A/N: NSFW LATER ON IN THIS CHAPTER, JUST FYI!

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Night had fallen and thunder rumbled overhead.

When the headlights had shined through the bar windows, Rick motioned for them to duck down and be quiet. Annie passed Hershel Dave's gun, then he and Glenn took the right side of the door while she stuck to Rick on the left. They could hear the strangers outside talking, the floorboards creaking as they passed. Just when they thought they were in the clear, had formulated a plan to make for the car out back, the men came back to the bar, knowing their companions would be in there. Glenn jumped in front of the door and stopped the men from entering. Unfortunately, it also alerted them that they were inside as well. The strangers claimed they didn't want any trouble and that, since the place was crawling with walkers, they'd really appreciate not getting killed. Rick answered, telling him that their friends were dead because they'd drawn their guns on them. He tried to be reasonable, but the men outside didn't want to hear it and shot at the doors. Rick fired back, ordering the others to get out but Annie refused to leave his side. Glenn was holed up behind a piano as Hershel was at the bar, both of them guns in hand. Both of them ready to fight their way home to the people they loved.

As both Rick and Annie reloaded their guns, the latter was still trying to end the standoff peacefully. Bless him for trying, but Annie figured they all knew it wouldn't work. A noise from the back drew their attention and Glenn ran to check it, to make sure they weren't ambushed from behind. From inside the bar, everyone heard a shot and Annie feared the worst but the Korean assured them he was all right. Rick told Hershel and Annie to cover Glenn while he held the strangers off at the front. Glenn would run to car and pull up out back so they could make their escape. Hershel seemed to find the idea of him covering Glenn somewhat laughable and Rick thought it was because he had refused the earlier gun training. In fact, it had been the exact opposite; he knew how to shoot a gun just fine, he just didn't like it. But Annie refused to leave Rick alone. She told him she'd stay with him, not liking the idea of him being alone. She swore she'd cover him while he covered Glenn. He didn't seem to like the idea but she refused to budge on the issue.

"Considering the situation we're in, we don't have a lot of options and no time to argue. I'm staying with you. Deal with it," she snapped.

Gunshots rang from outback and both Rick and Annie rushed over, Hershel filling them in that one of the men had fired and must have hit Glenn. The young man was hiding at a dumpster and not moving. When Rick went over, cautious and gun raised, and he found Glenn alive. Scared shitless, but alive. More shots fired and they saw a sniper on top of the pharmacy. His friends told him to jump so they could leave, more walkers than anyone was willing to deal with appearing, drawn by the sounds of gunfire. Hershel and Annie fired at the three walkers eating the man that tried to kill Glenn, Hershel trying to ignore the screams of pain. Annie told Hershel not to kill the man, which he had no problem with although for a very different reason. Hershel couldn't bring himself to do it, whereas Annie knew he was the only thing keeping those walkers away from them.

Along with Glenn, they rushed to the car, ready to bolt, but Rick had disappeared towards the pharmacy. Cursing his stubbornness, the others followed him and they found the sniper. Rick refused to leave him there even though Hershel told him that shooting him would be for the best. The veterinarian told them that if they tried to lift his leg off the metal fence, they'd tear a bunch of muscle tissue and he'd bleed out. The stranger would die anyway. Hershel didn't want to see anymore killing but then Glenn suggested cutting off his leg. With the hatchet in the car and Hershel decided it was possible.

Glenn and Annie left Rick and Hershel to take care of the sniper while laying down cover fire. Annie looked behind her and saw Rick shooting as well. They were surrounded, they needed to leave. In a split decision, Rick ripped the kid's leg free and carried him to the truck. The ride back was filled with the sniper's cries and shrieks of pain. Every turn and bump in the road was like a knife digging into his leg. Randall, the sniper, had been easy enough to keep quiet as he passed out from the blood loss not long after telling them his name. Glenn drove while Hershel did what he could on the kid's leg and Rick blindfolded him. He hadn't forgotten that this kid had shot at them and he wasn't about to risk him escaping, knowing how to get to the farm. Tony's words echoed in his head, about how he'd shoot them all and take the farm. That he'd take Annie. The thought made his lip curl into a snarl. The thought of anyone like that man touching her or the other women in the camp made him ill.

They'd been forced to hole up for the rest of the night on the outskirts of the town. The gunshots had drawn the walkers to it so journeying back to the farm wasn't safe. The only thing that would do was bring walkers back to the farm, trailing after the sounds of the car. On the outskirts, at least they had open space and knew they wouldn't be backed into a corner. Plus, sleeping in the car gave them a quick getaway. It had been uncomfortable. Glenn slept straight up in the driver's seat, ready to go at a moments notice while Hershel slept in the back with Randall. His hands were tied behind his back and his ankles were tied together, just in case he did wake up and try something. Annie tried to stay awake, stay on watch with Rick but she was utterly exhausted and feel asleep, gun in hand. When she woke up, her gun was on the floor, safety back on, and Rick was outside watching the sunrise. She got out of the car, shutting the door as quietly as possible, and securing her gun in her pants.

"Morning," Annie croaked, voice scratchy from sleep and lack of water. Christ, she was starving. She couldn't wait to get back to the farm and have breakfast.

"Morning," he returned. "How'd you sleep?"

"It was magical," she retorted sarcastically and Rick grinned. "You sleep at all?" He looked away and mumbled he had, a little. Annie rolled her eyes. "You're gonna run yourself ragged if you don't take care of yourself."

"Not with Mother Hen on my case," he returned jokingly, remembering their conversation days earlier. Annie cracked a smile and shook her head. At least he was relaxed and not feeling so guilt ridden about killing those two men. Self-defense, she reminded herself. They drew first and were going to kill them so there was literally nothing to feel guilty about, as far as Annie was concerned.

"You talked to Morgan yet?" she questioned, gesturing to the walkie in his hand. It was something they did, trade the walkie for a couple days at a time. Rick nodded. "Anything?" He didn't say anything. Annie let out a heavy sigh and ran a hand through her hair. "Maybe we should..." She stopped herself short and shook her head.

Rick turned to look at her. "What?" Annie just shook her head again, waving him off.

"No. Forget it. It was a dumb idea."

"No, what?" She remained silent, refusing to look at him. "Annie? Hey," he said, standing close and putting a hand on her cheek. The gentle touch made her look up in shock and realize just how close he was standing to her. "What's a "dumb idea"?" Annie licked her lips and hesitated. "Annie?" he questioned, sounding worried.

"Maybe we should go find him and Duane," she answered. The look on Rick's face was indecipherable and Annie winced. "Like I said, dumb idea."

"No, it's not," he assured her. "It's not. Not at all. It's just..."

"We have a lot going on, yeah," she replied, despondent and pulled out of his reach. Turning towards the sunrise, she crossed her arms and sighed. "It's been weeks though and we haven't heard anything. And then those people last night!" she exclaimed, looking over her shoulder to the back of the car where their prisoner slept. "What if Morgan's met people like them?"

Rick shook his head and told her, "You can't think like that."

"I can't help it!" she snapped angrily. Rick stared at her, stunned by her outburst. "I mean, I know we haven't turned it on every day, because circumstance haven't let us and I get it, I do," she stated understandingly and much more calm. "But, whenever we do, there's nothing. Just static and nothing. And I don't know what that means and it scares me. Okay? It scares me," she admitted, voice cracking. "The thought of people like those men finding him and Duane, hurting them—!"

"Annie, don't," Rick said, reaching out to comfort her. But Annie just smacked his hand and pushed him away.

"You don't get it, Rick! Your family is safe. They're with you, they're safe, and you can protect them but my family is..." Dead. Her parents were dead. Paul was likely dead as well, if what Dave had said about DC was true. Joe and Lou and the rest of the boys at the shop, they were most likely dead as well and it was time she accepted that. "I don't have a family anymore," she cried, shrugging helplessly. "So all I have is Morgan and Duane. I need to know that they're safe but I don't and it just makes me think that..." I never should've followed you, she thought but dared not speak. Annie took a deep, shuddering breath, and rubbed her face. "I should've just dragged them to Atlanta with us."

"There's no guarantee they'd be alive if you'd done that," he pointed out objectively.

"I don't have a guarantee that they're alive now, Rick!" she shouted.

"Listen to me," Rick said. He reached out for her, but she pushed his hands away. "Annie. Annie," he shushed, "listen to me. Listen to me." He finally managed to grab her arms and pull her close, resting his forehead against her own. "Hey, listen, we'll go get them." Annie stared at him, wondering if he was serious. "As soon as Randall is taken care of and sent on his way, you and me, we'll go get Morgan and Duane. Hershel, I'll explain it to him and make him see reason." Rick slowly let go of Annie's arms and placed his hands on her cheeks. "We'll get them and bring 'em home, okay?"

Smiling softly, she questioned, "You promise, Sheriff?" Rick smiled in relief.

"Yes, ma'am." The pair shared a quiet laugh at their inside joke. Annie nodded, sufficiently calm, and the pair separated. "Now I'm gonna let you take over watch. Someone told me I should sleep a little more so I'm gonna do just that," he said with a smile, causing her to laugh again. Annie pulled out her gun and habitually checked the magazine, ready just in case any walker showed up. But, just in case, she put it back in the waistband of her pants and pulled out her knife instead. "And, Annie?" She turned and found Rick standing at the back door of the Cherokee. "Don't let Glenn hear you say you don't have a family," he told her, nodding to the young adult still passed out in the driver's seat. "I think he'd take offense." Annie slowly nodded and grinned. Glenn was her friend, probably the one person she was closest to in the whole group aside from Rick and Carl. He was kind of like another little brother. A pain in the ass little brother sometimes, but she definitely cared and worried about him a hell of a lot.

Maybe the family she had left was getting a little bigger.

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As they pulled up on the farm, the usual suspects were gathering up weapons, probably forming a search party to go find them. Carl let go of his mother's hand and ran to his father, hugging him tight. Lori joined them, looking worse for the wear with a cut on her head and a split lip. Apparently, she'd crashed a car last night while going to look for Rick on her own. Annie couldn't help but roll her eyes. The roads around the farm were completely empty and had been for a long time thanks to the traffic jam on the highway, but Lori somehow managed to crash a car. Brilliant, she thought sarcastically. Maggie bolted off the porch and completely bypassed her father for Glenn, who returned her hug. Incensed, Hershel told Patricia to prepare the shed for surgery as he headed into the house for supplies.

Carl jogged over to Annie and asked, "Are you okay? You didn't get hurt, did you?" The woman smiled and told him she was fine. "Were there walkers?"

"Nothing we couldn't handle," she answered with a smile. She'd never let him know that last night had been a close call. "How about you? Everything here okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine – except you, Dad, Glenn and Hershel scared the crap outta everyone!" Annie winced and had been about to apologize for scaring him

"Who in the hell is that?" T-Dog asked incredulously, pointing to the back of the car. Annie just sighed and shook her head, while Glenn looked at their guest.

"That's Randall," Glenn answered. Everyone walked over to the car in confusion before Rick corralled everyone into the house. They had a lot to discuss and they had to do it while Hershel and Patricia made sure Randall at least survived another night.

Once everyone was inside, gathered around the dining room table, Rick sat everyone down and explained that Randall would have died if they'd left him. Glenn told him that things had gotten bad in town and nothing more was said on the matter. The fact that none of them had been able to return until the following morning said it all. When the subject of what to do with him came up, Hershel explained that he'd repaired Randall's calf muscle as best he could but he'd probably have nerve damage and wouldn't be on his feet for awhile. Rick assured everyone that, when the week was up and Randall was well, he'd give him a canteen, take him out to the main road and send him on his way. Shane didn't like the idea of letting him go, considering that they had killed three men of Randall's group and, even if he had been blindfolded, he could still lead his people back to the farm for revenge. No one was looking, Rick was sure, because they left him for dead. Everyone agreed that a guard needed to be set up for him though and Hershel put Shane in his place, telling him that Rick had talked him out of kicking Shane off his land and to just keep his mouth shut.

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Annie sat at the campfire alone that night. Dale had gone to bed in the RV earlier, but not before passing her a sweater. It had belonged to his wife and, with winter coming, night was getting colder. She'd thanked him and he bid her goodnight with a smile, telling her that he wanted to talk to her in the morning about something important. She'd offered him an empty seat at the campfire, but he waved off the gesture and said it could wait till morning. She deserved an undisturbed night of rest after the night she'd had, he insisted. Now she was alone, staring into the dying flames. She couldn't believe all that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. She'd almost died. Probably would have if she'd been alone, if Rick hadn't been there to cover her. The sound of crunching behind her snapped her out of blank revere and she grabbed her knife, pulling it out to prepare for a quiet kill. Whipped around, she sighed in relief at the sight of Rick, who stopped in approach at the sight of her knife.

"Sorry," she said, putting the knife away.

"It's okay. We're all a little on edge," he replied. Moving closer, he gestured to the empty chair beside her and she nodded. Taking the seat, he looked at the fire a moment before asking, "Can't sleep?"

"No. You?" Rick shook his head. "So, Lori's...?"

"Yeah," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Can I tell you something?" Curiously, she nodded. "The baby, I don't know if...I don't know if it's even mine." Annie opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out for a moment. Then she nodded slowly, muttering Shane's name. "You knew?" he accused, shocked.

"No! I just...I would catch him staring at her sometimes and thought maybe..." Annie let out a breath and shook her head. "But, no, I never knew. Not with any certainty," she told him. "I mean, it's your wife and best friend. It just didn't seem..." Trailing off, she shook her head, not wanting to get into an argument about how wrong it was for both of them to betray Rick in such a way. Rick had only been in that hospital for three weeks. Three weeks! Had she even mourned his "death", Rick wondered. "What are you gonna do?"

"Keep it," he answered.

Curiously, she asked, "Why? I mean, I just don't understand. With the world the way it is now and—"

"We can't live like this," he interjected. "Thinking we should give up on everything we knew just because the world's changed, we can't live like that. Whoever the father is, that baby's innocent. It deserves a chance to live," he answered honorably. Annie stared at Rick and shook her head, scoffing in disbelief. "What?"

"You're a good man," she stated.

Confused, he smiled wryly and wondered, "Is that bad thing?"

"No. It's a great thing. And it's not fair." Rick stared at her, waiting for an explanation but she wouldn't meet his gaze. "You do so much, for all of us, for everyone, even strangers we come across...and this is what you get? A cheating wife and raising a kid that might not be yours? You deserve more. Better."

"Better than my wife?" he questioned incredulously.

"That's not what I meant! I mean, it is but not like that! I just..." Annie paused and looked at him, trying to force the words out. If Glenn could do it, then so could she. "We could have died last night. We might die tomorrow, or a week from now, or a month, whatever. I just..." Licking her lips, she sighed and softly admitted, "I just care you so much, and I don't want to die without ever telling you." Rick looked away from her and let out a low sigh, staring into the flames.

Slowly, Annie rose from her seat with a nod, accepting his rejection, and headed back to her tent. She stood there, face buried in her hands, wondering what the hell she had just done. It had been a mistake, a huge mistake. How was she supposed to look him in the eye ever again? See him at breakfast or go on runs with him? No. She couldn't do it. It would be too awkward and too much. To watch him with Lori and Carl and act like...she didn't know what. He felt something for her, at least a little bit. She'd seen it! Felt it! But, no, she couldn't stay and watch him be with Lori after that rejection. So she'd leave. She just leave and go find Morgan herself. She'd find him and Duane, drop them at the farm, the head on to Fort Munroe just like she'd originally planned. Even if Paul was dead, she had to know for certain. That was the way it had to be. Grabbing her pack, she starting throwing things into it. She'd leave in the morning, she decided, before sunrise if she could. At least then no one would see her and try to stop her. She'd just quietly slip away. Maybe she'd leave a note for Carl and Glenn, but that was it. She just needed to go. There was no way she could stay, not after what had just occurred.

"We can't live like this." Annie whipped around and stared at Rick, surprised. She hadn't even heard him come in her tent. What was he doing there? Why had he followed her? "I told you. We can't, not anymore. I can't do it. When that man, Tony, when he said..." He gritted his teeth and clenched his hands, looking at the ground. "I just got so angry and I knew that I...I don't ever want you in danger." He walked closer and hesitantly took her face in one hand, caressing her cheek with his thumb. Annie started to protest but Rick hushed her. "I know what I'm feeling," he said. Annie remembered what he'd told Glenn about Maggie, that she was smart enough to know what she was feeling when she said she loved him.

Unable to believe he was standing there, she whispered, "I'm so glad that you're here."

Annie tipped her head back, looking up at him and leaning into him. She just wanted to bury her face in his hard, warm chest. The hand at his waist moved up his shirt to wrap around his neck. His skin was so warm and she couldn't help herself, she began stroking the back of his neck. She felt his body tense at her touch and looked up once more. If it was at all possible, his blue eyes darkened and grew almost hazy but they held a hint of something else. Something dark. Lust, a promise of what was to come. Rick's hand slid up from her cheek and buried in her hair, dragging her back a little more and hesitated a moment before he descended, his mouth slanting across hers. What started as an uncertain testing of the water soon became possessive. She loved how he kissed her; how absorbed by him she felt. Like he was staking claim and never willing to let go, like she really did belong to him.

Wrapping his other arm tight around her waist, Rick drew her against him and walked her backwards until the back of her knees hit her cot. The two tore each other's shirts off in a haze of kisses before falling onto the makeshift bed. Annie threw a leg over his waist, his hand gripped her thigh tight, caressing and dragging it upwards. Her breasts flattened against his as she leaned into him, like a drug addict craving more as his tongue tangled with hers. With one hand making its way up his chest, intent on feeling every plain of muscle, the other was carding through his hair, scoring down the back of his neck, pausing every so often to gently stroke his skin with her thumb. Rick made quick work of removing her pants, rough palms from years of working giving her goose bumps of sheer pleasure.

Her hips rocked in reply, her core dampening as she pressed herself against the bulge forming beneath his jeans. The denim felt course against her, rubbing along the thin fabric of her panties. Unable to bear the teasing any longer, Annie quickly lowered her hand to undo the button and zipper of his pants, pushing them and his briefs down as he kicked them off. Biting her lip, she boldly slid her hand beneath the blanket to wrap around his shaft. Rick panted harshly against her mouth, his hands roughly grabbing either side of her panties and dragging them down her legs. She felt entirely exposed, but looking into his eyes, she couldn't care less. She wanted him, needed him, and he felt the same. That was all that mattered.

He bent down for a searing kiss that sent her temperature through the roof, and then his hands were on her, his fingers spreading her folds, thumbs rubbing along her wet slit. There was something about the rough touch of his fingertips, something utterly male and animal all at once, that made her quiver. Her wrist twisted as he flicked her clit, her hand squeezing his length tightly. His hips jerked up and she wanted him inside her, she didn't want to be teased or to tease him. He chuckled against her mouth as if he could see her impatience, feel it even, and two long fingers slid up inside her, rubbing her sweet spot while his thumb drew her circles along her clit. She rocked against his hand, leaning in until her forehead met his and she was panting, softly pleading for him to let her come. He nipped her lip, his nose nuzzling hers, and then a third finger stretched her and her back arched, her breasts thrust forward as her head fell back. She hardly held back a cry of his name, clenching her teeth and biting down hard on her lip. Quiet, she had to be quiet or else she'd wake the whole damn camp.

Rick's free hand reached around and unsnapped her bra, Annie helping him revealing her breasts to him and the cool air. Dragging her fingers through his hair, she held his mouth to hers, tugging at his hair each time his teeth nipped her just right. Her hips were gyrating, pushing down on the digits that moved deep inside her. His fingers suddenly fled her, curling around her thigh, damp and warm and squeezing. His other hand was applying pressure to her lower back, bringing her closer until she could feel him there, hard against her thigh. She readjusted her hand, brought his length to her slit and rubbed herself against it. Her slick heat, so close but so far, had him gripping her hips. The two looked at each other a beat, wondering if they were really going to go through it, if it was what the other really wanted, before Rick took control and slid himself inside her. Annie's head fell forward onto his shoulder with a soft groan and big smile as she quaked against him. She was completely certain that there was nothing better than Rick Grimes.

He didn't move right away. Instead his arms hugged her waist tight, hands splayed across her back and ascending higher, kneading her tight muscles into relaxation. He pressed his face in the junction between her shoulder and throat, his growing facial hair nuzzling against her, kissing the soft flesh there. The sensation of it sent a ripple of goose bumps across her skin. Her fingers buried in his hair, stroked down the back of his neck and around the shell of his ears. Lifting his head, she looked up at him, at the darkness of his eyes and the underlying affection that was so potent in his face. He pressed a kiss to her lips and then his hips were kicking into action. Groaning, her eyes closed at the blissful sensation and he moved again. Her legs squeezed his waist tight as she was stretched and filled in every way. Her hands swept up his chest and then scored back down, her nails scraping along hard, firm skin and making him jerk as her nails dug into him. His hands were everywhere; rubbing her back, squeezing her butt, kneading her thighs, stroking her heat. Each rock forward had her barely restraining herself from crying out. Rick kissed her deeply, swallowing her cries and pumping harder into her. Annie pulled away briefly, taking him in above her, stroking his face, the lines of his cheekbones, his eyebrows, the striking angle of his jaw. She caught his mouth, panting, their tongues tangling and their lips slanting, back and forth, sloppy, desperate. She gripped his shoulders tight as the throbbing inside her increased.

"Rick," she gasped, her damp cheek pressed to his. He panted her name back, reaching down between them. His rough finger expertly stroked her clit in tandem with his strokes. Her thighs tightened, toes curling, and her body arched for him.

Finally, she was there. Flying, euphoric, engrossed in everything good. Her eyes fell closed, her breath caught, and a heat spread across her body, fanning like a fire that reached and curled and ate away at her cool skin. He thrust harder inside her, pushing her orgasm on, and she felt a ripple of a second, so sharp and distinct it brought tears to her eyes. His arm banded around her waist, squeezing hard and then he was whispering her name, breathing it, over and over against her ear as he came. She came again at the sound. At the rough but sensual way he said her name like a prayer. Her head fell to back and, soon enough, his mouth sucking and biting and pressing kisses to the exposed flesh of her neck. He stroked her back, long fingers drumming along her spine. His panting was harsh in her ear while hers beat against his throat. Annie knew she could fall asleep right here, just like that. Her eyes half-closed, her body falling into that peaceful relaxed state. One of his hands fell to stroke her thigh, rubbing life back into it, as he left her and lay down behind her.

Wrapping his arm around her waist, Rick pulled Annie to his chest and whispered, "I care about you, too." Surprised, Annie looked over shoulder. Did he mean that? Did he really mean it? She had to be sure, had to know he wasn't just saying it for her benefit. "I care about you, more than I probably should or have a right too. But I do and...if you decide to push me away, I'll leave. " Annie looked in his gorgeous blue eyes and saw no falsehood.

Grinning, she whispered, "Right back at 'ya, Sheriff. But, just so you know, I don't plan on letting you go."

It wasn't exactly "I love you" but it was something, and it felt like a weight lifted off her shoulders to finally confess how she felt and know that he felt the same. Rick smiled softly, a relieved look on his face as she returned the sentiment. Rick caressed her cheek and she closed her eyes, leaning back into his touch. It felt nice to feel like that, to feel truly loved and wanted. It had been so long since she'd felt that way, so very long. Some part of her, the independent woman inside, felt the need to cry out that she didn't need that feeling but she did. Annie never realized just how much she'd needed it until she had it and she liked it. She liked knowing that she wasn't crazy feeling how she felt. She liked knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, that Rick cared about her as much as she cared about him, no matter how insane it was. She especially liked how he kissed her once more before they settled down to sleep. She liked it and didn't want to let go. What the next day would bring, she didn't know but, for that night, she was his and he was hers.