All I Wanted

Chapter Two

Cutting Carl's hair had always been a struggle. He squirmed and wiggled, his hair would knot up, and he would eventually run off to his daddy. Rick would pick the child up, holding him as close as possible, and brush the untrimmed parts of his hair out of his face.

"Carl, mama has to finish your hair. You'll look so handsome when it's done. Just like your daddy," he would comfort, kissing Carl's temple.

Carl would end up back on his mother's lap by the end of the day, willing to sit through the rest of his haircut. Without Rick to help Yasmin was struggling. Carl hadn't run away but he hadn't stopped complaining until Shane sat across from him and started cleaning his gun. Yasmin wasn't impressed by Shane's scare tactic, but at least Carl was still. She would complain later.

"If you think this is bad, wait till you start shaving. That stings," Shane teased from across the cooking station as he cleaned his shotgun. "The day comes, you'll be wishing for one of your mama's haircuts."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Carl grumbled, praying that he wouldn't be stuck there much longer.

Yasmin laughed at his sternness. She ignored the way Shane's spine straightened and his smile widened. Her laugh was not for him.

"You're almost done, mijo. When you're done, Shane might have a little surprise for you," Yasmin teased, relishing in the small laugh Carl let out.

One of the few things he developed from his mother was his love for surprises.

"It's gonna have to wait till tomorrow. Don't reckon the frogs are out yet," Shane sighed, shoving a bore brush down the barrel of his gun.

"Frogs?" Carl questioned.

"We're gonna catch frogs," Shane clarified.

"I've caught a frog before," Carl boasted.

Yasmin blocked out the rest of their conversation, focusing on keeping the scissors away from Carl's neck. The scissors she was using were blunt, but she had figured out how to sharpen them slightly. Enough that they would nick skin if she didn't pay attention. She had always cut Carl's hair, the same as her mama did to her, but it didn't scare her any less when the blades grazed his neck.

Yasmin quickly stopped cutting Carl's hair as she heard a horn of some kind approaching, helping the boy up and wrapping a hand around his arm firmly. It wasn't enough to hurt, but enough that he knew not to go anywhere. She held the scissors in her other hand and followed Shane as he ran to Dale and the group forming around him. Shane yelled a question at Dale, who told him that he couldn't see what it was yet.

"Is it them? Are they back?" Amy quizzed, chewing at her lip.

Dale didn't answer, just continued peering through his binoculars.

"I'll be damned," he cursed, watching the red sports car barrel towards camp.

"What is it?" Amy yelled out.

"Stolen car is my guess," Dale answered, removing the binoculars from his face.

The car pulled into camp, an excited Glenn bounding out of the car. He was immediately bombarded with questions about the other runners and demands to turn the car off. Glenn, still running on an adrenaline high, barely processed what was being said before popping open the hood and answering Amy's demands. Jim disconnected the battery, finally forcing the car to silence. Yasmin let out a breath she unwillingly held in as she pulled Carl closer to her legs.

"Why isn't she with you?" was the first thing Yasmin heard after the alarm was silenced. "Where is she? She's okay?"

"Yes! Yeah, fine. Everybody is. Well, Merle not so much."

Yasmin would've been lying if she said she was a little disappointed the eldest Dixon hadn't returned. He was a grade-A asshole and all of the phobias and isms. She only hoped Daryl, Merle's younger brother, wouldn't be too angry at the news of his brother. He was the only decent one of the two and they needed him to stay.

"Are you crazy, driving this wailing bastard up here? You trying to draw every walker for miles?" Shane criticized from underneath the hood of the car, inspecting its engine.

"I think we're okay," Dale stated.

"You call being stupid okay?" Shane chastised.

"Well, the alarm was echoing all over these hills. Hard to pinpoint the source."

Yasmin ignored the rest of their conversation, turning instead to Carl.

"¿Estás bien, mijo?" Yasmin asked. *You okay, son?*

"Sí mamá," Carl responded, easily slipping into Spanish. *Yes, mama.*

He had been raised by his mother only speaking Spanish to him until he was 5, so he easily picked up on the language. His father had also spoken Spanish but mostly used English as he wasn't as fluent or confident. His accent made him sound strange with certain words. Yasmin had relentlessly teased the southern man but, secretly, she found it endearing. He was trying. That was all she cared about.

When she heard a truck approaching, Yasmin looked up again. She was anxiously awaiting Adrea and T-Dog's return. They had been helpful with watching Carl when Dale was occupied and Shane grated on her nerves a little extra, so she felt as though she owed them. She also liked them, they were good people. Too good to be abandoned by Shane's selfish need to be in control.

Watching Amy and Andrea was bitter-sweet. She knew it affected Carl more than he would likely ever admit, seeing any family members reunite, She tucked his face away until she saw T-Dog return as well. She smiled at the man, nodding at him, before turning to leave. She didn't want to force Carl into any more pain than she felt she already had. She would always carry that guilt. Knowing she couldn't save his father or bring him any peace. Yasmin felt Carl pull away and turn around, before screaming as loud as he could.

"Dad?"

He sprinted to his father, falling into the man's chest. Rick hugged him, kneeling to the ground. He quickly picked up his son and made eye contact with Yasmin. She was frozen in place, eyes wide and heart stopped. Her husband, half of the reason the blood pumped through her veins, was alive? Rick stepped towards Yasmin, finally taking her out of her shock. She ran at full force, dropping the scissors, and slammed into her husband. They held each other tightly as if they were scared the other would vanish if not held close. She finally let tears fall from her eyes. She couldn't believe Rick was in her arms. She was sure she would wake up, alone in her tent.

"How?" Yasmin questioned into his neck, wrapping her arms around Carl as well.

The couple pulled their son further into their arms, sobbing into each other. Yasmin could feel the eyes of everyone burning into their backs, some stronger than others, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She had her soulmate back, a feat she never dreamed would be accomplished.