luna mortimer-smith had long learned not to trust anyone, staying in the middle of the woods as to avoid any contact with the dead or any other humans.
one evening, she'd gone out to check her hunting traps like usual. little did she realize, thoug...
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The sounds of children laughing echoed down the stairs as Luna moved around the kitchen, a light breeze moving through the open window over the sink. Outside, people working, kids playing, and a dog or two barking at random times made the late summer afternoon feel just like any other. Luna refocused on what she was making, and a few minutes later she had lunch set out on the dining room table. She walked over to the bottom of the stairs, one of her hands resting on the bannister.
"Kids, lunch is ready!" She yelled up. She waited for a few seconds, not hearing anything. "Did you hear me?" Still nothing. With a sigh, she climbed up the stairs. Following the sounds of laughing, she walked down the hall and pushed open the bedroom door at the end. "Hey, did you hear me?" Both girls jumped, turning around. "Lunch is ready."
"Finally!" Judith smiled widely, dropping her game controller and shooting up. Daisy followed suit, and Luna moved out of the way so the girls could start downstairs.
"Daze, where's your brother?" Luna asked, raising her eyebrows.
"I dunno." Daisy shrugged as she walked past her mother. "I think he and RJ said they were going outside."
"Okay, go on downstairs." Luna sighed, following the girls downstairs. While they sat down at the table, Luna continued outside and onto the porch. She leaned against the railing, looking around for a few moments. She couldn't help but smile lightly when she spotted the pair of boys sitting by the pond. She turned back, poking her head inside the door. "I'm gonna go get your brothers, so don't eat all of that, okay? And put your dishes in the sink when you're done!" With that, she shut the door and started down the street. A few people said hello as she moved through Alexandria, so she greeted them back and kept going.
"There you two are!" She called out when she got close enough. The boys looked up, but RJ quickly looked back down at the bucket that sat between them. "What are you two doing all the way out here?" She asked, sinking to her knees next to the boys.
"We're catching frogs." RJ said. "Like Carl showed us."
"Look at this one, mom!" Oliver reached into the bucket, grabbing and holding out a tiny yellowish spotted frog. "Isn't it cool?"
"Yeah, it is." Luna smiled, reaching over and pushing Oliver's hair out of his face. He'd recently decided that he wanted to be just like Carl, and his first step was growing out his hair. It was a little unruly, but it made him happy so Luna let him keep growing it out. "Now, I made some lunch and it's already sitting on the table. If you don't want your sisters to eat it all, I say we let the frogs go and go eat, hmm?"
"But I wanna keep them!" RJ argued. "Do we have to let them go?"
"Yeah, do we have to?" Oliver nodded.
"It's not nice to just leave them in here." Luna explained. "How about I come out here with you guys later and we can catch some more?" They both nodded, quickly getting up and starting to run back towards Rick and Michonne's house. She watched them, chuckling to herself and shaking her head lightly. She turned back around, lightly placing the bucket on it's side so the frogs could get out before getting to her feet. She stretched her arms up, sighing as they fell back to her sides as she watched the slow rippling water.
"Lu!" She turned, seeing Carl walking over from the fields. "What are you doin' over here?"
"The boys were catching frogs." She said, motioning the tipped over bucket. "And I had to negotiate with them so they'd go eat lunch." Carl laughed, pulling Luna into a hug. "What about you?"
"Taking a lunch break, I was gonna come see you." He said as she pulled back. She leaned up, pressing a quick kiss to his lips.
"Well if you wanna eat, you'd better hurry. The four of them are alone with the food."
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Luna smiled lightly, her thumb stroking Daisy's cheek lightly.
"You sleep good, baby. We've got a big day tomorrow." Luna spoke lightly. "And you're not gonna have any fun if you're tired, right?"
"Right." Daisy nodded. Luna leaned down, pressing a kiss onto her forehead. "Mom..." Daisy whined, making Luna laugh and pull away.
"What? I can't help it." Luna smiled down at her. "I just love you so much."
"I love you too." Daisy smiled widely up at Luna, her missing front teeth on full display.
"I know." Luna nodded lightly. "Goodnight, Daze." She stood up, walking over to the door and pausing in the doorway. "Sweet dreams."
"Night mom." Daisy waved lightly. Luna laughed, waving back before flicking off the light and shutting the door softly. She looked down the hall, seeing Carl just stepping out of Oliver's room.
"All good?" She asked as they both started towards their room.
"He was out before I'd even read a single chapter." Carl chuckled, shutting their door behind him. "I'm starting to think he's finally getting over that whole needing to be read to bed thing."
"With our luck it'll be another five years before that happens." Luna snorted. She pulled out some pajamas from their dresser, beginning to pull off her shirt. Just as she dropped it on the ground, Carl's arms wrapped around her. "Hey." She smiled, looking over her shoulder at him.
"Hey." He smiled back, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Happy anniversary."
"Is it our anniversary?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Sure, why not." He shrugged, making her laugh.
"Alright then." She nodded. "Happy anniversary to you too." He pressed a quick kiss to her lips before moving away to get ready for bed himself. A few minutes later, Luna and Carl were cuddled up in bed. Moonlight shone brightly through the sheer curtain, bathing the room in dim light.
