THE REASON, twdg s2 fanfic

[ 001 ] before the storm

I — THE REASON

[ CHAPTER ONE ]

"Eight, nine... and ten. Ten more cans of beans before we have to go searching for more food." Caroline had just finished taking stock of the amount of canned food they had in the pantry. They were striving to navigate each day without worrying over their limited food supply; however, it only seemed to worsen their situation.

She was sure that Carver was out there hunting for them. The fact that he could somehow manage to come across them and take them back to that hellhole he claimed as their "home", scared her. Caroline couldn't go back there. And if she did, she'd wage a fucking war.

"Ten?" Luke sucked his bottom lip in between his teeth. "This isn't good. There's only so many places we could go look for food." Luke pointed out, running a hand through his hair.

Caroline let out a heavy sigh. "We're gonna have to make our portions smaller tonight. We have to preserve it." She closed the door to the pantry, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"I know, I know." Luke looked up at the ceiling, also letting out a heavy sigh. "Just- with Rebecca and her baby? I don't know if that'll be all for her." He admitted.

"Luke, you're doing it again." Caroline made her way over to him, taking his hands into hers. "You're worrying about things we can't control." She stated.

Luke looked down at Caroline, a mixture of gratitude and concern in his eyes. "I know, Care," he murmured softly. "I just can't shake this feeling of helplessness." He paused, searching for words. "Let's figure out a plan together, something concrete we can do to make things better."

"You don't have to do this alone." Caroline whispered, cupping her cheek in his hand. "I told you from the moment we got here. We're a team." She smiled up at him, leaning up and placing a soft kiss on Luke's lips.

Though they didn't really put any labels on themselves, it was clear to everyone in the cabin that Luke and Caroline were a couple. During their time in Carver's Camp, the two had a lot of jobs together. It started off as that classic trope of two people thrown together by circumstance, but as they worked side by side, their bond deepened into something undeniable and irreplaceable. Caroline didn't know how to explain how Luke made her felt, but she knew that she felt safe with him. She could go to him for anything and he'd be there to listen to her.

Luke drifted his hands to her hips, kissing her back. He knew he could count on Caroline to reciprocate with the same affection and understanding that she always showed him. Because people in the cabin looked to him as the leader, the stress of it all got to him quite often. Caroline never put that pressure on him. She made everything okay. It was funny, but to Luke it was like a warm cup of hot chocolate on a snowy day.