#[[ and my Rick didn't make much sense towards the end but that's not new either ]]

[countlessrealities]

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING || Accepting !

@advnterccs sent: 📱for a voicemail my muse left yours. { To your Rick from my Morty ! }

Rick almost dropped his phone as he tried to take another swing from the mostly empty bottle he was holding in his other hand. Half of the mouthful of liquor trickled down his chin, joining the stains that were already wetting his teal shirt, but he didn't seem to notice, too busy squinting at the screen to find the number he wanted.

Morty was mad at him.

The fact in itself wasn't news. It wasn't the first time and it sure as hell wouldn't be the last. However, this particular fight was bothering him as very few had, for more than one reason, and he couldn't shake off the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Guilt. He had fucked up, he knew it and, for once, he was failing to deny it.

The phone rang and rang on the other side of the line, but no one picked up and the call eventually ended with a click, as it was redirected to the voicemail.

"G-God fuckin' dammit," Rick muttered under his breath and gulped down more liquor before raising his voice.

"M-Morty, what the hell, p-pick up the fuckin' phone! W-Where the fuck are you?! S-Stop watching porn o-or jerking it or...whatever you're doing. G-Geez, I can't believe tha-that you...you let me go to the goddamn voicemail, l-little shit."

A few other grumbled words followed, but they were distorted by a hiccup and thus unintelligible. He should probably specify whom he was. The last thing he wanted was for the teen to give shit to his boyfriend because of something he had done.

"I-It's Rick. Shit, I-I mean other Rick. Y-Your lame ass, bitchy, fuckin' ungrateful little freak of a boyfriend's Rick."

Alright, maybe insulting his own Morty so freely wasn't the smartest idea. He was trying to get his other grandson's help to make it up to his own and all that spiel was kind of counterproductive.

Fuck, the little shit makes stuff hard even when he's not around. Fuck you, Morty.

"L-Listen, you...you gotta call me back, Morty. I need...we got some shit to do. U-Urgent shit. An-And you have to come with. C-Can't do it on my own. I-It's a two-people job, y-you know? But don't...It's not weird stuff. N-No weird stuff involved." For once, he actually meant it, even if never say never when it came to a Rick-and-Morty related thing. "B-But you can't tell...gotta keep your mouth shut, m-my Morty can't know, got it, l-little buddy? I-It's...if he knows, it will be ruined. S-So we gotta be quiet an-and quick and...you know. G-Get it done before he knows."

There was a voice in the back of his head, one that sounded awfully like Morty's, that was telling him that this was a dick move. Using the teen's own boyfriend to get forgiveness when the latter had been part of the reason why they had fought in the first place.

Good thing that Rick was used to not playing fair and to cheating at every chance he got. Especially if it made it easier for him to get what he wanted.

"We...you...fuckin' call me back, little shit," he resumed, squinting down at the phone as if it had been the boy's face, before letting himself fall in his chair.

Or, at least, that had been his intention. What actually happened was that, in his drunken state, he bumped into it, sending it rolling away and tripping himself backwards. He managed to slow his fall down by grabbing the hem of the workbench, but he still ended up flat on his back, also causing a few tools and unfinished devices to hit the floor with him.

He also lost the grip on the now empty bottle he had been holding and it flew out of his hand, crashing on the ground and shattering in pieces.

Great.

More unfazed by the mess than anyone else would have been, the scientist merely fished his flask out of the inner pocket of his lab coat, took a long, noisy gulp without bothering to sit up and then belched in the phone, before speaking up again as if nothing had happened.

"Y-You got it, Morty? I-It's...life and death. F-Fuckin' life and death, Morty! Y-You don't want to risk causing a-another of those...those...shit, c-can't remember the goddamn word...! Eh, w-whatever." A shrug that the teen obviously wouldn't have seen. "B-But you get it, Morty, don't you? O-Of course you don't, b-but you're still going to do it. B-Because I'm asking you, Morty. I am fuckin' asking."

More like demanding, but those were details.

"S-So do it for the world. O-Or for your family. O-Or for yourself. Whatever. A-As long as you do it for me."

At the end of the day, what mattered was that he and his Morty made up and went back to do what they usually did without the boy glaring at him at any given turn and denying him. He couldn't stand that. Hopefully just having the other Morty there would make it better already.

"G-Good. Great. Just...fuckin'...yeah. Call me back. Soon, M-Morty, got it? Soon! O-Or I...I'll bomb your garden or-or piss on your comics or...put you in Jerry's body or...m-make you allergic to dicks s-so you can't touch one ever again or..." Damn, he had already run out of ideas. "I-It's gonna be awful. For you. I-I fuckin' promise you that."

And without another word, he closed the call, carelessly dropping his phone on the floor and returning the flask to his mouth. Good. A few hours and shit will be fixed. No need to worry anymore.

...Still, while he waited for his other grandson to get his shit together and call back, he would get drunker. You know, just in case.

[twdmusicboxmystery]

More of the Twin or Duality Theory with Isabel/Leah/Beth

@twdmusicboxmystery

So, I woke up with something of a new theory in my head. Let's say, just for kicks, that Daryl does end up having a relationship with Isabelle. I'm not any more convinced that's going to happen than either of you are, but humor me. If he does, CLEARLY it's just going to be another Leah. Not something long term or soulmate like.

So, I was thinking about how we always said Leah was both a mirror opposite and a parallel to Beth. And then there's this idea of Isabelle being Beth's symbolic "twin."

We've also talked about how the Leah storyline was originally going to play out much differently (we think) but CoVid changed everything and they had to shuffle things around, right? I remember saying once that I thought originally they would air the Leah storyline AFTER revealing Beth, and that would have changed the whole feel of it. Daryl would have been having this slightly toxic relationship with Leah, while fans already knew Beth was out there. But obviously it didn't play out that way.

So, I was thinking that maybe originally Leah was going to be Beth's symbolic, functional twin, but when everything happened, things got pushed back and rearranged, etc., they scrapped that idea, at least in its first iteration. Obviously, Leah still had a million shades of Beth in her (and Carol too) but she became more of a forerunner than a side-by-side symbolic twin.

See, one thing I always thought and know I said a few times is that I think we're going to need to see Beth and her symbolic twin at the same time. In all the other dualities, they've been on screen together. Lizzie and Mica. Carol and Alpha. Rick and the Gov. Glenn and Nicholas. More recently, Max and Shira.

So, it just never made sense to me that if Leah was Beth's twin, she would die before Beth was even revealed. But again, now I'm wondering if originally the plan was to have them play out together, but that got scrapped bc of Covid, and now they've created Isabelle to take on the role of Beth's dualistic other half.

All I'm saying is that, if so, it would make sense for the question of romance to be there. It doesn't mean Daryl has to take her up on it--I agree that doing another exact storyline like Leah's feels really redundant--but she might offer it to him.

And given what happened with Leah, he might even be thinking that he screwed that up, so maybe he should give this woman a shot, but something about it still just won't feel right to him. Because, you know, Beth. Anyway, that's pretty much it. I still think, no matter how it all plays out, that it's leading to Beth. Just some thoughts I woke up with this morning. ;D

@wdway

It certainly could go that way. I see your logic in this scenario. For myself though I have come more and more to believe that Leah at least in FM was more about Daryl and Carol. He has such mixed up feelings about Carol and Beth. These two women that he loves in different ways.

In the end I feel that in s11 by the time Leah tried to kill Maggie she was much more of a ruthless Carol figure. I think the good he saw in Leah was always him wanting to see Beth in her but she really wasn't Beth or completely Carol but he saw the best and the worst of the two women.

And maybe that is what I'm leaning towards after reading what you wrote. Leah represented the combination of Carol and Beth but ended up being more about Carol maybe Isabelle will be more about Beth. It makes more sense in my head than the way I explained it.

I got the DVD for s11 yesterday. One of the reasons prefer watching the DVD is because my control system for when I'm watching it on AMC+ or now on Netflix has like a two second delay in stopping when I hit the button which drives me crazy. I can't move frame by frame like I used to.

I'm going through and catching some things and I was looking at the little running what I have always called the Beth blur and in this season there's 3 images. A main largest a second smaller and now a third image across the bottom. That's the shot above. When I read what you wrote, @twdmusicboxmystery, it made me wonder if this could possibly stand for the three, Beth, Leah and Isabelle. I don't know just random thoughts.

Another thought is that if that's true about the 3 then that gives us a rule of 3. Just as I believe Daryl will lose Beth a third time to complete the rule of 3. More random thoughts.

@galadrieljones:

Interesting for sure. I know back when 11a originally aired, I wondered if Beth would show up and kill Leah, like how Alice wins the chess game in Through the Looking Glass. She takes the Red Queen, which wakes the Red King, and the game ends, and she wakes up. I wouldn’t be surprised if they shared screentime because of the “twinning” thing.

Here’s a slight variation I was thinking of, given what we know about Isabelle. She is a nun. Or, she’s something like that. We see her wearing a habit in one of the leaked photos, and a light colored hood in some photos Norman has posted from filming.

If she is indeed a nun, this could be building toward a madonna-whore duality of women. Whore is a strong word, but that’s just the name of the trope. Leah fulfills the “whore” aspect, as she checks a lot of boxes here. Independent (in an antisocial manner), selfish, mean, mercenary. There’s also that hint of sexuality between them. She tries to separate him from his family. She is violent. She follows a cult leader, and is therefore susceptible to idolatry.

Meanwhile, Isabelle is a nun. That’s much of what we know about her, other than her appearance: blond hair, blue eyes. She’s pretty in a very “clean” and clear way. We see her nursing Daryl back to health in her habit. She is the Madonna, or the pure aspect of femininity. This could suggest she is asexual, or that there is no sexuality between them. It’s pure, platonic, untainted. She will be independent but in a self-assured way, self-motivated kind of way, not anti-social. Unlike Leah, who is a mercenary, and morally dubious/indifferent/loyal only to herself, Isabelle will be unflinchingly loyal to a cause, to God, to something greater than herself.

Remember Daryl in Rendition, when he tells Pope that he only believes “in himself” now, and how Pope tells him that’s too bad. Daryl’s been supremely messed up by Leah. So Isabelle will balance the scales that have been tipped in Daryl’s psychology, by Leah.

Leah may have soured Daryl on women, or strangers, the prospect of “good people,” which Beth introduces him to in season 4. Isabelle will restore his faith in people, and in women (the divine feminine), which will open him up, make him amenable to romance once again.

I don’t believe they’ll have a romantic relationship, not if she’s a nun. But she genuinely looks a little like Beth, and this will remind him of Beth, and of the more loving, nurturing parts of humanity that Beth represents in his psychology. These parts may have been buried away a little after seeing his ex-girlfriend trying to kill Beth’s sister, forcing him to kill her.

I also had this thought. If Daryl is gravely injured, or unconscious, and he wakes up to Isabelle leaning over him. The way she looks, he might at first hallucinate that he’s seeing Beth, dressed as a nun, hence the strained look on his face in the leaked photo, like he’s afraid. I even wondered if maybe the habit was a hallucination. Maybe she’s wearing a hood, and he hallucinates that he’s seeing a habit. But there’s nothing to suggest that, other than the fact that Daryl has hallucinated before.

In either case, the last time he thought he saw Beth, it was Leah in Rendition. She was in all black, wearing a terrifying mask. Now, we have another Beth look-alike, not in a creepy mask, but in a habit. So we have weight on both sides of the scale now: the mercenary and the nun.

Ideally, then, Beth would be a sort of balance between them. She’s a warrior, but she’s not indifferent. She’s loyal, but she’s not a nun. She’s sexual, but not a whore. She can be a romantic partner but also just, a partner, a best friend, a confidant. She sees the best in people, but when she sees a wolf in her flock, she will not hesitate to kill it.

I think this goes back to the yin and yang theory, that every force has an equal but opposing force necessary to balance the scales. Leah is dark, Isabelle is light. Beth is the yin and yang of them both.

@twdmusicboxmystery

I love all our theories, Gals!

@galadrieljones

Me too!! Here’s hoping we get some actual info soon!

[rixxy8173571m3w1p3]

Good To You

After a week of reading nothing but other people's fics, I've been here dying to write my own. I used a writing prompt on the @witterprompts blog. It's a great place for writing prompts. Hopefully you guys will enjoy.

In this fic the reader questions Ricks goodness.

__________________

You offered to help him remove the slime which stuck to his hair and clothes, but he insisted that due to its chemical composition, you were likely to get electrocuted if you attempted to remove it by normal means. Today, Rick had become the victim to another one of the guard Rick's pranks, and instead of reporting it to his supervisors, he put up with it believing that it'll resolve itself. You, on the other hand, didn't believe it. “Rick, how are you still so reasonable towards people after they’ve been so… awful to you?”

"Why do y-you ask?"

"I'm asking because it hurts me to see this happen to you."

Going through a cardboard box, Rick pulled out a jar that appeared to have jelly but was, in fact, a neutral slime that would allow him to rinse off the original substance with a garden hose. Once the majority of the awful stuff drained away to the sewer drains, it was safe enough for you to assist him in drying off his hair, even if you did receive a few static shocks in the process. "I-It doesn't make me happy either," he started; sighing as he took a good look at his stained shoes. "but if I got upset every time s-something went wrong, I'd cause more harm t-t-to myself then they'd ever would."

Replacing the drenched towel with a new one, you handed it to him so you could assist him in removing his labcoat; it was going to take a lot more than OxiClean to get the burn marks out. "How so?"

"It wouldn't be conducive to getting my job done, and I - it would be going against everything I've worked my whole life t-t-to become; someone my mother would've been proud of."

"Was she proud of your peaceful nature?"

Dropping the towel he had used to dry off his face and arms, he shifted his body so that he could grab your hand and give it a good squeeze. "She um - she was glad I-I was nothing like my father. He…he wasn't always a-a good man."

Wrapping your arms around him, you didn't care if your clothes would be ruined by the mix of chemicals, slime, or residual electrical charge, but instead caressed the back of his head, cooing warmly. "I see. I'm sorry if I asked too much again. It seems I have a propensity to do so."

"It's okay. I-I wouldn't have told you if I didn't think you should know." he answered solemnly.

"I'm glad you're a good man Ricky. A really good man."

You felt him go rigid at that moment. You wondered if what you said had offended him in some way, but you decided to wait; he'd tell you at some point what was bothering him. It would be a few minutes before he pulled back and considered you with a guilt-stricken look. "How do y-you know?"

"How do I know? You mean, if you're a good man?"

"Mhm."

"Well, that's the thing, I don't know if what I'm about to say will make any sense, but I'll try. When it comes to you, I only know what I know. You…you have always been considerate, kind, and sincere. I doubt there's anyone who could say otherwise. Where others would consider your principles as a weakness or curse, I consider virtues and gifts in love. And while it happens that a good man doesn't always do good things," you paused, cupping his cheek to know you hadn't forgotten him. "it's all about the heart and intent behind his actions that act as a judge of character. To me, it doesn't matter who you prove to be at the end, but you have always been good to me and a person who tries and sees good in others even when everyone else is ready to persecute without cause. I think that's enough for me."

He smiled weakly at you then, soon giving way to tears as anxiety and stress eased away little by little and were replaced with relief as he gripped on to the soft fabric of your blouse. "Gosh, if anyone is good, then it's you. Y-y-your such a good person." he sniffled. "S-so good."

You would've said otherwise, but it wouldn't have improved the situation. So, you kept silent.

_________

"Whenever you're ready," you softened. "I'll run a bath for you so you can relax. Just let me know when."

"O-okay."

"Also, I couldn't do anything about your shoes. I think we're just going to have to get you some new ones."

"In the meantime, I guess I'll have t-to use my old pair."

"If you're referring to the ones I glued back together, then you'll be sure to find them in the blue shoebox in the back of the closet."

By now Rick was much calmer and had gotten most, if not all the stains out of his clothes and was waiting for them to dry while you brushed the dried bits of slime out of his hair. "Y-you won't leave, will you?" he asked. "I know it's getting late but I-"

"No," you interrupted. "I'll be in the house if you need me. When you're all nice and clean and have changed into your pajamas, I'll have a cup of tea ready for you."

"Gosh, y-you don't have t-to do all that. I just hoped you might consider staying long enough for dinner. I have your favorite casserole in the oven."

You couldn't believe how he could afford to be this sweet despite all the trouble he had gone through this week, let alone today, but you were determined to make sure that the rest of the day wasn't going to disappoint him. "I'd love to have dinner with you. I bet it's going to be wonderful."

"If you're tired, then it's okay if you'd rather go home. I've kept you long enough as it - as it is. I'm sorry if I've been selfish today."

Leaning down, you pressed a kiss to his cheek. It surprised both of you when you received a static shock, and he was apologetic, but you didn't care; you kissed him again, and again to remind him that he wasn't asking for too much and that it was only natural. "Don't be silly. I'm not going anywhere."

"Are y-you sure?"

"I'm sure."

And as you headed towards the door that would lead you out the garage and into the kitchen, you answered. "Ricky, I'll stay as long as you need me to because I just wanna be good to you. As you have always been with me."

Fin

[blueriverhayes]

[2] Alone (Daryl Dixon)

This is a reminder: this is an AU, so I'm not exactly following the storyline of the show. That's why some characters are alive, others are dead, and they're still at the farm.

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Eva couldn't help but feel nauseated as she followed Rick out of the forest, away from her camp, and closer to his. It had been three years since the epidemic spread, and since then Eva hadn't been able to trust anybody except for herself. She wanted to trust Rick, but she just couldn't.

"I don't think I ever caught your name," Rick said, breaking the silence.

"Evelyn. But I usually go by Eva."

"So, Eva," Rick said, smiling, "you been alone this whole time?"

Eva tried to push down the sick feeling in her stomach as memories of what happened flooded her mind.

"No. I was with my best friend at the beginning. He didn't make it."

《《》》《《》》《《》》《《》》《《》》

"Eva, get ready! We have to go, now!" Shep yelled from his bedroom. He was packing a duffel bag in his room while Eva sat in the living room of his apartment, her eyes transfixed on the television. She was watching the local news channel, where they were showing live footage of a. . . well, a zombie.

"Evelyn! Now!"

Eva snapped out of her trance and grabbed her suitcase, following Shep out of his apartment building. Outside, it was nothing but widespread panic. Feeling claustrophobic, she grabbed Shep's shirt and closed her eyes, not opening them again until they reached his car.

"The majority of the people are going to try to take the highway out of here. I think we'll have better luck on the backroads, if we can get there," Shep said, maneuvering his car through the crowds of people.

Eva tried to block out the horrifying screams that filled the air, but nothing she did helped. She looked out of her window and watched the people running around, screaming, but when she saw what they were all running from, she couldn't help but let out a scream herself. Right in front of Shep's car was an elderly woman with a metal pipe sticking out of her chest. Eva watched as she stumbled around, grabbing the nearest person and taking a bite out of their arm.

"Eva," Shep said, "Eva, look at me."

Eva slowly turned away from the window and looked at her closest friend. Shep stayed focus on the road, winding in and out of traffic as they made their way closer to the less crowded backroads just outside the city.

"I know you're scared. I am, too. But we can't afford to be, not now. I love you, Eva, and I'll always have your back. But you've gotta calm down, or you'll get one of us killed."

And that's exactly what happened.

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"Sorry to hear that," Rick said, coming to a stop at the edge of the trees. Eva stopped beside him and looked out into the clearing ahead. She could see a large white house with an even bigger barn beside it. The house was surrounded by huge, beautiful fields, and in the middle of one of the fields was an RV and a handful of tents. There were maybe a dozen or so people milling about, laughing amongst one another, when Eva heard something she never thought she would hear again. The sound was coming from inside the house, and Eva watched as a small lady with short hair walked out, holding something in her arms.

"Is that. . . is that a. . ." Eva started, pointing at the woman. Her eyes began to water as the sound of a baby crying continued to fill the air.

"A baby," Rick said, with so much pride in his voice that Eva knew that the baby was his. "Her name's Judith. You wanna see her?"

Eva looked back at Rick and softly nodded her head. She thought she would never see another baby again, and it was almost too much for her. She didn't know something so pure and beautiful could exist in this new world.

Hesitantly, Eva followed Rick as he made his way to the woman holding Judith. She tried to ignore all the stares and looks people were giving her, until she caught sight of Daryl looking her way. He was standing beside a small tent that was pitched away from the others. Eva subconsciously stopped walking and held Daryl's stare for a beat before Rick called.

"This is Eva," Rick whispered in Judith's ear, smiling as Eva walked up to him. The baby gurgled and waved her hands as Eva walked up to her. Rick handed the baby over and Eva hesitantly took her into her arms and began whispering little nothings into her ear.

"Hi, baby," she said, rocking Judith from side to side, "you're so beautiful. You know that? So pretty." Eva almost lost herself in Judith before a boy, maybe thirteen or so, walked up.

"Who's this?" The boy asked Rick.

"This is Eva. Eva, this is my boy, Carl. Eva's thinking about staying here."

Carl looked up at Eva and smiled. "It'll be nice to have some more help with the chores."

Eva smiled down at the boy and handed Judith back to Rick.

"Well, that's if I decide to stay. Still haven't made my mind up yet." Eva looked around the camp again and saw how happy and almost carefree everybody seemed. She missed that feeling.

"Why dont I introduce you to everybody?" Rick asked, walking towards the tents. "Everybody! I got someone I want ya'll to meet!" Within seconds, everybody formed a semi-circle around Eva, Rick, and Carl, and Eva noticed how different everybody seemed. There was that small woman who stood beside a menacing-looking Daryl, an older man with a beard and half a leg missing, an Asain kid standing awfully close to a pretty brunette, and a woman with dreads that had a sword on her back. They all looked so different, but it was obvious that they all shared a close bond.

"Eva, this is Carol, Glenn, Maggie, Beth, Hershel, Michonne, and you've already met Daryl. Everyone, this is Eva. She's considering staying with us," Rick introduced everybody, pointing out who was who, while everybody took their turn saying hello to Eva. Well, everybody except Daryl, who was already making his way back to his isolated tent.

"Nice to meet you, Eva," Carol said with a sweet smile, offering her hand for a shake.

"Nice to meet you, too," Eva took Carol's hand and noticed how calloused it was. "I've never seen a camp with so many people in it. How long have y'all been together?"

"Rick, Daryl, and I have been together since the beginning. We've lost a lot of people, but we met more along the way." Eva saw the look in Carol's eyes and decided not to ask any more questions about her past. "Here, let me help you set up. We don't have another tent, but I can fix something up for you." Carol smiled and led Eva to the RV.

"Aren't you worried?" Eva asked as Carol handed her a stack of blankets.

"Worried about what?"

"Worried that I'll kill you all in your sleep and take everything you have."

Eva was shocked when Carol looked at her and started laughing. "I'd like to see you try," she said, and Eva left it at that. "Here, nobody's claimed this spot. You can stay here for the night."

Eva looked around where her and Carol were standing. She noticed that she was right in the middle of the camp, surrounded by the RV and other tents. So far, the people hadn't given her a reason not to trust them, but she just couldn't shake the bad feeling. And like Shep taught her, better safe than sorry.

"Actually, could I set up over there?" Eva asked, pointing to an empty field that was nearly half a mile away from everybody else.

"Are you worried?" Carol asked, a knowing smile on her face.

"A little."

《《》》《《》》《《》》《《》》《《》》

After Carol helped Eva set up her makeshift tent, which was just a blanket propped up on a couple sticks, a few people came by and said hello, but other than that she spent the rest of the day alone. Once the sun started going down, she built a small fire and watched as the bigger group sat around their own, sharing a meal. Eva could hear their laughter and voices from her camp, but couldn't make out what they were saying. She could imagine, though. She used to have those same conversations with Shep.

《《》》《《》》《《》》《《》》《《》》

"I can't believe you ate dog food!" Eva almost couldn't breathe for how hard she was laughing.

"Listen, twenty bucks is twenty bucks. Plus, it was chicken flavor," Shep said, grinning down at Eva.

It had been nearly a month since they left Atlanta, and since then they had only encountered a handful of the dead. Even though Eva was scared out of her mind most of the time, Shep was good at making Eva forget all of it. He was good at making her laugh.

"You're an idiot," Eva sighed, laying her head on Shep's shoulder. It had to have been past midnight, and the fire they made earlier was dying out, but they both couldn't sleep.

"Eva?" Shep said, nearly a whisper, and Eva could sense the change of tone.

"Hm?"

"I'm scared."

Eva sat back up when Shep said this, turning to her side to get a better look at him. Eva knew that Shep had to be scared, but this was the first time that he admitted it since they left Atlanta.

"I'm scared, too. But we've made it this far. And we'll make it to the end. We're going to make it." Eva brushed Shep's shaggy hair out of his eyes and saw that what she said didn't make him feel better.

"Evelyn, I wasn't built for this world. If you weren't with me, I'd already be gone. And if something were to happen to you-" Shep choked on his words, bringing his hands up to cover his face.

"Sheppard!" Eva scolded, "Stop that! Nothing is happening to either of us! You can't think like that. It's just like you said - we can't afford to be scared. We're gonna be alright. We're both going to make it out of this."

《《》》《《》》《《》》《《》》《《》》

The sound of a twig snapping woke Eva out of her daydream, and she turned around to see Daryl looking down at her.

"You stayin'?" He asked, not meeting her eyes.

"Dunno yet." Eva turned back and looked down at her dwindling fire. Daryl hadn't spoken a word to her since that day in the forest, so she was uneasy with him standing over her like he was. Just as she was about to politely ask him to leave, her stomach growled.

"We got food, ya know," Daryl mumbled, and Eva could sense how uncomfortable he was. She was, too.

"Yeah, I know. Rick gave me some."

"Then you should eat."

Eva just shrugged her shoulders. She didn't want to eat any of the food Rick gave her in case she decided not to stay, and she didn't feel comfortable eating with the group yet. After a few moments of awkward silence, Eva turned around to see if Daryl was still there. He was.

"Do you need anything?" Eva asked, not unkindly.

"Naw." And then he walked away.

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Part 3: