Forever Unfinished // Carl Grimes

Chapter 13

^ That's her outfit ^

Hello - Adele

The 55th Day

Carl's head throbbed when he finally gained consciousness. He rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head and sat up, rubbing his eyes. Light shone through the blinds and Carl realised that it was the fifty-fifth day without her. But he was wrong.

Carl heard an almost inaudible gasp and he turned his head to see her. She stared at him, her bright blue eyes wandering his conscious figure, everything that had changed. Her mouth hung slightly open and her face wore guilt. Carl stared at her, taking in everything about her.

Lauren had grown the past, almost, two months. Her hair was longer, reaching her lower on her back, almost to her waist. She was wearing a long tank covered by a crop leather jacket. Her boots were much newer, black laced and reaching just above her ankles. Her jeans were black, shreaded and torn. Her farmiliar machete hung from a black holster belt on her hip, a shiny black handgun was visible, the handle peaking over the waistband of her jeans.

The last thing Carl noticed was his sheriff's hat that sat atop her head, still there after all this time. They stared at eachother for what felt like an eternity before she spoke up.

"You.. You look different." That sweet voice, that voice he missed so dearly. It was like music to his ears. A burning ache in his heart reminded him that she had left him.

"Where were you all this time. Here?" Carl asked, his voice low and quiet, bearing all his emotions. His soul was open to her, all his pain, all his hurt. She could see it in him, she could feel it.

"I was waiting for you to find me." She replied, her voice just like his. Broken.

"But you left, Lauren. You left me." Carl felt drained, he felt like he had no emotion left in him. Like she had sucked him dry. He was broken and she did it to him.

"I needed to." Lauren spoke quietly.

"Why Lauren?" Carl could feel all the pain he felt, like a thousand knives piercing his heart. He needed to tell her how he felt, what she did to him. "Was I not enough for you?"

"I couldn't put you at risk anymore, Carl," Lauren almost shouted, her voice much clearer and determined than it was before. "I cause trouble, Carl. I am trouble! You have nearly died too many times because of me."

Carl and Lauren were so close, just a few feet apart. He stood up, looking the girl he knew he loved straight in the eyes. Carl realised then, no matter what she did, no matter how long they were apart, he would still love her. He couldn't let her slip away again. He finally realised the meaning of Amata's words, Fight or Flight.

"I would do it all again," Carl stepped forward, boldly taking his chance in grasping her hand which was clenched into a fist at her side. She stared at his hand which was wrapped tightly around hers and looked at him, only to turn away from his heated gaze. "As long as you are safe and we are together."

Lauren snapped out of her momentary daze and pulled her hand away from Carl, ignoring the burning in her heart at the loss of his touch.
"I can't do this. You can't die because of me, I'd never forgive myself."

"And you think I feel any different?" Carl argued, trying to talk some sense into her. "How do you think it felt to wake up without you beside me, to read that letter. You left on your own, without me. I would take dying a hundred times over if I didn't have to endure that again."

Carl paused, collecting himself.

"Never even knowing if you were alive.. or even dead."

"It was to keep you safe!" Lauren protested, tears lingering in her blue eyes, ready to fall. "I couldn't put you at risk! Don't you see? I was doing this for you.. for the group."

"For the group," Carl quoted bitterly. "You don't even like the group. You were just looking out for yourself Lauren. Like you always do."

(Author's Note: Shots fired!)

"Everything I did was for you!" Lauren screamed in frustration, tears streaming down her face. "I would die for you. I didn't see you nearly dying for me. I saw you with a girl. Don't talk to me about thinking for myself."

"Exactly, Lauren, you didn't see it," Carl said lowly, letting his emotions speak for him. "I almost did die for you. The pain of having you gone was slowly killing me inside, where you couldn't see. Alyssa meant nothing to me, you just didn't give me time to show you that."

"Don't you think it was the same for me?" Lauren shook her head, wiping away the tears that coated her cheeks. "I didn't want you to feel the pain of me dying, because I would jump infront of a bullet for you and I feared it would come to that. It was fucking selfish. I didn't want you to die for me, what I did was for the greater good."

"Well fuck the greater good if it means I have to live without you," Carl said, pleading Lauren. "I know it's selfish but I love you, Lauren. Those words mean something to me, every time they leave my mouth it's for you, it's for everything about you. I just don't think they mean the same to you.."

Lauren refused to look Carl in the eyes, she swallowed and kept her gaze on the floor.
"No, they don't. I can't do this anymore."

"Fine Lauren," Carl felt weak, he felt rejected and broken. He wanted to be swallowed up by the ground or shot. Anything would hurt less. "I can't fight you on this. Tell me you don't love me, that you never did."

"Get out, Carl." Lauren choked on her words, she turned and looked out the window behind her. "Live your life, for however long it is."

Carl left his shattered heart behind him and looked at the girl he loved one last time before he let her fly.

If you love something, let it go.

He took a step forward and leaned in, kissing her on the cheek one last time. "My life won't be worth living without you."

Lauren listened as his footsteps retreated from the room, she felt the hot tears run down her cheeks as she tried desperately to quell the burning ache in her heart.

What Lauren didn't know was that the walls had ears, and these ears weren't for the good of her.

"Make sure he dosen't leave," Bennett said, watching as Carl passed dejectedly through the hallways of the highschool. "He could be useful. She can't know he's here."

~•~

I know this chapter is pretty short, there will be longer ones ahead.

And LARL ARE FINISHED. Ouch!

This chapter is dedicated to Undefined_Fandoms For helping me with the dialogue for their break up!
I LOVE YOU GIRL

Vote and Comment?

DrewLanders
I'm sorry for that BTW XD