about to fall apart from stress, the front door opens, and Gabriel rushes in, "Got them!"

"What the hell took you so long?!" I bark at the sweating priest.

"I thought I put the candles under the bible shelf, but actually-"

"Just give them to Rosita!" I shout, shoving the zippo Daryl gave me into Gabriel's free hand.

He nods, red-faced from exhaustion, as he races into the kitchen. I just about remember to say thank you before he disappears.

Eugene shuffles down the stairs from where Michonne put him on watch.

"They're on their way," he announces in monotone.

"Okay, shit. Everyone get down!" I laugh as Noah rushes to turn the lights off.

"Don't cuss!" Maggie reprimands me as she ducks behind the sofa.


-Carl's POV-

"Thank you for the help, you two!" Olivia waves Enid and me out of the pantry after we finish helping with her urgent monthly tidy.

"Ron and Mikey are meeting us on Morgan street, then we'll go get Rhys from your place," Enid tells me, her hands stuffed into her jean pockets.

"How long have you been living with Olivia?" I ask.

"Since I got here," Enid tells me. "She's nice."

We find Ron and Mikey relaxing in the middle of the street when we reach them, Ron sitting on a skateboard, with Mikey sitting beside him.

"Ready to get gone?" Mikey jumps up.

"Yeah," I smile, not mentioning the fresh bruise on Ron's face.

Mikey, Ron, Enid, and I make our way towards 101 after the three of them insist we take a long way around for some reason.

By the time we're on the porch, the three of them stand there awkwardly. I guess waiting until I open the door and invite-

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

I jump out of my skin as thirteen people jump out of their hiding spots, dotted around the room as they laugh at my terrified reaction. My eyes, wide.


-Rhys' POV-

Everyone sings Happy Birthday while Carl blows out his candles and cuts into the green iced cake that Maggie, Carol, and Rosita made.

While everyone is wishing Carl Happy Birthday, I thank Enid, Ron and Mikey for their help.

"I can't believe he bought the 'monthly tidy' line," Mikey snickers.

"Olivia had a little bit too much fun getting him to keep re-stacking the canned vegetables," Enid admits.

Carl escapes the crowd and finds us, "Was this all you?" he looks pretty overwhelmed as he pulls me into a hug.

"Michonne too," I smile as we pull apart. "We've been planning it for about two weeks."

I hear the door open, turning around to see Sasha enter, trying her best to be inconspicuous. I'd asked her yesterday during target practice to come, to which she gave a less than promising shrug. I head towards her but Michonne stops me, "Hey, come on, time for presents."


Once again, Carl is entirely overwhelmed when he sees the mountain of wrapped presents on the dining room table, the spotted wrapping paper courtesy of Dani.

Carl tears into the pile, only opening one at a time when Michonne tells him off.

A stack of new comic books from Michonne is in his first gift. Somehow she's found ones that he's never read, making him promise that she can read them after him.

The second wrapped gift has a new pair of boots inside. The label on the wrapping reads, 'Ro+Abe', clearly in Rosita's neat cursive handwriting.

The second Carl touches the third gift, Tara shouts out, "That's from me!"

"Hey!" Noah shoves her, "me too."

"Yeah, but mainly me," Tara argues from the corner of her mouth.

Inside is far too much chocolate, bags and bars tumbling onto the dining room table with a clatter. I knew about this gift since Tara couldn't stop boasting about her hauls after runs.

"You can't eat all that by yourself," Rick comments, looking concerned as Carl already starts to rip open a bag of Hershey's kisses.

Michonne grabs a peanut butter Big Cat, saying, "Don't worry, I'll help him out."

Carl lets her take it. "Yeah, we always share."

Rick got him the next present, a fancy looking steel razor and a row of bladed heads to fit it. "Told you I'd teach you," Rick pats his son's shoulder.

The presents go on, Carol getting him textbooks for school, Daryl tosses in a pair of fingerless gloves. Maggie and Glenn, handing Carl an ornate picture frame, the perfect size for his photo of him and his parents from before the outbreak.

Even the guys got him a present, Mikey handing it to him while Ron and Enid hang back. Carl opens the spotted wrapping to reveal a carved wooden stetson, small enough to fit in his palm.

"Enid calved it," Mikey admits, "I came up with the writing, though!"

Carl flips the small figure in his hand, reading around the rim of the hat.

'Destitutus ventis, remos adhibe.'

"I don't-" Carl squints as he tries to read it.

"It's Latin," Mikey explains, "Mom made all her kids learn it."

He points to the start of the phrase and follows it around with his finger as he reads, "If the winds fail you, use the oars." He then shrugs, "I mean, there are a few ways that you can interpret it, but that's the gist."

"And that means?" I ask, more confused than Carl, who's just trying to look grateful.

Mikey snickers at us. "Mom always said it when we were building this place. It means that you should always be prepared for things to get harder, always prepare to need to put in hard work, and always have a backup plan."

"Thanks, guys," Carl grins.

The last gifts are from me, two small wrapped gifts with Carl's name written in my scruffy handwriting.

"Which should I open first?" Carl asks me.

"The fatter one, definitely," I point to it.

Carl opens it carefully, a beaten-down CD walkman inside. Realising what it is after a few seconds of staring, Carl quickly rips into the second gift, a CD within. Written on the disk- 'Happy 15th Mix.'

"No fucking way!" Carl laughs.

"Language," Rick reprimands him, chuckling under his breath.

"Is this?" Carl asks, ignoring his dad.

"Told you I'd make you one," I laugh. "Wish I could have done it with a cassette, though..."

"Hey!" Noah looks offended, "It took me ages to find that damn walkman! Could barely read your handwriting on that note, dude."

"Mikey helped with getting all the songs on there," I tell Carl.

"My brother makes mixes for runs all the time," Mikey adds. "Wasn't any trouble."

Carl's hugging me tight, jumping from his excitement as he does.

"Hey," I laugh. "Told you I would make you a mixtape one day."

"You did." Carl grins.


A/N

As anyone that knows the show's timeline has probably realised, there's not a month time jump here. I'm playing around with time a bit because I feel like it's going to better fit the tone of this story! Everything in this season is pretty much the same though, just stretched out a bit.

Feedback and Reviews are always welcome!

:)