Hearth | The Walking Dead

𝟎. THE END

PRELUDE

TELL ME AGAIN

JUDITH LOOKED UP AT ETHAN with a considering gaze, a look far more intelligent than Ethan ever was when he was her age. He sat on the first stair that led into their home, meeting her eyes with a quirk to his lips, sitting forward so his elbows rested on his knees and he could be at Judith's height despite being more than a decade older than her. She swore she would be taller than him one day, but Ethan wasn't too sure—even while having a biological advantage, Carl was at least three inches shorter than Ethan was, something both Ethan and Rick had teased him about.

The thought of the oldest Grimes man brought Ethan's smile down, both because he had known Rick and because Judith hadn't, not really. Judith tilted her head when she caught the shift in his expression, and Ethan knew she was going to question it later, but for now, he smiled at her again, reaching out to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear, under the brown hat she clung to like a lifeline.

"I thought you were going out today," she said, pushing his hand away and ducking under his arm to sit beside him on the stairs, taking the one above his own to seem taller than him. He smiled and turned to face her. "Aunt Rosita said you wouldn't be able to make the picnic."

"Like I'd miss your birthday," he said simply, declining to comment on the fact that he was certainly going to miss the picnic Rosita had been planning for Sidiq's Remembrance of Life Ceremony. She'd promised, of course, that they could have it when he and Aaron got home from their supply run, but it wasn't hard to notice her disappointment at having to delay.

Judith frowned. "It's my birthday already? How do you know?" Her voice pulled him from his lingering feelings and he quickly pushed them away to sort through later, when he wasn't near someone who knew him like the back of her own hand.

Ethan shrugged, leaning against the railing as he dug through his jacket pocket for her gift. "I don't. Daryl said it was summer, maybe June." He pulled out the box, turning it over in his hand for a moment before handing it to her. "Well. It's June now. And I go on a supply run in two hours, so this is for you."

Judith grinned, opening the box—unwrapped, though Ethan would have loved to cover it in purple paper, Judith's favorite color—and pulling out what sat inside. It was a necklace, the pendant cleaned from its rust and the chain freshly made with silver that Ethan had begged Eugene to use a few weeks back. The pendant was small, maybe half the size of Ethan's pinky, and he would never admit that he'd found it on a Walker two years ago. Judith didn't need to know that—all she needed to know was what was inside.

"It's a locket," she said, flipping the pendant over in her hands. Ethan didn't even have to urge her to open it; she cracked it open with ease.

It was the only picture Ethan was able to get small enough to see without ruining the quality. Judith, maybe four years old, sitting in Carl's lap only a few days after the Incident—when Carl had lost his eye. Ethan had shown her the photo hundreds of times over the years and kept it in his backpack no matter where he went, but had never been able to give it to her no matter how selfish he felt about it. He knew that Judith had wanted the photo when she was younger, but she never asked; she was just more open back then, her heart clear on her sleeve. But life was never guaranteed, and the thought of not having something to remind him of Carl was too hard to consider.

So when Aaron was able to get him a smaller copy, well, Ethan wasn't going to pass it up.

"This is your picture," Judith said, looking up at Ethan. Ethan smiled, reaching out to take the locket from her. He moved up a step and motioned for her to turn around. She did, not without shooting him a confused look. "Ethan. It's your picture," she repeated, her voice smaller than usual. Ethan paused, quiet, before he reached over her shoulders and let the locket rest against her neck.

"It's our picture," he finally said, connecting the clasp and helping her pull her hair out from under the chain. "Aaron helped me get it. We both have a copy now."

She turned back to him again, gaze brought down to her fingers, which fiddled with the pendant nervously. She closed the locket and let it rest on her neck, looking up at Ethan again. She smiled.

"There's an empty spot next to it," she pointed out. "On the other side."

"I'm trying to find a picture of your dad," Ethan admitted, leaning back again. "Kinda hard when he didn't like being in photos."

She pulled her knees up to her chest. "What about a photo of you and Daryl? Then I have all my favorite people," she said. Ethan felt pride swell in his heart but forced himself to push it down.

"You don't want one of your dad?" he asked hesitantly, knowing the subject of Rick Grimes was always a sore one for Judith. She hated the reminder that he wasn't around, that he was maybe dead, and Ethan didn't blame her. If he hadn't known what his own dad's fate was, well . . . maybe he would be better off, but he'd certainly be frustrated. And Judith was no kid—she might be eleven, but she was able to process what Ethan couldn't when he was her age. The death of his father wouldn't have been something Ethan could have handled back then.

She shook her head. "If there was one, you would have found it. Or you'd have it. Maybe if you find one, I'll think about changing it, but I really want one for you and Daryl. Please?" She gave him her best puppy-dog eyes, but Ethan was already convinced.

"Alright. If you can convince Daryl to stand in for a picture . . . and only if you join, too," he added.

She grinned, holding out her pinky. "Promise?"

Ethan smiled, locking his pinky against hers. "Promise." He glanced at his watch, letting his hand fall back into his lap. "Still got two hours, Jude, and Aaron doesn't like when I show up early. Anything you want to do?"

"He doesn't like it 'cause he doesn't like waking up early," Judith said gravely. Ethan chuckled softly and nodded in agreement. Judith put on a thoughtful expression, tapping her finger against her chin. "Hmm. Can you tell me a story before you go? R.J.'s been wanting new ones for bedtime and I ran out a few weeks ago. Carl doesn't get back until tomorrow, either, and R.J. is soooooo annoying when he doesn't get a story."

Ethan nodded, shifting around so he got more comfortable. "Before or After?" he asked.

Judith smiled. "Before. He says those ones are more fun."

Ethan smiled. "I don't know. Sometimes I think the ones that came After led to good things." He reached out and tapped the brim of her hat. "Like you and Eric. And R.J. and Gracie. And this place."

"This family," she agreed softly.

Ethan grinned. "This family," he confirmed. He went quiet for a few seconds as he thought, then smiled at her again. "Wanna hear how my parents fought over naming my brother for the entire nine months, or how my dad passed out when he found out it was twins?"

Judith grinned at him. "The passing out one."

Ethan chuckled, sitting back. "That's my girl."