VITRIOL | Shane Walsh

XX

After Negan left the two of us inside we remained sat at the table opposite each other. Caleb was still staring at the door where they'd left through earlier and now refused to look at me at all.

"Caleb-"

"No, we're not doing this. We're not talking" He snapped. That was the first time I heard him speak in years and it was nothing like the cute squeaky voice it was before.

"What, why?"

"Cause you're just going to expect us to carry on as normal"

"No, No I don't. I get that things are different but you're not going to let me even try to get close to you again?" I leant forward and had my palms spread on the table. He lifted his cap up a bit and looked at the floor.

"No, I'm not because you'll just abandon me. You left me on that farm"

"Your Dad was going to die!"

"Yeah cause he was covering for your ass. You killed Otis, didn't you? You were the monster. Yet you were the one who lived comfortably with Negan while I was dragged across the state"

"If you know what he's like then you should know why we weren't comfortable at all"

"Oh boohoo. You didn't get to see the horrors of the world because you were trapped in a room of silk pillows. Sounds real fuckin uncomfortable." I stood up and walked around to his side but he stood up from his chair and backed away just as quick. I finally saw the rage on his face.

"You don't know how hard it was not having a Mom or Dad. I cried every night at the start but now I realised I never needed the two of you. Who was there for me when Grandad and Aunt Beth died? Hmm?"  Holy shit. That was the first I knew of their fate and I started to cry. "And when Negan smashed in Uncle Glenn's head?"

"Baby if I knew where you were I'd-"

"Shut up. Like I said, I never needed you. Everyone else was there for me" 

"I can be here for you now though."

"No, you can't. If you're here then I'll go with Negan and get a taste of the life that you've had" I opened my mouth to protest when a gunshot rang through Alexandria. I bolted outside with Caleb and stopped immediately when I saw Olivia's corpse on the porch. There was one clean gunshot to her head and when I looked up there was the body of the man before lying in a pool of his own guts. The saviours integrated with Alexandria's weren't shocked at Negan's outrage but they were clearly shocked when they saw me emerge from the house.

I pushed Carl who was carrying Judith into the house before climbing down the stairs to Negan's side. I had a gun pointed at my head when I approached, no longer being trustworthy. He noticed my presence and turned back to his conversation with Rick.

"Now you've also been hiding away my wife instead of returning her so you are in a very deep hole, Rick." He claimed walking over towards me. He lowered the arm of the man holding a gun at my head and stepped in real close. I tried not to back down or waver so I sucked in a large breath.

"I'm gonna be generous and let you stay here until you come crawling back. Your boys smart. He realises I'm top of the food chain and as long as he's with me, so are you". With the final whisper, he spun around and waved Lucille in the air.  "See you later Darlin"

- - -

I spent the rest of my night in the bedroom Rick had allowed us to borrow for our time here and couldn't stop crying. I grieved for the loss of my dad, my sister and partially the loss of my son. I only stopped when Shane casually walked in through the bedroom door and set his bag down. Wiping my nose on my sleeve I turned to say hello but I was horrified when he was soaked in now dried blood.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" I snivelled as he collapsed onto the bed on his back almost immediately falling asleep. He allowed me to give him a quick look over and I calmed when I came to the conclusion none of it was his blood.

"I'm fine, are you okay? I heard Negan was here."

"He thinks you're dead so he'll stop looking for you. But he knows I'm here." He finally opened his eyes and when he noticed the puffy skin under mine his expression grew worried. He shifted to lean on one elbow and I shifted to sit crosslegged.

"Why's he let you stay then?"

"He's got Caleb and knows as long as he has him, I'll never leave"

"Great, we can carry on with the original plan and bust him out when we attack Sanctuary."

"No, you don't understand. He said to my face he wants to stay at Sanctuary. He thinks we abandoned him and if we force him back here, he'll hate us forever. He's got to find out how bad Negan is on his own terms."

I started to choke up again as I told him about the family deaths so Shane pulled me down to lie on top of him. He ran his hand over the back of my head and used the other arm to hug me in a calming embrace that no one else could achieve. Thinking about it, it was kinda gross that he was soaked in go knows who's blood but at that moment in time, I didn't really care.

"What was he like? Obviously besides the not liking us thing"

"He was just like you...He was perfect"

- - - 

Flashback

"Look at the two of them, aren't they just adorable?" Lori asked gesturing at the two men sat in deck chairs with babies in their arms in the Garden. It had been a month since Caleb was born and Lori insisted on throwing a second baby shower after the mixup with him being born a boy instead of a girl like predicted. I personally think she was looking for an excuse to have the whole of Georgia round her house.

"Adorable is one word for it" I laughed popping the bottle caps off two beers and chucking them into the bin where Lori was scraping off her leftover food.

"You know, I never thought anyone was gonna tie that man down. Or tie you down in fact. But I'm glad you found each other"

"Me too" I smiled and we walked back outside into the garden where various people congratulated me on my son. The Grimes and Walshes had become the main form of envy in our town due to the Officer's respectable positions and mine and Lori's southern charm. Sometimes it was exhausting but I was happy to feel so involved with the community.

"Here you go boys" I handed over the beers and they both had to move to balance the kid in one arm and the drink in the other.

"You are an angel," Shane said before taking a sip. I walked around the back of the chair and draped my arms around his neck so I could lean down next to his face. He looked slightly exhausted but that could just be because of all the late-night baby feeding.

"Tired of all these people saying congratulations on having a baby despite me being the one who went through intense labour yet?" I teased and I heard him scoff.

"Nah I could never get tired of people telling me how perfect he is." 

- - -

"Hey, baby?" Shane mumbled whilst I had my eyes closed. I let out a hum in response showing him I was listening and not yet asleep. I felt him shuffle around in his pocket for a second and he obviously found what he wanted when he stopped. "I know you might not be keen on the idea but I need to man up before its too late"

He lifted both of us into a sitting position and held up a ring. It was minimalistic but the sentiment meant much more to me.

"I almost died trying to get this so Pricilla Greene, would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?" The biggest smile I could muster spread across my face and I squealed in delight.

"Yes!" He pushed the ring onto my finger and I tackled him in a heated yet affectionate kiss. I pulled back and ran my thumb across his cheek looking into his eyes. They'd witnessed many things over the years, but so had mine. But love was our witness. I saw him and he saw me. "How about we keep it small? We can go and see that creepy-ass priest. The best man and maid of honour can be there to witness it" I suggested.

"If that's what you want then I'm happy"