We're not living, we're surviving

9

Quite short, I'm sorry, but it's an upload, yes?

REBECCA'S POV

I was stood by the truck, unpacking the guns I'd taken out with me to save Shane and Otis when I heard footsteps approaching. I turned, thinking it would be Shane coming to get me to explain myself, but I was wrong. It was Hershel.

"I heard that you took Jimmy out with you today." He said, though somehow I guessed there was some kind of annoyance to his words.

"That's right, he's a good kid." I replied, hoping that the telling off I was sure enough to get wouldn't be too bad.

"That he is, though I would appreciate if that didn't happen again. Risking your own lives is up to you, but Jimmy is just a boy, if something happened to him, that would be on my neck. I hope you understand, Miss..." He trailed off, obviously having not learnt my name yet.

"Rebecca," I told him, before I began to explain myself. I wasn't looking for an argument, I just needed him to know what I felt on the matter. "I understand that Jimmy is your responsibility, and I should have asked permission before I took him out. But you have to see, that boy saved both Shane and Otis' life today, as well as my own. If Jimmy hadn't shown up when he did Shane..." I trailed off, knowing the best way to try and justify the situation wasn't to tell Hershel how Shane was going to kill Otis. "Would have died, you've seen his ankle, he could barely walk fast enough to stay a good distance ahead of the crowd of walkers, your boy, Jimmy, saved us all. You should give him credit for that."

I guessed I should probably apologise, but I didn't, instead I just waited, waited for a response. It seemed like it took forever, in the mean time Hershel was just watching me. It was almost as though he was looking for any sincerity behind my words, or lack of.

"Very well." He replied finally. "But next time, let me know that you're taking him. He might not be one of my own, but until this mess is sorted out he might as well be, I'd like you to respect that." And with that he went away, presumably to go and have a similar conversation with someone else from our group.

I turned to continue with unloading the truck, Daryl would probably want it back without all of my stuff in it.

He hadn't been here when I'd returned so naturally I had no other choice to presume he was off looking for Emilia and Sophia again. One of these days I want to go with him, I haven't done nearly as much as I'd like to help with the search for the two. I also want to talk to Daryl, I want to give him Emilia's necklace, after all, I feel like he should have it, more so after all the work that he's put in.

"Becca, m'ask you somethin'." The sudden voice interrupting my thoughts made me jump slightly. I turned to Shane and rolled my eyes. There wasn't any point in asking him to stop calling me Becca now, I knew that he would just continue nonetheless.

"Make it snappy, I'v got things to do."

"I'll take as long as I want. Can you just explain to me why you think it's appropriate to disobey a direct order?" He asked, narrowing his eyes as he spoke.

"Can you just explain to me why you think it's appropriate to threaten someone else's life?" I retorted.

"I asked you first." It was clear he was growing slightly flustered, but that just made it all the more fun. If he wasn't expecting an argument he must not have learnt anything from all of the other times he'd tried to make me out to be in the wrong.

"Thought you were going to do something stupid. Looks like I was right. Your turn." I smirked, cocking my head to the side in a challenging manner.

"There were walkers behind us, I had to do something or Carl would have died."

"And I guess shooting Otis would have been the only solution?" I said, barking out a laugh. He was being ridiculous. This whole thing was utterly ridiculous. I was bored of this already, so I merely turned back to the truck, acting as though I was ignoring him. "If you have something important to say, spit it out, if not leave."

I could almost hear him rolling his eyes. I knew without looking at him exactly what position he was in. He'd be looking off to the side somewhere, his thumb hooked into his belt loop, one knee bent, the opposite hip jutting out ever so slightly. It was his signature position and even the thought of it annoyed me. It annoyed me because he was arrogant. Just by that posture he seemed like he thought he knew everything, but he didn't. I can't deny that Shane knows what he's doing when it comes to weaponry, but surviving in a world like this? He's next to clueless. With him it's not about the 'greater good' nor is it about the rest of the team. It's all about Lori, Carl and himself.

I heard him mumble something, but I didn't quite catch it. It sounded like words of gratitude, but I muse be mistaken. Turning to face him I raised an eyebrow. "Gonna say it so I can actually understand what you're trying to say?"

"I said thank you, dammit." He said, his tone slightly aggressive, but I knew it was just embarrassment, he had been wrong and I'd been right. "I'm not saying that what you did was the right thing to do, but you saved lives today."

I took a step closer, my eyes narrowed speculatively. "You're thanking me, mind saying it again so I can record it?" My lips turned up slightly at the corners into a light smirk.

"Ha ha." He replied sarcastically, looking down at me.

Then we stood there, silence lapsing around us as I looked at him and he at me. It wasn't uncomfortable, more like I was seeing him in a completely new light.

Really, I don't know what happened, but he didn't seem like the jerk that I thought he was, it all seemed to be a facade when in fact he was...nice.

Before I knew what was happening his lips were on mine, and mine on his. We were...kissing?

I'd never thought the day would come, I hated him, but this just felt right.

"Bex, they're back! They're all back!" It was Andrea, but she sounded far off. Even so, her shout made Shane and I pull away from each other almost as soon as we'd kissed. He walked away and for a moment I couldn't help but watch after him, before registering what Andrea had said.

Back, they were back!