rag doll | TWD

[31] the grove

Carol moved her head to face me, grinning, "Daryl?"

I looked at her with the same look, "What?"

"You and Maggie talked really loud." Carol laughed, "And it was obvious."

"It... was not." 

"Maybe not to everyone."

I sat up, "Did I really make it that obvious?"

"Oh, it wasn't just you, JJ." She lightly patted my knee. 

I laughed, "Mhm."

"I'm serious." She grinned, "Daryl would never have admitted it to me, but I could tell there was... something."

I scoffed, shaking my head and standing up, "Goodnight, Carol."

"I'm serious." She rolled her eyes at me, "If you wanna take the back room, I'll take the chair in the living room." Carol peered inside the window, "I think Tyreese has already claimed the couch."

I also looked in seeing Tyreese completely out on the couch.

"Oh, please, I slept in my car for a year and a half. I can handle sleeping in a chair." I scoffed. "I'm glad you're here. I don't know how much more I could've taken having only a baby to talk to."

Carol agreed, "Well, for everyone's sake, I'm glad we're here too."

♮♮♮
[POV]

The next morning, JJ sat in the back room, holding Judith and playing house with Mika. This would've been Beth's niche. JJ's? Not so much. 

"Hey, JJ, do you think we can catch fireflies tonight?" Mika excitedly asked, "Like how you and Tyreese were talking."

JJ smiled, "Well, I for one, am one hundred percent down."

"Should we go ask Tyreese?"

"Great idea. Come on," She stood up, holding her hand out to help Mika on her feet as well. 

When they went to the kitchen, they saw Tyreese standing by the window, looking out at Carol and Lizzie in the yard, huddled over a walker. 

"What's going on out there?" 

Tyreese looked back at JJ, "No idea." 

The second they came back in, Carol suggested that JJ take Mika out to talk about her sister. 

"Is it too heavy?" JJ asked as she and Mika trudged through the woods. 

"Nah, I'm good." Mika looked ahead to the smoke, "Fire's still burning."

JJ also looked, "It could've gone out."

"Nope. The smoke's black. If it was white, the fire wouldn't be burning anymore. I miss science class. Do you miss science class, JJ?"

JJ laughed, "can't say I do. Before the world went to shi- crap, I wasn't doing great in school."

"Well, what was your favorite subject?"

"I liked music, and meteorology-"

"What's that?" Mika interrupted. 

"When you study the weather. And how clouds work and rain and- You know, don't ask me too much about that class. I usually took naps through it." JJ told, causing the girl to laugh. 

"We didn't have a class like that at my school."

"Well, you probably could've taken one like it when you went to college." JJ shrugged. 

"What was the point of college? I always heard my mom and dad talking about it, but never knew what it was."

"For some people, it was more school to help you find what you wanted to do in life- your major."