Story Info

Title: After All We've Been Through

Fandom: The Walking Dead

Pairing: Rick/OC

Rating: T

Summary: Anna Crewe thought that she would die alone and starving in the train car she had been locked in deep behind Terminus's gates. But to her surprise, some strangers come to her rescue and whisk her away from a slow, painful death. The group's leader is Rick Grimes, a man that she slowly finds herself unable to stop looking at or thinking about no matter how inappropriate it may be.

Rick Grimes knows it's probably a bad idea to welcome yet another new person into the group after everything that happened, but he couldn't leave the poor woman in the train car to die. The draw to her is a complete surprise to him, the inability to look away from her haunting him.

In a world of death and pain, two people find each other that never would have otherwise, and just maybe it's the best thing that's ever happened to them.

Spoilers: Season 5+

.x.x.x.x.

Chapter Info

Title: Human Bait

Number: 1/?

Warnings: Death, violence, language

Author's Note: I've been wanting to write a Rick/OC story for awhile now, and I've finally gotten around to it! I hope that everyone enjoys! Comments are love. :) Note: Might change to an M rating at a later time. Also note: the story info will only be on this chapter as that won't change, but the chapter info will be on every chapter as that will usually always be different.

"Don't move."

The voice had Anna stopping in her tracks, her entire body freezing as she registered the threat behind her. She had been caught in one of those train cars for days, probably weeks—maybe even close to a month—and hadn't seen a sign of other humans since. Well, the humans that took and ate her friends didn't count, they were part of the dead as far as she was concerned. Anna didn't understand why they left her there, why they spared her and not the others, but she didn't thank them for it either. Those that they took included her big brother, her pregnant sister-in-law, her kinda-sorta on again-off again boyfriend, her best friend, and a couple other people they added to the group along the way. But she had been left alone, random food thrown in every couple days until it just stopped and she figured they had forgotten about her and were going to just leave her there to starve. "Why not me?" was the question she thought of first followed quickly by "why them?" Anna couldn't pretend to know the answers.

She hadn't heard a thing other than random screams until the sound of gunfire woke her from one of her dehydration-induced sleeps. She was exhausted and starving, barely able to pull her trembling body into a sitting position, but somehow she managed to drag herself to the door and peak out through the crack. There wasn't much she could see, she learned that early on, especially as the sounds stopped rather quickly. Probably new victims, she thought sullenly as it seemed to be coming from the direction of the front gates. Once it stopped, it was silent for another few hours and she passed out only for more gunfire to rouse her once again. This time it was much closer, seemingly right outside, and she couldn't help but gasp and stagger to her feet. The shapes of darting figures could be seen followed by the slow shamble of the dead.

"Oh god," she breathed, confusion and apprehension and fear cloaking her voice, hearing it come out as just a croak as she hadn't spoken in days. The gunfire slowly got closer and closer causing her to back up out of fright. She heard the train cars near her being opened and so for the first time since she was left alone, she began to bang on the sides in hopes someone heard her over the confusion. "Hey! Hey, is somebody out there?! Please, I'm alive in here! Help me!" It seemed the gunfire was slowly fading and she was about to give up when the latch clicked and the doors were flung open. She winced at the bright sun that filtered in the compartment and that's when the voice—a soft, Georgian accent—hit her and froze her in her spot.

Slowly the redhead raised her eyes and she gulped at the sight of two heavily armed, impossing looking men standing in the doorway. One looked kinder than the other, but neither killed her on the spot so she supposed that was a good sign. She didn't know if they were friend or foe so she raised trembling arms up as a sign of surrender and compliance.

"I-I'm not one of them," she tried, hoping like hell they didn't belong to Gareth's crew. It's not like she had been given introductions and the welcome wagon as she was shoved in the train car. "I promise. I was brought here with some friends. I'm all that's left. I won't hurt you. Please, just get me out of here." Her voice was soft, broken, and pleading.

The two men exchanged glances and she saw one of them—the one who looked like a hunter—minutely shake his head, but the other one—the one with the longer shaggy beard and the clear authority—sighed. An internal and unspoken argument flittered between them and she stayed silent, quietly begging for them to at least leave the door open after they turned in the other direction.

"You don't have much time to debate. You go one way, I'll go the other. I can distract the roamers for you." Human bait. I guess it's a step up from human happy meal...for Gareth's people or the dead, take your pick.

Another silent argument went between them before the Chief shook his head. "No." He was the one that spoke before, she thought with a quick note.

Anna sighed, her body slumping, disappointment and a bit of frustration and resentment pushing through her body. "Fine. At least close the door so they can't get me."

"No. I mean...there's no way in hell we're turning our backs to you. We'll get you out, but you stay in front of us."

"So I get to turn my back to you, but you can't afford the same consideration?" His silent, glacial stare made her sigh again. "Okay, okay. Fine, I give. I've been in here long enough to know a good opportunity when I see it." She started taking a step towards them and Hunter's gun came up to her face.

"Not s'fast. Our family's out there. We won't risk 'em. Got any weapons on ya?"

Her eyes narrowed. "If I did, do you think I would've been stuck in this box for weeks?"

Hunter's jaw ticked and Chief looked a little amused, but Hunter quickly gestured her out with his gun. She slowly moved forward, careful not to make any sudden movements and startle them because they both had sort of a "shoot first, ask questions never" vibe going on. Chief walked to her left and Hunter to her right a step behind her, the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck standing up telling her they were keeping her in their sights as much as they were the roamers. But if they got her out alive, she didn't care if they knocked her out and hog tied her to do it.

Anna quickly moved with a gentle guidance from Chief and soon they met up with another group of people that were working on climbing over the west wall. One of them, a tall muscular man with red hair—Big Red—glanced at Chief and Hunter before staring directly at her as of she would implode at any moment and she simply raised an eyebrow at him.

"Help her over," Chief said, turning to shoot at more roamers with what looked like a Colt. (Anna only knew that because Johnny—her big brother—had been a gun nut and had one very similar to it, but it was an inch or two longer, and was an antique from old west times and he was almost as proud of that thing as he was his wife and unborn child.) Clambering over the fence with Big Red's help, she landed on the other side with a scuffle to her knees and then ass, knocking the wind out of her for a second. Had she been at full strength, she would've landed on her feet, but starvation and dehydration did that to a girl. Her head spun the moment that she was safe and she waited silently where she sat. The sound of thudding boots and crunching leaves told her Chief, Hunter, and Big Red were over the fence as well.

Slowly she realized they weren't alone as she looked up and saw a small herd of other people standing around them all staring at her. A couple with pity, a couple with disinterest, and a couple with suspicion. Not that she blamed them, of course. Finally she rolled to sit up on her knees, glancing over at Chief and Hunter who were the only ones who looked unconcerned there was a new person with them. Anna let out a breath and brought up a hand to scrub down her face, looking at them all warily.

"I won't hurt you," she finally said, voice weakening by the moment as the adrenaline wore off. She wasn't even sure she could stand up from that dirt of she wanted to. "You're welcome to just leave me here." Couldn't follow even if I wanted to.

"You're British."

Anna raised an eyebrow at the man that spoke, a heavier-set man with a plaid shirt and a dark mullet.

"Gold star to Haircut. Yes, I'm British."

Her cousin Maeve had been getting married so she, Johnny, and Celene—his wife—had come over to Atlanta for that. Brian—her kinda-sorta-ex—had shown up when he was jealous she might find some guy and hook up with him. "Yeah, I'll get right on shagging my cousins," she had said to him sarcastically and that shut him up. But he was good with a gun like Johnny—that's how he and Anna met, through her brother's gun club—so they were able to protect her and Celene fairly well, neither of which knew guns in the slightest. But Anna became fairly wicked with knives, she just didn't over share that with the crowd around her.

"Were you one of them?" This time an Asian guy about her age spoke and slowly she shook her head, frowning.

"No. They locked up my group."

Everyone seemed to tense. "You have a group?" Now it was the Model standing over between Big Red and Haircut and she shook her head again.

"Had," she emphasized. "I'm all that's left." Nobody spoke again after that for a couple moments and Anna sighed, looking at the ground. "Seriously, I'm good here. I'll find a weapon," and food, "somewhere. Don't let me get in your way." She glanced at Chief and Hunter. "Thanks for saving my arse back there. I owe you."

Chief looked to be thinking for a few moments and Anna took the time to take him in. He didn't seem like a bad man, but he definitely look like he's been through shit. Rugged beard, haggard face, wary blue eyes, shaggy curly hair, dirty clothes stained with blood... Anna was sure she didn't look much better, probably worse as the dehydration continued to wreak havoc on her body. She knew she had lost weight as the clothes that used to fit her perfectly now fell heavily around her thin frame. She was still dizzy, swaying where she sat, and didn't realize she had slumped over against a nearby tree until she startled Model nearby.

"I'm—" But that was the last thing she said before her body gave out and darkness swept in, the dehydration winning this round.

.x.x.x.x.

What Anna wasn't expecting was to wake up rather warm, dry, and comfortable with barely a headache or dizziness to be felt. There was something soft under her back and head, and a cool rag lay over her forehead. She still felt crusted with blood and dirt, but she could move her limbs without aching and that was a miracle in and of itself. She couldn't tell how long she had been out or what time of day it was even as she cracked her eyes open, blinking up at a ceiling that wasn't the sky but rather an off-white popcorn style ceiling like her grandmother had when she was still around. Her brows furrowed in confusion and the groan she felt bubbling up must have come out because a face appeared in her vision. Well, two of them actually. An older woman with short, graying hair and a younger woman she had noticed with the Asian man. Both looked rather worried and Anna's eyebrows furrowed more.

"Wha—" Her voice was worse than before and she had to clear her throat a couple times for it to work. "—what happened?"

"You were dehydrated, sweetie." It was the older woman, her mind voice warming Anna in a way she hadn't since she had last seen her mother, and she refused to let tears prickle her eyes like she felt them ready to. "How long were you in there?" Anna hadn't remembered seeing her in the group outside Terminus, but she supposed they could've had others that hadn't been inside the walls. That or this woman had also been a captive they freed just like herself. Or maybe she had just been that out of it that she didn't notice her.

"I think two or three weeks?" she tried, her voice still dry. "Hard to keep track."

"How long has it been since you've eaten or drank anything?"

Anna shrugged. "A week maybe?"

The woman tutted and helped her sit up, handing her an open can of peaches. Anna's stomach growled and she reached for it hungrily, only for one hand to be tugged back. She looked over in alarm and saw it handcuffed to a heater and she frowned. The woman shrugged.

"Can't be too careful." Anna slowly nodded and with the help of the woman, set the can between her knees and used the spoon—can't even trust me with a fork—and ate up as quick as she could. She was still starving, but that took the edge off. She knew a five course meal wasn't in her future anytime soon, and she smiled gratefully at the woman.

"So two of your men save me and then you keep me from starving to death. Starting to think 'thanks' is a little bit daft."

"Nonsense. Rick and Daryl wouldn't have let you die." Rick and Daryl... It suits them. I wonder which is which. "Which reminds me... What's your name?"

Anna managed to get herself sat up and leaning against the heater. It was much more comfortable than kind of shoved against it with her neck at an odd angle. "Anna. Anna Crewe."

"I'm Carol Peletier, this is Maggie Greene."

"Nice to meet you." Anna smiled softly for the first time. "I definitely owe you guys something." She glanced around. "I can get you more food maybe? Or...if this is your place, I can work it off?"

"We're still all human. We still save people. You don't need to do anything for us except keep living."

Easier said than done, she thought wryly, but she would certainly try. She was going to say so at least until the door opened—she was in a bedroom, she noted—and in walked Chief and Hunter—or well, Rick and Daryl.

"Carol, Maggie... Can we have a few minutes alone?" The women nodded and Carol handed a water bottle to Anna who quickly sipped at it, though was smart enough not to drink the whole thing. Iy felt like she was given the elixir of life as it tasted amazing and already she felt her body begin to repair itself. Anna kept her eyes on the two men as the women left, knowing they had all the cards here. They could easily leave her chained up to die or just shoot her in the head. But why do that when they took the time and energy to save her, and send Carol and Maggie in to do the same? Maybe Carol was wrong, maybe they were going to ask her for something, a repayment that didn't include food or labor, though they didn't seem like the type of men to do that. At least she hoped so.

Hunter went to perch on a nearby rickety dresser, staring at her with narrowed eyes as he slowly carved at an arrow in his hands, a crossbow hanging off his shoulder, and Chief hunkered down on one knee in front of her.

"We just met, you probably should think this through, Chief." He looked confused for a moment before glancing down at his position before giving her a stern look. She looked away in embarrassment, cheeks going red. "Look...sorry. It's a defense mechanism, okay?" She sighed. "I meant what I said, I won't hurt any of you. I wasn't with those arseholes. They took my family and ate them and left me to die alone in a train car. Like I said before, I'll do whatever you want as a thank you for saving my life." She paused. "Twice. And I understand the cuffs. But I'm unarmed and I don't have the strength to hurt anyone."

Chief stared at her a bit longer after she finished before standing, scrubbing a hand down his face, and glancing at Hunter. "I wanna trust you, but I can't yet," he finally said. Anna sighed. "You'll stay in those cuffs 'til we can. We're moving out tomorrow at first light." A quick glance to the borded up window told Anna it was about dusk out. Chief leaned down to her on one knee again, looking at her as if she were one of those from Terminus, like a bug on his shoe. Her breath caught and she nearly squirmed away, but resisted because she didn't want to give him any reason to anything to her. "You do anything, you try anything... I will kill you." He stood back up, the breath leaving her lungs as fear gripped her along with the knowledge that she believed him, as he glanced to Hunter. "How many walkers have you killed?"

Anna frowned. Walkers? Oh... He must mean the roamers. Interesting name.

"Lost count. Hundreds?"

"How many people have you killed?"

Anna frowned harder as her heart lurched into her throat and she looked down, begging herself not to cry in front of this intimidating, lethal man. That moment was one memory she never let herself think of no matter how bad times got. "One."

"Why?"

Slowly she looked up and a single tear fell and stained her right cheek. That was more than she could allow. "He got bit and wanted to die as a human. He asked me to."

Apparently her answer satisfied him because he stood up and the tenseness, the lethal warrior in him faded just a little, but Anna could still see it behind those beautiful cerulean hues. He nodded once and Hunter hopped down from his perch and he, too, seemed satisfied.

"Your name?" Chief asked.

"Anna Crewe."

"I'm Rick Grimes. This is Daryl. Welcome to the group." With that he turned and walked away, Daryl hot on his trail and Anna slumped, panting from the feelings that had created a storm inside her.

.x.x.x.x.

The next morning, Anna was given a single, small knife that she attached to her belt on her right side in east reach. Her handcuffed left arm was cuffed to Carol's side—Daryl didn't seem to like that idea, but she offered and Rick agreed, plus it was clear she could take care of herself—so that Anna couldn't go too far from the other woman. Frankly she was glad it was Carol and not one of the others—though she wouldn't have minded Maggie, though the Asian man stopped her from volunteering—as she was still rather intimidated by them. She was also given a pack with a bottle of water, a couple granola bars, a can of green beans, a flashlight with extra batteries, and a small first aid kit. She decided quickly even if they had offered to give her a gun, she would've declined because she didn't have the experience and she didn't want to hurt anyone by doing something incorrectly. All the others had much more heat and were armed much more than her, but she decided she trusted them enough that they wouldn't let her die. Though she knew if it was her or one of them, she would be thrown to the wolves in a second without a thought.

Along the way, where she walked between Carol and Maggie, she learned the names of the rest of the group. Big Red was Abraham, Model was Rosita, Haircut was Eugene, and the Asian guy was Maggie's husband Glenn. There was also Tara, Tyreese, his sister Sasha, her kinda-boyfriend Bob, Michonne—who frankly scared the piss out of Anna, and to Anna's surprise Rick's kids Carl and Judith. The more they walked, the more Anna feel like she knew about them and the more she trusted them. Of course she told them what she could, staying away from the topic of Johnny, Celeste, Brian, and the others the best she could, but she hoped that they began to trust her like she did them.