Jane Peletier steadied her footing and boosted herself up into the truck. She made herself comfortable, closing the door with a slam and clicking her seatbelt on securely.
Rick Grimes just watched as she did so, his hands resting politely on the wheel in-front of him.
"All set?" He asked, squinting into the distance as usual.
"Yup." Jane said, focusing her attention to the car in-front of them. They stayed silent for awhile, and Jane was now realising that they hadn't been alone together in nearly 2 years. Their last official conversation had been back at the prison, when Rick told Jane about Carol's departure.
She swallowed hard, trying to distract her brain from thinking about her mom.
"I'm really happy about you and Carl," Rick said out of the blue, startling Jane a little. Rick had never really been the one to talk feelings, especially not to a young girl like Jane.
But she wasn't young anymore, not really. The things she had gone through matured her greatly, and sometimes it felt as if she'd aged 20 years in the past two.
She thought about what she should say to his abrupt declaration. Thank you? No. 'Me too' seemed a bit too smug for his serious tone, so when she didn't answer he just continued on.
"He really missed you. We all did. I'm sure you're aware of that by now," he said, a small chuckle erupting from his pursed lips.
"I missed everyone too. I can't even put into words how much."
Rick nodded, still keeping his eyes trained on the road ahead.
"I'll never forget the way Carl's face changed when he noticed you weren't there. With Carol."
Jane's half smile turned slightly downwards. She didn't really like to think about Carl being sad all that time. Though she was too, it still hurt to dwell on.
"I'm sorry I found you so late."
"You shouldn't be sorry. There's nothing to be sorry about. We're all just glad you're back. Couldn't be more relieved, to tell you the truth."
She looked over at him, surprised to see a smile behind his bushy beard.
"You've got to shave that thing." She said abruptly, and Rick laughed - Jane joining in soon after.
"We won't lose you again. I promise." He says, lifting a hand from the wheel and patting Jane's shoulder. She gives him a weak smile, knowing he isn't lying. In this moment, they stood as reflections of one another. Both had gone through drastic changes since the start of the apocalypse, and both would do anything for their loved ones.
Including mass murder. Obviously.
★
They arrived at hilltop, or, what Jane assumed was hilltop. Wooden walls clasped together with arrays of sticks and twine swung open to welcome the group.
It was smaller than she thought, but in the centre stood a substantial sized manor, with too many windows to count. She'd always dreamed of living in a house like that. It made up for the size of hilltop, majority of it being the manor's space.
"We're here," Rick said under his breath, clambering out of the truck and slamming the door on accident.
Jane got out, eager to meet with the rest of the group.
The others had visited hilltop before, but didn't negotiate any deals. They were here to finalise the agreement, which was going to be tough.
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"𝐜𝐨𝐰𝐛𝐨𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐞„
Fanfiction"Remember the first time you kissed me? It was on the cheek, outside of Hershel's quarantine zone. I remember feeling conflicted, because, I couldn't enjoy it. You were about to step into danger, and could've died. That's the first time I felt it, a...
