Sweet and Salty ~ Carl Grimes

Stolen Kisses - 089

This one's a *little*... ✨Mature✨

It'd been a while since they discovered the Hilltop. Brooks hadn't been allowed to go with them, but neither had Carl or Sophia, so she didn't mind. The three actually had a fun couple of days together, with Judith, too, of course. They skimmed rocks on the lake, hung out by their usual tree with picnics, watched movies. The three were still too young to grasp the concept of how amazing finding another working community was.

A situation had happened where Maggie and Carol were kidnapped, because Rick took out a large group of people to go wipe out a dangerous group of people. Brooks had no idea it was even happening until after they were all back. She hadn't heard what Jesus said about these people called 'The Saviours', but she was glad they were all gone if they were dangers. Anyways, that was about three weeks ago, or so.

Daryl, Sophia and Denise went out on a run that morning, while Merle took a slightly larger group on a hunt. It was about time someone other than the Dixon family knew how to hunt. Merle and Brooks brought along Rosita, Carol, Carl, Cole, Cam and Glenn... So, they weren't exactly teaching the people of Alexandria, Cole being an exception, but Merle knew they'd make Brooks miserable, because none of them were kind to her. The last thing he wanted was someone ruining the day Brooks had been looking forward too ever since Merle suggested it.

Merle was leading the group, Carol by his side, their hands interlocked. Rosita was walking back with Cam, Glenn and Cole were chatting away while Brooks and Carl hung all the way at the back. Whenever Carl dared to risk it, he'd lean down and press a kiss to his girlfriend's lips, the two teenagers smiling at each other behind everyone. It'd barely been over a month of their secrecy, but they loved each other nonetheless, not that they'd said that, of course.

"We hunting buck?" Cole suddenly asked the group, breaking away from his conversation with Glenn.

Merle nodded, glancing over his shoulder to the man. "Ideally, yea. I'm on a trail now, just gotta get to it before the walkers do." He said, before turning back straight and nearly bumping into a tree. Brooks couldn't help but laugh at her father, hand on her stomach and a wide smile on her face as she watched him gather his composure. "You didn't see that, Bambi."

"Totally." Brooks agreed, sarcastically.

/----------\

They were on a water break, so Carol and Merle were looking over the map and he was showing her the route the deer was taking. Cam and Rosita had gone behind the tree, thinking nobody could see the way Rosita was leaning against the tree, Cam's hands were on her waist as they kissed each other. Glenn was splashing his face with water, Cole was resting his feet, Carl was making a daisy chain and Brooks was filling up her water bottle beside Glenn.

"Think we're actually gonna catch it?" Glenn suddenly asked, patting his face dry.

Brooks shrugged, beginning to put the cap back on her now full bottle. "I hope so. Don't know who's carryin' it back though."

Glenn grinned at her. "I'll do it. As soon as I told Maggie we were off she began craving deer. Pregnancy cravings really are weird."

"Wait, what?" Brooks' brows furrowed.

Glenn turned his head to the side. "What?"

"Maggie's pregnant?" Brooks asked.

He laughed slightly. "Yea, like two months or something- wait, did you really not know?"

"Nobody told me." Brooks shook her head. "Are- are you guys ready?"

"Yea, there's a doctor in Hilltop, so it won't be like what happened to Lori." Glenn answered. Brooks swallowed thickly and looked over to Carl who was nearby, and had heard what Glenn said. His head was bowed, hiding his face beneath his cowboy's hat. His fingers were interlocked to hide the shake in his hands at the reminder of the day he shot his mother in the head. Glenn hadn't noticed the affect his words had on Carl. "Are you not happy for us?"