30 December 2014

The Good Life - Chapter Five

A/N: If it seems too good to be true...it isn't. Not in this case. I'm giving it all to them because they deserve it. Plus, this stuff will come in handy later.

...


If Rick was honest he couldn’t have cared less about Christmas than he did at that moment. He wasn’t in a Christmas state of mind. He was geared more toward Valentine’s Day, and would rather have received a visit from Cupid than Santa. Tara’s enthusiasm had awakened Judith who now cried, irritated at having been roused from sleep. Rick picked her up.

“Have you told Carl?” Michonne asked.

“No, just you.”

“Don’t,” Michonne said.

Rick was curious now. “Why not?”

“I want it to be a surprise. We can get everything together and tell him tomorrow morning. Then he can help us decorate in the evening. We’ll trim the tree. He’ll love it.”

Rick and Tara nodded in agreement. “That’s a wonderful surprise,” said Rick.

“That’s if they have any decorations here,” Tara said. “Think they’ll be in the attic?”

“We’ll find out. You have Judith?”

Rick nodded. “Yeah, I’ve got her.”

They went down the hall to the TV room to find that Rambo was playing instead of The Duchess.

“What happened to the other movie?” Michonne asked.

Rosita clucked her tongue and shot Abraham a suspicious glare. “The DVD wasn’t in the case.”

“I told you, I didn’t do anything to that damn movie!” Abraham said defensively. Neither Rosita, Maggie, nor Sasha looked convinced. Glenn and Daryl smirked.

“I have news,” Tara said excitedly. “Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.”

She was alarmed when Maggie and Daryl shared a glance and then Maggie teared up.

“Okay, not the reaction I was expecting…”

“Christmas was Beth’s favorite holiday,” Maggie explained.

“Ty’s, too,” Sasha said sadly.

“Carol loved it as well,” Daryl added.

“Oh. I guess you don’t want to see if there are decorations then,” Tara said.

Maggie took a deep breath and wiped at her eyes. “No. That’s exactly what we should do. Beth, Ty, and Carol wouldn’t want us to sulk. They’d want us to celebrate.”

Rick settled in with Glenn, Abraham, and Daryl to watch the movie while the women all filed out and headed upstairs to the attic entrance. The mood had shifted, though, and Michonne felt sorry for her friends as they faced their first Christmas without their loved ones. She’d long since adjusted to the holidays coming and going and not celebrating them at all, much less grieving for lost loved ones in the process.

Once they reached the attic they began rummaging through everything but came up short.

“How weird,” Sasha said, bewildered. “They’ve got Valentine’s Day, Easter, even Fourth of July stuff but nothing for Christmas.”

“Maybe it’s in the basement? I mean, this place is pretty packed with junk,” Maggie suggested.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt, earlier,” Tara said with a mischievous grin on her face.

Maggie and Sasha turned their gaze toward Michonne, curious.

“Inerrupt what?” asked Sasha.

“Rick rubbing Michonne’s leg, looking deeply into her eyes before she sighed and almost moaned while he watched,” Tara reported.

“Ooooh!” the other women said, laughing.

“Do tell!” Maggie demanded, her smile real. It was worth the ribbing she’d have to take just to see them all happy and smiling.

“It was nothing,” Michonne said, blowing it off. “My ankle was still sore from when I twisted it.”

“Uh-huh,” Rosita said with open skepticism, making the other women laugh.

“You should have seen her,” Tara said, pushing the ladder back up so they could close off the attic.

“I’ll bet,” said Sasha. “Rick’s a hottie.”

“You should see him clean shaven,” said Maggie. “Hot doesn’t begin to describe it.”

“He looked pretty damn yummy when it was trimmed,” Sasha said, remembering Rick as he was when she first met him.

“Like Daryl isn’t yummy?” Michonne said, trying to deflect.

“Oh, yes, he’s yummy,” Sasha agreed. “But this isn’t about me and Daryl, it’s about you and Rick. Please tell me you took advantage of sharing that room with him.”

“Rick and I are just friends. And he’s sleeping in the twin bed to give Judy and me room.”

“You didn’t get into the little bed?” Rosita asked, looking disappointed.

“I would have gotten into the little bed with him, and I’m gay,” Tara said.

“You’re just desperate,” Maggie teased, ruffling Tara’s hair.

“True,” she agreed.

They went into the basement and their mouths dropped open. Almost at once they rounded on Tara, demanding why she didn’t tell them about the place.

“I was going to. Eventually,” Tara said, looking dodgy.

The basement had been finished with oak flooring. A desk sat in the corner with a small lamp and a notebook computer, a Mac. There was a pool table by the opposite wall with pool sticks lined up neatly on the wall. A full bar was across from it. There was also a Ping-Pong table, and a foosball table in the room. Finally there was an unopened door.

“Probably in there,” said Maggie.

“Wait,” Michonne said, going to the wall and taking down a pool stick to use as a weapon. “It’s dangerous to get careless.”

Maggie nodded and they allowed Michonne to lead the way to the door. Cautiously she opened it up and flipped on the light, ready for anything that might lunge at them. There weren’t any walkers inside but she was shocked at what she found.

“Go get the guys,” she said.


 “I’ve never seen so much toilet paper in my whole life and I had a Sam’s Club membership,” Tara said, looking at the almost ridiculous supply room. The house was a huge one, and the basement had been designed to encompass the entirety of the house, and then some, making an underground bunker that had been stuffed with supplies that could last a group three times their size for a lifetime.

“Nick said that the man who owned this place was a guy who’d planned for the end of the world,” Daryl said, walking in with them and looking around. There were rows of shelves stuffed with supplies. There was soap, toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and paper towels, even maxi pads and razors. There were also food items like beans, tins of flour and cornmeal that had been vacuum packed, and freezers that had been stuffed with things like cans of frozen juices, vacuum sealed vegetables, and fruits of all kinds. Just about anything they needed they had and it was packed to last years, including clothes and heavy winter gear and feed for the animals.

“Look. Says armory,” said Glenn.

They headed to the door on the left of the room, half way down, and tested the doorknob. It was unlocked. Abraham reached in and switched on the light before throwing the door open, ready for something to attack. Instead they found the room empty of walkers or humans, but stuffed with other things.

“Look away ladies,” Abraham said, walking into the room with a look of rapture on his face. “I’m about to get hard.”

Guns lined the walls to the left and right. Automatic weapons, semi-automatic pistols, revolvers, shotguns, and compound bows. The opposite wall was lined with swords, daggers, and wicked looking knives and axes. Under the guns that hung on the walls were stacks of ammunition matching the weapons.

“Grenades…”Abraham said, caressing a crate that was stuffed full of them. He looked so happy he could cry.

Daryl had made a beeline for the opposite wall with Michonne right behind him to look at the swords and knives.

In the center of the room was a table set up with stations. “Look,” said Rick. “Molds and equipment to manufacture ammunition.”

“Gunpowder,” said Tara. “Loads of it.”

“This room is a potential bomb,” Maggie said worriedly.

“Not if the temperature and humidity is maintained. This place was setup smart,” said Abraham. He gently set a grenade down and called everyone’s attention.

“What are you thinking, Baby?” Rosita asked, holding a Glock in hand.

“I’m thinking we’re gonna have to get smart about guarding this place. We’ve had it hard on the run since this whole thing started. Now we’ve found a goldmine in supplies and a secure location, but we don’t have numbers. Somebody gets a mind to try to take this place we could defend it but it wouldn’t be easy.”

“If people knew of this place they would have attacked already,” said Daryl.

“Maybe, maybe not. We can’t take the chance,” said Rick. “We can’t afford to get too comfortable. If you have something good there’s always somebody who wants to take it from you. We’ve all learned that lesson the hard way, haven’t we?”

They nodded silently in agreement. There was a part of Rick who still wanted to go to DC just to satisfy his curiosity but now he knew the chances of the others agreeing to leave this place vulnerable for takeover by another group was slim to none. He didn’t blame them.

“All this stuff didn’t help Nick’s group in the end. We’ve got to be careful, vigilant,” said Rick. “We can make it here. We never have to leave here if we’re smart about it.”

Glenn sighed. “I volunteer for first duty watch tonight.”

“I’ll go too,” said Daryl.

“Can’t we just enjoy Christmas?” Tara asked, looking disappointed.

Rick and Abraham shared a look. Finally Rick nodded.

“Yeah. We can do that. After, though, we get serious about protecting this place.”

They left the armory and returned to the finished part of the basement. In a large cabinet they found the Christmas decorations.

“Bingo,” said Tara happily. “All we need now is a tree.”

28 December 2014

The Good Life - Chapter Four



Dinner was a festive affair. The adults in the room were laughing, joking, and making plans for the day ahead. Rick held Judith in his lap while she tried to take food off his plate. He allowed her to taste some of the grease from his fork whenever he took a bite of his fried fish, which turned out to be a mistake because she began crying for a proper bite.

“You can’t chew it, Sweetie,” he tried to explain. Of course she didn’t understand chewing quite that well, but she quieted down when he gave her a jar of banana baby food, which she found quite appealing.

True to their word, Rick and Carl took over the dinner dishes for Daryl and Sasha, who prepared to leave with Glenn, Maggie, Abraham, and Rosita, to the TV room, all the while arguing over what to watch.

“The Duchess,” Rosita insisted. “It’s a really good movie and it has Ralph Fiennes!”

“Oooh, Ralph Fiennes,” Maggie said, nodding in agreement.

“Who cares about Ralph?” Abraham asked, pronouncing the name ralf instead of rafe, much to Rosita’s annoyance.

“Stop being a dick, Abraham. There’s sex in it. Lots of sex,” she said, which got his attention.

“Fine,” he acquiesced, “but after that I wanna watch Rambo.”

That earned groans from the others, except Daryl. Rick found himself laughing as he watched them file down the hallway. He looked at Carl.

“I’m not comfortable with you watching a movie like that,” Rick said. “Why don’t you go find a book to read instead of just playing video games? I’ll finish up here.”

“Aw, Dad. Books are all I’ve had all this time.”

“Good point,” he said, in the mood to spoil his son for as long as possible. “Video games it is but be in bed by a reasonable hour tonight. We’ve got a lot to do tomorrow with chores on the property.”

Carl nodded and rushed off. Almost as soon as he was gone Michonne came to stand beside him, rinsing the dishes he washed. They worked together in silence for awhile, just enjoying being close.

“I like how happy he is,” Rick said.

“Me too. I’ve never seen him this joyful.”

“How did Tara do with the animals?”

“She’s a natural. She took to it like fish to water, actually.”

“Where is she?” he wondered.

“Playing solitaire on the computer.”

“Computer?”

Michonne nodded. “There’s a laptop in the office. Said she misses the Internet and the porn she used to be able to download.”

Rick laughed and shook his head. He regarded her for a moment. “I like seeing you happy, too.”

She lifted her chin, looking playfully thoughtful. “I am happier than I’ve been in a long time.”

“Mama!” Judith called in a demanding tone.

Without hesitation Michonne turned to look at her. “I’ll be there in a minute, baby. I’ve gotta help Daddy with the dishes.”

That sounded so natural coming from her lips that Rick felt his chest tighten. She didn’t seem to realize the affect her words had on him. She was mothering his children. He wondered what it would be like if she started ‘wifing’ him. Images of her climbing into that little bed with him flitted through his mind. He pushed it away and finished the last of the cups.

With the kitchen clean and the sink wiped down Michonne picked Judith up. She was getting cranky and sneezy again so Michonne gave her another dose of medicine.

“There’s a wet bar in the library,” Rick said. “It’s got some pretty good stuff. Wanna join me for a drink?”

“Sure. I may be able to get Judith to fall asleep.”

They headed into the library and Rick heard the wind howling outside. He stood at the bar and poured a couple of snifters of brandy. After pressing his face to the window he could see it wasn’t snowing but the wind was up. He wondered if there was anyone living out there, desperately trying to keep warm in the freezing cold. He hoped that whatever survivors were in that wind and cold had what they needed and would be okay.

He closed the curtains up tight and settled on the overstuffed sofa. Michonne had put Judith down on the loveseat, surrounded her with pillows to keep her from rolling, and then came toward him.

“You’re limping again,” he noted.

“I thought the cold would help with the swelling. It did but it still hurts.”

“You need to stay off that foot,” Rick said, handing her the brandy. “I don’t want you to do permanent damage.”

“Yes, sir!” she joked, and sipped brandy. “Mmmm…”

“I know. Quality booze. They must have been the first to loot the local liquor store considering some of the high price drinks they’ve got in that bar,” he said. He tapped his leg when he saw she was rubbing at her ankle.

“What?”

“Give me your foot.”

She stretched her leg out. He wished she was in those shorts instead of her pants so he could see all that smooth, flawless skin that graced every inch of her body, but he’d wait until later tonight for a glimpse of that. He gently massaged her ankle, hoping she forgot her clothes again before she took her shower so she’d have to come out in nothing but a towel again, her body dripping wet.

“Rick?”

“Huh?” he asked, feeling embarrassed. She’d been saying his name if the amused look on her face was anything to go by, while he'd sat there picturing the towel drop and him getting a full view of her body.

“I said what about security? The curtains here are heavy. Tara and I could barely see any light coming from them on our way back and we were close. I don’t think anyone will be able to see the lights on from any distance but if they happen to wander down one of these mountains…”

“Right,” he said, disappointed that Michonne wanted to talk business. He was hoping to talk about anything else, but this was familiar territory for them. It was safe. The thing is, he didn’t want to just play it safe. “Well, We’re going to have to man the towers at some point. Two people a night. I know it’s cold but we’ve got winter gear that’ll keep us warm when we’re out there.”

She nodded in agreement and tossed back the rest of her brandy.

“Want another?” he asked.

“I shouldn’t. Judy might wake up in the night and need me. I don’t want to sleep through it.”

He nodded. “It’s hard to learn to really relax, isn’t it? We’re always wary of something.”

“PTSD. We’ve all got it.”

She was looking at Judith, who slept peacefully, though she frowned as though the taste of the medicine Michonne had given her for her bedtime dose had invaded her dreams. Her little mouth worked and she frowned, making Rick grin. He watched the tender expression on Michonne’s face as she gazed at the baby.

“You’re a natural at mothering.”

“I had a little boy,” she said.

“You did?” he didn’t know why he was surprised. She was so good with children. “What was his name?”

“Andre Anthony. He was three when…He was three,” she said, looking down at his hands massaging the soreness from her ankle.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly. Tell me about him.

He thought she would refuse, brush him off, but she didn't. She told him of her life before the turn and Rick drank in every word. When she came to the bad, to losing her son, losing her boyfriend and the other man, and how she'd used them as pets that ended up protecting her, he wanted to pull her close and hold her.

Her eyes came up to meet his after she finished talking. The gaze lingered a bit longer than maybe it should have. His hands naturally wandered further up her calf and her eyes drifted shut on a sigh that sounded as though it was fueled by more than just feelings of comfort from a friend. He stroked his fingers over her leg, his eyes glued to her. Her nipples hardened and he felt his breath catch in his throat.

“Guys!” Tara said exuberantly.


Rick pulled back and Michonne jerked her leg away from him, both of them startled into feeling as though they were doing something wrong when they weren’t.



Damn it, Rick thought. What crap timing, Tara.



“Guess what today is?”



Rick couldn’t care less and he didn’t think Michonne did either. Still, he asked. “What?”



She literally bounced on her feet. “December 23rd. Tomorrow’s Christmas Eve!”



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