Didn't See That Coming | The Walking Dead(1)

Part 94 (An Afternoon at Home)

The journey back to Alexandria gave CJ a chance to think over the events of the fight. She worried that they were starting to lose themselves in it, that they would struggle to settle down afterwards. Or worse, that the fight would never end. Not with the Saviors, but with the world. The days she was living made a peaceful future seem further and further from reach with every passing hour.

She thought about Morales... how different he was compared to when she knew him. Maybe Daryl was right to kill him, and maybe he wasn't. Either way, it frightened her. Seeing a man who she knew was once the happy family man, a smile on his face most of the time despite the circumstances around him, it made her wonder about herself.

If she could see herself back then, and then look in a mirror now, how much had she changed? She was, of course, different to who she once was. But she liked to think, or hope, that parts of who she once was were still there. She just had to remind herself from time to time what she had told Morales that day.

"Despite all the reasons to do so, I haven't given up hope."

There was so much loss and fear within her, but she didn't let it haunt her. She had reasons to be alive, reasons to fight. She would have given up trying to survive a long time ago if she didn't think there was something worth living for. And there always is something. Sometimes it just takes time to find.

Driving through the gates of her home, she got out of the car and barely made it two steps before she saw two of her reasons to keep fighting.

"CC!" Judith shouted excitedly as she ran up the road with Carl following her.

"Hey!" CJ beamed. She knelt down and held her arms out, and Judith ran. CJ picked her up and spun around. "How ya doing?"

Judith replied by showing CJ what was in her hand. "Spoon!"

"Yeah, it's... it's a wooden spoon," CJ smiled, obviously confused. "Jude, why do you have a spoon with you?"

"Cakes!" Judith grinned. "Make cakes!"

Carl joined them and laughed at CJ's confused face. "She wanted to make cakes, but only when you got back," he explained.

"Oh, is that right?" CJ raised an eyebrow at Judith, who giggled and hid her face against CJ's neck. "Well, I guess we're making cakes then."

"Yay! Cakes! Cakes!" Judith chanted.

She wiggled in CJ's arms to be let down. When she was back on the ground, Carl walked up to CJ and engulfed her in a big hug. "I'm glad you're back," she heard him sigh out, his voice muffled against her shoulder.

"Told you I'd be back before you knew it," CJ chuckled, kissing Carl's cheek as she let go out him. "You alright?"

"Yeah," he smiled softly. "Where's my dad and Daryl?"

"Daryl had his bike, he should be back soon enough," CJ replied. "And your dad had a stop to make before he came home. They're both fine. We got the outpost cleared."

CJ felt Judith tugging at her jeans, and her and Carl looked down to see the girl smiling up at them, staring between them. "Cakes now, CC?"

"Of course, sweetheart," CJ chuckled, taking one of Judith's hands. Carl took his sister's other hand as they made their way down the street toward the house.

"How were things out there?" Carl asked. "Got it cleared, but was it a lot?"

"As good as it probably could have been," CJ sighed. "We lost some people. Ones that got injured were taken to the Hilltop. Gabriel got lost at the Sanctuary. Your dad and I thought he was following us but there was no sign of him."