Eyes Closed [TWD]

°•twenty•°

"Where are we going?" Jennifer asks as we walk through Hilltop.

"You said you wanted to talk," I remind, pulling her to the side of the house where a few picnic tables were, "So, talk."

"I-I.. Okay.." she nods, sitting down slowly as I stay standing.

She looks at her hands for a few seconds before looking back to me.

"I um.. I saw you and Carl. I didn't think-"

"You wanted to ask me about my boyfriend?" I ask, making sure I had it right.

At the word, she gasps out.

"You are together.. wow.." she says in disbelief, "H-How long? When? How?"

I shake my head incredulously. I knew it would be something, but this isn't the conversation nor question I anticipated from her. Especially after Carol and I just spoke about similar things.

"A few months," I answer shortly.

"Lori swore up and down.. I didn't believe her at all," she chuckles.

At the mention of Lori, I could feel myself soften. I may not care much for Jennifer, but she had stores about Lori who I missed dearly.

"She did?" I ask, refusing to make eye contact.

"You have no idea," she laughs.

--

Third POV

"Look how precious they are," Jennifer coos.

"Already playmates," Rick adds, smiling as well.

They were watching Jade and Carl who sat together in a play pen. Carl, a few months older, was already sitting up on his own where as Jade watched him from where she lay on her back. Carl flung around a plushy that Jade's eyes brightened at the sight of. As she begins to reach for it, Carl giggles and hands it to her.

"Come on now, Carl. You start giving in to her now and you'll never be able to tell her 'no' in the future," Shane sighs.

"Then, he'll get the memo of 'happy wife, happy life'," Lori grins.

"You trying to say something there?" Rick asks his wife, poking at her side as she sat beside him.

"Maybe I am," Lori shrugs.

"Yeah, right. They'll grow up like siblings- fight like them, too," Jennifer scoffs.

"You'll see," Lori defends.

"No, we won't," Shane denies.

--

"Hey, where are you taking that? Jade!" Shane calls.

"Carl said he wanted to play cops and robbers," Jade shouts from the bottom of the stairs.

"Baby, you can't take that. Daddy needs that for work!" Jennifer laughs, making her way to the four year old.

Jade pouts, looking down to the badge in her hands. Shane had left it on the coffee table alongside his cap, a mistake when you have two four year old kids around, really.

"And he just got the promotion, too," Rick laughs from his spot on the couch.

"But, Carl.." Jade whines, hiding the Sheriff's badge behind her back from her mother.

"Yes, I know. You want to play. But, not with daddy's work things. He'll get into big trouble if something happens to it," Jennifer coaxes.

"Ah, let 'em play with it," Shane waves off.