Lucy's Revelation

By AuraAuthor

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Chapter 1 Why?

The sun had set several hours ago and Lucy sat wide eyed in the dark of the night listening. She hadn't been able to find any place to lay her head tonight that was safe so she sat silently with her back against a tree and her backpack between her legs. She wouldn't sleep tonight but it wouldn't be the first time she had gone without rest. Being a nurse practitioner in the emergency room had helped prepare her for long periods of time without rest.

She listened to the sounds of the night around her and was comforted by the rustling of the animals in the underbrush. As long as those sounds existed she was safe. It was when the world became quiet she had to be really concerned.

When the sun rose enough that she could see where she was going too struck out from the tree and moved as quietly as possible in search of shelter. She knew she would need to rest soon, but she had to be able to fortify the place she stopped. Things had changed so much since the world came to an end and there were days she didn't want to go on anymore. There were days she contemplated throwing herself from a bridge or a cliff and ensuring it would be the end of her existence, but she wouldn't do it, she couldn't do it to herself. Especially when there was potential that she would come back as one of those things. That was a nightmare she knew she wouldn't wake from.

She felt she had a duty to the world as it now existed. Her skills were much needed, but she had learned to be cautious with advertising her knowledge. She had already been placed in a couple of precarious positions based on telling the wrong sort of people what she had done before the dead started walking again.

She moved down the road slowly, listening as she went. The sound of a car motor pushed her into the trees where she hid quietly until it passed. She stuck to the trees alongside the road for the next hour or so until she came upon a small wood shed that was easily fortified. She tucked into the shed to sleep for a few hours before she planned to move on to wherever the road took her.

She always dreamed when she slept. She had always had vivid dreams and the environment around her was much more conducive to vivid dreams now. During those few hours of solace, bedded down in the simple wood shed, she dreamed about safety with a protector that she couldn't quite see in the distance. She dreamed of a future with children playing in the front yard of a simple house and her protector holding her close. She never saw his face, but he was there all the same.

She woke from the dream in a huff. There would never be a safe place again, let alone someone to take care of her and the opportunity to have children. She didn't know why her mind conjured those sort of dreams. She packed her belongings and wandered along the road again. A fenced area full of houses loomed before her and she paused in fear of the inhabitants, but need drove her forward. She was running low on supplies and she was sure she could quickly restock from within those walls. She could sneak in and take some food before anyone even knew she was there if she was careful. She chuckled at that thought. "You are always careful Lucy. It's part of the rules," she muttered out loud before moving into the woods again to approach the community from behind.

Lucy shivered even though she was wrapped in a blanket with a hot cup of tea in her hand. "If only you had stuck to the rules," she said to herself.

"Who you talkin' to?" came a male voice.

"Myself Daryl."

"Knew you was a nutter," he mumbled.

She snorted. "And why the devil are you lurking about Daryl? I'm up here minding my own business and you are creeping around in the dark."

"It ain't dark crazy woman. It's twilight. The sun's coming up which if you opened your eyes and quit talking to yourself you could see."

"Is there something I can do for you Daryl?"

"Yeah, but you won't so I ain't gonna ask."

Lucy sighed. "Why are you here?"

"Looking for Rick. He up yet you think?"

Lucy moved down the steps closer to where the wild looking man stood. "He and Michonne stayed elsewhere last night. Carl and Judith stayed here with me, but Rick and Michonne wanted some privacy. They'll be back later on this morning."

"Alright," Daryl said, but he didn't move away from her.

She stood quietly for a minute. "Was there something else Daryl?" she asked quietly.

"Why are you here?" he asked bluntly.

"Are we really going to have this conversation again? You've already made your position very clear about my place in Alexandria."

He grunted at her and stared. "But you're still here. You know he'll be coming any day this week and that he's got his folks hunkered down in the woods watching for you, but you're still here."

Lucy swallowed hard and a wave of nausea crossed over her. "I don't have anything to do with him. You lot brought most of that drama down on yourselves. Me being here doesn't make a difference."

He shook his head slightly. "You put us all in danger by being here, but you won't leave. Why the fuck are you here Lucy?"

"Rick doesn't…"

"Don't feed me that shit," Daryl said, cutting her off. "You don't want to leave because you'll run back to him and staying here means he comes to you, right?"

Lucy swallowed hard but didn't speak. Daryl shook his head in disgust. "You taking the low road Lucy. If you want him, if you want the monster, then go the hell back to him. Don't use us for your dirty work. Tell Rick I'm looking for him if you see him. By the way," he shouted over his shoulder, "you look pale. If you're getting sick we need to know so we can kill you if necessary."

Daryl walked away in a huff and Lucy hung her head in shame. He was right of course. She wouldn't run back to Negan. She couldn't. But if he came here and took her with him then her decisions were removed from the equation and somehow that made her feel better about herself and her desires.

"What is wrong with you Lucy?" she said out loud. "A lot," she answered herself before turning to head back into the house to make breakfast for Judith and Carl. "And I don't look pale. I feel fine," she huffed.

Lucy cracked the eggs and scrambled them with a fork before lighting the gas burner to heat up the pan. She had already put a pan of biscuits in the oven. "What kind of jam do you want Judith?" she asked the little girl while pouring the eggs into the pan.

"Plum," Judith answered while continuing to color her piece of paper.

"Carl could you grab that from the pantry please?"

Lucy stirred the eggs in the pan and the smell became overwhelming. "Oh my God," she moaned out before grabbing the waste basket and vomiting. "Carl," she said wiping her mouth with a cloth, "I think the eggs are bad. They smell horrible!"

He looked at her curiously. "They smell fine to me."

"Me to!" Judith yelled. "Yummy eggs!"

"Ugh," Lucy moaned out, "then you can finish cooking them Carl while I take care of the biscuits. I can't handle the smell for some reason."

Lucy nibbled on the edge of a biscuit while Carl and Judith ate their eggs and biscuits with jam. "Good, good Lucy!" Judith said with a mouth full of biscuit.

"You are a good cook Lucy," Carl said. "Even though the eggs made you sick."

"I can cook a few things. Are you sure the eggs are bad? They still smell horrible."

Rick and Michonne waltzed through the front door and the trio surrounding the counter smiled. "You two look happy," Lucy said.

Rick grunted at her. "Go on and take a shower love," he said to Michonne. "Our place last night didn't have running water."

Carl grinned at him. "Did you two have fun?"

"A blast," Rick said forking a bite of Carl's eggs.

"Hey!"

Rick chuckled. "Those are good."

"Lucy thought they may have gone bad because they smelled to her, but I think they are fine," Carl said pulling his plate out of Rick's reach.

"Taste fine to me," Rick said. "Everything ok here?"

Lucy nodded. "Daryl popped by early this morning looking for you."

"I'll catch up with him later. I need you two to go down to the practice range and pick up the spent brass. We need to reload some bullets and fast."

"Why?" Carl asked.

"Just a feeling."

"Go with your gut," Lucy muttered. "We'll go after breakfast. Should we take Judith with us?"

"No, just you two will be fine. Maggie can watch Judith."

Carl grinned. "You are at my mercy!"

"In your dreams Carl Grimes!" Lucy grinned back at him.