Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Rick was methodically repeating the same sequence of actions – gather some earth in the shovel, throw it into the hole, stomp it and repeat again. He stopped thinking a long time ago, just moved. Gather, throw, stomp, repeat, gather, throw, stomp, repeat, gather- He didn’t know how much time he spent doing this. Hours, maybe even a whole day. But he couldn’t stop, he didn’t have that right. He had to do it today.  

He adjusted the cross with Carol’s name on it as he passed it by to grab the next one for Maggie.  

It took him three hours to make something that would not fall apart from a strong burst of wind or heavy rain. Working with wood was not one of his skills, so the result was somewhat crooked in several places but it had to go. 

At first, he thought of using Michonne’s katana as the basis for her cross, but then realized that she would have scolded him for leaving a perfectly usable weapon because of some foolish sentiment, and decided against it. He did leave Carl’s hat hanging off his and one of Daryl’s arrows on his too. 

Swiping at the cross, Rick stared at the slightly unevenly written name. 

Daryl Dixon-Grimes.   

They’ve been teasing each other about their last name almost from the moment Rick proposed to Daryl. It wasn’t something particularly important to either of them, just a relic of the old world and something to joke about. Sometimes Daryl would playfully insist that Rick should take his last name since Daryl was the ‘breadwinner’ in their family. And Rick would fire back that he was their leader, so his last name should be chosen. 

Now he just smiled sadly at the reason of their joking fights. 

With a sigh he took a step back, knowing that he could not spent the night here, no matter how much he wanted to. He’d promised. And it didn’t matter that the one to whom he made this promise was dead.   

His legs felt like lead, or maybe the air suddenly got replaced by thick bog waters and no one thought to warn Rick. He moved slowly, fighting with himself not to turn back to look at the graves. Just one last time.  

He’s already been toying with the idea of climbing into the last empty grave and blasting his brains out, hoping that if some unfortunate soul had ever found him, they would be kind enough to bury him. 

Rick clenched his jaw and pushed himself forward. He had promised to Daryl that he would not fall apart. That he would live on and keep fighting. No matter how hard it was. 

They both knew that it was an empty promise, but Rick still agreed. Daryl was dying and Rick would have agreed to anything, even bring him the damn moon itself if it made his last moments a little bit easier.  

But Daryl hated liars. And Rick could not bear the thought of his husband hating him. Even if said husband was dead.  

He almost laughed.  

It was so stupid.  

They were so stupid.  

They’ve gotten too comfortable in their small cabin in the middle of nowhere. It used to be a hunting cabin, from the looks of it, surrounded by thick forest with plenty of game. Finding it after everything they went through felt like a gift from above.  

There were only eight of them left by then. Michonne, Carol, Maggie, her son Hershel, Rick, Carl, Daryl and Judith. Now there was only Rick.  

Days blurred together after he buried them.  

Rick tried to stick to some routine. He took care of the small garden, checked the snares, he ate and slept and killed any stray Walkers he came across.  

Sometimes he would hear Daryl, berating him for putting the snare wrong, or Carl, teasing him about his new crops. When he caught sight of himself in the pond, he would hear Judith, telling him to shave because -  ‘Papa, you’re itchy!’   

He knew they were not real, but there was no one around to judge him.  

So what if he sometimes described a new plant that he had managed to grow to Hershel or complained about his aching joints to Glenn, or even sat for hours on the porch, whittling a new toy for Judy and baby Hershel? Sure, he wasn’t very good at it, but it kept his hands and time occupied.  

One day he realized that the voices stopped responding.  

Some weeks later he could not recall how Daryl’s accent sounded, drawling the vowels, or the way Carl’s eye shone when he was happy or Judith’s laugh.  

It was torture.  

It was his life.  

Rick knew he was probably slowly losing his mind. Again. He was not very concerned. It was not the first time and now he had no one to protect or be strong for. No one needed him anymore. So he was free to truly become the mad hermit in the woods.

He heard the screams first, followed by gunfire. He was not sure what prompted him to investigate – old habits, curiosity or cation – it’s been a long time since he interacted with another human being that was not rotten and wanted to eat him. Still, he could not help himself.  

As he followed the sounds of fight, he saw a small group of people was surrounded by Walkers. Three men, barely out of their teen years, trying hard to shield a woman with a wailing bundle in her arms. Maybe that did it, the child’s high-pitched crying. Rick found himself charging at the Walkers without a conscious thought.  

Three Walkers heard him and turned to look at the source of the new noise. Rick easily took them down with several swipes of his machete. It was easy, they were all falling apart already. He noticed another Walker getting closer to the woman and reached out for his gun. Someone yelled, but Rick ignored them for now. His gun misfired. 

Rick cursed and ran forward, getting between the woman and the Walker. He was not fast enough – the damn thing was ready to bite off a chunk of her arm. By some miracle, she managed to kick it away, giving Rick the needed time to reach them. He cut off the Walker’s head, keeping the woman behind and looking around to see the rest of the battlefield.  

One man was down, a Walker tearing at his neck as his friend was trying to fend off another two. It seemed like he ran out of bullets and none of them had any melee weapons. A grave mistake. Rick did not let this thought form, instead killing the distracted Walkers and then turning to the woman. 

He jerked his head back. “My house is there. Run.” He did not see if she listened to him, instead choosing to focus on the remaining five Walkers and the two teens they were trying to kill. Rick sighed, gripping the handle of his machete tighter.  

One of the teens threw a look full of terror at Rick. “Help!” He screamed, jumping away from the Walker. Rick almost sighed. What did this kid think he was doing? Stretching?  

He quickly took care of the Walkers, not really paying attention to the teens. Only once the last Walker was dead did he turn to them.  

As he had noticed before, they were both rather young, barely even adults, if Rick had to guess. They looked rugged, but who did not nowadays? There was some tension in their postures, for which Rick did not blame them. He knew he looked rather, well, crazy would be putting it mildly. Insane? Yeah, a fitting term. 

The one who screamed before spoke first. “Thank you, sir, I don’t know if we’d survived without you! They just came out of nowhere and killed Ed, and-” the other kid elbowed him, making a shushing sound. He pointed at Rick and the first kid paled.  

Mildly curious, Rick followed the kid’s line of sight. His left forearm was covered in blood, which was expected. But the deep red bite marks were not. Rick couldn’t figure out when the walker managed to get him, but he couldn’t deny that the only feeling that filled him was relief. He laughed, throwing his head back and startling the kids. 

They pointed their guns at him.  

“Relax,” Rick said, “if I wanted you dead, I would have left you to them.” He nodded at the Walkers. The kids twitched nervously. Rick did not care that they were scared, he was too tired for that. “Let’s see if your friend made it to my house and then you can shoot me all you want.” He said almost cheerfully.  

He turned around without waiting for any reply. He heard them hurrying after him, a safe distance away. Smart kids. Rick easily picked up the tracks left by the woman, pleased to note that she did run toward his house. He would have run away, in her place. 

They came out of the woods and Rick saw her standing on the threshold and staring intently in their direction. It was easy to track the moment when she noticed them – the tension left her body and she all but fell down.  

One of the kids ran forward, screaming what Rick assumed was her name, but could easily be the child’s name. He did not care. Before the other kid could follow his friend, Rick stopped him with a hand gesture.  

“The house is fully stocked, you won’t need to go to the town for a few months. There’s a map on the kitchen’s table, it marks the places where the snares are set. I have books on gardening, it should be easy to figure the rest out. And don’t forget to feed the chickens.” He ignored the kid’s stunned look and started walking. “After me.” He ordered.  

They did not walk for long, only to the pond. The kid stopped suddenly, but Rick kept going until he reached the graves. He stripped down his gun belt and put the machete down. “There are several other machetes, a katana and a crossbow in the house, as well as guns. Do be careful, bullets are not infinite.” He said as an afterthought, looking around with a frown. “Where the hell did I put it?” 

“Why are we here?” The kid asked finally, snapping Rick out of his thoughts. He blinked down at the clearly nervous kid.  

“Because I want to be buried next to my family.” Rick replied easily, spotting the cross with his own name on it and taking it out of the bush. “That’s all I ask from you.” He told the kid and smiled at his stunned look. “I hope this house will bring you more happiness than me.”  

Before the kid could say something, Rick put the gun to his temple and pulled the trigger. 

This time there was no misfire. 

***

“-waking up. Mister Walsh, please leave the room.” 

“I’m not going anywhere! Rick, brother, ya hear me?” 

“Mister Walsh, leave before I’m forced to call security.”  

“The hell-” 

Rick blinked his eyes open, frowning at the white ceiling.  

He was pretty sure he couldn’t have missed his temple. And even if he did, his house didn’t have a ceiling like that one.  

So where was he? Or was that theory about one’s life flashing before their eyes when you die right? If so then Rick was royally screwed.  

The voices were getting loud again and Rick tried to turn away from them, but found that he could not move well. Annoyed, he slowly blinked his eyes open, deciding to see what was preventing him from getting away.  

He was greeted with a sight of two men in some kind of uniform crowding another man between them, while the fourth man in white medical gown rubbed his temple and said something. The man behind two guards moved, letting Rick see his face and a familiar pissed off scowl he wore.  

“Dont’cha scowl like that, or yer face will get stuck.” He rumbled without thinking and immediately started coughing. Screwing his eyes shut, Rick tried to curl up a little, but his limbs refused to obey.  

There was some movement and a moment later someone’s hands were on him, helping him up into a sitting position.  

“Easy, easy, Brother.” Shane murmured, sounding as breathless as Rick felt. His hand finally moved and Rick grasped Shane’s forearm weakly. 

“Mister Walsh, leave right now. I need to examine Mister Grimes.” The doctor – they had doctors here? - said sternly, glaring at Shane’s head. Rick hardly noticed it, too busy examining Shane’s face, drinking the sight like a man in a desert. 

“Shane-” He rasped, reaching out with his free hand to get Shane closer. Shane let out a wet laugh, eyes full of tears and leaned in, resting his forehead on Rick’s.  

“Fuck, Rick.” He cursed. “Don’t you ever do something like that, you hear me? Scared me half to death, you bastard.”  

“I missed you too, brother.” Rick murmured in return and Shane laughed again, loud and happy. Rick smiled, gripping his arm as hard as his atrophied muscles allowed him.  

“Mister Walsh!” The doctor barked again, at the end of his patience. “Leave this room right now, or we’ll revoke your visitation rights.”  

Shane sighed, squeezing Rick’s neck one last time and stepped back. “Fine, fine, I'm going.” He grumbled, eyes still on Rick, like he might disappear again. “I’ll go call Lori.” He yelled from the hall, blocked by the guards. Rick smiled at him weakly. 

Gods. Lori.  Carl .  

He’s going to see his son again.  

The next hour or so was a blur. Rick honestly tried to pay attention to whatever doctor what-his-name was saying, but his thoughts drifted to his son and wife. Finally, the doctor seemed satisfied that Rick didn’t have any brain damage or any other damage but atrophied muscles and general exhaustion. He assured Rick that his condition was completely normal and that with some therapy he would recover in no time.  

He was left alone after that, with two nurses close by if he needed anything. But Rick just wanted to see Carl. He didn’t care what the hell was happening around him, if it was Hell, Heaven or something else and why he woke up in a hospital where everything started. He was going to see his son again! 

Rick grinned stupidly. From the outside, it probably seemed that he had gone crazy, so wide was his smile. Most likely, the nurses chalked it up to the joy of waking up. At least that’s what he hoped for.  

Soon, Shane reentered the room, returning Rick’s smile. He unceremoniously dropped down to the bed next to Rick and threw his arms around his shoulders.  

“Fucking hell, Rick.” Shane breathed into his hair, his arms tightening around Rick. “You surely took your time.” Rick stiffened a little, clutching Shane’s hand in return.  

“How long?” He asked, voice firmer and steadier than before. The doctor had given him some water and meds, so he was feeling mostly human again. “How long was I asleep?”  

Shane trembled a little, shaking his head mutely. “Three months.” He finally bit out. “Three long fucking months. Doctors said something went wrong and you didn’t wake up when you were supposed to. That you probably won’t wake up at all. God, you should have seen Lori yell at them like some warrior queen.” He chuckled, head falling down to rest on Rick’s shoulder. “But you made it, stubborn bastard. As always.” 

“Promised I’d never leave you.” Rick whispered, frowning a little. The time-line... it was not right.  

The last time he’s been in a coma for only a month and a half or so. If this time he’s been playing sleeping beauty for three instead – did that mean that all the dead rising was just something his brain made up? He frowned. It didn’t feel right. No way his imagination was that wild. Or creative. And what about his people? His daughter? His husband? Did he make them up too?  

“Rick? You okay there, partner?” Shane’s concerned voice broke through the haze in Rick’s mind. He blinked, realizing that he was shaking. “I’ll call the nurse.” Shane said before Rick could reply, slipping away hastily.  

The nurse – a young blond girl, rather pretty, the one he had found torn in half on the floor – came in smiling, a worried Shane trailing behind her like a lost puppy. She assured them both that Rick’s experiences were normal and that they should not worry, unless something was hurting. She and Shane talked for several minutes about Rick’s upcoming therapy and recovery, and Rick fought to stay awake to listen, but his eyes slipped shut and he dozed off.  

He still heard people talking and moving around, felt the bed dip under Shane’s weight as he dropped down next to him again. Which was good, because without his support Rick surely would have fallen off the bed when a young boy yelled in the hall.  

“DAD!”  

Rick shot up, sitting upright with Shane’s help, just in time to catch Carl into his arms. He hugged his son closer to his chest, marveling at how small and young he looked, while the boy sobbed in his shoulder, a mirror image of their meeting at the quarry. Rick pressed kisses at his hair, murmuring words of love to his boy, who only repeated: “You’re awake, you’re awake!” Over and over again. But something was missing. Or rather someone. 

He looked up and saw Lori standing near the door, staring at him with wide eyes. And something in her posture made Rick look closer at her.  

She looked good, healthy and skinny, but not malnourished, like the last time he had seen her in the prison. But the look she was giving him... it was the very same look she had when he informed her of Shane’s death. The same look she used to give him all those months during her pregnancy.  

Cold rushed through Rick’s body.  

It was real. 

The apocalypse was real.  

And Lori remembered it too.  

While Rick was trying to comprehend his discovery, Lori cautiously inched forward, carefully stopping just a step away from Rick’s bed. He gulped, his gut telling him that something bad was about to happen.  

“Shane, can you please take Carl out for a moment? Get some ice cream, I need to talk to Rick.” Lori asked. “Alone.” She added when Shane raised an eyebrow at her in question. He threw Rick a glance, then nodded slowly.  

“C’mon Carl. Let’s go get your Dad some ice cream.” He urged, but the boy just shook his head and clung to Rick tighter. Rick barely suppressed a wince.  

He gently ran his shaking hand through Carl’s hair. “Go with Shane, Carl. It’s okay, I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here when you come back.”  

Carl raised his teary face up, looking at Rick with red eyes. “Promise?” He hiccupped. Rick gave him a serious nod.  

“Promise.”  

With a nod on his own, Carl scrambled off the bed, snatching Shane’s hand and dragging him away. The door closed shut after them, leaving Rick and Lori alone.  

They just looked at each other silently. Rick could see that Lori was trying to figure out if he was the same man as before. He simply took her in. There was no urge to get closer to her, to run his hand over her cheek as he used to do. No desire to kiss or hold her. Rick felt nothing for this woman. 

It’s been a decade since he last saw her. Well, more or less. And seeing her now, it was like being back in prison. Only watching a ghost, not a person.  

He had moved on. He had let her go. And during the long nights on watch, with nothing else to occupy his mind, he found himself thinking about their marriage and their life together.  

They had started dating when they were young, barely seventeen. Married fresh out of high school. Had Carl not long after. And he thought they were happy.  

They were not.  

Lori was not. 

He was not.  

She needed more, she had to be the center of someone’s life. She needed someone to listen to her, to talk back. Rick wasn’t that kind of person.  

Sure, he’d gotten better about communication, but not about voicing his feelings. He didn’t need to anyway, his family knew him well enough to know what was on his mind. He and Daryl could spend days without exchanging a word and still understand each other perfectly.  

A head tilt here, a little gesture there, body inching right, hand flying up in a sharp sign – it was so easy with Daryl.  

The way it was never easy with Lori.  

Did he love her? Yes. Once upon a time. But now... now she was just the mother of his son. Nothing more. 

And it seemed Lori finally came to some decision, nodding to herself and stepping forward, reaching into her purse. She pulled out a stack of papers, holding them out to Rick.  

He took them wordlessly, scanning the first page, his eyes catching one bold word.  

Divorce.  

Rick closed his eyes and let out a slow breath.  

The first time around he was foolishly optimistic, thinking that he and Lori could work out all their problems. And maybe Lori believed in it too. They would have sucked it up, plastered fake smiles and pretended that everything was alright. For Carl, for the sake of the family, or just for an image. But that ship had sailed the moment he got shot and she slept with Shane.  

And the dead started rising.  

Now there was no love lost between them.  

Lori shifted nervously, looking everywhere but at Rick. “Everything has already been approved. All your things are in a warehouse near the hotel. I don’t want you to try to contact me or Carl.” Rick looked up from the document at her last statement.  

“Carl is my son too. I can give you your space, our home, hell, even the car. But I’m not going to let you take Carl as well.” Lori suddenly smiled coldly.  

“I’ve already gotten full custody.” Rick’s stomach dropped, color rushing off his face. “Check the last page.”  

Rick hastily flipped the pages and quickly read through, his heart clenching with each word. She had full custody. And he had no visitation rights. Not on holidays or anything. Nothing.  

“Why? How?” He whispered, still staring at the papers.  

Lori crossed her arms over her chest, lips pressing into a thin line. “Told the judge that I didn’t want my son to grow up surrounded by violence. And that I cannot be sure about your mental state if you ever woke up from your come. She was very understanding.”  

“And very helpful.” Rick said, staring at the judge’s name. It was the mother of one of Lori’s friends. Of course she fell for her little sob story. “If you think that I will let you-” 

“And what will you do, Rick?” She hissed angrily. “Kill me like you killed Shane? Or those men in the prison?” Her voice was full of venom and she didn’t bother with choosing her words. “This isn’t the end of the world anymore. You’re not the boss here. And I will not let my son be near a murderer.” She spat, turned around and stormed off, slamming the door shut after her.  

Rick stared after her, stunned. Slowly, his gaze slid back to the papers he was holding in a death grip.  

Full custody. No visitation rights.  

No visitation rights.  

He was losing his son.  

He has already lost his son.  

Again.  

Fuck. 

Everything shook. Or maybe he was the one shaking, Rick was not sure. Tears formed in his eyes.  

He lost his son again and there was not a damn thing he could do about it. Just like the last time. But now, instead of his enemy being a hungry walker, it was the bureaucracy. And Rick had no way to fight back if the judge was on Lori’s side. Fuck, all lawyers in town were probably on her side. Or would be, if Rick tried to fight for custody.  

After all, who was he against Lori? A cop, which was a dangerous job and even if he quit, Lori would still be preferable. Rick had seen enough such cases to know it. She was the mother. And Rick was no one.  

Besides, he didn’t want to do it to Carl. He deserved to have a normal childhood, without being dragged into his parents’ fight. And Rick would not be a good father to him anyway. He had made too many mistakes. Not to mention his mental state. What good would it do to Carl to have a half-mad murderer as his father? Maybe Lori was right-

“Rick? Rick, what happened? Lori grabbed Carl, said you were too tired-” Shane cut himself off, getting closer. “Rick? Brother, you hear me?”  

Rick shook his head. “I lost Carl.” He murmured. “I lost him. I lost him, I lost him, I lost him.” He muttered again and again, his trembling getting stronger.  

Shane sat next to him, reaching out to grab his shoulder. “Hey, hey. You didn’t lose anyone. Carl is fine, he and Lori went home, she’s not feeling well and Carl is perfectly fine.” He tried to assure Rick, but Rick just shoved the papers into his hands.  

“What’s that?” Shane fell silent, skimming the pages. Rick felt him tensing up with each word he read. “That bitch.” His partner growled under his breath. “And drawing up these the day you were shot. Who the fuck does that!”  

It was like a punch in the gut. But why would it be, it shouldn’t matter. Rick knew Lori was going to leave him, he had figured it out a long time ago. And had made his peace with it.  

So why the hell did it hurt so much? 

He fell forward, shaking, finally letting the tears fall.  

“I lost Carl.”  

She took him away.  

And Rick could not do anything.   

Chapter Text

Only the efforts of four guards managed to get Shane to leave Rick’s room when visiting hours ended. And then only after Rick’s doctor and Rick himself promised not to start the first therapy session without him. Shane even threatened to take a week off so he wouldn’t have to leave Rick to do it all alone. 

It was so unusual and at the same time expected. It was Shane – the guy Rick grew up with. The same guy who always did his best to support Rick and was the closest thing to a brother to him. Despite feeling like shit after Lori’s bombshell, Rick found himself smiling up at the ceiling.  

The room was dark and silent, except for the monitors still hooked to him. And the catheter. The doctor refused to take it out, much to Rick’s annoyance. Said Rick was not strong enough to make it to the bathroom yet. He was right, of course, but Rick didn’t have to like it. 

Besides, focusing on his discomfort was better than thinking about everything else.  

All around Rick felt so unreal. Too clean and fragile. Like a single sneeze could crash everything into tiny pieces. Hells, the sheer amount of antibiotics and drugs that were currently pumping into Rick had his mind reeling. They’ve been struggling with medicine since the beginning. And to have it now, without worrying that it would not be enough or might kill him... it was almost too much.  

Sighing, Rick slowly dragged his shaking hand through his hair and then his face. He regained some mobility, but still not enough for his liking. How the hell did he manage to get out of the hospital last time? Sure, he’s been in coma for only a month and a half then- 

And why did he wake up so late this time? This question seemed to be stuck with Rick, he just could not shake it off. Was he supposed to wake up like this the last time if walkers didn’t start to rise? Did this mean that this timeline or version of the universe or whatever it was, was correct?  

Rick snorted. Sure. And pigs liked to fly.  

C’mon, Grimes, think.   

If there’s one thing he’s learned from his experience in the apocalypse world, it’s that life was unfair. Children died, innocents suffered and psychopaths went unpunished. And that’s how everything was. 

So Rick didn’t believe there wouldn’t be an apocalypse. It was likely that he and Lori just were not the only ones who remembered, and someone related to this whole nightmare was able to do something. After all, they’ve never found out where the walkers originally came from. Rick and Abraham were inclined to believe that they were the result of testing a new biological weapon that went wrong. Or maybe on the contrary, everything went exactly as the creators wanted. 

Rick didn’t particularly care about such things. He wasn’t a doctor or a scientist, so he wouldn’t have been able to do anything anyway. And he simply didn’t have time to torment himself with useless reflections on the walkers’ origin. 

Even now, lying in a hospital bed, he was planning. First, he had to find out if anyone else in his family remembered what had happened. He might be able to persuade Shane to find some of them in the database. Merle should definitely not be difficult to find. According to him, he was arrested many times, and for quite a wide range of crimes. On his account there was a robbery, an armed assault, and the sale of drugs and the infliction of grievous bodily harm while high and so on. Rick’s favorite was probably a story he heard from Daryl – about young Merle running away from a brothel without his pants on, while eight armed men chased him because he pissed them off with his comments about their performances in bed.  

And if he found Merle, Daryl wouldn’t be far away. Rick refused to even entertain the idea of it not being so.  

Second, he needed to understand what options they had for further actions. It was necessary to buy weapons and ammunition, medicines and medical equipment, and so on. The question was where to store all this and then where to transport it all?  

Alexandria was out. The wall was a good advantage, and other communities nearby could also be a help if not for the hostile attitude between them. Besides, if someone else remembered, then no doubt they did not have warm feelings for their neighbors. And Rick didn’t want to be caught between the hammer and the anvil. He didn’t want to fight all the time. Of course, he understood that he could not do without at least some kind of confrontation, it was inevitable. But he would still prefer not to get involved with Negan and his psychos again. 

There was also the possibility that if Negan remembered, he could have destroyed Alexandria from the very beginning and then Rick would have led his family to certain death. For the same reason the prison was out as well. The Governor was too unpredictable.  

Hershel’s farm was too exposed. And besides, the Governor might have known about it, so even if they built a wall around, he could still come in a tank and blast everything to hell.

So they needed a place that their enemies didn’t know about. Sasha, Tyreese and Michonne knew about the farm, and roughly understood where it was located. And if they remembered they could get to it to meet up with the rest of their group. But Aaron, Eric, Rosita, Abraham and Eugene... Rick doubted they’d ever been interested enough to ask about Meggie’s first home. Just like Bob and Noah. He couldn’t even think about the others. 

And Rick really didn’t want to go through all those horrors again. Although with knowledge of the future, it would be easier to deal with them than to choose a new unknown path... and so they would be able to gather all the members of their family without much suspicion. Then again, if the Governor or someone like him remembered, going back to the prison would be twice as dangerous. Would it all even happen this time, since the original start of the apocalypse has already passed?  

Rick sighed in annoyance. There were just too many unknown parts, making it impossible to know if he would even meet the original group at the quarry. Sure, he could try to contact his people beforehand. But there was a possibility that they didn’t remember. Then they would think that Rick was some psychopath or stalker. And he didn’t have all the names. Michone was very tight-lipped about her past, Rick only knew she had a young son Andre and two boyfriends. No last name, no previous occupation, nothing. Granted, he’d found people having less information – that was his job – but what if she didn’t remember him? Shane gave no indication that he had spent months fleeing the living dead. Neither did Carl. If he remembered, Lori would hardly have been able to make him leave. He was far too stubborn.  

But Lori and Rick remembered. How did it work? By what principle did the memories appear? Would Shane and Carl remember later? And the others? Could he trigger their memory by telling about their shared future-slash-past? 

Rick shook his head. He couldn’t do any of it right now. Too many risks. He should focus on things he could do, like finding potential places where they could live. It should not be too open, but at the same time have good visibility. Preferably near a forest and a river or other water source. Walls around or a fence were needed. There were many other nuances, but these were the criteria that seemed the most important at the moment. 

Maybe they can find and clear up another prison? Or some similar institution, since not only prisons had perimeter fences. Boarding houses and sanatoriums, rehabilitation centers and elite golf clubs – they had plenty to choose from. They just had to find such a place nearby. And there should be no other group there. Rick was ready to fight for territory and his family’s safety but he still would rather avoid it. To save lives, resources and time. 

It was also necessary to figure out what to do with the supply of energy and water. Solar panels, windmills, watermills. They should take a look into Amish’s ways, these guys were certainly onto something. Get some books and take advantage of the internet while it still worked. 

Rick kept these thoughts in his subconscious when it was time for therapy in the morning. As promised, Shane showed up half an hour before the start, with a cup of fragrant coffee and a box of donuts, which he ate while grinning at Rick, since he was not allowed to have them yet. 

“When I get out of here, we’ll see who will laugh then.” Rick muttered softly, slowly following his rehabilitologist’s instructions. The exercises were simple, but took quite a long time because Rick’s muscles still refused to obey him. After half an hour of this execution, the rehabilitologist – a nice young girl named Anna – announced a break and left, instructing Shane not to overwork Rick. 

Shane raised his hands in a mock surrender and winked at the girl, making her laugh as she closed the door. 

Laughing a little as well, Rick reached for the cup of water on the nightstand. “I thought you had a girlfriend. What was her name – Rita?” He teased and Shane heaved a dramatic sigh.  

“Her name was Rosa and we broke up, what, two months ago? Yeah, that sounds right. Can you imagine, after three whole weeks, she never learned to turn off the damn lights when leaving the room.” Shane answered in kind, dropping into a chair and taking a sip of his coffee. “Damn, it was so annoying.”  

Rick couldn’t help himself. He laughed. It was absolutely ridiculous. Here he was, in a hospital, getting therapy and listening to Shane bitch about his ex. It felt so unreal. Shane joined in a moment later, laughing until they both were nearly breathless. Then they settled into a comfortable silence, reminding Rick of the long nights spent in patrol or waiting in an ambush.  

He silently vowed not to let Shane go insane this time around. He was going to keep his brother alive and well, damnit.  

“I took your stuff out of storage, moved everything to my place.” Shane said in a low voice when they calmed down. “You’ll stay with me when the doc gives the go-ahead. I talked to Vinnie, they gave you a leave to recover, then they’ll let you do a half-day sedentary job. And before you start objecting, you need to regain your strength before throwing yourself headlong into work.” 

Rick didn’t bother to even grunt in protest, just sighed. Shane continued talking, all too used to Rick’s antics by now. “I went through the list of lawyers who can help with the custody agreement. No one has agreed yet, but there are a couple of pretty promising ones from Atlanta. If we add up our budgets–” 

Listening to Shane plan out how he could help, Rick couldn’t help but swallow around the lump in his throat. This, this was the Shane he’s been missing for more than a decade – supportive and caring. The one who would give all to help his family, not stopping until he either reached his goal, or nothing else could be done. 

He also didn’t have the heart to tell Shane that he was not planning on fighting for custody. There was no doubt in his mind that Lori would fight him tooth and nail on every step. She would use every tactic in her arsenal to make him look like a monster. It would only serve to delay the process and Rick didn’t have the luxury of time.  

So for now he let Shane’s voice wash over him, soothing and calming. He missed the moment when he started dozing off and eventually fell asleep.  

***

Lori stayed true to her word, and Rick didn’t see her or Carl at all while he was recovering. He only hoped that nothing would happen while he was still weak. Considering that Lori hadn’t lived long enough and hadn’t seen the same things as them, Rick couldn’t trust her to take care of his child. Especially remembering her mood when Carl was shot and the fact that she tried to get rid of Judith at the very beginning.  

He would have to pick up Carl somehow when the chaos started and before his ex got a chance to do something drastic. He didn’t care what happened to Lori, the time of Judith’s conception had already passed and neither he nor Shane had been with Lori then. So his brave princess wouldn’t join them this time. That thought made Rick’s heart ache as he laughed bitterly. Here he was, already losing a member of his family, and the end of the world has not even begun yet. 

Thankfully, he had therapy and planned to distract him from his remorseful thoughts. And he had to stay in the hospital for only three weeks before he was released into Shane’s dubious care. Not because he was bad at taking care of wounded, but mostly because they both were stubborn bastards who didn’t know when to stop pushing themselves.  

Still, Rick breathed easier once he settled in Shane’s car, leaving the hospital building behind. If he had to stay any longer, he would have surely started crawling up the walls. Maybe even literally. He’d picked up a few surprising skills during his hermit years. Daryl would certainly laugh his ass off once he learned about it. That, if he ever remembered.  

Shaking his head to clear it, Rick turned his attention back to the road.  

He was honestly not prepared to see so many people on the streets. Clean faced, smiling and laughing. A group of kids was chasing a dog as it barked happily, evidently enjoying their game. And cars. There were so many cars.  

“You alright there, brother?” Shane asked, pulling Rick’s attention away from the window. 

Rick smiled at him absently. “Yes,” he replied, “I’m fine. Just... guess I forgot how lively the world can be.”  

Shane snorted, turning into the yard of his house. “Well, you spent almost four months in the same four walls, I’m surprised you haven’t forgotten how other people look like.” He stopped the car and smirked at Rick. “It’s so easy to forget about the rest of the world in my presence.”  

“Is that what you tell all your girls? And here I thought that I was special.” Rick teased back, climbing out of the car and following Shane into the house. Inside, everything was as usual. Rick could almost pretend he’d just stopped by Shane’s after work to watch a game or have a drink together. If not for the bags with his things standing outside the guest room as well as exercise equipment to help him with the rest of his rehabilitation. He stopped, looking at them. He would never have thought that his life could turn out like this. Especially after the end of the world.  

Shaking his head, Rick waved off Shane’s offer of lunch and went to get his stuff into the room. Twenty minutes later, he was sitting on the bed, breathing heavily. Even such a simple action took a lot of his strength and energy. Rick couldn’t come to terms with his condition, as always. But at least no one would die now if he decided to get some sleep. That’s what he actually did, for once.  

Shane woke him up a few hours later so he could eat and take his pills. Then they sat down together to watch the recordings of the games that Rick missed. And sitting next to Shane on the couch, eating pizza and listening to Shane yell at the players on the screen, Rick realized that he was relaxing. 

He almost laughed, but decided not to draw Shane’s attention to himself. He was already watching him like a hawk, trying to get him to rest or sit down at the slightest hint of pain. Shane has always been a mother hen with his loved ones. And when Carl got sick... Almost against his will, Rick imagined what would have happened if Shane had survived and met Judith. It would have been impossible to tear him away from her that’s for sure. Maybe he would have been even worse than Daryl in that aspect. 

The days dragged on rather monotonously. Every day Shane left for his shift and Rick was left alone in the house. He did exercises, trying to gain strength and the rest of the time he planned. 

He knew where the Greene, Gabriel, and Glenn were at the moment. From Shane’s computer, he was able to find Andrea and T-Dog. Then he located Siddiq and Denise, which was pretty easy. It worried Rick a little, if he could find them so easily, then others could as well. Putting that thought aside for a while, Rick continued his search. 

By the end of the first day, he had only managed to find Tyreese, and only because he recalled that Ty used to be an NFL player. As far as he remembered, before the apocalypse, Tara studied at the police academy, he just didn’t know which one. Frustrated, Rick erased the search history and turned the computer off. Hopefully, he would have better luck with the police data-base. Especially if he wanted to find Bob, Rosita and Abraham. 

Shane came home soon after, shaking his head at Rick’s unasked question. Rick had to push away a wave of disappointment. Shane has been trying to see Carl after school, but Lori thwarted his every attempt. And with each passing day, Rick’s confidence that Lori was up to something was growing. 

No matter how hard Shane tried to pretend that everything was normal, Rick still heard the whispers and saw the side-glances people gave him on the street or in the shop. King County was a small town, everyone knew each other, so the news and rumors spread quickly. And judging by the fact that all his former acquaintances turned up their noses when they saw Rick, what they had heard was far from favorable for him. 

Four days after being discharged from the hospital, Rick sat on the couch in Shane’s living room, with the TV on, but didn’t pay much attention to it. For the most part, he was trying to figure out ways to persuade his boss to let him go to work early. His train of thought was interrupted by the doorbell. 

Opening the door, Rick stood face to face with an unfamiliar girl in a business suit. “Hello, my name is Willa Viteni, I’m looking for Richard Grimes?”  

Rick suppressed a frown. “That’s me. How can I help you?”  

“Can I see any id?” She asked instead of answering. Rick almost snorted.  

“Only if you show me yours.” He said, reaching into his pocket for his driver license.  

One corner of Willa’s mouth twitched as she reached for her purse. “A cop is always a cop, even off duty, huh.” Rick heard her murmur. They showed each other their ids and once satisfied, Rick let her into the house.  

They settled in the kitchen and Rick busied himself with a coffee machine. It was one of the few things he really enjoyed in the old world – a hot shower and well-made coffee. “Milk, sugar?”  

“No, thank you.” Willa replied. When Rick turned back to the table with two cups, she had a stack of documents in front of her. “Let’s get down to business. Have you been informed about your uncle Mr. Royce yet?” Rick frowned and shook his head.  

“I haven’t spoken to him for about six months. The last time I heard he was in Bali. Did something happen?” Willa’s face confronted and she took a deep breath.  

“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but about a month ago your uncle was found dead in one of his country houses. The police have already confirmed that it was a suicide, everything was recorded on camera and a note was left. Please accept my condolences.” Rick nodded dumbly, a little lost.  

He and Uncle Jack had never been particularly close, meeting only on family holidays when Rick’s parents were still alive. Uncle Jack has always been a black sheep in the family, rich and single, many condemned his lifestyle. Rick always treated him well, believing that everyone has their own way in life. 

“You said there was a note, what did it say?” He found himself asking. Willa searched her documents and pulled a out photo. She gave it to him silently. Rick scanned it, seeing that it was a photo of a suicide note.  

‘I won’t let them eat me this time.’  It said.  

Rick’s breath hitched.  

Fuck. Uncle Jack remembered too. And decided not to wait for Walkers to get him. Fuck.  

“I understand it’s quite a shock, but perhaps you know what it means?” Willa asked tentatively. Rick gripped the edge of the table and shook his head. Willa looked disappointed but nodded, taking the photo back. “Sorry about that, but I had to ask. So, to the reason why I’m here. Your uncle has appointed you as his sole heir, and I would like to go through the documents with you.” 

Rick just blinked at her. “His sole heir?” Willa nodded patiently, going through her papers again.  

“Yes. And he left you everything he had. His property includes the following–” These words were followed by four long hours during which Rick and Willa looked over a bunch of documents. Uncle Jack had a lot of property. Apart from sixteen vintage cars, a popular hotel chain, ten houses in America and six in other countries, he had a lot of antiques, expensive paintings, alcohol and exotic animals. Rick briefly started when Willa mentioned a crocodile. Why did rich people always have such strange pets? 

Willa left a dumbfounded Rick just before Shane arrived.  

While he was waiting for his partner to arrive, his brain was frantically trying to combine all the information. About a month ago, he, Lori, and Uncle Jack all received knowledge of the impending apocalypse. Rick could only guess, but most likely Uncle Jack didn't last very long the first time and decided not to risk it the second time. 

Why exactly a month ago and why them? Did anyone else remember? Was it worth trying to find them? Rick growled in frustration, hands closing in his hair. He had already asked himself all these questions countless times. It was useless to dwell on them. Time to focus on something else. 

Rick settled his gaze on the papers infront of him. He had just inherited a huge fortune. A slow smile appeared on his face. Now he had everything he needed to make a home for his family. He silently thanked Uncle Jack.  

Now they had a chance.  

Chapter Text

Since people were constantly whispering behind Rick’s back in the shops nearby, he decided to go shopping in a part of the town he rarely visited. And at the same time relax a little. Several days have passed since Willa had stunned him with news of an unexpected inheritance. Rick decided not to tell anyone anything yet. He bought a laptop and spent quite a lot of time looking for a suitable area for his purposes. 

King County didn’t fit, it was too close to the main road to Atlanta. This increased the risk of attracting Walkers or unwanted groups. Still, Rick’s gaze involuntarily slipped along the streets, simultaneously noting all possible places to collect supplies. It had become a habit for him a long time ago. But usually he was not alone on his rides. Rick glanced at the empty seat next to him and momentarily turned back to the road, clenching his jaw hard.  

He stopped near a small shop and got out of the car, habitually looking around the street for the presence of Walkers. Of course there weren’t any, but for some reason Rick had a vague feeling of anxiety. Something was bothering him, something was happening. He just couldn’t quite grasp what. He had noticed something. But what? 

Slowly and carefully, he scanned the street once more. Finding nothing, he shook his head trying to clear it and entered the closest store. There were already people inside, but they didn’t pay any attention to the newcomer, to Rick’s relief. The cashier was lazily reading a magazine, his legs crossed. A teenage boy was standing hesitantly in front of a juice shelf, and a girl of about ten years old was lingering next to the sweets department. She was standing with her back to Rick and humming something to herself softly. 

For some reason, Rick slowed down at the sight of her. There didn’t seem to be anything remarkable about the girl. Small, slim, with thin arms and short blond hair. So why couldn't Rick get rid of the strange feeling that she was important?  

Realizing that he was standing in the doorway for some time already, Rick moved inside the store, trying not to attract attention. He had a shopping list with him, mostly consisting of ready-made but frozen breakfasts and lunches, since Rick did not like to cook and Shane simply did not have the time and energy for it. Trying to keep the girl in sight, he began to collect groceries in the cart. And suddenly the girl exclaimed, freezing Rick in place. 

“Mommy, can I get those?” Sophia asked pleadingly. It was her! Rick felt so relieved, because a small part of him still doubted if everything he had seen was just an incredible dream, even though Lori remembered. Rick had to stop himself from jerking around to look at Sophia, instead forcing himself to move naturally. He turned, pretending to search for something and saw Sophia standing before her mother.  

He had to restrain himself from rushing to Carol and wrapping her in his arms. It had been too long since the last time he had seen her. And it was not a very pleasant sight. Too much blood, dirt on the face and empty lifeless eyes staring into the void. And it made this moment even harder that after all they’ve been through, he had to be the one who drove a knife into her temple. Because there was no one else left. 

The woman before him wasn’t Carol. Or rather, not the Carol that Rick knew. Now he saw a downtrodden, quiet woman who, apart from her husband’s tyranny and caring for her daughter, knew nothing in life. Rick’s fist clenched on its own when he noticed a yellowish bruise on Carol’s cheekbone.  

Carol smiled gently at her daughter but shook her head. “Your Daddy will be upset if we buy it.” Sophia drooped at once, sadly lowering her hand in which she was clutching a box of cereal. But she didn’t argue, just turned to put it back on the shelf.  

After this brief observation, Rick came to the conclusion that Ed was even more of a brute than he had imagined. He looked around once more. Mother and daughter were alone in the store, without the so-called head of the family. Taking this as a sign from above, Rick confidently moved towards Carol and Sophia. 

When he came closer, Carol stepped back, thinking that he was just passing by and giving him space to do it and Rick’s heart dropped a little. Despite the fact that Shane and Carl did not remember, he harbored the hope that at least someone from his family remembered. But there was no recognition in Carol’s eyes, just politeness in front of a stranger. It was painful to see. But Rick still stopped and smiled gently at Sophia, trying to remember how he behaved when he was still a cop. 

“Hello, little miss and ma’am. I’m sorry to bother you, but I can’t seem to find any salad. Can you help the unfortunate man?” He asked in a whisper, making Sophia giggle and duck her head shyly. She glanced at Carol. The woman looked a little lost but Carol was always helpful, and right now she had no reason to deny him.  

So she gave Rick a small smile and nodded. “Of course, you need to go further down and turn left.” She gestured. Sophia nodded along with her mother’s words. Rick thanked them both and moved away, cursing internally.  

He was hoping that Carol would take him herself and he would be able to start a conversation with her. But damn it, after so many years, he had almost forgotten what Carol was like before the end of the world. And that Ed wouldn’t let her talk to men. Or with women. She spent most of her time alone or in Sophia’s company. 

But that was before. Then Carol blossomed. It would happen again if Rick had any say in it. And this time all of their children would be with them.  

Deciding to try his luck again, Rick paid and went outside. He began to put his purchases in the car, glancing at the store out of the corner of his eye. Soon, Sophia appeared carrying a small package, followed by Carol with three larger ones. Without hesitation, Rick went to meet them. The little girl smiled at the sight of him, clearly remembering his playfulness, so unfamiliar to her. Carol looked wary but still smiled politely. 

Rick gave them his best smile. “Do beautiful ladies need any help?” Sophia giggled again and covered her mouth with her hand. Rick easily picked the packs from Carol, still smiling and ignoring her quiet protests. “You helped me today and I’d like to return the favor.” He gestured for them to take the lead.  

Sofia skipped a little ahead showing the way. Carol and Rick followed slowly. Carol kept glancing at Rick and fiddling with the sleeve of her long shirt, still not daring to speak. It was very painful for Rick to see her like this. He cleared his throat. “I’m afraid I didn’t catch your name.”  

Carol started, eyes going wide. “Oh! Carol Peletier. My daughter Sophia.” She nodded at the girl who turned to look at them at the sound of her name.  

“Rick Grimes. You have a wonderful daughter, Mrs. Peletier.” Rick said softly. Apparently hearing something in his voice, Carol relaxed a little. She even smiled, looking at Sophia with love.  

“Yes.” She replied. “Do you have any children, Mr. Grimes?”  

Rick nodded, his lips broke into a proud smile of their own accord. “I have a son, Carl. He isn’t much younger than your Sophia.” His smile faded. Rick remembered that he had not seen his son for more than a month. And if he didn’t count that brief visit to the hospital, then it’s been years. 

Carol, who over the years had been accustomed to looking at the slightest mood changes on her husband’s face, immediately noticed Rick’s sadness. “Did something happen?” Rick hesitated for a moment. On the one hand, it was quite personal. And on the other... perhaps it would help him gain some favor. 

“My wife and I have recently divorced. She took all custody of Carl. She said my job was too dangerous and now she won’t even let me see him.” He told with bitterness in his voice that he didn’t even have to fake. Carol gasped, eyes flying to Sophia, as if to check that she was still here.  

“I can’t imagine how horrible it feels. What did you do that made your ex so adamant, if you don’t mind me asking?” 

Well, the moment of truth.  

“I’m a cop.” He ignored the way Carol tensed at his words. “Got shot on duty four months ago, fell into a coma for three months. I woke up and immediately received the divorce papers.” Carol paled, but Rick continued. “I knew we had problems, and to be honest, before the coma, I was hoping that we would be able to overcome them.” He paused, as if gathering his thoughts. “But after I woke up... It was like a veil had fallen from my eyes. And I realized that I no longer feel anything for this woman. And that even if she hadn’t filed for divorce, I would have done it. I don’t see any point in trying to stay together for the sake of our son. What’s the point if his parents don’t love each other anymore? If they fight all the time? This will only negatively affect the child’s psyche.” 

As he spoke, he stole glances at how Carol perceived his words. Would she catch the hint? Would she listen to the advice? Carol walked in silence for a while and then stopped. 

“Why are you telling me this?” She asked quietly. Rick stopped too. 

“Because I see that you are unhappy. Because I know what your husband is doing to you. I come across this at work a lot, and I can’t always help. But right now I just can’t stay away.” 

Carol shook her head and slowly took a step back from Rick. “You don’t know anything. Ed is nice and loves us. It’s just that sometimes he has control problems.” 

“Mrs. Peletier,” Rick called gently, “tell me, has Ed ever snapped at his boss? Did he try to attack a group of people?” Carol kept shaking her head, this time in denial. “Then he’s in full control. He just doesn’t want you to realize it. He likes to feel strong and powerful. And that’s why he chose you and your daughter as his targets, because you won’t fight back and you won’t tell anyone.”  

“I know it’s scary. It’s scary to even think about leaving. Because you still love him, despite the fact that you hate him as well.” Carol looked straight ahead but didn’t object. “After all, once upon a time he was a completely different person. The one that caused butterflies in your stomach. The one who promised happiness until the end of your days.” Carol was quietly crying now and yet she stayed in place. “But that man has long since disappeared. Now he’s hurting you. He’s hurting your daughter. Are you ready to put up with this for the rest of your days? Are you sure they won’t be cut short? That in a fit of rage he wouldn’t do the irreparable? To you or to Sophia?” At the sound of her daughter’s name, Carol shuddered and looked up in fright. 

Rick swallowed. His words were working, he just had to keep going for a bit. “My friend had a daughter.” He began softly. Then chuckled. “He called her his Lil’ Asskicker. She was wonderful – smart, kind and brave. Only being nine years, she shot arrows smartly and could beat adult men in poker.” 

Carol seemed mesmerized. “What happened?” She prompted gently, when Rick fell quiet. 

“Their house was attacked. She was killed one of the first to be killed.” Rick was fighting back tears. “I planted Cherokee roses on her grave.” He looked Carol straight in the eyes. “Do not let Cherokee roses take your daughter.” 

They stood in silence for a while and then, without a word, they moved forward. Sophia, seeing that they were following her once more, ran ahead again. Rick didn’t try to start another conversation. Carol was clearly thinking about his words, he didn’t need to say more.  

When they were only a few alleys away from their house, Carol reached for the bags. “I’ll take it from here. I don’t want the neighbors to see us.” Rick nodded understandingly and handed her the packages. Then he rummaged in the pockets of his jacket, found a notebook and a pencil, and quickly began to write. 

“This is my personal number, my partner’s number, the number of the police station and my home number. And the address. If you need to go somewhere.” He murmured, tearing the page out and handing it to Carol.  

Then, with a small nod to both Peletiers, Rick walked back to his car. His hands shook all the way so he put them in his pockets to hide it. When he reached the car, he leaned heavily on its roof, breathing slowly and deeply. Tears welled up in his eyes. 

It hurt to think of Judith. Talking about her was even more painful. But at the same time, there was some kind of lightness in Rick’s chest now. It was as if Judith was here with him, and not in the distant future, which might not happen at all.  

His little girl was nothing more than a pipe dream. 

Rick bit his lip and climbed into the car. He pulled his phone out of his pocket with difficulty and dialed the number without looking. On the third ring, the phone was picked up. 

“Miss Viteni? This is Rick Grimes. I have a business proposition for you.” 

***

Stopping in the parking lot, Rick absentmindedly wondered if he should have put on a suit. The restaurant where Miss Viteni agreed to meet him wasn’t one of those pompous places for the rich, but it was still decent enough that people couldn’t just show up there in jeans. Not that Rick really looked like a village idiot, but still... 

Shaking his head to get rid of unnecessary thoughts, he finally got out of the car and headed for the entrance. He was met by a smiling receptionist and after confirming the reservation, the same smiling waiter escorted Rick to his table. He still had fifteen minutes before Miss Viteni arrived, so Rick took out his notebook so as not to waste time.  

Despite the fact that he now had an almost obscene amount of money in his account, Rick was in no hurry to spend it. He made several lists of what they would or might need, in what quantity, what storage conditions these supplies needed, and so on. Maggie was much better than him at such things, but she wasn’t around right now, so Rick had to do it himself. And he was glad for it, because it gave him something to occupy his time. 

But still, he was only one person and could not manage to do everything at once. He needed help. Which he hoped to get today. Miss Viteni seemed to be a smart, sensible woman and, most importantly, not tolerating nonsense. From their conversation during the discussion of the inheritance, Rick found out that she had been working for Uncle Jack almost since her adulthood. She quickly became his personal secretary and despite the fact that she often received other job offers, she remained loyal to Uncle Jack. Rick hoped that it would help him in the upcoming conversation.  

“Mr. Grimes.” She greeted with a firm nod. Rick got up to shake her hand and together they sat down. A waiter immediately came to them, offering a menu. Miss Viteni dismissed him with a shake of her head and the young man had reluctantly left. Rick could barely keep himself from grinning. Willa was quite a spectacular and beautiful woman. No wonder the waiter was so eager to serve her. 

“Miss Viteni, thank you for agreeing to meet with me.” Rick began. “My words may seem unexpected, but I don’t think we should be beating around the bush. Would you like to consider working for me?” 

Willa arched her brow. “Oh? And what exactly are you offering?” She bent forward a little and Rick could clearly see a glimpse of curiosity in her eyes. 

“I believe that during your time working with my Uncle you got used to his... somewhat non-standard requests.” Willa didn’t confirm but didn’t deny either. “So I hope we can work together, as my requests won’t be ordinary. I can’t tell you more details until we conclude a contract, but I will promise you the same salary that Uncle Jack paid you, and some extra money.” His words resonated, Rick could see it. “What do you say?” 

With an easy movement, Willa leaned on the back of her chair and looked at him thoughtfully. She eyed him up and down, then finally nodded, seemingly to herself. “I admit, you intrigued me. What kind of unusual requests can a small-town cop have?” 

Rick allowed himself to smile. “You’ll think I’m insane.” And she wouldn’t be the first. Or the second. Or even the third. For some reason, it didn’t sound very good, even in Rick’s own head. Well, he knew why, of course, but it didn’t change anything. Better leave it alone. 

Snorting, Willa raised an eyebrow in challenge. “Believe me, I am quite difficult to surprise.” She tapped her fingers on the table, smirking. “I think I have a couple of stories that can even shock you.” Rick let out a short laugh. He knew he liked that woman for a reason.  

“I think we’ll work well together.” He said and Willa hummed. 

“Why not?” She mused out loud. “I’m on the lookout right now, and your offer is currently the most intriguing one I’ve received so far.” Then she tilted her head. “You sure you can’t tell me at least something?”  

Rick thought for a moment. Over the years of existing among the living dead, he had learned to listen to his instincts – if he was unsure, he could always count on Daryl – and now he was trying to figure out if he could trust the woman sitting across from him without a signed contract. Of course, it was doubtful that she could tell anyone capable of thwarting Rick’s plans. But he was used to caution in his actions. 

However, Willa didn’t trigger any negative response inside him. So he decided to share some of his plans with her. Pulling a notebook out of his pocket, he quickly flipped through it, finding the correct page. He laid it out on the table and turned it towards Willa. She leaned forward and looked at the page curiously. Rick chuckled slightly as he noticed how her eyebrows twitched up in surprise. But she quickly pulled herself together and then hummed quietly.  

“You have grandiose plans.” She commented, pulling the notebook a little closer. On the page there was a small sketch of a space surrounded by a wall. “The walls alone are worth a lot. Concrete blocks and chain-link fence? You want to build a fortress?”  

Rick tilted his head on the side, smiling charmingly. “Something like that. I’m planning this as a survival training camp. We will teach shooting with long-range weapons, fishing, hunting, building shelters, searching for edible plants in the forest and so on.” He explained, pointing at various areas on the page. 

“Sounds interesting.” Willa said. She looked a little more relaxed now. “And why do you need me? My skill set might be broad, but I’m afraid the ones you have listed are not included in it.” 

“I read you helped my Uncle with the construction of one of his villas.” Rick replied, wanting to see if she would catch up. Willa’s eyes narrowed slightly.  

“I did. So you need a coordinator?”  

“In a way.” Rick nodded. He handed her a pre-written contract. “Here, I asked for it to be made based on your contract with my Uncle.” Willa accepted it and started reading. Knowing not to distract her, Rick returned his attention to the notes. Twenty minutes later, Willa hummed with satisfaction. 

“Quite acceptable conditions.” Her gaze skimmed the page again. “I agree to work with you.” She declared and signed the contract, right next to Rick’s sign. He smiled and took the contract back.  

“I am very glad that you agreed. I can’t imagine how I could have done it all alone.” Rick confessed. Of course he would have done everything from start to finish even if he had to build the walls with his bare hands. But having a talented assistant on hand made his task much easier. 

Rick put his notebook between them and flipped the page, showing it to Willa. “Here is a rough idea of what I want to get in the end. And here is a list of requirements.”  

Willa made a small noise of understanding and took out her own notebook from her purse. Without looking, she opened it and wrote something. “What are the maximum allowed deviations from these requirements?”  

“Depends on the situation.” Rick frowned. “To begin with, I will need you to find me a place nearby where it will be possible to build a cottage settlement. Preferably near the forest and the city, but away from frequently used roads.”  

“What about water bodies? Would you like to have a lake near, or maybe a man-made pond?” Willa asked, catching up quickly. Rick smiled to himself. He had a feeling that he made the right choice. They spent about three hours discussing. Willa made notes in her notebook and even put forward her own suggestions based on her previous experience. It was easy to talk to her and at the same time not to be distracted from the case. 

When they said goodbye, Willa’s eyes were burning with excitement. It seemed like she needed a challenge at work. And considering the deadlines Rick had set for her, it was not just a simple challenge, but an almost impossible task. But he had faith in her.  

Rick returned home tired but pleased with the progress he had made. He and Willa agreed to keep in touch by phone and meet in person once a week. He hoped that by the next meeting Willa would have something to tell him. And while she was doing all this, Rick could focus on the backup plan and finding his people. 

He was taking off his shoes when Shane appeared at the end of the hallway and leaned his shoulder against the wall. There was a stupid grin on his face. “And where are you coming from? Freshly shaved and in a nice shirt. Decided to enjoy the bachelor life to the fullest?” 

“Very funny.” Rick responded, rolling his eyes. “I hope you didn’t hurt yourself coming up with this joke.” He shouldered his way into the room past Shane. “What’s for dinner?” 

“Am I your mom to cook dinner for you?” Shane bickered back. “Just so you know, I work a lot and I have absolutely no time for cooking. So someone could please me and meet me with a hot dinner for once. Am I asking too much?” He whined, following Rick and falling down on the sofa with a dramatic sigh. 

“You’re that tired from work? Just ask Jeff to give you a couple of days off, he won’t refuse.” Rick said and with a laugh dodged the pillow that Shane threw at him. “Okay, okay, oh the Great One. I can order pizza.”  

“Fine. Just no pineapples!” Shane shouted. Rick went into the kitchen to find a flyer with the number of a local pizzeria. While he was rummaging through the drawers, the doorbell rang. “I’ve got it!” Shane called and the sofa creaked. Rick had already put it out of his mind when Shane’s worried voice called out to him. “Rick! I need you here.”  

Frowning, Rick hurried into the hallway. There he saw Shane kneeling in front of a tearful Carl. The boy was sniffling and wiping his eyes with a tightly clenched fist. Rick’s chest tightened for a moment. And the next moment he was already on his knees in front of his son, his hands firmly on Carl’s shoulders.  

“Hey, hey, Carl, what’s wrong?” Rick asked hurriedly as he gently wiped tears from his son’s face. Carl sniffed again and stared at Rick. 

“Is it true?” His voice sounded so small. Rick threw a confused glance at Shane.  

“What are you talking about?” Suddenly Carl threw Rick’s hands away and stepped back. 

“You don’t love us anymore! Mom said you decided to leave us because you had another family.” Carl accused, a scowl on his face that didn’t hide the hurt in his eyes.  

Rick shook his head, reaching out for Carl again. “No, no, no, of course not.” He managed to tug Carl closer and into his embrace. “I won’t trade you for anyone, Carl, you know it.”  

Carl’s skinny arms wrapped themselves around Rick’s neck. “Then why did you leave? Why don’t you come home? I haven’t seen you at all in all this time. You didn’t even call!” He sobbed harder. Rick heard Shane curse under his breath faintly. Shane squeezed his shoulder tightly and stood up, muttering about dinner.  

Lifting Carl in his arms, Rick closed the door and carried his son into the living room. He didn’t want to let him go, it had been so many years since he could lift Carl up like that. And it looked like Carl was in no hurry to get out of Rick’s embrace. He tucked his face into Rick’s neck and fell silent. Rick sat down on the sofa, arranging Carl on his lap and ran his hand through Carl’s hair gently.  

Some time later, he managed to get Carl to talk. He enthusiastically began to tell him about school and friends. Shane came back into the room unnoticed and sat down in a chair nearby. Rick tried very hard not to think that he should call Lori and tell her where Carl was, because apparently he ran away here instead of football practice. And while he could, he enjoyed the moment. They were eating pizza and watching a game on TV when there was an angry repeated knock on the door. 

Shane and Rick shared a glance and stood up, Carl in tow. “Looks like your mom’s here.” Rick muttered, steering Carl to the hallway.  

And sure, when they opened the door, they saw a very angry Lori standing there. “Carl!” She exclaimed, framing Carl’s face in her hands. “What were you thinking? I almost went crazy with worry! I told you, you can’t leave with Dad.” Then Lori leveled an icy glare at Rick. “And you! You know perfectly well that you can’t pick him up from school.” 

Carl pulled away from her grip and crossed his arms over his chest. “He didn’t pick me up! I came here by myself! And you lied to me, Dad doesn’t have any second family. Why did you say that?” 

There was a hint of panic in Lori’s eyes. “Carl, baby, you misunderstood me. Get in the car, I’ll explain everything to you at home.”  

“You know, Lori, I’d like to hear that explanation, too. And the reason why you decided to tell Carl this.” Rick pressed. Shane hummed nonchalantly, but his posture was hard and a little threatening.  

Noticing this, Lori scowled briefly. She harshly yanked Carl to her. “I don’t have to explain anything to you. Be grateful I didn’t call the police. If it happens again, I will definitely call them.” She said and marched Carl toward her car, without even glancing back. They pulled out and only then Rick closed the door.  

“Fuck.” He cursed, leaning on the wall.  

“Damn, man.” Shane said. “Your ex’s insane.”  

Despite himself, Rick smiled. “You have no idea...”