Safe & Sound ↠ R. Grimes

Chapter 22: 18 Miles Out

A/N: There's a line from the comics in here, which I don't own. Originally, Andrea says it to Rick. See if you can spot it, comic readers ;)

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Annie woke with a deep sigh. The weight around her waist and steady stream of breath behind her let her know that Rick was still with her, as he had been every night the past week. She grinned like an idiot as she ran her hand through her mess of tangled hair. Slowly extracting herself from Rick, Annie eased herself from the cot and began dressing. She still couldn't fully believe that she was in a relationship with Rick. Well, she thought of it as a relationship but they'd never actually discussed it and they hadn't really broadcasted it to the camp. After all, he was still married. Much as Annie loved and adored Carl, she wasn't sure how he'd take to his father having an affair. And then there was Lori although, to be fair, she'd had an affair first and the proof of that could very well have been growing inside of her. Of course, they'd never know with any certainty who the baby's father actually was. But a relationship, however quiet and personal it was, was what Annie thought she had with Rick.

At night, he would sneak into her tent after Carl fell asleep to be with her and, most of the time, he stayed till morning. If not, he would briefly wake her to tell her he was leaving and do so with a kiss. It wasn't always sex. Sometimes it was just laying there, holding each other. Annie liked that best, laying her head on Rick chest and falling asleep to the feel of his fingers running through her hair. Every night they spent together was oh so perfect and, more than that, it felt right. Being with him, despite the short amount of time, felt right. More right than anything else in her life ever had. Carl, too. She'd never thought of having kids before, never had the time but, with Carl, there was no need to force anything. He was a great kid, a little unruly at times, but what kid wasn't at his age? Carl was great and Annie genuinely liked him, cared for him in a deeply motherly fashion that had unexpectedly snuck up on her. If anything happened to Carl, she knew she'd be inconsolable and heartbroken. Annie couldn't explain how it had happened but she loved both the Grimes men. As that thought crossed her mind, she looked over her shoulder as she pulled her jeans on to check on Rick. She found him sitting up, watching her with a smile that turned into a grin when she caught him staring. Pulling out a button down, Annie threw it on before sitting down next to him.

"Good morning," she said and he smiled back at her.

"Morning. Where you off to?"

"Perimeter search," she reminded him. For the past week, it had been their pattern and, sometimes, they'd take Carl with them. The boy had told her in confidence that he thought his mother was angry with him because she wasn't spending any time with him, so he was happy to be with someone who wanted him. Annie and Rick had both assured the boy though that his mother was not cross with him in any way. Neither had the heart to tell him that the real reason was probably the fact he was spending time with Rick and Annie. Annie, more specifically. Lori knew what was going on, simple as that.

Rick nodded and brushed her hair out of her face. "I'll go with you."

"Much as I'd love the company, you have to take care of Randall today."

Groaning, he ran a hand through his hair and sighed, "I almost forgot."

"Where are you gonna take him anyway?"

"Not sure yet. Hershel knows the area best so I asked him to pick a place. It'll be a couple miles out though," he explained. Concerned, she asked if he was going alone or wanted her with him when he dropped the kid off. "Shane's going with me." Annie stared at him, not saying what she desperately wanted to. Spotting that look, he calmly told her, "Don't worry."