Disarm ⋙ Shane Walsh ⋙ The Walking Dead

Breathe Me ⋙ t w e n t y s i x

Everyone was trailing Jenner down a long hallway, listening to him chatter about the facility. It was a cold and hard building, but that was part of what made it so inviting. It seemed painfully safe. "Most of the facility is powered down, including housing, so you'll have to make due here. The couches are comfortable, but there are cots in storage if you'd like. There is a rec room down the hall that I think you kids might enjoy." Jenner turned and crouched down in front of Carl and Sophia. "Just don't plug in the video games, okay?" Both children nodded. "Or anything that draws power, the same applies to everyone else. If you shower, go easy on the hot water." Katherine felt excitement swell inside of her with that statement. Apparently everyone else did too. Glenn, who was in the front of the line, turned with joy all over his face. "Hot water?" T - Dog turned to look at him, grinning ear to ear. "Thats what the man said." Both men laughed at each other, jubilation evident. Everyone quickly took off towards the showers, beyond ready to get the filth off of themselves. 

xxx

Katherine stripped her filthy clothes off and stared at herself in the mirror. She was appalled with the way she looked. Not necessarily by the fact that makeup and hair maintenance were no longer applicable, but by how gaunt her face had become. Her lip was still split and her eye was still black from where Ed had punched her. Looking back, it was definitely a stupid thing to do, but who would Katherine have been if she didn't stand up for Carol and the blatant abuse she was receiving. Her cheekbones stood out more than they ever had. She had lost a considerable amount of weight. Kat had always been skinny due to athletics, but now she was too thin. Her stomach was still slightly toned but her ribs showed now.

Katherine began to tear up as she looked at her reflection. This was not what was supposed to happen. She should be at Penn State right now. Cheering and working towards a degree. Perhaps she would have a boyfriend or friends to party with on the weekends. But here she was, crying in the CDC bathroom. 

She cranked the water on, and rejoiced as she felt it heat up. She looked down and saw a mixture of dirt and old blood swirling down the drain. She scrubbed her body, trying to rid all of the memories of the world that now was. She washed her hair and allowed the hot water to relax her. It had been so long since she had experienced a real, hot shower. She was not going to waste any second of it. Before she knew it, she began to sob. She sank to the floor and allowed the water to beat down on her. Every problem from the past few weeks came to the forefront of her brain. Her feelings for Shane, her parents giving her passive aggressive permission, the fact that she would eventually have to make a decision about what to do. It wasn't fair and it was killing her. 

Katherine knew that she needed to choose between her family and Shane, lest the tension between Rick and Shane amplify. She wanted Shane badly. He made her feel safe and she knew that he wanted her too. Katherine cared deeply for him and she knew that the feelings were mutual. It was not a simple lust, it was desire to be together and to love each other. But even then, she knew that it was killing Rick and Lori. She knew that if the world hadn't gone to hell, this wouldn't even be up for discussion. She almost felt like she was betraying her family. 

Katherine stood up and turned the water off. She started to dry off before wiping the fog off of the mirror. She looked at herself again and had to laugh at how pathetic she looked. She wrapped her hair up in a towel and began to get dressed. She slipped on some pajama shorts and tossed on a large t shirt that she Shane had purchased her at Six Flags. She quickly brushed her teeth and brushed out her hair before braiding it. Katherine took a deep breath before packing her bag. She had a decision to make and she needed to do it fast. She took one last look at herself before leaving the bathroom and walking down the hall. She wandered into the game room to see Carl and Sophia sitting with Carol. 

"Hey, guys!" Katherine was cheerful, or at the very least tried to be. Carol smiled up at her and stood up. "Kat, would you mind sleeping in here with the kids tonight?" Kat smiled at Carol and nodded. "Of course not. Sleepovers are fun." Carol grinned and hugged Kat. "Where were you before the world ended? You would have been the perfect babysitter!" Carol laughed and it sounded genuine. It warmed Katherine's heart. Carol turned to the kids and squeezed Kat's arm. "Sophia, Carl, Katherine is going to sleep in here with you two tonight! She's way more fun than I am." Kat giggled at this. "I'm not so sure about that!" Carol smiled. "Sophia, please be on your best behavior." The little girl nodded at her mom. "She always is!" Carol turned to leave the room, mouthing a thank you to Katherine. 

xxx

Shane leaned against the shower wall as he took a pull from his bottle of whiskey. He was utterly exhausted and lost. He had successfully pissed off the entire group at dinner for no reason. He just couldn't keep his mouth shut. That seemed like it had been a lifelong problem. The man was quite frankly spread too thin. He didn't know how to cope anymore. The only thing that kept him from leaving the group was Katherine. But even that was a stressor to some extent. He cared deeply about Katherine and her safety. He wanted to protect her at all costs. Even if that meant pissing his best friend and his wife off. 

Shane had to admit that even though being with or even generally around Kat was amazing for him, he did feel a little guilty with the situation. It almost felt like a slight betrayal to his best friend. But he didn't care enough to stop it. He knew that it was time to man up and talk to Katherine about his feelings and everything that was going on between them. He needed to know what was going to happen. 

xxx

Katherine was stretched out on the couch reading one of the random books that she found. Carl and Sophia had made a little pillow fort and were both fast asleep. The small snuffling noises that radiated from the tent made Katherine smile. It was peaceful for the first time in a long time. Kat heard the door creak open and she glanced over the back of the couch. It was Shane. Katherine was still slightly pissed at him about the little production at dinner, but now was not the time. She refused to let his outburst wreck the calm that she had longed for. 

"Baby Girl." Kat blushed as Shane made his way over to her. "Shane, if you're here to talk about earlier, now isn't the time. Carl and Sophia are both sound asleep." Kat motioned to the fort and Shane nodded at her. "I'm here to talk but not about that." Kat sat up and crossed her legs so that Shane could have some room on the couch. Shane sat and grabbed Katherine's hand. He stared into her golden eye and she stared back. The tension was incredibly thick. "Shane, I think that we need to discuss what's going on between us." Shane stared at her a moment longer and then leaned forward and placed his hand on her cheek. He rubbed his thumb over her lips and Katherine sucked in a breath. "I agree, Princess." Before Katherine could respond to him, Shane pulled her into a deep kiss.