Papá's Girl

New Family

©JRF2016

Shane had the idea to head north. It was starting to get colder and maybe, like Rick said so long ago, the cold would have to affect them. It had to slow them down, maybe. We hopped from vehicle to vehicle. We would drive until one ran out of gas and the pick up another somewhere along the way. This last time though, we haven't found another. We've been on the road for days, walking. Judith starts fussing now. "She's hungry." I say weakly looking down at the precious little girl in my arms. Shane wraps an arm around me. "I know, we'll find something soon. We will."

I'm curled up on the ground with Judith, covered by a bunch of dead leaves. "Izzy," Shane calls back to me, "Come over here." I stand to my feet cradling Judith in my arms. "Look."

"Wow," I say in awe, "I've always wanted to see DC." I snicker, "the world had to end to get me here." Shane stands up and turns around. As soon as he sees me he smiles. "That's the sight I can't forget, I love seeing you with her like that. Maybe one day I can even admire you standing there holding our child."

"Abbiamo bisogno di una casa prima playboy," {we need a home first playboy}. I said swatting him, "I ain't having another baby out here in the open. One's hard enough."

"There's gotta be someplace we can hold up down there. Someplace we can make safe, survive." Shane leads as we walk toward the city. It isn't long until we come up on a huge wall. As we approach the gate rolls open and a car pulls out. It stops and a young clean shaven guy gets out. "I'm Aaron," he says holding out a hand, "This is Alexandria."

"You taking people in?" Shane asks him, "I mean, we need somewhere safe, we have a daughter. Please."

"You'll have to talk to Deanna first." He led us inside. "You guys have any weapons on you?" We looked at each other. Shane put a hand on his pistol inside the holster and I reached for my knife. "We have an armory. No one carries inside the fence but if you have to go out you can get your weapons." Shane hands over his pistol but they let me keep my knife. He goes in to talk to Deanna first while Aaron shows me around. He shows me to a house, a huge house, and tells me that is where we'll be staying. I walk inside to take a look around. This place is immaculate, untouched. How could this be? Then I remembered that dream, this is the place. It's almost exactly like my dream. "Looks like we found us a home," Shane said as he moved closer to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "So they are really gonna let us stay?" Shane nodded.

"Deanna wants to talk to you, but yeah. I told her we were married, Judith is our daughter. They don't need to know anything else."

"You wanna watch Judith while I go?" Shane shook his head.

"She said she wants to meet you and the baby. It's been a long time since anyone's seen a little baby."

The weeks roll by as I watch Judith growing.  It seems like she changes every day.  I'm playing with her in the yard in the little sandbox Aaron had found when the news comes around that this time out Aaron has found a group of people. Ragged from being on the road and tough but he thinks that they would be a great addition to our little town. They know how to survive out there and they could teach us in here. I'm sitting on the porch when Aaron brings them in. My jaw drops when I see Rick. He immediately sees me with Judith and runs up to us taking his baby into his arms and hugging her tight. My eyes begin watering and I am about to ask if Papáis with him when he appears through the gate. I run over and jump into his arms. "Sei sentire, sei al sicuro!" {You're here, you're safe!}

"You guys know each other?" Aaron asks. I shake my head. This is the group we were with before we got separated. This is my Papá, my Uncle Daryl, Rick's over there with Judith." Aaron looks at me confused. "Yeah, Judith is actually Rick's daughter, not ours. We didn't want to get into all those details at the first meeting.  Ya know."  Aaron nods and he leads the group over to Deanna's so they can all take their turn talking to her.

Shane and I are showing the group around the town. Aaron shows them to the houses that he picked out for them. "I'm staying with you Bella Rose."

"Naturalmente siete Papá lo non avrei alcun altro modo." {Of course you are Papá. I wouldn't have it any other way.}

"Plenty of room Merle," Shane added.

"Non è playin house ' con questo punk sei?"  {You ain't playin' house with this punk are you?}

"Oh Papá," I laugh it off.  I really don't  want to get into my sex life with Papá.  I don't want him even knowing I have one now.  He looks at me out of the corner of his eye and groans.  "Great, I leave you alone for a little bit and you let Deputy Hot Shot corrupt you."

"I'm not a little girl anymore Papá.  e se si desidera ottenere pissy , lui non era il ragazzo per me corrotto."  {and if you want to get pissy, he wasn't the guy to corrupt me.} Papálooked at me surprised.  "Sì , non ero vergine prima di lui."  {Yeah, I wasn't a virgin before him.} He claps his hands to his ears and hunches over.  "No, no Bella Rose I didn't need to hear that!"  I start laughing as Shane and Rick approach us.  "What's wrong with him?"  Shane asks as he puts his arm around my waist.  I try to stop laughing enough to answer but it takes a few minutes.  "He just got some bad news that he didn't want to hear."  Shane looked confused.  I glance over at Rick holding Judith and baby talking to her.  I smile.  Rick looks at me then Judith and finally Papá.  A realization hits him and he starts laughing too.  "It's a father-daughter moment babe."  I say pecking him on the lips.

The days go by and the group still seems to be having trouble adjusting. Rick has gone insane it seems. He got into a fight with Jessie's husband and at the meeting to decide whether he stays or goes, he shot him. Right there in front of everyone. Granted Pete had just slit Reg's thoat with Michonne's sword, and Deanna told him to do it, but right in front of all these people. If they weren't afraid of Rick before they are now. Half of our group and some of the Alexandrians are out there now trying to get ahead of a potentially devastating walker problem. I'm staying with Carol and helping with Judith while they are out. I put Judith down for her nap while Carol is starting a casserole for dinner. I look out the window from the second story of this house and out of nowhere I see a blur of a man run across the grass and Shelley's head went flying. Carol yells up at me to stay with Judith and lock the door behind her. I do as she says but I don't stay hidden in the room. Carl comes in with Enid and I have then stay with the baby. I run outside to help with the invaders.

Seems like it is all over within minutes. There are bodies and blood smeared all over the streets. Then I hear Rick's voice. "Open the gate!" I run over to open the gate for him and see the herd right behind him. He runs in slamming it shut and locking it just in time. "Where's Papá ? Shane?"

"They'll be back," he pants, "they'll be back." He says sounding as if he is trying to convince himself more than me of that. "We ran into some trouble. It was too late and they busted through. We distracted most of them away though."