(TW!! Mentions of abuse, s/a, and drug usage!!)
We're in the cars again, quickly pulling up on a workshop area of another Savior compound.
Damien's driving ours, I'm shooting out of the small hole in the sheet metal.
"Let's go!" Damien yells, getting out of the car first so I can get out.
I've never been to this compound yet so I'm not too worried about killing anybody, though I'm not aiming to.
I can feel my teeth rattle with every bullet fired from my machine gun. The gunshots from both sides of the fight make my ears ring and I can feel adrenaline sizzling in my heart.
"Adrian!" Damien warns me. I quickly spin to the side and allow Damien to shoot a Savior that was approaching me.
I thank Damien with a nod and continue firing.
"Spread out! Watch for breaches! We keep 'em locked in, they got bigger problems than us!" Francine yells.
Damien nods to me and he and I go to the left, running a few feet before diving behind a turned-over table.
I lean over the table to see if anyone is behind it, shooting two Saviors directly in the head before sitting back down.
"My plan of not killing anyone other than Nick went way south." I pant, firing my gun over the table again.
Damien chuckles breathlessly, "We all knew it would."
I feel hot sweat drip down my forehead, my fingers itch from the vibrations of the machine gun.
A dozen, if not more Savior bodies are lying sprawled out on the ground, blood pooling around them.
The air around us is hot and thick with humidity, making the anticipation heat so much worse.
I make eye contact with Aaron from behind one of the cars and his eyes widen at something behind the table.
Before anything happens, I aim my gun straight up and fire, shooting someone in the chest.
My ears ring loudly and the world seems like it moves in slow motion, I can tell the gunshot did the same thing to Damien because he's using the ground to steady himself as he kneels next to me.
"Damien, breathe, stop focusing on the spinning." I yell over the gunshots, quickly turning and firing over the table.
Damien shakes his head to clear the spinning and nods, getting up and firing again.
"Adrian, they're moving in!" He yells, gunning down a Savior.
"Don't let them near! Stay on 'em!" I yell, killing two Saviors with one bullet.
"Adrian, Damien, move in!" Aaron orders us.
I nod and glance at Damien before rolling out from the table and propping my gun up on my knee, killing a Savior, and then diving behind a dumpster.
Huh, feels like I've used a dumpster for protection before.
I get up and walk closer my face hard and determined while Damien takes my position behind the dumpster.
I move to a piece of metal next to the dumpster Damien is behind.
"God damn it!" I scream, throwing my machine gun as I finish my last bit of ammo and grabbing my pistol.
My whole body is tense, my heart pounds rapidly, and my lips are dry from my quickened breathing.
"Adrian?" I hear a Savior say.
I move to a crouching position and peek out from the piece of metal.
"Cato?" I gasp, ducking under a bullet from a random Savior.
He looks the same as he did before, blonde, curly, shaggy hair. A sharp jawline and thin lips with a strong body. He does look a little older but not too much. His Irish accent cuts through the sounds of gunfire.
"What the fuck are you doing?" He asks, getting behind Damien's dumpster on the opposite side of Damien without knowing he was there.
"What the fuck are you doing? Negan said-" I shoot a Savior. "He said he never found you! Only Nick and Carter!"
Cato shakes his head, "No! I got into a huge fight with Nick a few days before you showed up! Negan moved me so that I wouldn't kill Nick in his fuckin' sleep and I guess Negan knew if you knew where I was, you would come looking!" Cato ducks under a bullet but doesn't shoot at my people.
Damien refrains from shooting behind the dumpster, letting me talk to Cato because he knows how much Cato did for me.
"Wait, woah. I was gonna search for you and Negan and you and him, plus Nick and Carter, were all a part of the same group?!"
Cato nods, "A few others from the Brass Knuckles, a lot of 'em were out the outpost y'all invaded."
My heart stops. "What?!"
Cato nods, "Yeah, Jey-Jey, Liam, even fuckin' Tommi. All of us, minus Negan, stuck together when everything went to hell. Made rules for Nick and Carter. Negan found us a few weeks after he created the Saviors."
It's a little difficult to hear Cato over the sounds of gunshots and shouting but I can just barely make out his words.
He scans my face, "You got back with Nick again, didn't you?"
I bite my lower lip and nod, "Negan reunited me with 'im. You know how Nick is, master fuckin' manipulator. Almost killed my best friend, Damien."
Cato nods, "God if I had known you were there."
I shrug, "Now you know."
"Adrian!" Damien yells.
He gets up to shoot a Savior behind me but the Savior beats him to it. Damien falls back, his body going limp and his gun falling out of his hands.
"NO!" I scream, quickly getting up and slamming the Savior's face into the metal sheet. I shoot him in the face and run to the dumpster, Cato follows me and moves to Damien's side of the dumpster as well.
"No, no, no, no!" I panic, putting my hands on Damien's shoulder bullet hole.
"Adrian, I can carry him. I'll bring him back to the cars or something but I need you to cover for me!" Cato offers, taking off his jacket and handing it to me so I can cover the wound.
I look at him with teary eyes, my hands shaking, and my body so tense it hurts.
"Adrian! We don't have enough time! He's gonna bleed out!"
"You don't even know who he is! How do I know you're not gonna shoot him when I least expect it?!"
"I heard it in your voice, whoever this is is important to you! He cared enough about you to warn you about the Savior I hadn't seen in time!" Cato says, his warm, brown eyes staring deeply into mine.
I don't have enough time to hesitate, I just nod quickly and stand up, wiping my eyes.
Cato nods and grabs Damien, handing me both Damien's and his gun- probably to prove he's not going to hurt Damien.
I take his gun and quickly glance at Damien. I feel fire ignite my veins, rising and settling at my ears looking at Damien's bullet hole.
I flare my nostrils and clench my jaw, nodding to Cato to follow me. He nods and runs behind me, ducking his head to try and protect himself a little more from the flying bullets.
"Here!" I yell, moving so Cato can crouch behind a car.
Everyone looks at me with wide and suspicious eyes.
"He gave me his gun! I know him!" I inform them, allowing Cato to lay Damien down.
"Aaron, Damien got shot!" I screech, digging through my backpack to search for some sort of first aid.
"Shit!" Aaron curses, turning and firing again.
"Go! I got it! I'll keep an eye on Cato!" Aaron nods at my words and runs to Eric.
"Fuck," I whisper, holding Cato's jacket on Damien's wound.
"Get in the car, I'll sit in the back with Damien, you drive." Cato suggests.
"No! I have to finish this!" I yell, holding back tears.
The thought of losing Damien, just after losing Abraham and Glenn, is enough to make me turn this gun on myself.
I stand up and go to move in but Cato grabs me and pulls me back down. "Adrian, revenge isn't important right now! Your group has got this covered. You need to make sure Damien stays alive. Adrian, focus on Damien, not on the Saviors. Focus on your group."
I grind my teeth and hesitate, my eyes falling onto Aaron moving the bloodied Eric away from the war ground.
"Walker!" I yell to Cato, motioning for him to duck so I can shoot an approaching Walker.
The Walker collapses behind Cato and he nods to me as a "thanks".
The gunshots suddenly slow to a stop on the Savior's side.
"Fuck," I whisper, looking at Cato.
"What? They stopped shooting. That's good."
"Where's your walkie?" I ask him, loading my pistol.
"It got smashed back there, got shot. Why?"
"Because they're about to go after my hu...people who I care about." I hear the gunshots pick up again but not toward us, towards the red brick building behind us.
"Adrian, Damien's getting paler. He's declining. We have to go. You have to go."
I feel my body go lighter as I hear Cato's words. I look at Damien and then at the building, deciding whether to go in after the Saviors or help Damien.
"You know I'm medically trained. If you bring me back to Alexandria, I can sew him up, there's an exit wound but he passed out because he hit his head! He does not have enough time."
"Shit!" I yell, throwing my backpack on. "Get in the fuckin' car."
Cato nods and lifts Damien into the car, sitting in the back seat with him.
I chose the very last car because it's not blocked in and no one's using it as protection, it won't put anyone at risk. Although, the Saviors aren't paying any attention to us.
I drift out of the courtyard, my tires skirting behind me and no doubt leaving tire marks behind me.
My knuckles are turning white from gripping the steering wheel and I'm no doubt breathing steam out of my nose and ears.
"So, Nick," Cato starts, trying to distract my mind from Damien's almost-dead body.
"What about 'im?" I ask, my voice stern.
"Everything the exact same?"
I scoff dryly, taking a sharp turn. "The fuck you think? It's Nick. How do you think I got this goddamn gash on my eye? ...And in my eye."
Cato nods, "Figured." He pauses. "He never shut the fuck up about you when it was the six of us. Always talkin' about how he'd find you, how you'd regret leavin' him 'n shit."
"Certainly tried." I hiss.
"Do you?"
"Why the fuck would I? I have permanent rope scars on my wrists and ...ankle from him tying me up because I didn't wanna have sex. I have more scars on my back and now probably a scar on and in my eye from that dick-less bitch. I got back into drugs-which I am currently trying to get out of the addiction but I honestly don't want to not do drugs but Alyssa wants me clean and..." I slow down my speaking.
Cato chuckles, "You talk a lot when you're craving."
I nod, "Yeah, I know."
He chuckles, "I thought about you the other day."
I honestly forgot how amazing Cato is.
"How so?"
"I saw a can of Sour Cream and Onion Pringles."
I scoff, "That made you think of me?"
I see Cato smile from the rearview mirror, "I don't know if I've ever seen someone consume so much. Especially when you're drunk or high."
"Haven't had those in a fat minute. Haven't really thought of 'em."
He nods, "You seem...different."
"You missed me when I was at my best like...a few weeks ago. Before Abraham and Glenn died." I sigh, "Smiling, crackin' jokes 'n shit. But after they died, after Nick's abuse rekindled, I just-" I chew on my cheek. "I feel like I don't know how to smile anymore. And if Damien-" My voice cracks and I grip the steering wheel tighter.
"If Damien dies...that'll be the nail in the coffin."
Cato nods understandingly, "Alyssa still around? Figured I got the context clues but I just wanted to ask."
I nod, "Yeah. Datin' Rick's son, Carl."
Cato smiles at the thought of Alyssa, "Still very against animal cruelty, cussing, and always seems to be somehow more colorful than everyone else?"
"Yep. Though she calls herself a 'pescatarian'. She knows she needs protein and because it's...you know...a fuckin' apocalypse and we don't have vegetarian meat. So she's down to eat fish. Just not animal meet."
"I remember how every time we would see her, one of us would be eating some sort of meat and she would get mad at us for it. She was probably ten at the time too, maybe younger."
I nod with a slight smile, "She came out of the womb hating eating meat."
Cato smiles and nods, "That she did."
I speed up the car when I see the familiar walls of Alexandria.
I honk the horn in the rhythmic pattern we have and they open the gate, allowing me to drive in.
"I'll drive to the infirmary. There's meds in there." I say.
Cato nods and waits until I open his door before grabbing Damien and pulling him out.
"Fuck." Cato whispers almost soundlessly.
"What?" I ask quickly, opening the door to the infirmary and allowing Cato in before me.
"Adrian..." Cato looks at me with sympathetic eyes.
My blood runs cold, I feel my heart stop, drop, and then pick up the pace times one hundred. "No." I whisper, stumbling back.
"Adrian, he hit his head and lost a lot of blood. There was no-"
"NO!" I scream, running to the cabinets and grabbing a handful of antibiotics.
Rosita, Michonne, Carl, Alyssa, and Inejra all run into the infirmary.
"What's-Damien?" Alyssa squeaks, stumbling back. She hasn't even noticed it's Cato who's holding him.
"Get him on the bed!" I scream, grabbing an I.V. and heart monitor.
"Adrian," Cato tries again.
"Get him on the bed right fucking now! He is not dead! He's not dead! He can't be!" I'm sobbing now, struggling to grab the products I need.
Cato sighs and lays Damien's limp body on one of the beds. "Get me a needle and thread, any pain antibiotics, and put forty-seven ounces in the I.V." Cato orders gently.
I nod and grab all of the items, running over to Cato and handing them to him.
"I need everyone but Adrian out of here." He says, not looking at anyone else.
"Damien..." Inejra whispers.
"His heart's stopped, Adrian, give him CPR while I do this."
I nod and begin pumping his heart, pinching his nose and breathing in his mouth every six pumps.
This gives me flashbacks to when I lost my foot, what Alyssa told me they had to do to keep me alive.
They had to do exactly this. And I survived.
I glance up at the door and see Rosita and Michonne filing Carl, Alyssa, and Inejra out before following them, closing the door but not leaving the front porch.
Cato cuts Damien's shirt off and pulls his arm out, revealing his gunshot wound.
I sit on the floor of the infirmary and Cato sits next to me. His hands are bloody and mine are shaking. Every inch of my body is covered in a cold sweat and I feel weightless.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The heart monitor started to beep slowly mid-operation. Instead of giving CPR, I helped Cato with the surgery. Luckily, Damien didn't have any shards of the bullet in his arm and there was an exit wound.
My lip quivers as my adrenaline dies out, "He died." I whisper. "Because I didn't see the Savior behind me."
Cato shakes his head, "Adrian, shut the fuck up. You don't have eyes in the back of your head. And he's not dead. He's alive now. And once you calm down, we can let Alyssa and everyone else inside."
I make eye contact with Cato, "Damien almost died because I wasn't paying attention." My voice is soft and shaky, my brain is slow as it tries to wrap around what the fuck just happened.
"No, Adrian, I wasn't paying attention. I could have seen the Savior too but I didn't."
I shake my head, "No, I should have seen the Savior-"
Cato gently places his hand on mine. "Adrian, the Savior shot Damien. Not you, not me. It's the Savior's fault."
It's not uncomfortable for Cato to have his hand on mine. Yes he's a straight man and yes Nick ruined straight men and physical contact for me again, but it's Cato.
Alongside Negan, Cato helped me away from Nick. If I wasn't at Negan's house, I was at Cato's. Cato took care of me whenever I was too drunk to remember my own name and Cato has never said anything to suggest wanting to have sex with me, finding me attractive in a relationship way, nothing like that.
I nod and release a breath I didn't know I was holding. "You can let them in."
He raises his eyebrows as if to say "Are you sure?"
I nod at his motion and stand up, "Let them in."
He nods and stands up with me, walking over to the door and opening it. "He's stable."
Rosita nods and narrows her eyes at him, "Who the hell are you?"
Cato offers his hand, "Corin Thorne. But everyone calls me Cato."
Michonne looks at me, "Is this a Savior?"
I shrug, "I don't even fucking know because he kept referring to the Saviors as 'the Saviors' and not 'us' or 'we'. But I know him, he helped me away from Nick along with Negan before the fall."
Rosita nods and shakes Cato's hand, "Rosita Espinosa. That's Michonne, Carl, Aly-"
"Cato!" Alyssa exclaims, running to Cato and hugging him.
"Holy shit, you got like...way taller." Cato smiles, hugging Alyssa.
She smiles and breaks the hug, looking him up and down, "You look...older."
He chuckles, "Thanks? Adrian says you're still very much against eating meat, now are 'ya?"
Alyssa nods, "Mhm, I'm a pescatarian."
He smiles, "I'm not surprised. Who's that?" He asks, motioning to Inejra.
"Inejra Beaumont. My best friend." Alyssa says, stepping aside so Cato has a better view of Inejra.
Inejra narrows her eyes, "So...are you a Savior or not?"
"Inejra!" Alyssa hisses through gritted teeth.
Cato smiles warmly, "Alyssa, it's okay." He turns back to Inejra. "No, never really was. I never agreed with their tactics of gaining power. Just figured I'd stay with them until I either found Adrian or a better group." He pauses. "Think I've found both."
Alyssa smiles a gummy smile and Inejra tilts her head up suspiciously, "Where's your accent from?"
Cato chortles, "Think I've faked an accent to get on your good side?" He shakes his head, "Ireland. Born and raised until we moved here when I was sixteen. Joined the gang that Adrian was in a little over a year before she did."
"You seem too nice to be in a gang." Inejra says.
"Aw, thank you, love. I never really turned...gang...ish. I stuck with them because I loved them like family. But I never did any crimes other than underage drinking, drug usage, and like...petty theft or something." Cato turns to me. "Was never much of a badass as Adrian is."
I scoff, "Buttering me up, I see."
He smiles, "Damien's over there." He says, noticing Alyssa glancing over at him.
She and Inejra run over to him, Alyssa's hat almost flying off as she runs.
Carl, Michonne, and Rosita stay standing before Cato.
"Why are you here?" Carl asks, his eye narrowed.
Cato sighs, "I saw Adrian, got to check that off my bucket list. And Damien got shot. I'm medically trained in most ways and Adrian needed help. I didn't want to be with the Saviors anymore so I was hoping..."
"We take you in?" Michonne finishes his sentance. "Is that the only reason you brought Damien back?"
"No! No. Like I said, Adrian needed help. I've loved Adrian like a sister for years now and I wasn't not going to help her because we were on opposite sides of the playing field."
"Y'all," I say, approaching the group. "If y'all are so worried about Cato, why don't you put him in the cell, I can sleep at my house now. And figure it out then. But we need the medical help and I know Cato." I pause. "I just want to point out I was alone in a house with him...a straight man...from the same gang as I was in."
Michonne nods understandingly, Rosita doesn't move her eyes from Cato.
"We'll finish this later. Cato, don't leave this infirmary. We need Rick for this." Rosita says, walking away and over to Damien's bed.
Michonne nods and follows her.
Cato exhales and turns to me, "That was fun."
I shrug, "We're just very..."
"Don't. I get it." He smiles.
I sigh and nod, "Jesus, I missed you."
He chuckles, "I missed you too, Adri. You and your smartassness."
I roll my eyes, "Alright, fuck you too."
He smiles, "I know how you are with physical touch, so I won't hug you, but-" I cut him off with a tight hug.
"Just this once." I say into his shoulder, feeling his arms wrap around me. "You saved Damien and by doing so you saved me...again."
"I can feel how tense your body is right now by hugging me." He says, his hug gentle but tight. "You were there for me when my sister died and then ended up filling that hole, of course, I would help you."
I break the hug and look at Cato, "I've been begging you for years to cut your hair and you still won't. Now will you? Since it's the apocalypse?" I hate being sappy so, I'm trying to change the topic of conversation.
Cato chortles, "Why would I do that? It's such a hit with the guys."
My eyes widen, "WHAT?! Since when?"
He smiles, "Always. Though never told anyone because half the gang was homophobic as fuck."
I smirk, "You should meet Damien."
Young Heath Ledger as Corin (Cato) Thorne