You're The Reason

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Commonwealth - Present Day

'Con tu adiós te llevas mi corazón. No sé si pueda volver a amar.'

Selena's voice filled the apartment and Rosita sang along from the kitchen as she prepared Coco's bottle, balancing the infant on her hip as they danced to the rhythmic beat. Josey sank back into the couch, feeling empty inside as she watched the record spin around and around. She didn't know what Selena was singing but she didn't need to. It was a love song. A sad one. Probably about losing someone or some unrequited ache.

"This little lady starts daycare soon" Rosita appeared in the doorway, shaking Coco's fist playfully. "That's a sentence I never expected to say."

"I bet you also didn't think you'd get pregnant when the world went to shit and still have a life afterwards" Josey remarked as she looked towards her friend. "I certainly didn't think I'd be an amputee at thirty five with a heavy dose of post traumatic stress to keep me awake at night."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. I think we've all been as mad as a box of frogs at some point" Rosita tried to gloss over Josey's matter of fact tone she'd adopted lately.

"Watching the man you'd thought you'd grow old with blow himself up will do that to you" Josey cracked a dark joke watching as Rosita's face fell. It wasn't funny. Josey knew that but it was a coping mechanism. She would take the darkest moments and highlight the ridiculousness of how cursed she felt.

"Have you been dreaming about Rick again?" Rosita frowned as she kissed Coco's head.

"Rick? No - not for a long time" Josey shook her head. It was true. Rick was no longer a starring role or even a series regular in her dreams. He was just gone. Though the other night, she did have a dream about Carl but there wasn't much to it. He was sitting in a field and Farrah came running out of nowhere towards him. Her old faithful companion had settled herself beside him and Rick's son had taken off his battered sheriff's hat that he always wore. Then placed it on the dogs head.

'Me marcho hoy, yo sé perder. Pero, ah-ah-ay, ¡cómo me duele.'

Alexandria - 7 Years Ago

Walt Kowalski was sat in his chair on the porch, one hand scratching Farrah's ears, the other holding a can of beer. Farrah yawned and lay her head down, the elderly golden Labrador closing her eyes as she settled down to sleep. It was his evening routine after dinner to come out and sit for an hour, sometimes cursing some neighbors that decided to cut across his lawn. The newest strays of Alexandria had moved in across the street and they had a teenage boy amongst their group who often sat on the front steps of the house, occasionally catching the old man's eye.

"You'd think they'd give Helmet over there a decent haircut" Walt remarked as Josey flopped down on a cushion, her back against the porch rails.

"I feel bad for him - " she said as she looked over at the Grimes' residency. " - he always looks so lost."

"When I was his age, I was climbing trees and chasing girls. He looks like the type of kid that probably licks rocks" Walt said dryly and Josey snorted.

The screen door behind the kid swung open and an older woman with short silver hair emerged, dressed in a floral shirt and jeans. Josey had seen her around with Olivia and some of the other women. The older woman lingered for a few moments, her gaze falling on the Kowalski house. She then raised her hand and and waved, the corners of her twinkling blue eyes crinkling as she smiled. Walt grumbled again, as Josey waved back, not wanting to be rude.

"Put your goddamned hand down" he shook his head, and Josey shot him a look. "I don't want them thinkin' they can start comin' around here, especially that pussy that struts about in his uniform staring into people's windows."

"Rick Grimes? He's alright once you get past his Clint Eastwood bravado act."

"He's goddamned pussy, that's what he is" Walt set his beer hard down on the table just as Daryl appeared around the side. "And stay away from Lenny the Lion over there, I've already caught him looking at you a few times. You've still got that can of mace right?" Josey remained silent as Daryl glanced over in their direction, and for a moment she was worried he might have heard them but he motioned towards the others on the porch and they all went back inside. "Mace? Where is it?" Walt repeated irritably and Josey grit her teeth.

"I don't care if he looks at me, I'm not interested. In anyone here okay. God!" Josey pulled herself up and went back inside.

"That's what I like to hear" chuckled Walt as he settled back in his chair.

Commonwealth - Present Day

Daryl slammed the alarm hard, rubbing his face with one hand as he focused on the time. It was one minute after 5. It was still dark outside. He wanted nothing more to roll over and fall back asleep for a couple more hours on the cold side of the bed but he had to get to work. He never imagined having a paid job of any kind again. He'd done odd jobs all his life, working in repair shops, doing a bit of construction and cash in hand security on bars. He was a soldier now, a member of Common Wealth's elite defense team.

Or the Walmart version of the storm troopers as Josey called them.

He smirked as he picked up the Polaroid of Josey and him that he kept on his dresser. It had been taken in Alexandria by Aaron just days after Daryl had confessed his feelings for her. He had one arm draped over her shoulder, his crossbow slung over his back and Josey was smiling but those big down turned eyes of hers contained no light within them. He ran his finger over the image of her face, feeling a pang in his stomach. He remembered the first time he'd laid eyes on her back in Alexandria that day when his group had walked through those gates, uncertain and filled with distrust. She had been walking down by the pond and a gentle breeze had blown her hair into her face. She'd stopped to fix it and when she turned, Daryl had already decided she was one of the prettiest girls he'd ever seen. Looking at the photograph closely, he could see the stump where her left arm used to be and the fresh scar across her lip. Scratch that. She wasn't pretty anymore... no...she was... his alarm rang out again, and startled him.

"Dammit I'm awake already" he cursed as he rested the Polaroid back down.