───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
ROSALINE'S EYES locked onto lori. so it wasn't just her that noticed. the girl didn't fail to notice that ever since shane came back alone from the run for medicine without otis, he was a changed man. he became more aggressive, and it seemed like he was obsessed with lori and their family. the hostility was clear towards rick, too.
shane looked the other way.
found guilty, rosaline thought.
lori also realized that, "what happened that night?" she whispered, "you haven't been the same since."
the former cop rubbed his hands together uncomfortably, his sight flickering between the two females sat in front of him, "you wanna know what happened with otis? what happened with otis is because i love you. both of you, and carl. that's right."
rosaline observed the other woman.
"i told rick." she admitted, meeting his eyes as he looked shocked to process her words.
"what?" he managed to breathe out, "you told him- you told him what?"
she dropped her gaze.
"if you're gonna blame someone, blame me. i told her to do it ever since rick first appeared at camp. i knew all along too." rosaline raised her hand slightly.
shane looked at rosaline, "i'm not gonna blame you. i'm not even gonna say it wasn't your business," he switched back to lori, "did you tell him that you thought you were a widow? that you were grieving that the world was coming to an end? that you needed comforting? did you tell him it was a mistake?"
"wasn't it?" rosaline asked.
lori nodded, "mhmm."
he rubbed his head with the palm of his hands before clasping them together over his nose, almost as if he was praying, "you know, lori, that ain't true."
"what we had, it was real."
"it was not," lori said.
"it was a long time coming. it was real, lori." he denied. rosaline was starting to become scared with his whole idea. was he convincing himself all of this?
lori shook her head once more, "it was not."
"it was you and it was me, carl, rose. it was real." shane insisted, "it was right. don't say it wasn't."
"it wasn't."
"yeah? just think about for a second- what you felt. everything falling apart all around us, but it... it was the one good thing."
rosa ran to lori's defense, "that's right shane. everything was falling apart. if my husband died and people around me were coming back to life to eat each other, i'd make a rash decision too. one that i'd regret. you need to stop convincing yourself that it was okay."
shane sighed, "rosaline you wouldn't understand."
"what wouldn't i understand?"
"loving someone like that."
rosaline's heart almost burst. how did he have the audacity to say that to her?
"that's enough shane. you don't get to say that to her."
"she thinks running around after some redneck trash is love?" shane hissed to lori, "tell me you're kidding."
rosaline was frustrated beyond belief, now he was acting like she had something with daryl, "you know for a guy that talks a lot shane, you really spout a lot of shit."
"all i'm saying is that she could do better." he said standing up, "and you know that what me and you had - it was true."
with that, he left.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
morning came quick, rosaline woke up. she had bunked with lori and carl in the guest room. it wasn't the most comfortable night physically, but she needed the comfort of people emotionally.
quietly, the girl got up and went into the bathroom with some spare clothes starting to dress herself. a long-sleeved black shirt with some spare dark navy jeans that maggie had found for her. this time, she had decided to go along with the search party for rick and the others.
whilst feeding rhaegar canned dog food, she looked to the car where shane and daryl were loading guns. daryl cocked his gun, ignoring everyone around him. his attitude seemed calmer than yesterday, yet more distanced. it saddened the girl - yet there was nothing she could do.
as well as that, she had finally decided to put the bow to use. she grabbed the bow and the quiver full of arrows, slinging it onto her back. patting her thigh, rhaegar ran after her as she fell in step with andrea.
when approaching, her eyes landed on daryl's back out of instinct. he was wearing a vest that had embroidered angel wings over a long-sleeved shirt. his crossbow was already on his back - he was ready to go from the moment he heard.
"guys." andrea called out. immediately, she stopped staring when their attention fixed on her and andrea who handed them more guns.
although, all the preparation seemed unnecessary as a rumble in the distance sounded, catching their eyes. a red car. one of theirs.
rick was back - and just in time.
lori speed walker it out the house, her and carl's hand clasped together. everyone followed.
"dad!" carl exclaimed, thundering towards him, engulfing the former sheriff's feet in a tight embrace. he walked to his wife and did the same.
"patricia, prepare the shed for surgery." hershel instructed walking into the house.
"surgery?" rosaline muttered to herself, taking one good look over her friends. nobody seemed hurt, so what was the point?
"are you okay?" lori queried, examining her husband.
he nodded, "yeah but what happened to you?"
"i was in a car accident."
"accident? how?"
"she went looking for you. on her own." rosaline told him.
"i had to bring her back." shane said, "she did too."
rick's expression changed, fear and somewhat relief mixed together, "are you crazy? you could've-"
"who the hell is that?" t-dog asked pointing to the car.
rhaegar started to bark and snarl, pounding his claws against the car, wanting to get at the person inside, startling them awake and sending them into a dazed panic. he didn't seem pleased with the newest appearance. rosaline made no effort to take him off.
"that's randall." glenn introduced, over the noise.
"rosaline?" dale turned to her, pleadingly.
"alright..." she said, "rhaegar! off, now."
the german shepherd ceased his attempts to get inside, letting out one last bark for good measure before returning to his owner. the group gawked at the inside of the car, creeping towards it.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
the discussion decided to be continued inside the house. everyone put their weapons away.
"we couldn't just leave him. he'd bleed out - if he lived that long." rick summarised.
glenn decided to join in, "it's gotten bad in town."
"what do we do with him?" andrea sought.
"what can we do with him?" rosaline asked her.
the question fell short as hershel came into the dining room, "i repaired his calf muscle the best i can, but he'll probably have nerve damage. he won't be on his feet for at least a week."
"when he is, we give him a canteen, take him out to the main road, send him on his way." rick decided.
andrea quirked an eyebrow, "isn't that the same as leaving him for the walkers?"
the front door creaked, daryl entered the house. surprisingly. perhaps the news of the new kid being brought back peaked his interest. carol gave him a look. the redneck seemed to ignore her as he leaned against the wall, putting his arms to his sides.
"he'll have a fighting chance." rick assured.
"just gonna let him go?" shane piped up, "he knows where we are."
"he was blindfolded the whole way here. he's not a threat."
"not a threat. how many of them were there? you killed three of their men, you took one of them hostage, but they just ain't gonna come looking?" shane wasn't convinced.
"they left him for dead." rick elaborated, annoyed, "no one is looking."
t-dog joined the conversation, "we should still post a guard."
"he's out cold right now. will be for hours." hershel informed.
"you know what? i'm gonna go get him some flowers and candy," shane announced mockingly, scoffing as he stormed past everyone to leave, "look at this, folks! we back in fantasyland."
hershel was angered by this, "you know, we haven't even dealt with what you did at my barn yet." he reminded, "let me make this clear once and for all. this is my farm; now i wanted you gone. rick talked me out of it - but that doesn't mean i have to like it. so do me a favor, keep your mouth shut."
shane's head swayed to the side trying to process his words without offering a snarky comment before leaving with an exasperated sigh.
rick decided to step forward, "look. we're not gonna do anything about it today. let's just cool off."
the group started to disperse. this time, rosaline decided to go off alone, practice shooting again. however, on her way past, she noticed how daryl held his eyes onto carol before leaving hastily.
she stared at the older woman, "everything okay carol?"
"as good as it can be," she said crossing her arms, "do you know what's wrong with daryl? you did say you had a fight."
now, this was a topic she wanted to avoid, "he just started yelling at me, saying i didn't understand and told me to leave him alone."
"he thinks he's better off alone." carol explained to her, "i tried to talk to him, but he tried to chase me off. have you tried talking to him again?"
the girl shook her head, "no. i don't think i plan on doing that again. last time it got me nowhere."
"will you try again?"
"sorry carol, but i can't deal with his attitude. if he wants to talk, he'll come and apologize." rosaline said, being too stubborn to come to terms with daryl.
she bid the woman goodbye and made her way over to the tent where rick and lori were. as she approached she could hear their hushed voices.
"he's delusional and dangerous. he went after me, lied to me that you were back. you saw what he did at the barn - he's threatened dale and hershel. he told rosaline that she doesn't understand what love is, he's scaring people and he's scaring me." lori explained to rick, "and i think he killed otis... rosaline didn't seem surprised at that either. i think he left him behind and i think-"
rosaline approached the tent, but before she could do a makeshift 'knock' rhaegar burst in for her. he barked at rick, who smiled ruffling the for on his back.
the green-eyed girl stepped inside the tent, apologizing, "hey. sorry about him."
"no, you're okay, rosaline. come sit." rick said patting the spot next to him, "me and lori were just having a conversation."
"you comfortable with me being here?" rosa questioned, raising a singular brown to them.
"yes, honey, in fact - back me up. do you think that shane killed otis, not just to save carl but because he loves me?"
rick looked to her, "but you don't know that."
"and he thinks he loves me..." she trailed off, unsure if she'd said the right thing, "and that we're supposed to be together... no matter what."
"well if you want me to be honest, rick, that is what he said to her the night i was there for their talk." rosaline defended meeting the former sheriff's eyes. that confirmation seemed to move him, as he looked to the floor with an expression she couldn't make out.
the man rubbed his hands together, eyes zooming around frantically trying to find something else to make eye contact with, so he stared at rhaegar, "those men left that kid behind today. i killed two people myself because of you, carl, rosaline and the baby." he gestured to the girl whilst lori climbed on the camping bed behind him hugging into his back, "it was gonna be me and not them no matter what."
"you killed the living to protect what's yours?" she asked.
"that's right," he confirmed. rosaline scratched rhaegar's back moving onto the floor to give them space, "shane thinks i'm his, he thinks the baby's his, and he says you can't protect us. that you're gonna get us killed. he's dangerous rick and he won't stop."
"i agree." rosaline muttered.
rick simply stared off into the distance, emotionless.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
ooh, rick is forced to think about his next move against his own best friend.
don't forget to vote and comment!
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────