Gonzalez slowly walked up the steps to a little white house. It was the familial home to her new boss. Well, new isn't exactly accurate. She had been working as a King County police officer for roughly six months now, but she had yet to become friendly with any of the locals. Her boss, Rick Grimes, had been trying to no avail for all six of those months to her to open up. Tonight, he had invited Gonzalez to have dinner with Shane and his family. He had very low hopes that she would actually show up, but it never hurt to ask.
So here she was. Dressed in pretty yellow sundress she had bought in a shopping trip with her friend back in the city, clean white converses, and her hair pulled back into a slick low bun. Normally, Gonzalez would never have even considered something like this. She hated mingling with her coworkers. She much preferred to keep her professional relationships professional, and her personal relationships personal. Interrupting a family dinner was the last thing she wanted to do, but Rick was her boss and he made it almost impossible to say no.
As she knocked on the door, she thought about all the ways this dinner could go to shit. What if the stereotypes were true and everything was under seasoned? She didn't have it in her to pretend the food was good. What if Shane hit on her and she had to punch him in the throat? What if she farted? Before she could convince herself to turn around and get back into her car, the door opened.
Lori opened the door with a bright smile that waivered the moment her eyes landed on Gonzalez. She stared at this smooth skinned woman with an hourglass body and her eyes that could rival a siren. She hated the thought that this was who Rick worked with every day. A woman like that could have any man she wanted- wife and kid be damned. Her sundress sat on her body too well. The yellow made her look too radiant. The curls breaking free from her bun framed her face too perfectly. No, Lori didn't like this at all. Still, she held her smile.
"Rick", Lori called out. "I think you're in for quite a surprise!"
Lori turned back to Gonzalez and held the door open a bit wider to let her in. "You must be Sunshine. Rick has told me all about you. It's nice to finally put a name to a face."
Gonzalez cringed. She hated her first name. Hate, hate, hated it. Lori knew it, too. Rick mentioned it like fifty times just in case she actually pulled through.
"Actually, it's just Gonzalez." Gonzalez stepped through the doorway and was met by Rick and a young boy smiling right at her. The boy, obviously, had to be Rick's son. He looked to much like him. It took only a moment for Shane to also pop up from around a corner. His smile gave her the creeps.
"Hey! I can't believe you actually came", Rick said in disbelief.
Gonzalez was jolted out of her memories by the sound of a loud sob. Andrea's cries were carried across the farm by the wind. The group took turns placing rocks on top of Dale's grave. The funeral was grim and heartfelt. Nobody had a bad word to say about the man. Not even Gonzalez. Dale's death stirred something inside of her. His constant begging for everyone to hold on to the past world weighed heavy on her mind. It was an idiotic plea, for sure, but she still couldn't help the surge of memories that came.
She remembered that night at the Grimes household. Carl asked her a thousand questions. Shane kept trying to convince her to hang out one on one. Rick recounted stories of all the strange and funny things Gonzalez did at work. Lori, unamused, served burnt and unseasoned chicken. It was the weirdest experience Gonzalez had ever had before the world ended.
It would be a lie to say that Gonzalez missed the world before. Sure, the mortality rates were a bit higher now, but there really wasn't much of a difference. Maybe things were a bit different for the paler folk around her, but for someone like Gonzalez, death and tragedy was quite common. Almos everyday she could turn on the news and see someone who looked like her being murdered for sport. Being eaten alive was nothing compared to some of the atrocities Gonzalez read about. It was merciful, even.
Rick stood next to Gonzalez. "We have to honor him", he told her. "Dale, he... He was right. We should hold on to our humanity. We have to do things the right way."
"And what way is that?" Gonzalez questioned. "Should we all hold hands around a fire and sing kumbaya? You think if we had let that boy live that nothing would have gone wrong? Please." Gonzalez scoffed and pushed off of the tree she was leaning against. "The world before was nice. Beautiful, even, but it's gone. It no longer exists. The sooner we accept that, the better."
Rick sighed. "Don't you think what we need right now is a little bit more humanity?"
"Maybe. How long do you think that humanity is going to last with Shane walking around fantasizing about your untimely demise?"
Gonzalez and Rick began to walk. They trailed the perimeter of the farm right along the fences. Shane had turned into quite the wild card, Rick knew that, but he was his best friend. He couldn't fathom this new world changing him so much. His once most trusted ally was slowly becoming more and more dangerous. He just wanted his brother back.
"Look, Rick," Gonzalez sighed. "I don't have all the answers. I'm just the side kick here, you're the leader. And, given our history, I don't think it would be the best idea for me to give you any advice on how to handle Shane. I mean, I just killed a kid. That's not the kind of person you need in these kind of... um... intimate situations."
Rick snorted. Gonzalez was definitely a bit trigger happy ever since the apocalypse. This new world had changed her in a way he hadn't realized until now. The Gonzalez he knew before would never have shot anyone. She was always the last one to pull her gun; always levelheaded and working to solve every issue in the least violent way possible. Though she was a woman of few words in her daily life, she was phenomenal at talking a perp down. Her demeanor remained the same so much so that it was hard to even notice the shift in her morals. She was harder now. A protector. She was no longer defense, but cold-hearted offense.
Rick and Gonzalez watched as members tag teamed a group of walkers a bit aways from the farm. Daryl shoots one down with a bolt as the rest attacks with an array of weapons. Later they would be moving into the farmhouse upon Herschel's request. Gonzalez was a bit unsure of it. While it provided protection from the outside world, there would be no escaping the tension between the group members.
Gonzalez parted ways with Rick after a while. She had already been living in the Greene's house due to her injuries, so she had nothing to move. She watched as the others scrambled around with their things trying not to step on each others toes. She stepped outside for a bit of fresh air. Herschel followed her out and began to speak to Lori.
"You can put that in my room," he told her. "You'll be more comfortable there."
"We can't do that," Lori argued.
"A pregnant woman and child sleeping on the floor while I've got a bed to myself?"
"This is still your house."
"It's our home," Herschel assured her. "I'll take the couch downstairs. On nights when I came home reeking of bourbon, my wife would lock the bedroom door. I'm sad to say that couch and I became old friends."
"If you two can't decide, I'll take it," T-Dog interjected. Gonzalez giggled at his joke.
"Thank you," Lori said finally gave in.
T-Dog brought their stuff up the steps and nodded at Gonzalez. "The couch is mine," Herschel called out.
Gonzalez and T-Dog muttered to each other. "It's gonna get real cozy real fast in here," T-Dog said.
"And I'm sure everyone here is as cuddly as a cactus," Gonzalez piped up after him.
Gonzalez followed everyone back inside and marched back up to her room. Just as she was about to shut her door, Rick squeezed in right behind her. His hands were on her in an instant and he pulled her into him. "Baby," he whispered burying his face into her hair. Gonzalez felt her heartbeat thump fiercely through her chest.
She reached her hand up and brought his face down to hers. Her lips brushed against his ever so softly before she finally pushed them together into a sweet kiss. Their lips moved in sync, like two dancers moving along each other in a sinful tango. A gasp sounded between the two and their tongues crashed together. Lightning raked through Gonzalez's body. Her stomach was doing more tumbles than a washing machine. Then they pulled away for air.
"The walker that got Dale," Rick started. "Carl saw it. It was a bit into the woods stuck in some mud. Shane thought it might be a good idea to go scope the scene. Make sure there aren't any more stragglers hanging about waiting to break free."
"Okay," Gonzalez said. "Just make sure you stay safe and get back before dark, okay?"
"You got it," replied Rick.
He then steps back out of the room heads outside to meet Shane. Gonzalez couldn't help the bad feeling that settled in her gut as she watched him leave. In a split decision, she grabbed her gun and followed them.
********
Every time I log on I see you guys yelling at me for an update and I realize I keep forgetting to publish the next part and I go "I'll do it later".
My baby took their first steps yesterday. They also FINALLY have two cute little teeth coming in. I'm getting bit A LOT.
Funny story, I got a water bill that was $2000. It was my first water bill ever and I cried thinking I was using more water than I could afford. Then I looked closer and realized they were saying I was using 1500 gallons of water a day😂. I got it fixed but man my heart dropped when I first saw it.