Here We'll Remain>>C.G

Part 16

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ONE MONTH TIMESKIP~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thea's PoV

Everything was finally falling into place. Alexandria was finally feeling like the real home it was built to be. The walls were rebuilt, bodies were cleared, and the outside was walker proof. We wanted to take another month to get organized and relax before we started to go on runs again. I've never felt happier than what I was right now. I owe most of my happiness to Carl Grimes waking up and being okay. Him being alive, and well just topped off my mood.

***

"Thea, wake up," I heard someone shout from beside me. I squeezed my eyes shut tighter and pulled the blanket up over my head. All I wanted to do was sleep. Why couldn't people understand that?

"C'mon, Thee. We're on patrol today," Carl whined, now above me and straddling my hips. I groaned, and sat up, coming face to face with him.

"Can't your dad get someone else to do it?" I asked, annoyed. He shook his head. 

"Nope. Besides, it'll give us some alone time. We haven't had that in days. We've both been working so hard lately," he huffs. I sighed and looked into his one, sparkling blue eye. Looking at his face always made my heart melt. 

    Especially recently, getting used to him having one less eye was hard. It wasn't as hard for me as it was him. The first couple weeks he complained because he was having difficult seeing, and the pain was getting to him. Sometimes he would get pissed, saying he should have listened to me, and killed Ron early on. It was hard for him to adjust, but with a little TLC, he was getting better. The only thing he still wouldn't budge on, was letting me see it. He refused my help when changing his bandage. He would go to Rick or Michonne. It made me angry, but I wanted to respect his wishes.

"Fine, let me up, so I can get ready," I sighed, giving in. He grinned and got off of me, but not before planting a sweet kiss to my lips. I smiled and watched him walk out of my room. It was weird saying my room. Over the last month, Rick let me move into his spare bedroom, so I didn't have to live alone anymore. It was a nice feeling to wake up and be surrounded by the ones you love. It felt like a real family. 

      I quickly got changed into a t-shirt, shorts, and my trusty combat boots. Then, I pulled my dark brown hair into a messy ponytail. Once I was finished, I headed downstairs. I found Carl already making breakfast. A healthy meal of cereal with no milk. I sat in a chair around the table, and he placed my bowl in front of me with a wink. He then pulled out the seat beside me to join me and eat our breakfast together. 

"So, how long is this patrol supposed to last?" I asked before shoving a spoonful of dry cereal into my mouth. He was opening his mouth to reply when Michonne beat him to it. 

"Hopefully all day. I'm sick of seeing you guys at the house everyday," she teased, knowing damn well we've hardly been home. We've been out helping get Alexandria get back together. I smiled and rolled my eyes, deciding to humor her. 

"Of course, of course. We'll be gone all day. Don't miss us too much though," I laughed. She nodded and left the kitchen. 

      We finished up breakfast, grabbed our weapons, and said a quick goodbye to Rick, Judith, and Michonne before we walked out the front door.  We made out rounds on the outskirts of Alexandria. We were making sure that all the walls were secure, and that there were no holes that someone or something could use to get in or out. The walls were mostly my job, though. Carl knew that I knew where all the weak and blind spots were, since I used them to my advantage when I snuck out. 

      Carl's job was to make sure that the people in Alexandra were okay and doing their part. He was better with people than I was. People liked him better as well. I'm guessing they only treated him so well was because he was the son of their new leader, but I didn't want to hurt Carl's pride by telling him that. 

     After our rounds were finished, we headed into a loft in one of the uninhabited houses. It was the place Enid and I usually hung out, but she doesn't come here anymore. She's definitely changed in this last month.

     Carl and I spent the rest of the day in that loft. We didn't go home until the sun started to set, just like we told Michonne. She was happy to see us walking through the door. She always was when we came back in one piece. She treated Carl and I like her own kids. 

        We ate dinner with Rick, Michonne, and Judith in her highchair. Then, we retreated back to my room. We stayed up for a few more hours, goofing off, and enjoying each others company. Carl went back to his own room when Rick came in and told us it was time to sleep. Apparently, we had a bedtime in the apocalypse. I get it though. You always want to be well rested for the next day. You never know when your last good nights sleep will be. 

     With the taste of Carl still lingering on my tongue, I got right to sleep. I had almost forgotten what it felt like to spend the whole day with Carl. With us working different jobs, we didn't get to see each other. When we did, we were too tired to actually do anything. Maybe this patrol of Rick's was just for us to have some time together. 

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      A week later, and we were back in the woods. Rick has been keeping Carl on a short leash since the incident. Today was the first day he wasn't down our throats, asking where we were going to be every second of the day. So, of course, we exploited that and snuck out. 

    Carl and I had found a large clearing that had a long, fallen tree that stretched across it sit on. The clearing was actually only a few feet away from the tree where we had our first kiss. We had rigged the perimeter with cans strung up on strings to make sure no walkers got a drop on us.

    I lied down on the log, and looked up at the sky. I felt Carl lift my head, then gently place it on his lap as he sat down. He started to play with my hair and I closed my eyes at the soothing feeling. 

"This is nice," he spoke quietly.

"It is," I agreed. We continued on in silence after that. The sounds of the wilderness were enough for us. I had missed the sound of nature. I didn't get to hear it much while in Alexandria. Too much noise from people. Even on my dock, I was deprived. 

     Even though I had missed the woods, I couldn't help this strange feeling of anxiety and paranoia that rose in my chest as soon I climbed over the wall. Something inside of me was different. I no longer felt like we should be sneaking out and risking our lives just so we could be alone. I know that we were taking precautions, but it only takes one slip up.

     Carl and I stayed our for a little longer before going home. We didn't encounter any walkers, but we didn't want to push our luck by staying too long. 

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A/N:

Kind of short filler chapter with a tiny bit of foreshadowing. Next chapter will be back to normal episode story line.