"𝐜𝐨𝐰𝐛𝐨𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐞„

twenty seven, 𝗋𝖾𝗈𝗉𝖾𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽

"Well, there is one thing I've learned today." She said, sighing in defeat.

"What?" His voice was soft, and sounded untouched by the roughness of the world. Though it wasn't, there was a certain innocence to him tonight.

"I am never ever having kids." She chuckled a bit as she said this - him turning his head to her in confusion.
"I just wouldn't want them to turn out as troublesome as us. Poor Rick and Michonne. They've got to deal with our shit."

Carl laughed, his warm breath visible in the cold air.
"Yeah. We're pretty terrible." He said, smiling.

"You're not terrible," came a voice from behind them, making them jump a little. They both pivoted their heads toward the sound in unison, spotting Michonne standing in the open doorway. Light spilled out from behind her, illuminating just her silhouette. "But don't be having kids anytime soon."

Jane and Michonne laughed at her comment, but Carl said nothing, turning a deep crimson. He was glad that neither of the girls could see it in the dark night.

Michonne approached the two, moving into the space between them and sliding her hands over the smooth banister. She looked beautiful in the pink light, and Jane couldn't help but admire her features for a few seconds.

"We think what you did is really brave. We just don't want you to get hurt."

Did she really think it was brave?

A serious tone was underlying their conversation now, as Carl took a sharp breath in.
"Look, I know I can't protect you two, but if I can, I will. Rick and I only want the best for you. We're only mad because we love you."

"We love you too, Michonne," Jane said, beaming at the girl. She wasn't lying, in fact, it felt as if Michonne was almost like a secondary mother figure to her. She'd never say that aloud, of course, but she thought about it a lot.

"Aww. You kids are gonna make me cry," she said, pursing her lips into a warm smile. "Come here," she said, holding her arms out for both Jane and Carl. Neither kids hesitated to hug back, and together they made a Michonne sandwich. It was nice, having Michonne and Rick care so much about her. Right now, and usually always, it felt like she wasn't cared for enough by her own blood.

"Jane?!" A girl's voice quivered, loud and clear from the front steps of the porch.
The three of them broke away from the hug to see Tara standing there, dishevelled and sad.
Tara and Jane had spoken briefly before she left to go on her two week trip. She was in the room that day when Jane explained everything, about Oceanside, about Ellie, and what she didn't know was Negan.

She wondered now if Tara even knew about him, and what he'd done.
Tara approached the girl un-hesitantly, almost rushing towards her. She looked as if she'd been crying all day, or for a long time at least.

"I need to talk to you about Oceanside." She said, firmly.

"Oceanside?!"

Everyone sat on the sofa, surrounding Tara and Jane and listening in to their intense conversation. Everyone was on edge, especially Carl. He knew what had happened at Oceanside, and he knew that Jane felt guilty about it. He didn't like that Tara was bringing it up, because he knew how much it meant to her.