VITRIOL | Shane Walsh

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No matter how long I showered for, the blood wouldn't wash away from my hands. The insanity of my actions had been chipping away at me since we'd returned and I was desperate to remain sane for the sake of my family. I heard the bathroom door shut with a 'click' and saw a bloodied set of hands place themselves on the rim of the sink. I pulled back the edge of the shower curtain to see Shane in an intense staring contest with his own appearance.

"Sorry, it's the only bathroom and I just need to wash my face or something." he apologised, not looking away from the mirror.

"You shouldn't feel guilty...I was the one who shot him." I mumbled.

"I could be arrested for being your accomplice," he joked while still using a serious tone. After he let out a breath of air, he looked down, shook his head and looked back up into my eyes.

It didn't feel awkward as the only sound in the room was the running shower as I could see he was trying to find the right words. Sometimes silence was better than filling the gap with small talk that carried no importance. I'd always thought this was what made him such a good officer. His silence always carried authority while Rick would try and talk his way through situations.

I nodded towards the towels and he wordlessly passed me one. The shower had been shut off, so I wrapped myself up and stepped out with a cloud of steam following after. The water droplets evaporating off my skin fogged up the mirror, causing Shane to lightly chuckle.

"I see you still have the shower so damn hot. Only thing I hated about showering with you."

"Well, you ain't gotta worry about that anymore,"

As he turned back towards the mirror, my attention was drawn to the missing chunk of hair from his head. I gave it a slight jab which caused him to wince in pain and press a hand to his scalp.

"Want me to cut your hair like I used to?" I offered wanting to hide the evidence of our crime.

He pulled his shirt off and I handed him a towel to drape around his shoulders. I'd grabbed the razor from the cabinet, stood back in the bathtub and Shane sat on the edge. The gold chain around his neck brought back a memory I didn't know I still had.

"What you thinking about? You're giving off a vibe."

"A vibe?" I laughed.

"Yeah, you seem calm."

"Remember when I bought you that necklace?"

"Course I do. I was working the graveyard shift on my own god damn birthday and you come waltzing into the station looking like an angel. And god- that pretty little white dress you wore," he smiled as I brushed away the tufts of hair that had got caught on his skin. "The moment you gave it to me was real sweet till the town drunk in the cell wouldn't shut up.

I giggled at the clear memory of the man being slumped up against the iron bars, slurring out random compliments. Shane had threatened to gag him if he didn't quieten down. I felt happy looking back on the old memory but my mood soon faded when the thought of Otis popped back up.

"Would you have done anything differently?" I asked

"Of course I would, I never would have even looked at her-" Shane replied while thinking about the wrong topic.

"Not that you idiot" I lightly pushed his head forwards "Otis"

"Oh...no. If roles were reversed and I had to choose, I'd save you in a heartbeat baby"

"I told you to stop calling me that. It makes me forget how much I hate you."

"In that case, I'll carry on."

"Your hairs different and you smell bad so you're just not my type anymore." I teased and climbed out of the bathtub, leaving the room to get changed.

- - -

I'd thrown on a casual pair of jeans with a plain black tee before heading downstairs and collapsing onto the living room floor. Caleb was sat on the couch behind me and he pulled my hands away from the towel lazily placed on my head. He'd goofily started to dry my hair, saying 'Superheros are too cool to do their own hair.'

Moments later, a still deeply troubled Rick walked into the room.

"I'm sorry you lost your man. Me and Lori can't express how grateful we are," he thanked while wiping away the sweat gathering on his forehead. The stress from the day was finally beginning to catch up with him and exhaustion began to set in.

"I care for that kid like my own. I've been there since he was born so how couldn't I?" I smiled absently in joy. Around 2 years before Caleb was born, me and Shane were the first friends to see Lori in the hospital with a cute newborn baby in her arms.

"God, time just slips away doesn't it?" he sighed, "Feels like a century ago since you and Shane got together - which I still take full credit for."

Flashback