Sean's hands were shoved mindlessly into the pockets of his jeans, his bare arms shining slightly from the sweat of previous labor. His skin, like most of the other men, was tanned and grimy. Even though his exterior was rough, Amelia didn't feel intimidated or frightened in the slightest. That was the major difference between Sean and Negan.
The two walked for what felt like miles. The sanctuary went on as Amelia and Sean walked along the stretch of brick and chain that separated them from the outside world. Birds chirped overhead in the sun, leaving the atmosphere casual and almost cheery.
The dirt path the two were walking on lay winding ahead before curving towards a chain-link portion of the fence. Amelia stopped walking as if to question where exactly they were headed. Sean took a few more steps before turning to look at the girl.
"It's just beyond here." He assured her. Amelia gave a concentrated look before cautiously walking forward again. Sean offered her a soft smile, running a hand through his hair. "What, do you think I'd drag you out here to kill you?"
"I don't know, maybe." She chuckled as he pushed a gap in the fence apart enough for the girl to squeeze through.
"Right, because I've always wanted to be Negan's prized princess. I'm a jealous bastard, Amelia. You've been warned." He teased, ducking under and following.
They were now in a clearing by a wooded area. The path was still there, winding around a corner until it was just out of view. Sean began walking again, and Amelia followed him closely.
They walked a little while longer until Amelia saw where the path led. A spring from the woods sat nearly untouched, a small stream trickling into the pool from the far side. Amelia even saw a butterfly flit across the trees. She was in awe.
"Woah." Was all she said as her eyes wandered the clearing. Sean bounced on the balls of his feet for a second, waiting for her to say something else.
"It's nice, yeah?" He asked with a grin. Amelia chuckled in disbelief, nodding. Since the apocalypse, she hadn't seen anything even near how serene this place was. The water was crystal clear in front of her, almost beckoning for a swim. She only sat on the rocks, still staring at the place.
"How did you find this place?" She asked, now turning to face her friend. Sean shrugged, taking a seat next to her.
"I was on patrol near the west side a few months ago, came across this place. I come here to clear my head sometimes." He paused, taking a deep breath. His eyes scanned across the spring. "I figured you could use a break from everything. It kind of sucks, you know, being here against your will I guess." Sean told her. She smiled to herself.
"Thank you." She said softly. "I think I needed a break too." The duo sat in a comfortable silence for a while, taking in the scene. Sun trickled through the trees, illuminating the water before them. It was beautiful. "For a while, I thought hiding away would help me. I thought that maybe if I just denied all of this for long enough, it would go away. Maybe I could just wish it all away and wake up in my old room back on the farm." She shrugged, looking at her knees.
"It's heavy stuff." Sean told her. He looked over at her. "Am, why did you come here?" The man asked. His elbows were casually hanging from his knees. Amelia turned to meet his gaze, and he suddenly felt embarrassed. "N-Not that it's a bad thing that you did, I'm not saying that at all, b-but why?" Amelia thought for a moment, sighing.
"It was stupid, really." She told him. "I was angry, and it just kept building. I guess I got it wedged into my mind that I could kill him on my own, like some sort of suicide mission."
"That was you that day in the courtyard, then?" He asked her. Amelia nodded, toying with the gravel beneath her.
"I rode in, guns blazing. Killed two of his guys, but didn't get much more than a punch in with Negan." She sighed. "I was too much of a pussy." Sean laughed.
"Well, you came just the same. I mean,you killed some people on the way, so I suppose that's a win on its own, right?" He lightly bumped her arm in attempt at lightening the mood. The girl shrugged, tossing a rock into the water.
"I guess. I mean, I've never really done that before, ya know? Killed anybody? But everything happens for a reason. That's always what my sister tells me." Amelia said.
"Maggie?" Sean asked. She nodded. "She seems like a good person." Amelia smiled to herself.
"She is. Always has been." The girl thought for a moment. "It's funny though because back before the whole apocalypse thing, I used to think she was this stuck-up priss. I dunno, she was just this figure that I felt I had to live up to. I even took all honors and AP a few times in high school just because I felt I had to." She laughed at herself. Sean chuckled.
"I know." He said. Amelia gave him a funny look before he realized what he had slipped, suddenly growing a little embarrassed. "I mean, I know what you mean." He tried to cover, only half attempting to keep himself from grinning.
"You're a good guy, Sean." Amelia smiled at him. "Thank you for being nice. I think I need that positivity, at least every now and again." She awkwardly picked at the rocks, smiling bashfully.
"At your service, flor de primavera." He grinned.
"I don't understand what you're saying half the time, you know that?" Amelia asked. Sean shrugged.
"Likewise." She gave him a light shove as the two sat in their soft laughter.
"You know, I think we could have been friends back in the old world." Amelia smiled at the scene before the two. "Like, maybe we could have been neighbors, or something. And you and I could go on bike rides into town." She imagined. Sean paused, waiting to see if maybe it would matter if he told her he really knew who she was. He let out a sigh.
"Two thousand and twelve." Sean said. Amelia glanced over at him.
"Hm?"
He wasn't sure how to bring up the conversation. "That was the year everything happened, it was that summer." Amelia watched him intently, waiting to see what would be said next. "I had just finished up my job for the summer."
"At the autoshop?" Amelia asked him. Sean sighed.
"No." What? "I was a teacher at Scrouton High School."
But Amelia went there.
That's not right, is it? Sean Gomez? Wouldn't she have recognized that...
Gomez.
"...Mr. Gomez..?" Amelia asked in slight surprise. Only slight, mainly because Sean had felt familiar to her in a way that was safe. Mr. Gomez was good to Amelia in every way a mentor could be.
"Surprise..?" Sean said with a nervous smile.
"But...how did you? Your scar?" Amelia reached for the side of his face, trailing her thumb over the jagged scar lining his face. Sean pulled away, taking her wrist lightly and resting her arm on her lap.
"It's a long story..." He trailed off.
"I have time."
"Really, I just dont wanna talk about it right now."
"Sean, it's fine. You don't have to go into great detail, I just--"
"Amelia, I told you, I dont want to--"
"You're the one who had to go and bring it up."
"Bring what up?" Sean was getting frustrated now.
"All of this!" Amelia shouted. Sean suddenly softened when he noticed tears beginning to well in her eyes. "You went ahead, and brought up a lot of shit, Sean. I just..I don't know if I can keep it all straight right now." Her voice cracked slightly, as she rested her elbows in her lap, picking at the rocks on the ground. Sean stared at her for a while, not sure what to say. But before anyone could do anything else, a voice cleared from behind them. Amelia and Sean whipped around in surprise, only to find Negan standing by a tree.
"Well, look what the cat dragged out of the bag."