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Dating was a concept Nadia Grimes was not used to. Of course she understood it as her friends had significant others, but she never bothered with it. In the past some boys have asked her out to events and such, but she usually just turned them down. She used to believe she was kind about it, but now that Nadia had seen herself in a new light she realised how bitchy she probably was.

But it wasn't like she had time for it. Dating? With all of her extracurriculars, pageants and studying to keep her grades up, boys didn't really fit onto her vision board. She could date in college, that's what she always told herself. She'd have time for relationships when she was sure she was ready. Maybe even after university. After she got her life together and could make a life for herself.

The only honest time that Nadia was even tempted to go out with a boy was during her sophomore year. She couldn't remember the exact date of the incident but she was sixty percent sure it had to be a home game as her family came to watch. The boy was a senior, Jason Rockford, and he was considered to be the star player of her school. Even having a scholarship for Florida State lined up.

Of course she was aware of him, but on that night she could still see the events clearly. With the embarrassment eating her alive inside.

Even though her school lost Nadia found herself laughing with a few of her friends, gushing about Britney Spears or some other celebrity. It wasn't important. Completely unaware Jason was behind her.

He was a gentleman. Kind and polite as he tapped her shoulder saying he was happy to see her there. Considering they had advanced maths together and had a "question about the assignment". She knew it was bullshit. She saw his grades posted on the board. Though for some reason she played along. Flirting back.

For the first time the teen remembered blushing like the school girl she was as they began to chat. Talking about their classes and his involvement in the game, cheering the football player up even though they had lost.

Nadia knew he was doing it on purpose, but for some reason she allowed him to continue. Gently rubbing his arm as she tried to tell him how great he played. She could feel Jason was only a sentence away from asking her out before everything went to flames. Her younger brother being the spark.

Carl Grimes, only being nine or so, stomped towards the pair in a huff. Nadia didn't even have a chance to greet him before the boy started to run his mouth. Scoffing at Jason's attempt at football, berating the teenager for missing the ball and costing them the game.

The cheerleader felt her face go red as she tried to shut her brother up, resulting in him throwing harsher comments at the football player. Going so far it brought the high schooler to tears.

Once Jason excused himself Nadia felt like she was going to be sick. Snapping her head down at her brother displaying a shit eating grin. He knew what he did. He was proud of it. Her still gnarly teeth clenched as did her hands around her pom-poms as she glared at her little brother.

"I wish you were dead!" Nadia threw her pom-poms in his face before stomping away. Lori running after her as Rick struggled not to cackle in pride.

After that whole ordeal she promised herself she would wait for a relationship. Wait until she was far away from the embarrassment of her family to pursue anyone. She had a plan. It was a good plan.

Meet a guy after university and take him home for the holidays. Have him meet the family and once they approve, something she was very persistent in, they would date until they were at least twenty-five. Get married, have two children and become the picture perfect family as she moved up in her political career. One day hopefully becoming president like she always dreamed.

But at the age of eighteen, laying naked in bed with a man, all of those things seemed unimportant. Though considering the world had ended may have had something to do with it as well.

Lincoln Smith snuggled his head deeper into her side as they laid under the covers. Not long after their makeout session the two teens took their activities to the master bedroom and...

Nadia was honest in shock. Of course she knew sex was a beautiful thing and oh... oh how beautiful it was. Her mother had explained everything to her when she was younger. Giving Nadia the standard "safe sex talk". (A talk Lori and Shane didn't follow) But she never expected it to be so... good.

She just never expected that the awkward boy she met on the tracks would allow her to experience those feelings before. So as he ran his hand up and down her side, she moved her own into his hair. Humming as he placed a few kisses to her neck.

The teen started to understand why people still did the act during these hard times. Even with the risks. All the times she'd accidentally heard of Glenn and Maggie's experience started to make sense. She understood now. It was as if for a moment nothing mattered. Nothing was wrong. Just being able to feel something other than fear was a bliss Nadia never thought possible.

A feeling she wanted again.

"So... that was sex," Lincoln murmured, his head resting calmly against her chest.

She shrugged, still running her hand through his hair, "I guess it was."

"Was it... did you... um..."

"Did I enjoy it?" Nadia finished the question he was clearly too frightened to ask. "Did you?"

"Well I mean..." he awkwardly chuckled. "We did do it like three times so I guess you could say that. But like... did you?"

Nadia, not wanting to fully admit that she was a fan of the animalistic activity, as she was still a lady underneath the sneer, chuckled, "Well I wouldn't be opposed to doing it again, if that's what you're wondering."

Within seconds her friend sat up properly. His hands laid flat on either side of her as he smirked, "Well it's a good thing I found those condoms in the drawer isn't it?" Nadia only chuckled as he started to kiss her.

The two went into a rhythm as his hand moved lower. Soft moans left the Grimes girl's lips as the Smith prepared her.

Nadia's arms wrapped around him as she pulled away from the kiss. Keeping her eyes closed as she controlled her breathing, allowing the boy to latch onto her neck. Deeply breathing as his breath tickled her ear, "Sweet nothingness..."

The girl's eyes suddenly opened as he continued to prepare her, "The fuck you just say?"

"What?" He looked down at her strangely, "I'm whispering sweet nothingnesses in your ear."

She looked at him strangely before closing her eyes and breathing out her nose. Remembering that in the apocalypse you get what you can get. Except the boy she was with was starting to cross a fine line, "Link... Lincoln. You aren't supposed to whisper the words sweet nothingness," her tone was rather condescending.

"What do you mean?" He gawked, "Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?"

"No. You just mutter nonsense in my ear. It's a figure of speech. You're not supposed to actually whisper the words 'Sweet Nothingness' in my ear, Lincoln," she stared at him.

He scoffed, "Well how was I supposed to know that?"

"How do you even know about whispering sweet nothingnesses?"

"I read."

"You read? You read smut?" She asked, rather disappointed.

"I've been alone for almost two fucking years, Naddie. You get your entertainment wherever the fuck you can."

She leaned back, "My god... my fucking god."

"Do you want me to stop?"

"Does it look like I want you to stop-" Sadly the pair's small bickering was cut off by a sudden thumping sound.

The two sat up properly as a banging noise continued. Nadia and Lincoln were frozen for a moment before he whispered, "Walkers?"

"Last time I checked walkers don't knock on the front door..."

"Fuck," he sighed before the pair jumped up.

Nadia threw on her clothings while Lincoln didn't even bother with his shirt. Not bothering with her bra, as it was in the living room, Naida manoeuvred on her firehouse t-shirt as her foot slid Lincoln over his Colt Python.

He quickly scooped it up and handed the girl the large hunting rifle, "Judith?" Nadia glanced behind the boy.

Turning his head Lincoln gave a small nod, "Sleeping like a rock. Should we take her with us and just flee?"

He was met by a cock of the gun and a huff, "This is our base. All our food and weapons are out in the open. I'm not giving those up."

Lincoln gave a small nod as the two heard the front door open. Listening to his friend as she gave him silent commands on when to move closer and when to stay hidden.

Two voices could be heard. As well as the sounds of scrounging. Nadia's grip instinctively tightened around her weapon as she moved closer, spotting two figures with their backs towards them. She gave a small signal and the two flanked their intruders. From the looks of it they weren't carrying weapons giving themselves an advantage.

Naida and Lincoln stayed hidden in different locations and they most likely wouldn't have been caught. Or at least they wouldn't have been if it wasn't for the faint clicking of Lincoln's Colt.

Within seconds the larger person went into defence mode. Grabbing the teen by the wrist and twisting it. Lincoln let out a cry in both pain and terror as the man twice his size slammed him to the floor and pulled his weapon away.

Nadia, being so concerned with rescuing the Smith boy, completely forgot about the girl she was supposed to take down. Rushing to her friend's aid, not even noticing the familiar beenie Lincoln's attacker wore.

Though she didn't even have time to point her weapon at the man as the feeling of metal dug into the back of her head. Making a small click as a woman spoke in a rather demanding tone, "Put the gun down and put your hands up."

The teen felt her heart rate suddenly jump, similar to on the tracks. Of course they had a weapon. They always had a weapon. When does a survivor not have a weapon?

Though seeing as there was a small gun pointed at her skull, Nadia knew she had to play this right. So with a huff Nadia Grimes dropped her weapon.

The person gave a quick hum and moved the gun slightly away from her head, "Turn around. Slowly."

Her head tilted as the plan started to form. If she did as told she could make the person let their guard down for a moment. Let herself appear weak and steal the gun from their hands. Take them both down and have the walkers gnaw on their corpses.

So she raised her hands up slightly and with no shoes on the teen slowly turned to face her assailant. Not expecting to see a familiar face pointing a gun she intended to steal at her.

It took a moment for the woman to recognize the teen. Not that she could blame the older woman. Nadia probably looked very different than she did a week or two ago. Her hair was now to her shoulders and missing any blonde she once carried. As well as she was no longer wearing that brown leather jacket she seemed to be basically sewn into.

Though Nadia recognized the woman almost instantly, "Carol?" Carol Peletier. A fellow member of the prison and member of her group since the beginning. The very beginning.

Back when Nadia was still with her mother, brother and Shane, they attempted to make it to the Atlanta refugee camp. Trapped in a traffic standstill they met the Peletier family by chance. A small family of three consisting of Carol, her excuse of a human husband Ed and their rather adorable daughter Sophia. The family joined her own and made it to the makeshift camp at the Atlanta Quarry. After that they went to the farm and then to the prison.

Only Carol made it to the farm.

The woman was very close to the family. Always doing her part to help and support the rest. Rick always cared about her option and she was a rather good friend to Lori. The two women even shared a cell at the prison when she was alive.

Even when Nadia turned cold Carol always tried to help. Though by that it was a simple scolding and forcing the teenager to eat or she'd hide her bow.

So the moment that the short haired woman in rags finally muttered the name, "Nadia?" The teen took the opportunity to rush into the safety of her arms.

"Oh my god," Nadia whispered as she gripped Carol, digging her nails into the woman's shirt. Fearing that letting go would make her vanish.

Carol held onto the girl tightly as she started to breathe heavily. Both out of shock and comfort. Gripping each other as small insignificant words fell from their mouths.

Eventually after a moment of shock and relief Carol pulled back to look the teen over, "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Are-" she paused as she noticed the healing bruise by Nadia's right eye. A souvenir from one of her attackers.

"It's okay, it's okay," she moved Carol's hand away, but still kept a firm grasp on it. "They're dead."

She gave a small nod as the person holding Lincoln to the ground finally stood up. Allowing the fragile Smith boy a chance to breathe as his attacker finally let go of his neck, "Nadia?" Tyreese Williams called out to her.

Not even noticing Lincoln coughing she gave a smile as she stared up at the former NFL player, "Hey Tyreese," she couldn't help but laugh, jumping into his arms.

"Oh my god... oh my fucking god," Nadia gasped as the darker man set her down. Giving the teen the opportunity to look between them as she began to ramble, "You both... you both made it out. You made it out of the prison. People made it out of the prison. More than us made it out of the prisons," she laughed. "I thought we were the only ones!"

"We?" Carol sighed as she gently grabbed Nadia by the arm, "So your dad's here? And Carl? Where are they? Are they hunting?"

It was as if the bubble of excitement had suddenly popped when Carol spoke to her. With a smile deflating Nadia tried to remain herself. Though as she struggled not to react, a simple frown from the elder woman made it hard not to react.

With a small head shake Nadia sniffled as Carol pulled her into a tight embrace. A similar gesture the short haired woman had done almost a year earlier when Lori had passed. It was comfortable. Warm. Peaceful. Nadia probably would've allowed herself to stay in Carol's arms if it weren't for the sound of meak whimpers.

The Grimes girl's head moved up as she started at the bedroom door. Without needing to be told, Lincoln quickly moved towards the noise, "I'll grab her."

She gave a nod and pulled away as she noticed the eyes of her fellow prison members. Seeing the raised brows they shared as Judith cried in the background, "When you said 'we'..."

As if she was slightly embarrassed, Nadia gave a small, almost meek, shrug. Not having to speak as Lincoln returned, now wearing a shirt, as Judith sniffled in his arms. Her elder sister didn't even bother trying to explain herself as she went straight to the pair. Grabbing Judith as she reached out for her.

"Hey. Hey, it's okay. It's okay, I'm here," Nadia whispered as she soothed the babe. Rubbing Judith's back as her head rested in the crook of Nadia's neck.

"She must've not liked waking up alone," Lincoln muttered, resting his hand on the back of Judith's head.

Nadia shook her head, "She'll be okay," she stated before looking back at the two people she used to live with. Noticing just how confused they were, "Um... I got her out."

Tyreese gave a small shocked nod as the woman slightly smiled. That's when the teen realized they still hadn't been introduced to her friend, "Oh! Um... guys this is Lincoln. He's my..." she froze as she wasn't exactly too sure what to refer to him as.

So he helped her out, "Friend. Travel partner. We met on the road."

"He saved me. Saved us," Nadia added to try and ease the pair's possible wariness of the boy. "Lincoln, this is Carol and Tyreese. They lived at the prison with me."

He gave a glance between them before whispering to her, "Is Carol the one you've been with since Atlanta or the one who's father saved Carl on the farm?"

"Atlanta," she whispered back.

Lincoln nodded before reaching over to shake their hands, "Ma'am. Sir," the two shook his hand as they still stared at the trio in utter confusion.

The larger man, Tyreese, seemed to be unable to speak as he stared at the girl. Not that she could blame him. When they met she was only days into grieving Lori, so she was even more bitchy than normal. While Carol seemed to be slightly more put together, "How did you-" though her question would have to wait as a sudden scream occurred right outside.

A child's scream, "Stop! Stop!" Which was quickly followed by the sounds of gunshots. "STOP!"

The adults in the room all grabbed their weapons from off the floor and sprinted out of the door, where Nadia got a look at the other two survivors of her old community. Two blonde girls with scruffy hair, looking to be between the ages of fourteen and twelve, stood before the corpses of a walker.

The elder one, with hair in a long braid similar to Nadia's old style, sat on the ground in tears as the younger one stood above the monster. Her small hands clasped around the pistol, still pointed at the dead creature.

It took a moment for Nadia to recognize the girls before it clicked. Fellow members of prison. She could remember them playing with Carl from time to time. Near the end the teen remembered Rick and Daryl upset for the pair as a small virus inside the community resulted in the girl's own father's demise. Lizzie and Mica, she believed their names were called.

Judith started to pick up on the tense atmosphere and started to cry. Lincoln wasted no time taking the baby from his friend's arms so she could inspect the area. While Carol ran to the children, Nadia pulled up her rifle and scanned the grove, trying to find any more monsters to slay.

"Are you okay?" Carol knelt down, trying to help the elder girl as she hyperventilated. "All right, come on. Come on." Both her and Tyreese helped Lizzie to her feet.

Carol then turned her attention towards the younger one, "Mica? Mica, lower the gun," the smaller blonde did as told. "You did it. You saved each other."

Lincoln stayed on the porch with Judith as he watched the taller girl cry. Rubbing the baby's back as he tried to calm her down, just as Carol was doing to the older one, "Why are you upset, Lizzie? Were you scared?"

She shook her head, "No."

"Then why are you crying?"

Lizzie's lip started to quiver as she stared down at the dead walker, "I-I don't want to say," she ran towards a grated chair in the distance and continued to cry.

As Nadia was sure their surroundings were safe for now she walked back over towards the scene. Noticing the strange look Mica gave Carol before comforting her older sister, "Lizzie. I'm sorry I yelled at you. Just look at the flowers like you're supposed to. Count one, two, three. Come on, let's count together..."

As the girls started to count Nadia stood next to Carol, watching them, "I didn't think anyone else survived."

"We almost didn't," she admitted as Lizzie started to count with her sister.

Nadia Grimes watched the two before glancing back at her mother's friend, "I didn't see you at the prison. Dad said you guys went on a run but I didn't see you," she didn't notice how Carol slightly tensed. "Were you with them?"

Carol shook her head, "I wasn't there yet. Tyreese got them out."

She nodded as she kept her eyes focused on the girls, "You guys look beat. Any trouble?"

"Not as much as you."

Nadia hummed, fixing her hold on her rifle, "Bring them inside. Link and I'll get you all something to eat."

The woman looked back at the Grimes as she walked up the steps, grabbing her sister from Lincoln, "You have food to spare?"

"You think I keep this guy around because of his dashing personality?" Nadia hummed before walking inside.

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