Too Far Gone [Ama + Randomname98766789]

[Amaranthine]

A year spent wondering if life was worth continuing was not a year well spent, at least Angela Rhodes had once believed so. However, the last year had tested every inch of her faith in the world and she had quickly come to realize that even though she had spent most of it wondering if tomorrow was worth seeing, it definitely was. The dead rising around them had shown the twenty four year old what life was really about: keeping those closest to you, close. For her, that meant her girlfriend, Tara. The pair had met early in her college days, back when she was a baby nursling and Tara was new to the academy next door, training to become a cop. Despite the serious nature of their chosen professions, the girls were both kind of goofy and an accidental run in at the coffee shop across the road from their buildings (and then another, and then another... and then, well, at that point it started being a little suspicious that they would keep "accidentally" running in to each other like that, even with their proximity) had flourished in to the best year of her life.

Then tragedy struck - in the form of the dead rising. They had known they had to get out of town and they abandoned the little apartment they had just gotten together not even a month before, fleeing to a less urban setting; luckily, they did so before Atlanta became a dead zone. Ever since, the pair had been holed up in an apartment building along with Tara's sister, niece and father. The one apartment had been too cramped for so many people so they had slept in the one next door, more often than not the girls were either found with the rest of Tara's family or out on the ground. They were a great pair and knew how to work around and with each other - a well oiled machine.

Until he happened - Brian. The man seemed innocuous albeit a little strange, and Angela had agreed with her girlfriend's gut instinct that this man shouldn't be trusted. Now? Now she was wishing she wasn't right - everything had changed. Eventually, they had to leave the apartments behind. Tara's father passed and it hit Ange as hard as it did the sisters - with her own family miles away on the coast, her girlfriend's father had felt like her own. Eventually they had settled in to a small community and when Brian had spoke of the ill done to him by those at the prison, she had grown to believe that she was on the right side - it wasn't until it was too late that she realized that was not the case. It was not soon enough to stop the ensuing warfare, nor to escape. As the prison fell, she lost sight of the one thing she had left.

Now? Now she trudged along the road with a very persistent woman named Maggie, with her blonde hair in a ponytail and dirt staining the olive green tank top and denim jeans she had been in for days now. Others followed - Sasha, Bob. It had been the latter pair that had allowed her to follow when she ran in to them, and the brunette was on a mission to find her husband. And Angela? Well, she was praying that somehow her own partner had escaped and would find her once more. Neither of the searching women had expected anything positive to come of the truck that passed them, but in the end that had been exactly what they needed.

----

"Are you Maggie?" Three simple words from a man she had never seen were exactly what she needed somehow Maggie Crowell had been searching for her husband for days, hell-bent on refusing to budge even a second on the fact that they needed to keep pushing. When those with her wanted to give up, abandon ship, stop the hunt she decided to push on without them but it was also only when those same people urged her that she allowed a blonde to join their ranks. Not before a thorough argument, though. Well, a one-sided argument - Angela had proven that she was calm in the face of adversity, and Maggie had deserved to have a change to vent her frustrations out at some point. Angela had turned in to the vessel, and the older of the women (though only by a couple years) had taken it like a champ.

Maggie had given years of her life to her best friend and favourite (and only) lover, Josh Crowell. The pair had grown up together and fallen in love as teenagers; while they were no longer quite that young they were still just as in love as they had ever been. When the world had first fallen apart and communications had been dropped, Maggie had been left wondering if (when, she had always said) she was going to see him again. Luck was on their side when he had showed up at the farm just days before it had been taken, and ever since they had been inseparable. It had been like they had never been apart - it always felt like that. Josh was in the army and it was not the first time they had been apart - luckily, however, it was the last. When peace came to the prison and all seemed like it would be well, the pair had even gotten married. Sure, it wasn't on paper or anything but a piece of paper mattered little these days. When the prison fell, they had been separated; Maggie had done her damnedest to find him.

Now, though? When a truck stopped in front of them and a large bearded man hopped out of the driver's side, Maggie did not have high hopes for what was about to happen. That is, until she heard the words that came out of his mouth: there were very few ways that man could know her name and she knew - she just knew - that this man had seen Josh. So she ran to the truck, a flurry of never-ending questions that got hushed by the latina still in the passenger seat. The answers became clear once she was able to calm down: these people had just left behind a very insistent pair of people, one of whom was on the hunt for a Maggie. He was with someone though, and as soon as the ginger, Abraham, mentioned the name Tara, Angela had gotten up in his business as well. It didn't take long for the fact that their partners were working together to come to fruition, and while these strangers had wanted to simply head off immediately they had graciously offered to drive the pair to the other side of the tunnel where they had dropped off Josh and Tara.

So that was how they, along with Sasha and Bob, had wound up standing at the block entrance to a train tunnel. Guns raised as two of the living stumbled over loose rocks, and as the dead moved in on them bullets fired. In moments the only beings still standing were the live ones, and both of the girls instinctively ran straight towards their most beloved.

 

[randomname98766789]

Before the apocalypse, life had been incredible for Tara Chambler. Not only was she months away from attaining her dream job, but it appeared she had fallen in love with the right woman. Angela was everything she wanted – everything she dreamed about. Their coffee shop was a place of solace – somewhere she longed to return again. Before Angela, Tara was involved in a romance throughout her time in college that ended with disloyalty and cheating, crushing her soul. Just when it felt like all hope was lost in life, she met Angela in that coffee shop and not a day had since then had been dull. Even when the world fell apart, Tara managed to find her girlfriend for support. They holed up in an apartment complex with Tara’s sister, father, and niece. Everything went well for the first year or so until a man named Brian entered their lives. At first, he seemed nice though Tara never trusted him. One by one, Tara slowly lost her family ever since he showed up at their door. Thankfully, not all was lost because Angela was still by her side. Nothing could keep them apart or separate them. Even when fighting the war against the prison, Tara felt like they were on the right side of the battle.

When she found out they were not, everything changed. She tried to do the right thing, to stop Brian from killing these people. Yet, a war started and it separated Tara from her lover. It was the most painful thing in the world as she sprinted through the destroyed prison, avoiding the infected, and searching for the blonde. Not finding her, she ran into one of the guys from the group: Joshua Crowell. He could have killed her – maybe he should have for being on the other side. Without him, she would have never survived the prison or survived on the run. He helped her escape and she found out they had something in common: they were both looking for the love of their lives. When Tara felt hopeless, Josh would give her hope that she could see Angela again. That hope made Tara continue fighting each day because she had known this was true. The world had been too cruel so far. Surely it would not take everything from her. Luckily, on the way to Terminus near Virginia, they found tunnels and maps along the railroad with messages from Josh’s wife.

Tara held out hope that she might be with Angela. At the least, she did want Josh to reunite with his wife because he was a good, kind man. There were not many of these people left in the world anymore. Thankfully, they were given rides soon after the prison by Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita. Apparently this man Eugene had a cure for the disease but Tara was adamant about finding Angela as Josh was adamant about finding Maggie. Though Abraham wished to drive directly to Washington D.C., he was convinced to take a deviation on the path. Approaching a mountainside railway bridge, Josh and Tara went through the tunnel while the others went around since it was dangerous. Tara had injured her knee earlier but Josh had saved her again by pushing her out of the way of a collapsed tower. Then, in the tunnel, they were cornered and she told Josh to just leave her and escape, but that was not something the male did. He emptied his last bullet into the walkers right before the cavalry showed up. It was in that moment she spotted a familiar set of blonde hair, causing her to stumble towards her girlfriend, calling out her name gently, almost like she was worried that this was not real. “Angela?”

------------------

It was not the first time Joshua Crowell had been separated from his wife. Before the outbreak, he joined the United States Army. Corporal Crowell went overseas for his first tour about six months before the outbreak started. It should have lasted a year, but it was cut short because of the walker apocalypse. All military personnel were rushed home to the United States for defense against the outbreak. Since it was a global disaster, his first encounter with the walking dead occurred in the Middle East. After eliminating enemies that pinned them down on a ridge, all dozen of those dead men walked again. There had been rumors about this happening, but Josh’s unit witnessed it firsthand. It told them how important it was to get home. When Josh arrived home at the airport in Virginia, communications were dead. Forced to travel, mostly on foot, from Virginia to the Greene Farm in Georgia, he finally found his way back. Only days before the fall of the farm, Josh arrived and was reunited with Maggie Greene. Despite the circumstances, Josh always knew they would find each other again. Their love was too strong to not reunite.

Their families had always been close and the couple were best friends ever since toddlerhood. That moment when they saw each other again was magnificent. Josh was in tattered clothes, blood dried all over his body, with dirt and grime all over his face. It was a difficult journey, but he made it home. Unfortunately, he had no clue about the rest of his family. His father was still active military and highly ranked. Lately, he was re-stationed in Vermont and his mother moved with him. All he could do was hope they made it somewhere safe. At the least, he was thankful for being with Maggie. When they found the prison and hit a patch of 30 days without an accident and with peace, the couple had a little ceremony in the courtyard. Since that day, Josh had never taken the wedding band off his finger and never saw a time when he would. In fact, just looking down at the ring gave him motivation to keep fighting in these times. After the prison fell, Josh had tried to search for Maggie in the prison but could not find her. Instead, he ran into Tara Chambler who started out on the other side of the war.

Yet, the kindness and soldier in him that wanted to help everyone won out. He escaped with Tara as the bus drove away. Having no idea how long they were together looking for their beloveds, they were taken to a tunnel near Terminus up in Virginia. Thanks to Maggie’s signs on the way, he knew where they were going. In the tunnel, hope was lost, though. Walker after walker piled through. Tara was hurt but Josh refused to leave her. Just seconds before Maggie, Angela, and the others arrived, Josh emptied the very last bullet of his pistol and then tried to boost Tara up over the rubble as the dead closed in. In the blinking of an eye, bullets flew from overhead, mowing down the walkers. When Josh looked to see who climbed over the rubble, he spotted the one woman he had craved to see. As Tara ran to Angela, Josh ran to Maggie. When they collided, Josh did not say a word. Instead, his arms wrapped around the brunette and pushed her against the tunnel wall. His lips devoured Maggie’s, sliding his tongue in between her lips. His eyes closed tightly just in case this was a fantasy that would go away when they opened. “Maggie.” He breathed out, almost like he thought he had seen a ghost in front of him. Josh was not entirely sure this was real.

 

[Amaranthine]

Angela couldn't help but feel serene as she pulled the brunette in to her arms, hands clasping at Tara's shoulders while she simply took a minute to rest her head in the crook of Tara's neck and breathe in reality. Okay, this was real. This was very, very real - and damn it, no one was going to take this away from her now. After Angela had a moment to truly appreciate holding Tara in her arms once again, something she had worried she would never do again, she pulled away. With her hands on Tara's shoulders, bent at the elbow with a little distance between them, Ange simply smiled. Not some little, fake smile - there was genuine joy on her face as a wide grin took over. While Angela had stayed overall hopeful about finding Tara once again, she also knew that in a world like this it was best not to get your hopes up. So, this was what she had hoped for in a world where she was prepared for the worst: in a way, knowing the chances had been slim just made this meeting even more amazing.

With that smile still on her lips, Angela's thumb stroked Tara's cheek and she leaned in. With the space between them gone once more Angela could do little other than kiss the other woman; soft but with so much happiness that she thought she might start crying if she didn't let go quickly. Tears be damned she was going to get her fill of her girlfriend, though, and somehow the blonde managed to hold them back. When she pulled away her fingers were still gingerly touching Tara's cheek, and there was no hiding the glossy sheen in her eyes; in her defense, they were happy tears and she had not actually started crying yet. Everything about Angela was soft - from her curves to the waves in her hair to the quiet, affectionate tone she used like Tara was an angel sent to her specifically. She wasn't timid, medicine had no place for those who couldn't stand their own ground, but she was a hopeless romantic and a dreamer; optimistic but cautious. She was someone who could see the worst in the world and still manage to find hope and happiness, and moments like this were why. "Hey beautiful, I've been looking for you."

What were the chances? Out of all of the things that could have happened they had found each other, through strangers they had never before met but both owed for the damage they had rallied behind. Angela didn't believe in coincidences; in her eyes, everything that happened was for a reason. Perhaps in the end this was where they were meant to be, together and on the right side of the battle. Whether that was true or not, Angela felt indebted to both Maggie and Josh - and all of the others too.

----

As soon as bodies collided Maggie was pushed against the wall of the tunnel, hands on her hips and hot breath on her lips as she and her husband wasted no words. Their tongues danced together in her mouth and Josh wasn't overtly rough, no, but he wasn't exactly gentle as he pinned her between his muscular form and concrete. Maggie's hands did not hesitate to grab at him, first at the sides of his shirt then trailing up; his back, his shoulders, his hair, his face. The way that the pair kissed was passionate and just a hint of desperate, and though Maggie had known that this moment was going to come, that didn't change how overwhelmingly relieved she felt when she was able to have his hands on him again. While the pair had been apart many times over the years, Maggie had never been able to quell her worries even though she knew that one day he would come back to her. Once upon a time, that had been because she knew deep in her heart that there had been the chance he wouldn't. Now? Now there should have been no reason for them to be pried apart. They had both agreed after they had reunited back at her daddy's farm that they weren't supposed to leave each other alone again. Of course, neither of them could have been prepared for the Governor's final attack and it was neither of their faults that they weren't able to keep that promise.

"I knew you'd be alright," she breathed as she continued to hold him close. She held on to his face even as they pulled apart, bodies still pressed together and the wide, tight-lipped smile on her lips said all that it needed to. She wasn't done kissing him just yet though, and she leaned back in to steal another from him. While she generally did not initiate tongue action, not with other people around at least, that kiss was no simple peck - no kiss they shared was devoid of the emotion and passion between them, and the situation they were in only enhanced that passion and need for each other. Maggie honestly would have been happy to keep kissing him forever but unfortunately that was not a viable option right now. She had been right about Josh taking this path - that meant there was a good chance that others had come across the signs to Terminus as well. As much as she wished to stay in this world where they were the only people around, now that she knew he was okay her focus switched to figuring out if anyone else was.

"I think the others might have come this way, too. They're smart, they're alive. We should try to find them." She didn't let go of him, not for a second, as she spoke but there was a light in her eyes, an optimistic hope that they weren't the only ones left. Maggie always put others before herself, sometimes to the point that she didn't consider her own needs. Her wanting to seek out the rest of the prison group was no surprise, but even as she spoke she still couldn't even consider letting go of her husband just yet.

 

[randomname98766789]

The entire world faded away. It was something that Tara had never felt before. The woman’s focus was on tunnel vision. The only object in her focus was none other than Angela. Like always, the blonde fitted perfectly in her arms. If she did not know better, Tara daresay some higher power created their bodies a certain way and in a certain form. The feeling of those arms around Tara’s body made the dark-haired female melt. Being a police officer was not an occupation where unraveled emotions were allowed. Therefore, Tara Chambler kept those emotions in check for most of her life. Although she tried to remain strong, Tara broke down into tears. It was not often this happened. She especially tried to keep her tears pulled back around Angela. The one thing she hated more than crying was crying in front of those she cared about and that cared about her. After the hug, Tara pulled back but her hands remained wrapped around the woman’s shoulders. Sniffling quietly, Tara shook her head and let out a soft chuckle at how girly she was acting right now. Could one blame her, though? Tara and Angela were deeply in love.

Even if they both truly believed they would find one another again, it was only human to worry and feel a rush of emotions once they reunited. After all, Tara had never felt this way about someone before in her life. Angela brought emotions out that Tara did not know she was capable of feeling. It was ironic that Angela was able to hold back her tears yet Tara did not. Sometimes, it was the other way around. Either way, her focus was not on crying for too long. Instead, she kissed her girlfriend back with all the passion she could. Yet, the kiss was still soft and sweet – delicate to the touch. Their lips were sensitive together and it sent a tingle down the woman’s spine. Since it had been so long without those lips, Tara felt a rush of electricity. After the blonde finally started talking, Tara could not hold herself back from diving back in for another, quicker kiss. “Hey, you. I had a feeling you were. Newsflash… I’ve been looking for you, too.” She had ignored the others for now. Though she wanted to thank every single person here because they played a role in their reunion, but she could not take her eyes off Angela yet.

“I… I knew that we would see each other again. I’ve missed you. Oh, my God… Angela… I can’t ever let you out of my arms again.” He whispered softly, nuzzling their noses together. Her hands started to stroke through her long hair, threading her fingers through the blonde locks. “Promise me that we won’t ever leave each other’s side again. I can’t take losing you. I can’t stand the thought.” Tara whispered, unable to release her from her arms.

------------------------

The touch was electric. Josh felt every hair on his body stand on end. The way her hands moved around his torso, face, and hair made him feel incredible. If it were not for the physical touch, Josh might not believe this was happening. “I always knew I’d find you. I saw the signs. I followed them. I knew you were here.” Joshua breathed out softly against her mouth. “It’s official, Maggie. We’ve been apart from each other too damn much now. It’s never happening again. I don’t give a damn what the world throws at us now.” Josh should have ran off the bus with Maggie immediately at the prison. It was a decision he regretted ever since it happened. However, that was in the past and it was truly neither’s fault. A line was drawn in the sand. Combined this with training for the army, his first tour – Joshua was confident that not a second between them should ever elapse where they were not holding each other. Like Josh said – never again will that happen. His hands remained on her hips, gripping tightly while he made out with Maggie. Their tongues wrestled together, pinning hers underneath his own.

When the woman decided to pull away and mention the group, Josh agreed. “You’re right, Princess.” Josh had always used that nickname for Maggie. The first time he called her that was at their middle school dance. It was something he had seen a boyfriend call his girlfriend on some television program. The girl liked it so Josh tried it. Maggie appeared to enjoy the pet name and it stuck ever since. “I’m sure they’ll be behind us. They’ll meet us at Terminus. That’s where they would go. We know them well enough.” Sighing softly, Josh pressed their foreheads together before stealing one final kiss from her lips. His gaze turned towards the reunited couple and smiled to himself. “Guess we’re not the only reunion, huh? What are the odds you were with Angela? I’m glad today happened.” Though Josh pulled away from Maggie, he did keep both of her hands held with his own. Abraham and Eugene were arguing with each other about something while Rosita spent her own time watching the reunions and kicking rocks. “I guess you met these three already: they helped myself and Tara get here. “The tall one’s Abraham, Eugene is the other guy, and then there’s Rosita.”

Before saying anything else, Josh pondered how he could break the news to Maggie about Eugene. “They say… they say Eugene is some scientist that has a cure for this. They’re trying to get him to Washington D. C.” If anything, Maggie should know that Josh was skeptical. The male was always logical and pragmatic. He hesitated to believe outlandish things. The skepticism was clear in his voice. “I don’t know what to think… it sounds crazy, but he sounds like he knows what he’s talking about.” All Josh could do was shrug. At least she knew what she was getting into. Now, Josh wondered if they would stay in the tunnel for the night, keep moving, or part ways to Terminus. Even if those three wanted to reach D.C., Josh was set on finding Terminus to reunite with the group. “Come on, babe. Let’s see what they’re thinking, ok?”

 

[Amaranthine]

If never letting go of Tara ever again had genuinely been an option, Angela would have taken it. However, the best they could get was that there was to be no more splitting up. The prison had marked the first time they had truly been apart since the start and if walking away from each other just once caused this much mayhem, Angela was not willing to risk another seperation. Hell, if that meant she followed Tara so she could take a piss then so be it - not like there was any space left in this world to be shy about bodily functions anyways.

"I'm not going anywhere, I promise babe," came Ange's sweet reply as she stole one more kiss, and for a few minutes the girls simply focused on each other. That didn't last long enough - but there would never be a "long enough", at least in Angela's eyes. She could spend the rest of her life doing nothing but looking at or kissing or touching Tara and that still would not be enough; the brunette was her first and only love, and she couldn't imagine it any other way. Maybe it was cheesy to consider Tara her soulmate but Angela genuinely did; somehow, some way they were made for each other. They had their squabbles but never real fights; voices were never raised, they never got truly angry with each other. Any time they had a problem with something the other said or did, things could be worked out calmly, and they were able to disagree with each other without making that personal. As far as relationships came and went, they were damn near perfect (because Angela, while ever the optimist, believed perfection was an ideal and not something that could truly be reached).

They had to split, though; they could not stay in the tunnel forever and Angela listened intently to the conversation forming between everyone else. All the while she stood behind Tara with her arms wrapped around the woman's waist and her neck against her shoulder. They would have to talk about who, if anyone, they wanted to follow after all was said and done but right then Maggie had a point: for now, everyone should probably rest. It had been a long day and Ange wanted to be able to sit down and check out that ankle of Tara's that she had sprained earlier on. "I say we stay," came her vote.

----

"I ran in to her not long after we had to leave, if it wasn't for Bob I probably would have left her behind," Maggie admitted to her husband after he mentioned the fact that she just so happened to have ran in to the girlfriend of his partner on their quest in reuniting. That statement alone said alot about Maggie's frame of mind while she had been searching for Josh; normally, she was an incredibly selfless person who would give the shirt off of her own back to help someone in need. With the prison down and her love torn from her once again, she had become a mess. That girl's background didn't help at all - and while Angela probably didn't deserve the way Maggie had lashed out at her when they had first met, both of the women knew it was fear and worry speaking. Now that everyone was in a calmer place, she was going to have to make a point to properly apologize for her behaviour - it didn't befit her.

As Josh explained who the people in the truck were, Maggie couldn't help but be interested. Like her husband, she was also skeptical at best - the possibility of a cure sounded like a longshot and frankly like a story her father would have told her to make her feel better had she been young when this began. Her father - never again was she going to see Herschel. He was never going to hug her again, never hold her when she was worried, never get to be a grandfather if one day she ended up having a baby. That was heartbreaking in it's own right but right now she needed to keep pushing on. The others were smart and as long as they had found the signs, they would have followed them. For all she knew, everyone else was already at Terminus and waiting for them. Beth, Rick, Daryl, Carl, Judith... They were all going to be there. Now that she had Josh back she could focus on the others.

And these people? She would hear them out. Maybe if they sounded legitimate they could consider following along - after everyone had reunited. Even then, she wasn't going anywhere without Josh. The pair were definitely on the same page about never leaving eachothers' side again - while neither of them could have expected to get split up like they did when Maggie had left the bus, nothing was worth the worry of being split again. Surprisingly enough Abraham, Rosita and Eugene agreed to detour but not for long. They wanted the extra hands and Maggie was clear that as long as Josh was okay with it, they would for sure have two pairs on their side as long as they waited for a bit so that the pair could find out if their friends were alright.

"I say we stay for the night; Tara's hurt, and we're all tired. It's getting late. What's everyone's thoughts on that?" She suggested to everyone. Her opinion of what they should do mattered no more than anyone else's and while she was open to suggesting a plan she was not going to force anyone in to doing something they did not want to.

 

[randomname98766789]

In the following minutes, Tara introduced Angela to the others just like Josh had done for Maggie. When she covered Josh, she ensured to point out her gratitude towards him – for she would have probably been dead multiple times if he had not intervened. In turn, she would have never saw Angela again. When the small group debated on their actions for the night, the young woman had no other choice but to support her girlfriend. After all, she felt the same way, too. The feeling of being hugged from behind was a glorious one so Tara placed her hands over the blonde’s against her abdomen.

“I agree with Angela and Maggie. We need to recover for the night. It’s dark anyways. Nothing good happens late in this world we live in now. Let’s just take a night to rest.” It was clear that Abraham did not want to wait. Rosita appeared indifferent but Eugene was adamant about staying in the tunnel. He wanted to help these people, get them to Terminus. Though Abraham was defiant at first, he finally relented. It might be good to recover for the night and to recover at Terminus. It only made his job more difficult but Abraham would do it. So, he decided to take the first watch of the night and sat down away from the others.

Now that they had a chance to see each other again, Tara wanted to take full advantage. Rosita and Eugene parted separately as well. Bob and Sasha took another corner. It was time for rest. So, Tara limped her way towards one of the nearby walls and slid down, pulling Angela with her. “You know, it’s not that bad…” She hummed though Tara knew it was worse than she let on. The only reason she could still walk was adrenaline. Thankfully, she had a sexy nurse that could help with that problem.

“I know I’m in good hands now. I know you’ll take care of me. So, whatever I need to do, nurse… just tell me.” Grinning, Tara pressed a kiss onto Angela’s cheek, reaching down to grasp one of her hands. This was not the first time that Tara heavily played on the idea of Angela being the sexy nurse. Tara would have lied if she had not fantasized about her in some short little nurse costume before while working on her. But for now, this was perfect. She attempted to pull the pants leg of her jeans up though winced while trying to move.

-----------------

Of course, Josh agreed with his wife. It would do everyone well for a night of sleep without running for their lives. Granted, a tunnel was not the most ideal location but it was better than nothing. With a little resistance, the small group finally decided they would stay the night and regroup tomorrow morning. It could not have been determined fast enough for Josh because he was immediately pulling Maggie towards an open area. In his bag was a sleeping bag they used before: they liked to camp together in the woods of their Georgia home. It was the same sleeping bag they had used the past couple years. It might not have been a bed or mattress, but it was better than sleeping on the road. Others were not as fortunate, just folding blankets to lay underneath their bodies. For the first time since being reunited, Josh released his wife for only a mere second. These few seconds were spent unrolling the bag and preparing to get some rest, using one of their old, deflated pillows. After it was unrolled, Josh turned to face Maggie on his knees, resting a hand gently on her thigh.

“Let’s get some rest, beautiful.” He whispered softly before stealing another kiss from her lips. Josh crawled in first, propping up onto his side. That hand never left her body, moving from her thigh to her ass to her waist and finally to her shoulder once she settled into the bag as well. The proximity was needed. Since their last night together on the prison, Josh had not felt a warm body against his own. That same arm wrapped around Maggie’s head, letting her head use his forearm as a pillow. “I love you so fucking much and I missed you like crazy. I know I’ve said that already but I’m so happy that you’re back where you belong now. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t function without you, Maggie. You’re my entire world.” Now, his free hand started threading through her hair. Their legs were laced together, Josh tossing one in between hers. After gazing into her eyes for another second, the male pressed a firm kiss onto her lips. This kiss quite similarly resembled their first kiss during their earlier reunion. His tongue pried immediately into her mouth, searching for a dance with the woman’s tongue, too.

Josh’s head tilted to the side, giving himself a chance to deep the kiss. The one hand in her hair slowly slipped down, gripping one of her hands and holding it against his chest. Once her hand was directly over his beating heart, Josh paused long enough to say something sweet and loving. “It only beats for you, Maggie. The only reason it still works is you. I love you more than I could ever explain in words.” So, Josh tried to show in actions just how much he missed her and loved her. Their relationship was incredible. Their marriage was incredible. Not many kids grow up and fall in love at a young age to have it last. Most relationships that started around their age ended after a few weeks – but not them. Josh knew she was his forever.

 

[Amaranthine]

"We won't know how bad it is until we check it out, babe. I've watched people walk in to the hospital on a broken leg before, adrenaline is a hell of a drug." Once the decision to stay still for the night had been decided, everyone began to split their own ways while still within Abraham's watch. Angela and Tara weren't the only people reunited today, and everyone needed rest. Besides, Angela didn't much mind the fact that everyone wasn't staying super close - that gave her the chance to be as close to alone with Tara as she had been in days. Of course, Angela knew that her girl liked the idea of her all dressed up in a short skirt, working over her. Angela felt the same way about Tara being a cop - both were things they had used on the other, whether it be Tara having a cold or Angela thieving her girlfriend's clothes.

"I'm sorry, but this is probably going to hurt. I have to poke around a bit, we don't exactly had x-rays any more." Angela gave her girlfriend a quick kiss and an apologetic frown as she pried Tara's pant leg as best as she could from skin. After another little frown she rolled Tara's leg at the knee so she could get a better angle. After clicking a flashlight on, she was able to get a good look. Unfortunately she did have to touch though - but luckily, between the fact that she had only been a month shy of finishing school and that Tara's sister had been a great help in making sure she felt up to par about her abilities, Angela could comfortably say that Tara would be fine after some observation. Her ankle was bruised and sore to the touch, but from what she could tell simply sprained rather than broken. It would probably hurt for a couple days, but that was much better than the alternative.

"Good news: not broken. Bad news: your best bet to heal up fast is to not move and I don't think that's really an option - and it's going to hurt like a bitch." Carefully, Angela pulled Tara's pant leg back down and then shimmied her way over so that she was beside the woman. She had little more than a bag with some clothes in it, so they weren't in for a very comfortable night. They'd managed to snag a spare blanket to put under them but that was about it. However, her backpack wasn't the worst pillow; one of them could take that and the other could cuddle up - both breasts and tinnies made for good pillows, and that wouldn't be anything new for them. "Bag or boobs?" Angela asked as she raised an eyebrow, referring to which possible pillow Tara would prefer.

----

To release Josh, even just long enough for him to roll out a sleeping bag, was hard for Maggie. While their reuniting was very much real, she still couldn't shake the possibility that as soon as she let go he would vanish. Therefore, her fingers ended up gently touching his back as he prepped their campsite for the night. She felt bad having a rather comfy sleeping bag while everyone else was stuck with thin blankets or worse, but there was nothing she could do about that. Wishing wouldn't change anything though, and she still wouldn't give up this night for anything. While Maggie was generally quite independent and very capable of looking after herself, Josh was her weakness. When it came to him she could be quite needy - keeping him close was mandatory, especially now, and even when she didn't realize it she had a tendency of hovering close to the male. They were almost always touching, even if that touch happened to be a few fingers barely brushing against skin like she had done as he was preparing. It came so naturally to her that she didn't even realize that she did it any more.

"That sounds like an amazing idea," Maggie said as she climbed in to the sleeping bag and was immediately greeted by sweet words and Josh's hand running through her long brown hair. Like him she couldn't keep her hands off of him and with their legs tangled together and bodies flush together, she held on to him by the waist until he kissed her. At that point one of her hands grasped tight a the fabric of his abdomen while the other trailed up his side, over his chest and to his neck. The way she held his head in her hand was gentle but eager, pulling him in to her as much as she could. His tongue pressed to her lips and she gave way, meeting his kiss with just as much of a need as he had. When his held tilted hers did the same in sync, deepening their kiss even further, and they were lost in each other when he pulled the hand on his shirt up towards his chest. Maggie couldn't help but sigh as she felt his heartbeat flutter beneath her fingertips.

"I'm not sure what I would have done if I didn't find you, Josh. I knew I would, but I couldn't stop worrying that..." Her voice trailed off and she was emotional as she spoke; instead of finishing her sentence she grabbed his hand and pressed it to her own chest in return, above her breast where her heart worked away beneath the bone. "I'm nothing without you, I need you here. I love you too much to ever lose you."

 

[randomname98766789]

At least her ankle wasn’t broken. A sprained ankle was much preferred. Besides, considering the fact that Tara could have easily died when that tower collapsed or when the walkers cornered her and Joshua, a sprained ankle was such a small thing. Of course, it did hurt like a bitch and Tara constantly bit down on her tongue and lower lip to keep from yelling. Thankfully, she was in the best hands, knowing that Angela would do everything she could to assist. When the blonde finished her assessment and offered a diagnosis, Tara wanted to chuckle. How ironic was that the best way to recover was lay around and take it easy? When was the last time she was afforded that opportunity? “Well, I guess you’ll have to let me lean against you when we walk. Maybe it won’t be too bad after all.” After a night of sleeping on the ground and the cessation of adrenaline, it might feel impossible to walk in the morning. Therefore, Tara would need all the help she could get. It was no question that Angela would help her out however necessary. Whenever they got to touch, even if it was something like practically making her carry Tara because of a bum ankle, was electric. That enough was relieving of the pain.

Now they were both ready for sleep, Tara’s smile brightened at her question. Just when shit was going sour, Tara found Angela (or the other way around, really) and everything had changed. So, even now before sleep with her ankle hurting like crazy and uncertainty about tomorrow, Tara smiled. “What do you think?” Tara quirked as if that had to be a question she needed to ask. Honestly, a pillow was rarely used between them. They often took turns using the other’s breasts for a pillow. Tara, being the little tease that she was, nestled her head against the soft mounds of flesh and kissed each breast once with a sly little grin on her face. After situating herself, Tara reached down to grab her girlfriend’s hand and hold it. Unsurprisingly, the dark-haired woman fell asleep almost immediately. She did not wake until the next morning when Abraham was busy with getting everyone prepared to leave. It seemed that Eugene talked him into even going to Terminus as well so they had a chance to recover before heading to D.C.

When Tara woke, she stole a kiss from Angela before grunting about how much pain she felt this morning. She was unable to move by herself, needing her help when they stood up and made the short walk to the truck. From here, they would have to follow the remaining signs along the railroad tracks. Hopefully, it would lead them to the promised land they knew as Terminus.

---------------

Almost one-and-a-half years into the apocalypse, sleep was traditionally difficult to find. It had been approximately a week since the prison fell. Those six or seven nights without Maggie in his arms felt worse than anything ever endured in his life before. It was only natural that the first night reunited with his wife significantly improved his mood. With the form of Maggie Crowell in his arms again, Josh found sleep easily. Joshua and Maggie shared one final goodnight kiss before falling asleep. It was a dreamless sleep for the young man, waking up the next morning when everyone else started bustling around. When his blue eyes opened, the first thing he saw was Maggie’s beautiful face. Her body was positioned directly against his (just like he remembered her when he fell asleep last night). It was a giddy moment when Josh realized that Maggie had not been waken by the others, he took the opportunity to rouse her in a more appealing manner. Their lips connected and stayed connected until her green orbs peered into his. It brought a smile onto his face and the next two minutes were spent with a flurry of good morning kisses and cuddles.

Although they needed to get moving, Josh found it difficult to force himself up from the sleeping bag. When Maggie and the others were ready to get moving, Josh packed up his backpack and held his wife’s hand to the truck. During the drive, Josh sat in the backseat with Maggie sitting on his lap to save room. His arms were both wrapped around her waist, passing time during their day trip by kissing her neck and shoulder constantly. By nightfall, they were approaching Terminus according to the road signs near the railroad. They pulled outside the gates and parked the vehicle. One-by-one, the group filed out of the truck and approached the gate when it opened. Even though this should have been a sanctuary, Josh was still on high alert. It was silent and tranquil, looking almost unaffected by the apocalypse. It looked too good to be true. They approached a courtyard where a woman was tending to laundry.

The woman turned around and introduced herself as Mary. She appeared friendly and wanted to make them a plate of food because they must have been weary and tired from traveling. She looked unassuming, like a harmless motherly figure. The pair followed Mary deeper into Terminus without a clue about what they were about to do. “This looks good so far.” Josh whispered into his wife’s ear, peppering another kiss against her cheek as well.

 

[Amaranthine]

Angela would carry Tara if need be - that wouldn't be first, the girls were pretty silly with each other at times and both of them had taken the role of piggy-backer at one point or another. Besides, if that kept Tara in as little pain as possible then Angela wanted to do it. However, when morning came and everyone was getting ready to get on their way, Tara seemed to want to tough it out. Angela stuck close to Tara's side the entire time that they were walking to the truck, supporting her so she could keep pressure off of her one leg, and during the trip to Terminus she kept Tara close. The pair stayed hand in hand throughout the trip, talked about everything that had happened since they had been separated (though Angela had not been comfortable talking about the prison with the company they had) and mused about the good that Terminus would hopefully hold. Little did they know they were in for trouble - but there was no way that they could have known that.

Even once they were there, Angela was ever hopeful. In fact, despite everything the blonde's faith that the world was good had not been ruined. As they walked through she kept Tara close, allowing the brunette to lean on her. They were welcomed with open arms and even offered a meal - though the happiness could not last forever. Everyone had been too focused on the here and now (including if they should trust this place) that they missed the snipers hidden on rooftops, and before they knew what was happening they were surrounded on the ground by members of Terminus. They had been asked to put aside their weapons when they had entered, and while everyone had been concerned about doing so they agreed - this left the group unarmed as a man attempted to order them around, herding them like lost sheep. The first thing that Angela did was stand her ground and put herself between Tara and one of the guns.

----

Like her husband, Maggie remained on high alert as they walked through the fences and were guided deeper in to Terminus. While all seemed well, it didn't take long for the brunette to get a bad feeling about being there and she stayed close to Josh, alerting him of her concern as soon as she felt like. She didn't know why, but her intuition had a tendency of being right. For example, despite the relative peace at the prison part of her had just known that something bad was going to happen that day: the only thing she hadn't known was what. Once again she was getting that feeling and Maggie refused to chalk it up to paranoia caused by the recent loss of her family. Not only the death of her father and separation from both Josh and Beth, who she had been praying to see when she arrived here, but also for the others - everyone at the prison, especially those who had come with Rick to the farm, also felt like family to Maggie.

Maggie's faith was being tested, however. Not only did she not catch sight of anyone else she kept dear to her, but once again trouble struck just as she had expected. The people of Terminus had moved them inwards simply to keep them from an easy escape it seemed, as when the only exit was out of sight several people moved in with guns raised. It took only moments for her to scan the area around her, and she grabbed tight to Josh's hand as her heart raced in her chest. It didn't take a genius to realize that they had very little chance of escape without someone getting hurt. The friendliness had been a ruse, one meant to get their guard down. While Maggie wasn't sure why just yet, she knew that no reason could be good.

"What do you want?" She called out, cool expression not breaking even though she was starting to feel like a mess.

 

[randomname98766789]

Ever the optimist, Tara was not feeling a significant amount of distress. The woman seemed nice. The others were friendly. She only felt disappointed that nobody else that Josh and Maggie knew were present. Though Tara did not personally know these people from the prison, these people were clearly important to the man that helped her survive long enough to hold Angela again. She wanted to see him find his people now that he had found his wife. The deeper they walked, the more relaxed Tara became, unfortunately. It was not until they were surrounded by the armed men and women. They were like vultures, circling them and cornering them. At the mention of dropping all weapons, Tara immediately started to toss down her gun and knives. Fighting would have been a grave mistake. Yet, when Angela stepped in front of her and basically shielded her, Tara wanted to kiss her and slap her at the same time. If something ever happened to Angela risking her life for her, then Tara would not have known what to do. One of the men that approached to remove their weapons and frisk the small group smirked at the pair, clearly noticing Angela’s move.

“I bet you two are feisty… pretty ones are always feisty.” A dry chuckle left his lips as the man’s hands roamed down Tara’s body. Soon enough, all members had been frisked and they were being directed towards the opposite side of the compound. There was a small train car where they were going to be held. While they were walking, Tara held onto her girlfriend’s hand. Not only was it for physical support, but emotional support. Tara could not lie – she was scared as hell. Yet, just touching Angela’s hand made things feel so much better even if they were up shit creek without a paddle. They reached the empty train car and were forced inside with nothing but the clothes on their back. Behind them, the doors closed and locked with receding footsteps. “Shit… we have to find a way out.” Tara stated the obvious, but escape appeared next to impossible.

-----------------

It was difficult to explain with words, but Josh felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. When not a single soul from their group was found within the walls of Terminus, Josh felt like something was wrong. As they were given a tour of the place and taken deeper into the sanctuary, he also noted the lack of human presence. If this was a true sanctuary, shouldn’t more people be around? When Maggie grabbed his hand, Josh happily laced their fingers together while his eyes scanned the walls. Just before Josh was preparing to express a desire to leave, the men and women of Terminus had the small group surrounded and cornered. Only when they were ordered to drop their weapons did Josh release his wife’s hand. Soon enough, all weapons and bags of Josh’s belongings were on the floor.

Spotting where the guns were located, he stood in between the barrels and Maggie. Taking a bullet for someone was a huge deal. In fact, many liked to believe that he or she would take a bullet for a loved one. When push came to shove, not nearly as many would actually do it. For Josh, taking a bullet seemed like a small deal compared to the things he would do for Maggie. It was not even done with thinking. Stepping up to guard her was like an instinct to him as his hand reached backwards, resting on her arm.

After being led to the train car and locked inside, Josh waited until the captors were out of earshot. “I have no idea how we get out. The only idea I have is waiting until they open the door again and attack and hope we can grab the guns but that’s not exactly the smartest thing to do.” While it was discussed, Josh reached down for Maggie’s hand again. This was a sick game. They just found each other a couple days before only to find themselves back into a hell of a situation that teetered them close to death. Josh had no clue what these people wanted.

 

[Amaranthine]

They were left up shit creek without a paddle - weapons dropped, surrounded, then herded like cattle in to what appeared to be an old shipping container. It didn't take long for everyone to find out that they were locked in, and at that point they really did have to work on finding a way out. They would be dead meat in here, even Angela could see that and she liked to see the good in everything around her.

"Fuck, Tara," she cursed under her breath. Attempts on all parts were quickly appearing fruitless and everyone was getting frustrated. Even Angela, patience-of-a-saint Angela, was getting annoyed and she had once spent an hour straight trying to explain the importance of blood thinners during an extended hospital stay to a particularly argumentative patient without so much as breaking a sweat. To hear her swear (outside of the bedroom at which point a stream of breathy "fucks" was common, at least) was not common. Eventually she had began to pace and and it was only with a gentle touch from her girlfriend that she relented and just sat down. No one was going to figure out anything by getting stressed.

It was only moments later that gunshots rang out beyond the container they were in, and moments later loud voices that were not quite audible. It appeared to be that someone else had fallen in to the trap that they had what... three? four? hours ago. They couldn't have been there long, but time was blurring together with nothing but four claustrophobic walls around them.

----

Josh was right - to simply barge out and attempt to take charge would be a death sentence. This was an us versus them scenario and there were more than them; fighting back when they didn't have the upper hand would be dangerous. That didn't change that Josh's idea was the only one that anyone appeared to have. Maggie did her best to remain calm but that was not easy. By the time that guns began to fire outside, pretty much everyone had retired to sitting along the edges of the box car in their pairs or groups. Everyone was thinking of a possible solution but none were coming to mind.

As soon as there were signs of life outside, Maggie hopped to her feet. While she stayed away from the door, lest it be open and she end up grabbed by some sicko whose intentions she did not even know, she did move close to the wall. With her ear pressed against the metal wall, she was vaguely able to make out words. Archer, samurai, ringleader - Daryl, Michonne and Rick? Was Maggie getting her hopes up to interpret three benign words to mean so much? It was only after she questioned her instinct that she became confident in the owner of the other voices outside - Rick.

"Guys! Guys it's Rick," she explained to the others. Because her and Josh never wandered far from each other, he was within arms reach when she blindly held her hand out to him. She had been right - the others would come here. Now if only they had known that they were walking in to a trap. Either way, with Rick and the others around there was more hope that they could get out of here before something bad happened. They were yet to know what they were even being held for and Maggie did not want to find out.

Moments later, after an instruction for Rick to open the door lest his son get killed, light flooded the train car and several familiar faces entered: Rick, Michonne, Carl, Daryl and Glenn.

 

[randomname98766789]

The sound of gunshots firing presented false hope for Tara. Were they being saved? Obviously. Who the fuck would be saving you right now, Tara? After scolding herself, the girl stayed near the back of the train car with her girlfriend as they waited. The voices were not as plain to Tara as it was to Maggie, but when the other woman informed the pair that it was someone named Rick, Tara thought back. Rick was the leader of their group, the leader of the prison. On the plus side, it sounded like Rick was a good guy that could help them figure a way out. On the negative side of things, Tara was on the opposing side of Rick during the war at the prison.

The feeling brought a sinking feeling to the pit of her stomach and she squeezed the woman’s hands. It was something she brought up to Josh before. If they find his group, wouldn’t they be pissed at her and Angela? After all, they were with the Governor (even if they did not know his true, evil nature). Yet, Josh assured her that he could vouch for Tara. She hoped that Maggie could vouch for Angela. This Rick better be a trusting person.

It was ambivalent when the older man entered the train car. He did glance Tara and Angela’s way, but he did not make a sound. The others that followed also appeared to be members of the group. Since it was a reunion for the others, Tara stayed out of the way with Angela at her side. Honestly, she just needed to hold her girlfriend, so Tara wrapped her arms tightly around the blonde and pulled her into her chest.

----------------

During the entire firefight, Josh stayed beside Maggie. Disallowing her to reach more than an arm’s length away, Josh kept a hand on her waist at all times if they were not hugging or holding one another. When Rick entered, the small group had a reunion, but it was far from a happy reunion. Josh did go through and introduce everyone on both sides: those who were with them at the prison to newcomers like Abraham and even those with the Governor like Tara and Angela. As Josh promised Tara beforehand, he would ensure that Rick did not take issue with her or her girlfriend.

For the next few hours, Josh spent his time holding Maggie tightly. They kissed to pass the time and hurried off into their own world. It was not the first time they used each other to forget about horrible things. The only break they took was long enough to start gathering weapons from the scraps of their clothing material and the inside of the car. Yet, there was not much they could use. On the positive side, Daryl had informed Maggie that her sister might be alive. She was taken by some car that was black with a white cross on the back.

Other than that, Daryl had little information about her disappearance. Thankfully, Daryl did believe she was alive and that gave the group hope to find her. There were voices and footsteps surrounding the train car as Rick silently directed everyone to a corner. They would all lunge and attack the Terminus residents as soon as the doors opened. However, the plan was foiled as the top of the car opened instead of the front. Gas was thrown down into the car, causing Josh to go blind and start coughing violently with the others. He felt his hand being ripped away form Maggie’s as someone had grabbed him along with Rick, Daryl, Glenn, and Bob. As soon as they were out of the car, they were being taken towards some kind of slaughterhouse that these people set up. The intentions were quite clear as well.

 

[Amaranthine]

Angela began to understand it, how Rick seemed to be a driving force for those at the prison. While the majority of her trip ever since the prison fell was talk of moving forward, of Maggie's husband and of both of the women's drive to reunite with those that they had been separated from, here and there little bits had been shared about each of their history. Though more personal details about Ange had fallen on the ears of Sasha and Bob, all three had good things to say about so many people she couldn't even keep track of all the names. Rick's had stood out though - of course it had. He was the leader - he was the one that the Governor (though Angela did not know him by that title) had been speaking to through barbed-wire fences, demanding that he speak for wrongs that weren't his.

Rick got everyone moving, though - it was motivating, even. Maybe that was because of the extra bodies or maybe a strong presence but they tried. Now - if only their plan had worked. While everyone was prepared for a frontal assault, all bearing improvised weapons, the people there appeared to be one step ahead of them. Gas descended from an opening a the top of the car, tearing up eyes and irritating lungs. As Angela retreated towards the wall of the car, hoping to leave get as far away from the cloud as she could, she pulled Tara with her. She brought one of her hands to her mouth, using the sleeve as a very inefficient filter, and wrapped the other around Tara's mouth in hopes of minimizing the effects of the irritant. Everyone was coughing and everyone was stunned, but they were wanted alive - for now at least. Everyone there would be okay if only for a bit.

"Well... What now?" After the air had cleared, barely but enough to be able to breathe well, Angela spoke up. She hadn't missed the sight of several people being pulled out of the car and dragged away, and it left them back at square one when it came to ideas.

----

Beth was alive... at least the last time she had been seen. From what Daryl had said he had looked after her sister well, and her kidnapping couldn't be blamed on him. That didn't stop Maggie from feeling like he could have done more, but unfortunately there were more pressing matters at hand. Maggie would have to worry about finding her sister after she figured out the very real, very life-or-death situation that was currently in front of her. Namely, the fact that the little shits here had been one step ahead of them and subdued them before entering. If this was the first time that the people of Terminus had done this, they wouldn't have thought to gas the people in the train car out. No, they had done this before - and the creeping feeling running down Maggie's back turned to fear.

"We'll figure something out," she said back to Angela; though she was serious about figuring something out, but her confidence was a bravado without Josh beside her to give her strength. She was very much "faking it until she made it" as her along with the rest of the people left in the box worked to figure out what they should do. Unfortunately, everyone was still coming up with very few viable ideas. None, in fact. Every last one relied on someone opening that door for some reason or another and unless the tides turned drastically, she couldn't see that happening.

Moments after sighing in frustration, a loud explosion echoed from close by, its intensity shaking the walls of the car. What was that? Maggie had no clue, and she was really hoping that (hopefully) that had been friendly fire. Maybe one of their people had gotten free and blew a gas container, or maybe someone on the outside had just as much of a problem with Terminus as they did. She was really, really hoping that one of their own had done that as no one else would know that they were in there and needed to be freed. The noise would draw walkers in from miles. Maggie was hopeful, but pretty terrified too, that this was one of theirs.

"Don't panic it'll get us nowhere," she said in that southern accent of hers, grabbing one of the makeshift weapons that had been left behind on the floor. If this was one of theirs, then they had to be ready when they returned for them. Otherwise... She didn't want to think of the otherwise.

 

[randomname98766789]

Tara had the same idea as Angela. When the gas started filling the train car, she found Angela and pulled her towards the back. Only when she felt the cold, metal against her back did she start. One hand was covering her own mouth and nose while her other hand cupped over Angela’s face and mouth, too. By the time the gas cleared, she glanced towards the blonde and did a quick eye test. Obviously, there was no reason to suspect that she had been harmed. It was only gas, but Tara could not help herself. Just like the others, Tara had no idea where to go from here.

Minutes of silence passed before gunshots and explosions were heard. This gave Tara hope, as it did for many others inside the train car. Everyone grabbed whatever makeshift weapon they had and prepared to attack earlier. Again, Tara made sure that Angela was always close to her no matter where she walked. It was important that she work to keep Angela safe. If only one person made it out of here alive, it was going to be Angela. Tara gave her a reassuring nod of the head and gently brushed her free hand against hers.

Finally, she focused on the situation in front of her eyes, keeping both hands on the small, metal rod she managed to gather from a corner in the train car. Seconds felt like hours inside this forsaken place. Every small noise made Tara even more anxious. Not long after it had started, they could hear the faint sounds of the dead. It sounded like there were hundreds of the undead. Tara had not seen many hordes, but from the hordes she had witnessed, they sounded like this for sure.

Voices and footsteps approached to the train car, causing everyone to lunge backwards. When the doors opened, and it was the same group that had been taken before, Tara breathed out a sigh of relief. “Let’s get out of here.” Tara murmured and stole a quick kiss on Angela’s lips before grabbing her hand, pulling her towards the exit. She could smell the fire, see the walkers, and hear the shooting. This place was overrun and they needed to find an escape route.

------------

The men were taken into a human slaughterhouse. The Terminus residents were already bludgeoning other captives before slitting their throats. The blood flowed into some type of trough, presumably draining the humans of their blood before they were being eaten. The newest captives were lined up together as Gareth asked Rick about the bags he stashed in the woods. After admitting the contents, the Terminus residents were ready to kill. However, right before Glenn was struck in the back of the head with a baseball bat, the sound of an explosion followed by gunshots prevented him from going through with the action.

It was just enough time to use a distraction. Rick had hidden a wooden stick in his sock. Josh had hidden something similar as well: some metal from the train car. Both men attacked at the same time, taking out the two guys holding them here in the room. Josh finished them while Rick freed the others. Unfortunately, they were unable to save the other captives. The Terminus residents killed the others first. Unable to dwell on that, they needed to get moving. Josh was being motivated to figure a way out by one person: Maggie. The need to get her to safety, because this place clearly was not safe, won out over everything else.

The men exited the slaughterhouse, but not before seeing humans hung from meat hooks. It was disgusting. These people were cannibals and Josh could not believe they almost met the same demise. Rick informed them how they would kill any Terminus resident they found without hesitation. That was something Josh could get behind. In one of the narrow corridors, Josh and the others ambushed a group of the Terminus residents, killed them, and took their weapons. It was at this point when the gigantic horde of walkers started to pile into the compound. They had to keep an eye on the slow-moving walkers as well. The residents were not the only threats anymore.

Finally, they reached the train car where their people had been stored. Pulling it open, everyone was freed. Josh immediately searched for his wife. He had no idea if she was taken, if she was still here, or if she had been taken somewhere else. Thankfully, the second he saw her, Josh jumped up into the car and pulled her in for a quick hug. “Come on, babe. We need to get moving.” Thankful that she was alright, Josh shoved a gun into her hands before quickly dividing up the other weapons among all members. They would need every last bullet they could afford.

 

[Amaranthine]

Eugene had wanted to jerry-rig something to force the door open; Maggie had been a voice of reason. Angela, however, only maintained the illusion of staying calm. She had learned a damn lot of patience in her lifetime but fear? That was one feeling she had never learned how to shake. She was more worried for Tara than she was herself, which was ironic given that the brunette's training, which naturally gave Tara an advantage both physically and mentally. When the door to the train car was pulled open and familiar faces urged everyone to move and quick, Angela only hesitated just long enough to grab Tara's hand and then they were out.

The fence appeared to be their best bets: walker numbers were low, relatively low at least, and there was enough junk in the area to facilitate getting everyone over to the other side. Once they did that, they would have to just keep going. Did rick and the others have somewhere in mind to go after this? Angela figured not but she also tried to focus on the here and now. In fact, there was no other option. The horde around them looked like it had more walkers than she had ever seen... total. Holing up in an apartment and only leaving when need be had been their go-to and while in the past she had seen small groups, nothing was ever like this. Her pulse raced as she dashed towards the fence, taking down the dead as needed. While she did let go of Tara's hand she never ventured out of arm's reach and once they hit the fence she pushed her girlfriend forward to go over first. (They were both stubborn - both would want the other to go first. One was going to have to just suck it up and if Tara tried to insist that Angela head across first she would relent.)

----

Every time that Maggie Crowell found herself reunited with her husband, it was bigger than the last. First he had made his way back to her in the end of the world, then they had found each other after the prison fell. This time, he came from within the storm to those who remained anxious and panicked within the train car. Despite the fact that panic did no one good, it was impossible not to when they were left unaware of what was going on. All they knew was that the thick, throat-tightening smell of smoke was growing stronger and that the dead were moving in, groaning and shuffling outside while seemingly unaware of the treat that laid within the metal frame. Perhaps their smell was masked, perhaps there was simply too much external stimuli.

Either way, when the door swung open Maggie's heart burst. While there was little time to make a scene of being reunited, she didn't hesitate to pull Josh straight in to her arms and kiss him hard. That was all she would get for now, though once they were in safety she would make a point to ask about what had gone on during the short period of time that the men had been gone. "I'm so glad to see you," she said as she took the gun from him. Even though it would probably bother Josh that she wasn't the first one out of the car, Maggie was stubborn and she didn't budge until everyone else was out. Taking up the back, there was no time to stop - this was a mad dash to the fence in hopes of getting out, stopping to kill only what got in the way. Maggie downed dead one after dead one until they reached the fence.

 

[randomname98766789]

Before exiting the train car, Tara reached down to take Angela’s hand and squeezed it. This escape was made easier knowing that Angela was beside her. Plus, the need for helping her girlfriend to safety overrode everything else. That was every ounce of motivation that Tara needed to have. As they made their mad dash across the courtyard towards the fence, Tara ensured that the blonde was close. When they reached the fence, she wanted to argue about Angela vaulting the fence first. Unfortunately, that happened to be the opposite of what she had in mind. So, instead of arguing with her and wasting time, Tara used her training and strength. As she was about to climb over the fence, she stopped and reached down to take the woman’s hand, pulling her up. Tara did cross first, but she basically pulled Angela with her at the same time. Her boots hit the ground first followed by Angela’s. Now, they were ready to get running after the others arrived. They had to fight a huge group of walkers to reach the fence, but Tara was safe and she checked to ensure that Angela was unharmed as well. Finding no bites or scratches on either, they were ready to start running.

Rick led a sprint through the woods just outside of Terminus. Before entering, he had hidden a small cache of weapons in the ground. It showed how prepared the leader was for an event like this. Between those guns and the weapons taken from Terminus residents, everyone was armed now. Rick wanted to return and finish off the others. But everyone else, Tara included, said it was a horrible idea because they would likely be killed by the walkers as well. The Terminus residents would either run or they would die. It was a risky waste of time to go back.

-----------------

Reaching the fence, it was only natural that Josh wanted Maggie to climb aboard first. However, they were the last two in the pack since she was the last person to exit the train car. Therefore, they were the last two to climb the fence. If the woman wanted to argue that Josh go before she did, it was pointless because Josh practically gripped her by the waist and pulled her towards the fence. The horde was getting close and Josh reached the opposite side of the fence with more than a few seconds to spare. Within a brief second, he was sprinting again. Near the weapons cache, Josh also joined the majority who wanted to let Terminus die on its own. It was a suicide mission to return. With an overwhelming amount of support, they decided against fighting back to Terminus. Within a few minutes, Carol had shown up. It was revealed that she caused all this mayhem and set them free. They were indebted to the woman now. She and Tyreese found a cabin not far away. Thankfully, they had Judith with them as well. After watching the family reunite, Josh smiled to himself and squeezed Maggie’s hand.

It was decided they would rest tonight and get as far away from Terminus as possible tomorrow. So, after deciding who was on watch, Josh walked Maggie towards the front of the cabin. Thinking they could just prop up against the building, he dropped to a seat first and pulled her down quickly, too. He pulled Maggie in between his legs so her back was against his chest. His arms tightly wrapped around her before sharing a kiss on the lips with the woman. “I love you so much.” Josh whispered, finally able to relax for a second and just enjoy the fact they were together again.

 

[Amaranthine]

Once they were out they were out - like Tara and everyone else, Angela saw returning to Terminus as something senseless. Luckily, it seemed that the leader was talked out of his desire to take down every member of Terminus himself. Like others had said: between the walkers and the fire, everyone there was as good as dead. It was moments after that a grey-haired woman walked towards them, revealed to be the person who had saved them - all of them. It didn't take a genius to see that she was already acquainted with the others, and especially with the disheveled archer who also found himself reunited with his crossbow. That scene, and then the one that followed where Rick and the boy were reunited with a baby, melted Angela's heart. Of course, Sasha found her brother as well. Given that Sasha had travelled with Angela as she attempted to find Tara, Ange couldn't help but be happy.

Of course once everything quieted down, they needed to decide what they wanted to do for the night. When it was decided that they would stay in the cabin, Angela was grateful. After all that had happened the blonde needed a chance to just sit down and be able to hold her girlfriend close. The cabin was a little crowded so she guided Tara out the front door and sat down a few feet away from it. "Come on," she said with a soft smile as she patted the ground next to her and then split one of her three remaining granola bars in half. Holding one half between her teeth, she offered the other out to Tara. "How are you feeling? Can't have been easy to run on that leg."

----

Maggie didn't hesitate to follow; after the hectic events of just hours before, she needed a break. Being able to cuddle up to Josh was a needed solace that the brunette didn't take lightly. Once again, she had lost him - he had been pulled from her and there had been nothing she could do about it. Feeling weak like that didn't come easy to her, but when it came to her husband Maggie was weak. If anyone wanted to try to get to her, the choice was obvious: threaten to harm Josh or separate her from him. While she had known that he would find her again, that hadn't made being in that train car without him any easier. With his arms tight around her she leaned back against his chest, her hands grasping at his opposite elbows to tighten his hold even more.

She kissed him; it was soft but it had all the meaning that it needed to. I love you, I need you, I'm so glad to have you back again. Would there ever stop being an again? They could vow to never leave each other's side ever again but that relied on circumstances leaning in their favour. Either way, that simply made her cherish being with him even more. "I love you too," she whispered against his lips before resting her head against the strong muscles of his chest. "Were they really... were they really eating people?" She hesitated to ask, but she hadn't missed that part of the conversation with Rick earlier when returning to finish them had been up for debate. Maggie couldn't wrap her head around that, and she didn't want to believe that was true.

 

[randomname98766789]

Like Angela, Tara merely wanted a second to breathe and hold her girlfriend close. Plus, she needed time to heal her injured ankle. Today had not exactly been helpful in assisting with the betterment of her injury. Yet, in a world like this, one could not just stay put because he or she was hurt. That was how death happened. Tara did not intend to die yet. Despite all the death around her, she hoped to live a long life with the girl that she loved. Following the blonde outside of the cabin, she gently lowered her body down beside Angela. Their legs were touching as were their shoulders. Tara sighed quietly as she took the other half of the granola bar. In the old world, she might have finished this piece in one bite. Now, she was obviously more savoring in whatever food she could have. It was not uncommon to go days without food since they had been on the run. So, she took small bites while listening to Angela. “It hurts like hell, Ange.” She responded softly, understanding how useless it was to lie. Angela could easily see right through any façade of hers.

The happy couple finished their small amount of food and cuddled before bedtime. Tara asked the usual “bag or boobs?” question and took whatever Angela did not choose. She was out like a light in less than two or three minutes with her girlfriend tightly wrapped in her arms, only waking up the next morning when she felt Angela shifting against her body as most of the others were starting to wake as well. The sun had only just risen, but they needed to continue putting distance between themselves, Terminus, and the walker horde.

---------------

“It looks that way, unfortunately.” Josh responded. Lying to Maggie would not have made sense. Even as much as he loved protecting her, this apocalypse brought him to the uncanny reality that protecting her from everything was literally impossible. After his answer, they cuddled for a while longer before Josh suggested they get sleep. He gave her a kiss and then closed his eyes before easily falling asleep. The following morning, Josh was one of the first people to wake. He could tell that it was early morning and it was almost still dark. He looked down in his arms to find a peaceful, sleeping Maggie. Deciding he wanted to wake his wife in a cute way since they had gone through so much shit lately, Josh leaned down and gently pressed his lips to her cheek. “Wake up, Princess.” His voice was soft and sweet, warm breath hitting her neck. He waited until those precious orbs opened up and looked at him. Once she was completely awake and aware, Josh captured her lips in a direct kiss. After all, wake up and good morning kisses were his specialty. He often woke up before Maggie did and it meant she was given many of these throughout their lives together.

His hands cupped her face and Josh did not pull back for at least one full minute. Was there a better way to begin the day? Josh did not think so. After offering her one more smile, Josh maneuvered himself into a standing position before pulling Maggie with him as well. “It looks like we’re moving out soon. Let’s head on over to the others and see what the plan for today is.” Josh murmured, reaching for her hand so he could bring her palm to his lips and kiss it.

 

[Amaranthine]

"Mm, come here," Angela whispered as she pulled Tara in to her, wrapped her arm around the brunette's neck and letting her snuggle up against her chest. She lost consciousness shortly after Tara but not before she spent a few minutes caressing the woman's head, running her fingers through her hair. Only after a final kiss goodnight against the sleeping beauty's forehead did she succumb, and after a dreamless sleep she awoke in the morning. Almost as soon consciousness slowly returned, Tara was up as well and though Angela would have loved to simply lay there and hold on to her beloved in a half-awake state there was things to be done and even if moving forward wasn't imperative, trying to rest with the noise of so many people around was not easy.

"Good morning," she whispered in a groggy, rough voice as her throat was dried and not quite used to being used once again. Her blue eyes opened just enough for her to see Tara's half-awake form against her, and with a smile on her face Angela leaned in to give the brunette a kiss before they got up and joined the living in figuring out what to do. After everyone had agreed it was time to go, she wanted to take a moment and check on Tara's ankle quickly before they left.

----

Knowing that they had walked in to the lair of cannibals sent a chill down Maggie's spine, a reminder of the harsh reality of the world that they were living in. They could have easily ended up today's meal, but luckily Carol had come to their aid. She wasn't sure they would have (all) gotten out otherwise. The idea of Josh being one of the first gone disgusted her deeply. It took her a while to shake the thought as they cuddled up together, focusing only on each other for as long as they could. In the end, she fell asleep in his arms. Now, Maggie Crowell was a little bit of a grump when she was woken up. Of course, when the person waking her was her husband that grumpiness was overpowered by soft smiles and sighs as she was roused out her slumber. She grumbled as he kissed at her cheek and while there was a little bit of fire in her eyes when she opened them, that was vastly masked by the pure love and adoration she had for the man she was faux-glaring at.

"Let's," came Maggie's reply as she offered her hand out to him and once he helped her up she offered her hand out to him; when he kissed her palm she moved to grab his hand back and pull it towards her lips. After planting a soft kiss on the back of his hand she gave him a sweet smile and then the pair were off. Everyone was still getting up and while they did need to keep moving, there was no direct need to move now - some of the others could sleep in a little bit. However, not too long: eventually, Angela and Tara were the last to join everyone. It was decided that while they had no direct destination, they needed to find somewhere farther away from where they were. Everyone got ready, and then it was time to move out.

 

[randomname98766789]

Waking up was always easier with Angela. Tara started the day with a smile on her face as they joined the group. They shared a couple tender moments before coincidentally catching Rick. The woman felt somewhat awkward because they had once been on opposing sides of a battle. Yet, Rick decided to strike up a conversation. In typical Rick Grimes fashion, he was brief, quiet, but sincere. He recognized that neither knew what they were doing that day, he held no ill will, and thanked them both for helping members of their group survive and find each other. It was everything Tara wanted and needed to hear. She no longer felt like they were out of place or that Rick viewed them as enemies. Besides, everyone seemed to take a liking to Tara and Angela so far.

The next few days were spent similarly, walking along the road when it was daytime and making camp out in the woods by night. They had little supplies and were living off what they hunt or scavenged. Tara put her skills to use with a gun with hunting animals. She might have only been training in the academy, but she had been using guns almost her entire life. One of the days they were walking, they heard someone screaming for help rather loudly. Rick is reluctant to help until Carl finally convinces him otherwise. Tara followed suit, joining the rest of the group to find the origin of the screams.


--------------

During their days of traveling, Josh’s hand did not leave Maggie unless he needed to. When they split up to search for nearby water sources or animals to hunt, Josh always went with Maggie. It might not always be like this, but Josh had quite literally not left Maggie’s side and vice versa now that they were reunited yet again. Josh hoped it would stay like this, but he knew they would face variables other than no shelter. At nights during their time making camp, they cuddled up tight, kissed, and talked. Josh was increasingly thankful to have Maggie back in his life. When they heard the screams, Josh realized it could have been a trap. Rick mentioned how it was none of their business, but Carl and the others were quite hellbent on saving whomever was in need. Josh greatly agreed with the younger man, thinking they should at least check out what was happening. One thing that Josh would never do was lose his sense of humanity or altruism. All his life, even before going into the military, he wanted to help people and make a difference. This was no different. As dangerous as it was, Josh was one of the first to suggest they offer help.

When they dashed into the woods, the group found a man dressed as a priest. He was standing on a rock, surrounded by walkers. He was unarmed and looked helpless. Even though there were a handful of walkers, Josh noticed that he personally taken out more walkers by himself many times. This preacher was absolutely clueless about defending himself. Either way, the group quite easily dispatched the undead surrounding the man who introduced himself as Father Gabriel. Josh wondered how he was going to be handled by Rick, if they were going to leave him where he was or let him join their group. It looked like leaving him alone meant certain death.

 

[Amaranthine]

Rick's affirmation that they were welcome eased a lot of tension that Angela had been feeling as she wondered if her and her partner were truly welcome there. Luckily, it seemed that the leader understood what it was like to know you were on the wrong side - though his calming statement didn't change the fact that Angela was going to work to do the best she could to prove that he made the right call. As several days came and passed and the group put distance between themselves and the cannibals, she made herself useful in tending to any wounds that came up (even a scrape could cost a life if not treated carefully these days) as well as helping with any cooking and night watches. While she wasn't nearly as good with a gun as most people were, she wasn't clueless either as Tara had taken her to the range on more than one occasion before before the dead had started walking and afterwards it had been especially important that Angela's gun skills were up to par. After Rick had dug up the bag of guns he had stashed, she had gotten her hands on a glock that she kept close at all times - luckily, she was yet to have a reason to use it. She was better with a knife anyways, but sometimes getting that close to what was trying to kill you was rather nervewracking.

But of course, when a terrified scream rang out in the distance she couldn't help but want to come to the owner's aid. Had she not learned the first few times that other people were dangerous? Well, yes, but that it wasn't in her nature to ignore someone in need of help. Knife out she ran along side the others, downing one of the dead before she even looked at the scared, cowering man who had pulled himself on top of a large boulder in order to get away from several of the dead. He looked utterly defenseless and too scared to even try, and Angela wondered how in the world the man had managed to survive so long with that attitude. It was quickly revealed that the man had never even killed one of the infected, and that so far he had spent his time holed up in a small church near by. This was the farthest that he had ever gone.

Eventually, they made their way to the church and it was deemed clear. Several of the group went with the priest to check out an overrun food bank in hopes of gathering supplies, which left those who remained to keep themselves occupied for a little while. Like clockwork, Angela was checking on Tara's ankle every time she got the chance. After a few days it was looking better, though the blonde imagined that the piggy-backs she had offered her girlfriend definitely helped keep the strain off of the sore joint. Regardless of the fact that Tara should be fine, Ange was still a worrier. "Has it been hurting you lately?" She asked as she pulled Tara's pant leg back down, hoping that the answer to that question would be (an honest) "no".

----

While Maggie Crowell wished the best for this man, the brunette was more cautious than ever after recent events. Though spending the last several days at Josh's side had been a relief after the fall of the prison and their capture at Terminus, nothing could undo what had happened. For all they knew, they were walking in to the trap. Like Josh, that didn't stop her from wanting to help though and with the day slowly coming to an end the offer to check out Gabriel's church almost seemed too good to be true. Of course, Rick felt that way as well. The man took the head of the group, following the priest towards a small church and as they reached it most people waited outside as Rick and several others looked through to make sure they were safe.

When all was said and done, the place did appear to be empty. Father Gabriel had not lied that he was alone and that made how someone so defenseless had survived this long alone seem even more nonsensical. In the end that was due to the fact that just before society had fell, a food drive was being run. The pastor had spent the last year and some living on canned goods and nonperishables, looting every nearby area that wasn't over run. When Abraham wanted to get the bus outside fixed up to move on to Washington, that idea was put on hold. Everyone wanted to rest, recuperate and gather supplies. Eventually it was decided that Bob, Sasha, Rock and Michonne would take Father Gabriel towards the food bank. After they left, everyone who remained at the church was given a chance to relax.

"What do you say, to going to Washington?" Maggie asked her husband in a soft voice as they sat on one of the pews.

 

[randomname98766789]

When Tara first met Josh, he asked her three questions: “How many walkers have you killed? How many people have you killed? Why?” It never made sense until now. Hearing Rick recite the same questions to Father Gabriel proved those three questions helped judge whether a person was allowed into the group. After the walkers were taken down, Gabriel jumped down onto the ground as Rick asked these questions. According to Father Gabriel, he had neither killed any walkers nor humans because “the lord abhors violence”. He did not even carry a weapon with him and he vomited quite violently after he was rescued. It truly was wonderous how he survived this long without being killed: by humans or otherwise. After checking the man for weapons, he revealed that he had a church. In return for rescuing his sorry ass, he would lead the group to the church to make shelter for the night. As they walked, Rick continued pressing the man about himself and the church. There was much left to be desired. It did not appear he could contribute much to the safety or production of the group. Plus, Tara generally disliked clergy members in the first place.

Rick and a few entered the church behind Gabriel, finding it empty. Abraham suggested they could fix the bus and drive it to Washington D. C. Before that, Michonne suggested they should rest and resupply. For the moment, they group agreed with the latter idea. Inside the church, Gabriel had been living off of the canned food drive from the church that occurred before the apocalypse started and Tara remarked how convenient it was. Yet, he has scavenged all places near the church other than a food bank that is surrounded by almost a dozen walkers. Rick and a few others decided to check it out, but they were forcing their new group member to join them because they did not trust him. In the shape Tara was in, she obviously could not join the group. She needed to rest. If it were not for Angela offering many piggyback rides the past week, her ankles would have been in miserable shape. So, the girl finally sat down on a pew in the middle of the church. This place was quite hot and humid as the sun peered directly into one of the windows, so she sat on the opposite side of the structure. Her body was halfway turned, placing her injured leg up onto the pew and stretching it out, laying her ankle onto the arm on the end of the row.

Listening to Angela, she offered the woman a soft smile. She knew how much her girlfriend worried about her, even when there was no reason. With honesty, though, she could finally tell her about the excellent progress. “Well, thanks to my sexy nurse that carried me around and tended to me each day, it doesn’t bother me. After we walk for a while, it gets a little sore, but it is nothing I can’t handle.” Within a few more days, she should have a total recovery. “Now, enough about me. Sit down here, Ange. How are you?” She asked since Angela had been thankfully focusing on her for so long to help with her injury – Tara wanted to make sure that her girlfriend was doing well, too.

---------------

Once everything had settled down at the church, Josh placed his and Maggie’s bags down onto one of the front pews. Sitting down first, he pulled Maggie beside him, stretching her legs across his lap. She was sitting to his left, so his left arm wrapped gently around her neck as his right hand tangled with both of her hands. When she asked him what he felt about Washington, he could only offer her the truth of how he felt. “I think it sounds crazy, but we should give it a shot. After all we’ve been through, I think finding a cure sounds ludicrous. But, if we were in high school and someone would have told us that after we graduate college, the dead would be walking the Earth, I would have said that was the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Maybe someone does know the cure. Maybe that someone is Eugene. Either way, maybe D. C. will be safer than anywhere else. I don’t think we do any damage by checking it out. If he’s right, then the whole world as we know it changes. If he’s not, then we’ll regroup and keep surviving.”

Josh squeezed Maggie’s hands before kissing each of her palms. It felt so good to relax with her for once. Carl stood guard near the door, leaving everyone else to their own terms to relax. “What do you think, my love?” Josh questioned. The only reason he felt so optimistic was because of Maggie. Just having her involved in his life made him believe that anything was possible. They still had a chance to make something special out of this life – cure or no cure. He could not help but glance down towards the wedding band around her finger, feeling thankful that she wanted to marry him. It had not been the marriage they ever intended to have, but it was theirs, and it was special.

 

[Amaranthine]

For Angela, sticking around was also the right call - and she was grateful to be able to confidently say that Tara was doing much better. She had been worried - even if there had been no reason to be, there was no avoiding that. Ange was a worrier and that never ceased - especially when it involved the beautiful brunette that she had the pleasure of calling her girlfriend. Sometimes Angela believed that Tara understated how she was when she was hurt just to keep her from worrying as much as she possibly could.

"I'm alright babe," Angela said as she pulled Tara's pant leg back down and leaned in to steal a kiss from her girlfriend. After that she moved so that she could sit down beside Tara, half behind the brunette who was turned to raise her leg on to the bench. She snuck her arms around Tara's waist and rested her chin against Tara's shoulder. Cuddling hadn't been the same with the constant worry that the distraction could cost them their lives and because of that, Angela was grateful to have a proper roof over her head - even if it was just for one night. She wasn't sure what she would do if given an option: tell the governor to fuck off in the first place and never end up here, or find an amazing group of people who had hearts of gold. Overall, it was a weird spot to be in and Angela had been thinking about what the better call would be for days now. "I'm hopeful. You're alive and you're with me and I couldn't ask for anything more. I hope Eugene, Abraham and Rosita can follow through. Imagine being one of the people to ensure the survival of a cure, huh?"

----

Of course, Josh asking her opinion came as no surprise to Maggie who knew undoubtably that her husband wouldn't commit to any specific opinion without finding out what her thoughts were. If she were to say that she thought the cure was a sham, they would talk out the whys of each their sides until they came to a conclusion together. However, Maggie was not arguing with what her husband thought of things. Like Josh, Maggie was hopeful and optimistic. Cautious, careful, but open - Eugene seemed to appear to know what he was talking about and having spent the last little while reuniting with her husband not once more but twice she was holding on to any hope.

"I wanna give it a shot," the brunette agreed as she leaned back in to Josh's hold on her. With her head rested against his shoulder she let out a soft, content sigh and leaned her knees inward just slightly so that they touched Josh's chest. "It sounds so crazy that it just could be true, and after the last year or so I'm trying not to have any expectations about what can or can't happen. After all, even with the world separating us, you still found me in the end of the world. If one miracle can happen, why not another? And if not... If there's nothing left of D.C. or the cure's gone or there never was one in the first place - having a reason to keep pushing is enough for me. We can't wander aimlessly forever. Look how last winter got, having no home and nowhere to settle down? I don't want to be stuck in that rut again, Josh."

 

[randomname98766789]

Honestly, Tara was quite protective over Angela as well. If the roles were reversed, Tara would have been taking care of Angela the same way she took care of her. However, Tara would seek guidance from her girlfriend on how to help, but she would go to great lengths and help her heal. After the kiss, Tara offered her beautiful blonde girlfriend another smile. When Angela was taking care of her, Tara could not help worrying about Angela’s safety as well. If she had her attention on Tara’s ankle, then she was not focusing on what was ahead. It could have been fatal. When the woman wrapped her arms around her waist, Tara released a sigh of relief. No amount of medicine or time could heal Tara’s wounds like the touch of her lover. Hearing that Angela was hopeful made Tara feel the same way, honestly. Tara could be pessimistic sometimes, but she had to believe that there was something good here.

“It would be incredible, love. I feel hope, too. It’s crazy – everything that we’ve been through. A cure sounds just as crazy, but maybe that’s good. Either way, I want to see this through. If Eugene is right, then we can help change the world. We can help put an end to this.” Sighing, Tara turned her head slightly and stole another kiss. “But, I don’t want to worry about cures or walkers right now. I just want to love you and hold you. I can’t remember the last time we could truly relax when we cuddled and talked. I’ve missed this so much. When you combine that with getting separated, it feels like it has been forever since we’ve had a proper moment together. I love you so much, Angela. I’m so thankful to have you in my life and thankful to be surviving with you.”

-----------

Listening to Maggie brought a smile to Josh’s face. Locking eyes with her green orbs, Josh agreed with every statement. “We won’t get stuck again. I can assure you of that. We’ve learned from our mistakes as a group. We can push through better than ever before. I have hope as well. Let’s see where this takes us.” After saying that, Josh decided to readjust with Maggie against his body. The male placed the woman flat onto her back. The pew was wide, so it made a perfect location for a bed. The padding on the wooden seats was comfortable. Crawling on top of Maggie so he straddled her waist, Josh cupped Maggie’s cheeks and pressed a firm kiss onto her lips. When they were locked, his tongue peeked into her mouth and started to massage the insides of her cheeks. His knees rest on either side of her legs and their bodies were close together. It might not have been a traditional cuddling position and he was making out with his wife while laying on top of her in front of everyone, but that sure as hell did not bother Josh one bit.

After pulling back from the kiss, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with a smile. “Even in the apocalypse, you manage to look so beautiful. I’m such a lucky man. There’s nobody else I’d rather be with in a time like this.” After praising her and expressing his love, Josh stole another kiss from her lips. Even after the kiss ended, he did not move. Instead, their foreheads were pressed together and he nuzzled his nose against hers. Josh did not want to move from this position, finding it rather comfortable and relaxing.

 

[Amaranthine]

The way they both protected each other was one thing that Angela loved about her relationship. As long as Tara was around, she knew there was someone who would always be watching her back, and the blonde offered her favourite person the same in return. Tara was right in thinking that Angela would be too focused on looking after her to really think ahead and yes, that was dangerous. A trait they shared was their ability to persevere, though. It would take a lot to take either one of them down, and even if there was something at the forefront of her mind Angela was still paying enough attention to the world around her that a stray walker wouldn't be what ended her.

Ange had no problem with Tara stealing another kiss - she leaned in, savoured it, reached around the brunette's neck to pull her in tight and give her a little affectionate squeeze. Tara was right. There had been so little time for them to actually just be able to focus on each other and Angela was grateful as well to be allowed to simply exist with her lover once again. While there was a part of her mind that was out there, wondering how the others were doing at the food bank. She was really hoping that everyone would come back safe - these were people who were gracious enough to allow Tara and her in to their ranks. As she released her little squeeze she spoke softly in to Tara's ear/ "I couldn't want anyone by my side through this more than I do you."

"Being out here's a lot different than being in the apartment isn't it huh?" She mused; until the prison, they hadn't truly lived in what was happening. This was all still new, but it seemed like they were getting it right.

----

Maggie provided no resistance as her husband lowered her on to her back on the soft cushion of the pew, and as his body lowered on top of hers she found a hold on him. His hands found her cheeks and hers found his back and for a moment she let herself live in a world where nothing mattered but him and her and the loved they shared. No one else even cared; in a world like this there was very little genuine privacy and a couple kissing was not something that anyone paid mind to. If they were to get too obnoxious someone would speak up, as there were children in the room after all, but despite the obvious passion between the pair both knew that they wouldn't be getting up to anything more while others were around. |Of course, they could sneak out after everyone had gone to bed. They had done that before, during the months that they traveled between her daddy's farm and the prison. Now that they had a place to properly settle down for the night... well, with Josh's body on top of her, Maggie's mind was leaving innocent thoughts in the past. If he was up for it (which she had little doubt that he would be), she was going to steal him after everyone had settled down.

They may have stopped kissing but they never stopped loving; Maggie was undeniably head over heels for her husband. Their romance was almost cliche from how perfect it seemed to be - they never fought, they never got sick of each other, and they could always be found side by side. She wouldn't want it any other way, though. "Mm, I don't think you're the lucky one here," the brunette remarked in response, giving her husband a playful little smile as one of her hands began to gently run through the hair above his ear. "I'd be lost without you, Josh."