Hollow Heroes [Open to all]

Eugene was quiet for a looooong moment, trying to decode the meaning behind her offer. Was this an invite of the sexual persuasion, or.... something else completely?


He would have asked, but then she disappeared into the bathroom. He pushed himself up, wondering if he should cover himself before heading in, but what was the point? If he took her up on her offer, he would simply have to undress again.


Finally stepping into the bathroom, he found himself staring at her.. watching her. There was no arguing that she was an incredibly beautiful woman, even with the red eyes and pale skin, those were things he could overlook. But there were other things to consider...


"I am going to assume that you are offering to share a shower due to the limitations or restrictions on hot water, and we will both respect the fact that you just broke up with your significant other. Or, vise versa. As much as I wish nothing more than to make sweet sweet love you and show you how Texans take care of their women, I strongly feel that both of our hearts are better off without added complications. I like you. A lot. I could easily be put in a position that would end in my heart being destroyed. Just putting that out there."

Mikko was just about to get in the shower when Eugene came in and started to speak. She turned to him and listened to what he had to say and was...taken aback by it. He was very forward with how he felt, it was nice actually to not have to guess. He laid it all out on the table and nothing he said was incorrect. Though the mention of how Texans take care of their woman did earn a cheeky grin.

After he finished his small speech she thought on it for a moment.

There actually are no limitations on the hot water. She admitted. Though I hadn't had sex on my mind until now, Because now I really want to know how Texans take care of their women. But...I like you a lot too. even thought I think you talk kinda funny. It's cute. You're cute. No broken hearts, I promise.

She grabbed his hand and tugged him in the oversized shower closing the glass door after them. There was multiple shower heads so no one had to fight over one. Mikko was quick to get under one of them and drench herself in the warm water.

Carl was hoping to make his break with little fuss, without being noticed.. but no such luck. First Maggie approached, going on about flowers for his 'new' girl. It certainly lifted his mood a little, even earning a hint of a smile despite his frustration over his handicap which he blamed for his slowness in getting away.


"I don't think flowers are out this time of year.." He told her, just as Beth approached, hugging him from behind. Another soft smile at her question, but then it dropped, knowing he couldn't tell them the real reason he was heading out. Because he felt upset and hurt and so many heart wrenching thoughts over Daryl and Michonne's relationship.



"I... just need to spend time with my dad." He finally told them, knowing if he was too vague, someone would come looking for him. He needed time alone, but didn't want to hurt Beth or even Maggie by saying that. "I won't be gone long."

Maggie was happy to see that smile, even if it was just a hint of one. when Beth came over Maggie was already taking her leave when she heard Carl say where he was going. Just be careful out there. She said and headed back into the kitchen.

Beth moved so that she was facing him and cupped his face in her hands then placed a deep kiss against his lips. You take as long as you need. She kissed him again then moved so that he could get up and leave.

Carl was half-expecting to be told 'no', or 'take someone with you',but fortunately both seemed to understand. He was grateful for that. Though Maggie had already shown faith in him, and it was obvious that Beth no longer saw him as a child.


And Beth understood. She had lost her own father, after all... in one of the worst ways imaginable. She had watched him die...


He returned the deep kiss, eye sliding closed as he savored every moment of it. He would never get tired of this. The feel of her soft lips against his. He allowed it to linger for a long time, oblivious to the fact that others may see them. It didn't matter. He loved her, and this was much more than a silly puppy love, as it had been years ago.


Finally breaking the kiss, he hugged her and stood up,giving her hand a squeeze before heading for the door. Seeing Michonne and Daryl, the hurt on his features could not be masked. It was obvious, and he closed the door a little harder than intended on his way out.....

Daryl managed a small smile at Michonne and squeezed her hand, giving a nod in response. Indeed, it was certainly a nice surprise to wake up to. Beth was safe, and back with her sister... and... he had certainly caught the exchange between Beth and Carl. And it brought a hint of a smile to his face. Beth would be a good distraction for him. She could help him through the loss of his dad...


And then Carl passed by them. It was painfully obvious that he was upset with them. The look that he cast him and Michonne spoke volumes. Then, the slamming door.



Daryl frowned at Michonne, sighing heavily. "Yeah.. he knows..." And he squeezed her hand. "I know you mean the world to 'im. May be best if you talk to 'im first..." He suggested.

Michonne also noticed the look and the slamming of the door. She let out a long sigh and stood closer to Daryl, wrapping her arm around him. I'll talk to him. I'm still standing by what I said. This isn't going to be a bad thing. Everything is going to be alright. You'll see. I'll let him have a bit to himself first then go after him.

She gave Daryl a squeeze and kissed his cheek.

I think I'll straighten up the bathroom then head out.

She gave his back side a slap and headed back in the bathroom to do just that.

Maaaaggieeeeee.... Beth slunk into the kitchen and hopped ontop on of the counters. wanna go for a walk? They say walking is good when your full of baby parts.

Maggie stopped what she was doing, which was nothing at the moment and looked at her little sister. Could you find any other wording please?

For you? no. Beth jumped down and tugged Maggie hand. Come on I'm bored and I need to get cloths.

Knowing this was a losing battle, Maggie tossed her hands up in the air. Alright, lets go. But not for long. After getting ready and getting Judith ready, the three girls headed out of the room to go explore the mall.

Carl walked quickly through the mall, even though there was no real urgency, other than his need to distance himself from people. He did stop at a department store to snag a jacket since he had forgotten his. Black and fleecy on the inside. Just enough warmth without all of the thick padding that could restrict movement if he needed to act quickly. Another stop to retrieve a pistol, since he had left in such a haste and left his behind.



Once he was moderately geared up, he headed out through the main entrance, thankful that no one stopped him. He was so used to others yelling at him to 'stay inside'. This was a nice change of pace....


Though, he was not prepared for the sight that met him. Three women hanging from trees. All recently turned. Deliberately killed, and seeing the sign demanding the return of 'his women and child', Carl knew exactly who was responsible. Negan. He felt his blood run cold. Angered, he ripped down the sign so that Beth would not see, though, he would be bringing it to Bruce's attention, for all the good it will do. He had already given his opinion on this, feeling Negan wasn't a threat. But he had gotten past their fences. Hell, for all they knew.. some of the Saviors could be posing as refugees here...


After tossing the sign into the brush, he took aim at the closest Walker, sending a bullet into her skull. Then the second, and finally.. the last. He felt an overwhelming rage, wanting nothing more than to go after the madman now, but remembered the domino effect that happened when Glenn thought he had gone over the fence....


Carl wanted to remove the women from the trees. Walkers no longer bothered him. He usually felt nothing for them, but these women... he knew... were Negan's 'wives'. Still, as much as he wanted to remove them from the trees, his injury would make that difficult. So instead, he headed out of the gate, being mindful to secure it behind him once again. Then disappeared deep into the woods, to the spot where Negan had strung up his father.


Someone had buried him and he wondered who, but none of that was important at the moment. He was thankful that his father got a burial, but seeing that mound of fresh dirt and the accumulation of snow just seemed to finalize the situation....



His father was not coming back.


Now, Carl was really glad that no one had came with him because the emotions slammed into him.. hard. It even took him by surprise. He knew his father was gone but this... he wasn't prepared for this stage of it all...


He fought back the tears as he slowly approached, each step making it more real. Wiping at the tear that managed to escape his best attempts, he sat down by the makeshift headstone. A large rock had been carefully placed to mark where Rick's head would be....



Carl sniffled and once again had to wipe his face, knowing that he needed the release, but what if his father could see him? He needed to know that he would be okay. Still, his heart was breaking all over again. He placed his good hand on the fresh dirt, burying his fingers as if doing so would bring him closer.



"I miss you, dad." He sniffled, once again wiping his face, using the sleeve. "When.. when does this get easier?"

Daryl knew she was right. Everything would eventually be alright. He just hated to see Carl hurt now. Poor kid had been through it. He gave a nod and managed to steal a kiss before she slipped away to clean the bathroom...


He watched as Beth and Maggie headed out and figured they were having girl time. They needed it. No sign of Glenn. Poor guy was probably still sleeping. He was recovering from some pretty nasty injuries.


Stepping into the bathroom, Daryl helped her with cleaning up their mess. "Think I'm gonna head out. See if I can get a deer. Those cans are runnin' low and can't survive on Spaghettios...."

With that understanding between them, Eugene finally stepped into the shower, picking a shower head on the opposite side and stood beneath it, achy muscles instantly relieved by the cascading warmth....



"Mmmmm.... this is niiiice..." He moaned, shifting to face her as he tilted his head back, savoring the feel of the water against his face. He couldn't remember the last time he had a shower. It had been months, at least. Back in Alexandria.....


"You really think I'm cute?" He asked randomly. "While 'strikingly handsome would be more fitting, I will accept that..." He told her, a hint of a grin tugging across his lips.

We'll stick with cute. You could be handsome if you weren't so arrogant. Mikko grinned at him then moved closer. She pounced on him, pinning him between her body and the tub's wall.

And what about me? Think I'm cute? Of course cute wouldn't be the word she would use for herself either. Creepy maybe. She smiled widely at him and kept him pinned until he gave her an answer. Her hands on either side of his head.

You think I'm seeeeeexyyyyyyy you wanna kissssssss meeeeee.... She added in a sing song tone.

With both of them cleaning it took no time at all to clean the bathroom up. Michonne gave Daryl a deep kiss before leaving the room.

Sounds good. Maybe while I'm out I can find some herbs or vegetables to go with it. Make a stew or something. Be careful out there.

Once Daryl was on his way out, Michonne got ready quickly and also headed out. She hadn't asked anyone where Carl was going but had a good idea. Plus his trail was easy to follow. She ignored the walkers hanging from the tree and maybe wouldn't have if she knew Beth would recconize them.

Instead she headed for where Carl was and soon found him.

Slowly she walked up to him and knelt beside him.

Hey. I think we should talk...

And it wasn't long after Michonne left that Maggie and Beth made their way to the front of the mall. At first Beth was too busy talking to notice anything, but seeing Maggie staring at something outside the big windows got her attention. Beth looked over and spotted the three women hanging from the trees. A small gasps left her mouth as she ran to the window.

Maggie went after her along with the stroller that held Judith.

Teary eyed Beth looked at the women in shock. I know them...They were Negan's wives. So...He must know Me and that other woman are here.

Maggie grabbed Beth and turned her around to face her. what are you talking about!? Tell me everything! Now!

Carl knew there would be no answer, but.. he hoped that his father could hear him. Hoped that he knew that he missed him... bad. Losing his mother had been hard, but his father had always been his Hero. Even though at times it would seem he downright hated him, and he went through the resentment right after the Prison was destroyed and a part of him felt his father had failed their people. How grateful he was now that he understood, and was shown that losing him would hurt....


...and now it had happened. He had to say goodbye. And just as his father had told him all those years ago back at Hershel's arm, there was no way he could have been ready for it....


"You were right. What you told me. But... I'm going to be okay, dad. I will... eventually.." He sniffled, once again wiping at his tears. He was about to say more when he heard movement,but before he could reach for his pistol. He saw her. Normally the sight of Michonne would bring a huge smile to his face, but not now. Only more pain. In fact, he couldn't even make eye contact with her...



[color=green]"What is there to talk about.... you don't care..."{/color]

And that right there is what we need to talk about. You don't really believe that do you? That I don't care? I do. I loved your dad deeply. And He'll always have a special place in my heart. Nothing will ever change that.

Michonne paused and looked over at Carl as she wiped a lone tear from her eye. She then reached behind her and pulled out a pistol that was wrapped in white cloth.

I was holding on to this for you. It was Ricks. It's only right it gets passed down to you. Who knows, maybe you'll have a son to pass it on to.

And suddenly Eugene was cornered and she was against him and... he was feeling all sorts of tingly and nervous and... this was a bad idea...


"I do in fact find you extremely attractive... HOT.. you are hot in every since of the word..." He fumbled, "But.. remember... what.. what we discussed...."

Ah! Yes! I got dumped by the man I was going to marry. and you wanted to show me how Texas men fuck their women? Something like that? Oooooooor...Was it...Now that I'm single You ready to show me how Texas men do it in the shower? I know there was something about sex in there. Oh and broken hearts. But I do recall promising you no broken hearts. Unless that whole Texas nonsense was just another lie.

Mikko gave a little pout then very softly kissed his lips. Oh well. You can't blame a girl for trying.

She then went back to her side of the tub and got all bubbled up facing away from him. She wasn't upset, or mad, or anything. The only thing that would upset her is if she scared him away. But she would only be upset with herself then. So she for the rest of their shower she would back off from him and let the poor guy just enjoy his time under the hot water.

Deep down, Carl knew Michonne cared. It was just so easy to get lost in the insecurities and the fear that Michonne had used him to get close to his dad. He never would have thought that about her, if now for how quickly she seemed to move on.


He gave a shrug in response, still finding it hard to look at her... and that hurt. All the moments and secrets they had shared. How she had been the person to pull him from his shell. The first person to make him feel after the death of his mother. The first person to make him laugh...



"You and Daryl didn't waste any time..." He huffed, instantly feeling the pain of his own words. He... meant it. But he never wanted to hurt her. Of course, he didn't know that Michonne had weeks to grieve him. This heartache was all still new to Carl. To him, his father had just died...


Then, she handed him something wrapped in a white cloth. The moment his fingers made contact with its weight... he knew. Slowly unwrapping it, the sight of the pistol brought another bout of tears. His father's colt python. His dad loved that gun. Carl thought Negan had taken it, but Michonne had saved it. His fingers moved slowly over its hard finish, knowing all the time his father had put into this piece, to keep it functional...



And there was a small hint of a grin through the quiet tears as he finally looked at her... "Thank you."

She didn't let his words get to her. Instead she carefully wrapped an arm around him.

Actually it was a while. After he passed, I spent a long time at least a month, maybe a bit longer, lost in the woods. I grieved for him every day into the nights. It was thinking of you, and your sister that helped me make it to the mall alive. I knew I had to live to be there for you both. Rick'll never be forgotten. I promise you that.

She gave him a squeeze and pressed a kiss against his temple.

You're welcome.

It was then that a small, white bunny made it's way towards the two. It stopped in front of Carl then placed a small paw on his knee.

Making friends with the wild life? Beth is already rubbing off on you.

Carl didn't realize how long his father had been dead. The snow had preserved him...



"A month?" And there was guilt in his tone from not knowing. All that time, he thought his father was alive, that he would be reunited... because his dad was unstoppable. "All that time... I thought he was alive. I thought.. I would see him again. That everything would be okay.." And seeing her sadness, and hearing that she had to deal with it, all that time... alone.. it broke his heart.


After securing his dad's pistol in the waistline of his jeans, Carl wrapped both arms around her, squeezing her tightly. "I'm glad you found your way back to us..." And it was obvious he forgave her. There was no way he could stay mad at her forever, especially hearing what she had been through.


Then, another unexpected surprise. A tiny, white rabbit approached with no fear. Obviously not a wild rabbit, due to its coloration. Probably had escaped from a farm somewhere, and too young to be away from its mother. The fact that it showed no fear was... strange. But Carl figured the little creature was attracted to his body heat so he scooped it up and tucked it into his jacket, hoping his warmth would keep it from freezing.



"I think she will love it..."


And back to the heavy. Because he needed to talk. "I'm... I'm glad my dad had you for what time he did. You made him happy. And.. I know... dad would want you happy now."

It sadden Michonne that he hadn't known all that time. She returned the hug and gave him a tight squeeze. I'm glad too. I was so worried about all of you.

When he scooped up the little bunny she nodded. Though they would have to make it very clear to Daryl that the rabbit was not for eating. But then the moment returned to the heaveyness again. At least this time he was no longer angry at her.

I'm happy to hear that. He made me happy too. Especially when we shared stories of our little ones and the trouble they caused us. Yes i heard some stories of you. Michonne smiled brightly at the memory and playfully bumped him with her shoulder. I do believe he would want me to be happy. Daryl and I, we were worried about how you would feel. And, I want to apologize to you. This is a talk you and I should have had before anything happen with Daryl and me. Not after.

Beth didn't want to tell Maggie everything. She didn't want to tell Maggie anything! This was suppose to be a fun little outing to get some cloths, but now she was a mess and her sister was yelling at her to tell her what was going on and where exactly had she been the whole time she was missing.

I was at Negan's place... She finally admitted. After that the flood gates where open and Maggie could only sit on the floor with her little sister as Beth told her everything that she had been through. From the killing of pets to the rape. To finally how she managed to escape with Lexi and Laz and the little one.

She showed Maggie one of the scars but Maggie roughly lifted more of Beth's shirt to see the other marks that were left on her.

Don't do anything stupid, Maggie! I'm fine!

You're clearly not! The fuckers going pay! You stay here. Watch Judith!

MAGGIE!

Beth quickly got to her feet and by now a few people had come out to figure out what the screaming was about, Judith was crying in her stroller as Beth took it and ran after Maggie.

Stay here! UNDERSTAND! Maggie had a vice grip on Beth's shoulders it was painful and brought more tears to Beth's eyes. she winced and nodded then watched Maggie gather things and leave the mall on one of the motor bikes.

At this point Beth was near panic. She rushed back to the room with Judith and tried to calm her.

GLENN! GLENNNNNN! She ran into the bedroom. Glenn! Maggie's... ran off! IT'S MY FAULT!

Once she got the truth out of Beth Maggie was hell bent on getting that mother fucker back. No one touched her sister! She had grabbed a quick change of cloths, a weapon, and was headed down the road before anyone would know she was gone. She knew that Beth would tell the others. So she had to get distance between them. This was something personal she needed to take care of.

Glenn was jolted from his sleep by Beth's frantic tone- a voice that he was getting used to again. At first, it would have been easy to dismiss it as another one of his vivid and jarring dreams, but it was too close.. and her words put him on edge long before the reality of it all set in...


Quickly pushing himself up, there was no time to become fully awake. It was something he was used to, always prepared to run when their safe haven became overran or taken....


His own frantic gaze meeting with hers as he reached for his pants, sliding them on in mere seconds...



"What do you mean she ran off??! Where did she go??!" He demanded as he tugged on his shirt and shoes, then strapped a holster and pistol around his thigh, another around his waist, and a third over his shoulder. As he waited for a response, he strapped on a boot knife, additional knives were frantically being strapped along his belt....