FLASHBACK: VA - Shenandoah Valley Campground (Day 143)

[Kristi Lynne]

Shenandoah Valley Campground

An abandoned campsite near the Middle River in northwest Virginia

[Kristi Lynne]

Leaving the safety and security of the fort had been hard, not just because of the chaos she had purposefully unleashed, but because Nora had placed so much faith in it and their future in that place. Now they were back on the road -- with more people but also with provisions and weapons that they'd borrowed from the fort's stores. Dwight also held onto maps of his scavenging runs, so they'd managed to luck out on a few convenience stores and strip malls that dotted the side of Highway 81.

And though times ahead were uncertain, Nora felt somehow optimistic. She was back in her own clothes, at the wheel of her own truck, and reunited with her family of Ingrid and Negan while adding Dwight, Sherry, and Dr. Shaw. She had been consciously avoiding Negan, well aware that she was in for a generous helping of 'I told you so' but now that they had settled into the quiet of this campground, she convinced herself it was time to face the music. 

While Ingrid was building a fire in the clearing between their vehicles, Nora retrieved two bottles of beer from a cooler and made her way toward Negan as he sat on the tailgate of her truck. "Y'know, it's been 24 hours since we left the fort," she began, unsure if he was lost in thought or actively surveying the trees in the quickly dimming light. "If anyone was following us, we would have seen them by now. So cheers to a clean getaway." Setting aside the bottles for a moment, she hopped up on the tailgate beside him. After removing the caps with the bottle opener from her keychain, she handed him one of the bottles and clinked her own against it. "Sorry, it's not cold, but still gets the job done," she confided with an apologetic smile. 

[DarkSideCookie]

Negan had indeed been lost in thoughts rather than surveying their surroundings. Not about anything particular, but instead about the new situation. A situation that felt kind of old yet not with this feeling of no way out. Negan had a vision, and he was working towards it, at least in his head.

"Y'know, it's been 24 hours since we left the fort," "If anyone was following us, we would have seen them by now. So cheers to a clean getaway."

With his leg bent and one elbow resting on it, Negan turned his head around to face Nora. With a slight smile, he received the bottle of beer. The two of them hadn't talked a lot since they all had left the fort behind but his features had been a lot more at ease whenever their eyes made contact with each other. Negan had missed these times a lot. Outside by a campfire, sitting on Rusty's tailgate and sharing a beer. "Thank you," he said as she clinked her bottle against his.

"Sorry, it's not cold, but still gets the job done,"

Negan took a good sip before turning his gaze around again, replying to her words. "Y'know, this tastes much better than anything inside there." Sure, he had become used to the comfort of having a fridge and all that, but deep down there always had felt something wrong about the place, to him at least. After some moments of silence between them, Negan suddenly said: "I'm glad nothing happened to you," his head turned towards the trees again.

[Kristi Lynne]

"I'm glad nothing happened to you."

"Yeah, me too," Nora agreed, taking a swig from her own bottle. "You, me, and hospitals, huh? Never seems to go well." She looked over at him and grinned, trying to gauge his reaction to this reference to their past, but found him looking elsewhere. They'd been through so much together in a short amount of time -- things that would normally make people closer -- and yet she still felt miles apart. Maybe they were both that way before the world changed, or maybe the world changing made it so they had to be. And she had spent most of her life in a job that allowed no display of vulnerability.

"Y'know, there was a moment back there that I wanted to give up," Nora confided in a low voice. "Just let go and stop fighting. Who would miss me, anyway? But then I thought about never seeing you or Ingrid again. All the really, really bad times that we've been through, and the rare good ones. Dancing in a record store in the middle of nowhere. Your 'homemade' spaghetti with ketchup packets when we couldn't find any marinara sauce. The way Ingrid always cheated when we played 'Battleship.'

"Because I know that there's still life ahead of us, Negan," she asserted. "There's still time. And I didn't want to let them win, to take away everything that I care about."

[Ariel]

Ingrid gave the newly birthed flame life as she blew it into the path of the dry kindling and watched it grow quickly into a campfire, engulfing the patch of strategically placed dry logs. Leaning backwards, Ingrid straightened herself upright as she sat with her legs crisscrossed on the dirt floor of the clearing. Crackling into the night sky, the campfire began to glow and give light to their surroundings. Ingrid's gaze panned around to bring into view the dimly lit cluster of valley and trees that surrounded them. Back in the natural elements of the world. Ingrid inwardly chuckled, shaking her head at the foolish thoughts, to think that life at the Fort could have ever worked. Foolish leadership coupled with dirty town secrets and ignoring the world's biggest threat to human life had been a cause marked for disaster. They all had known it, yet shoved away the reality of how severe and dangerous being at the Fort truly was until they almost lost Nora. As Ingrid poked the fire with a rusty fire poker she had found laying around from previous temporary residents of the campground, her ears picked up on the distant chatter of Negan and Nora. Amusingly enough, Ingrid came to terms with the fact that this was where they were all meant to be. Besides, they all had at least one thing to live for - a better future. Together.

[DarkSideCookie]

His non-reaction to her words wasn't a result of having nothing to say or not being willing to have a friendly chat with her like that; Quite the contrary. Negan simply wasn't used to this kind of conversation anymore, not with her. It had been a long while since the two of them had been sharing one like this. Nora's next words, though, made him turn his head around ever so slightly, after all.

"Y'know, there was a moment back there that I wanted to give up,""Just let go and stop fighting. Who would miss me, anyway?"

Negan almost said something to that, was thinking it at least, but then she just went on. Maybe for the better.

"But then I thought about never seeing you or Ingrid again. All the really, really bad times that we've been through, and the rare good ones. Dancing in a record store in the middle of nowhere. Your 'homemade' spaghetti with ketchup packets when we couldn't find any marinara sauce. The way Ingrid always cheated when we played 'Battleship.'

At her rehearsal of their odd but good adventures, Negan's head turned just some more into her direction, grinning in silent amusement.

"Because I know that there's still life ahead of us, Negan,""There's still time. And I didn't want to let them win, to take away everything that I care about."

He gave a nod to her words, looking elsewhere again as he started speaking. "People like them will never win," Negan heard himself saying while feeling like he rather wanted to react to the fact that Nora was remembering their private little dance back in that record store, even listing it amongst other things she would miss.

Once again, his head turned back around. Ah, what the heck. "So, you have fantasized about that certain day in the record shop when you thought you'd lose the fight?" Negan grinned, yet not in his usual teasing way, not only at least. There was something beyond that; Something like serious interest.

[Kristi Lynne]

"So, you have fantasized about that certain day in the record shop when you thought you'd lose the fight?"

"Eh, 'fantasized' is a strong word," Nora countered, after a quick inhale of air through clenched teeth. "More like 'fondly recalled'." She should have regretted bringing up that memory at all, but that wouldn't have been honest. Looking at him now, those dimples book-ending his smug grin, brought back how easy and content she had been to be held in his arms that day. A precious few minutes that it was just the two of them and the music.

"I mean, you're a pretty good dance partner," she allowed, "And I get the impression that a lotta' bored housewives at the fort thought so, too." She took another swig from her beer, silently daring him to deny it. From the moment they'd arrived, Negan had been like the shiny new toy that all the girls wanted to play with. And he had been only too happy to indulge them.  

[DarkSideCookie]

"Eh, 'fantasized' is a strong word,""More like 'fondly recalled'."

Negan was giving her a look that silently said: 'Oh, c'mon...' But before he could actually have said anything at all, Nora went on with words that made him regretfully bite his bottom lip.

"I mean, you're a pretty good dance partner,""And I get the impression that a lotta' bored housewives at the fort thought so, too."

He wasn't someone who lied when it came to things like that, not nowadays at least. But he also didn't like to hand the truth to Nora on a silver platter. Not in a situation like this. Or maybe not anymore? However, instead, Negan tried to make use of it, asking her a question that would allow him to continue on a different path. "Jealous?" he asked with a grin, less mocking but rather flirty, spreading across his face.

[Kristi Lynne]

"Jealous?"

"Psh, no," Nora sputtered, turning the bottle up to her lips again. "I mean, it's not exactly a challenge, is it? It's like ... shooting fish in a barrel." She brought one leg up and tucked it beneath her other leg, turning so that she was more directly facing him as she sat on the tailgate. "Seriously, the easiest sales pitch in the world," she asserted. "And I know exactly how you’d do it."

Nora cleared her throat and straightened her posture, as if she were an actor preparing a monologue. "See, you start with the empathy. You’d say, ‘Thank you so much, ma’am, for the beer and for being such a good listener. I hope that husband of yours appreciates just what an amazing partner he has. He's out there killin' walkers and you're in here holding down the fort, literally’.”

She paused to utter a short laugh at her own joke, unsure whether it was the alcohol or the exhaustion that was making her slightly light-headed. “And…and then you’d look really deeply into their eyes and say, ‘I know how hard it is, to want to do more than just survive. You need someone to remind you what it’s like to be alive. To have your heart beat a little faster, but not out of fear. Out of anticipation. To feel the warmth of their skin on yours'." She gently slid her hand over his, interlacing her fingers with his. "To be terrified and excited all at the same time,” Nora mused, her breath catching as she looked up to meet his gaze. Afraid that she had somehow shifted from acting to honesty. 

[DarkSideCookie]

At her answer, Negan's face would turn slightly disappointed - in his current state of mind, vulnerable that was, visible even. But her next words and bearings had him glued to her lips again. Figuratively spoken, although he would have nothing against it, being honest to himself.

"See, you start with the empathy. You’d say, ‘Thank you so much, ma’am, for the beer and for being such a good listener. I hope that husband of yours appreciates just what an amazing partner he has. He's out there killin' walkers and you're in here holding down the fort, literally’.”

Negan replied her short laugh with a charming grin of his, very obviously interested to hear more of this. And although it was more like a subconscious action, he leaned in a little closer towards her.

“And…and then you’d look really deeply into their eyes and say, ‘I know how hard it is, to want to do more than just survive. You need someone to remind you what it’s like to be alive. To have your heart beat a little faster, but not out of fear. Out of anticipation. To feel the warmth of their skin on yours'."

His facial expression had already changed, sometime during her little monologue, had become less strict, yet with Nora's hand gently touching his, even the last furrow disappeared while he suddenly felt kind of...

"... terrified and excited all at the same time,”

Negan said nothing in return, only closed his eyes ever so slightly, leaning in closer some more.. and more.. and more...

[Ariel]

As Ingrid continued to poke the fire, a glimmer in the dust across the way from her suddenly caught her eye. She thought that she was just seeing things out of exhaustion, but then when she moved her gaze back to the flickering flames she saw it again. Curious, Ingrid climbed to her feet and walked around the fire and forward, scanning the dirt floor beneath her sneakers. What looked to be a round, shiny object poked halfway out from the ground and Ingrid couldn't help but to investigate further. Crouching down, she retrieved the object. It was caked with dirt and grass from sitting for so long, so a little bit of spit and rubbing the object clean on her pants seemed to do the trick. When she held it up in the campfire light, she couldn't believe her eyes. 

"No freaking way," Ingrid smiled, doing a double take to make sure that she wasn't just seeing things, "Hey guys!" Ingrid called out to Negan and Nora who were nearby, chatting about who knows what. Waving at them, she jaunted up towards the duo having a beer break on the back of the tailgate of Nora's truck, "Get a load of this!" Ingrid slowed down to a stop as she met Negan and Nora, holding up a CD with the words Bob & Nat's Camping Mix marked with a sharpie over it, "Barely a scratch! What do you say...should we pop her in the truck and see if Bob and Nat's taste in music is any good?" Ingrid inquired, anxiously anticipating an answer from Negan and Nora. Hopeful for a yes, as they seemed to already have a decant tailgate party going on - all that was needed was some tunes.

[Kristi Lynne]

It was one of those near-perfect prelude to a kiss moments: the stars in the sky, the crackling of the fire mingled with the random sounds of the forest. Nora's gaze lingered on his lips as she wondered if she should let this happen. The physical attraction was there, had been for a while, and the very real possibility of losing him forever had served to amplify her existing affection. And maybe she did wonder what all those bored housewives had enjoyed that she'd been missing out on.

Just as she was committing to closing the distance between her and Negan, a voice cut through the quiet.

"Hey guys! Get a load of this! Barely a scratch! What do you say...should we pop her in the truck and see if Bob and Nat's taste in music is any good?"

Ah, Ingrid. She should thank the young woman later for saving her from what might have been a huge mistake. Having quickly sobered up and straightened up, Nora took a look at the CD that Ingrid had found. It was certainly possible it would still play. Worth a try, at least. And Nora welcomed the distraction.

"Only for a little bit," she agreed. "Don't want to run the battery down." She hopped down off the tailgate and went back to the cab, turned the ignition just enough to start the stereo, and slid the disc into the CD player. To her surprise, it whirred into life and the first musical notes of Earth, Wind & Fire's "September" began to issue forth from the speakers. Nora smiled as she cranked up the speakers (to an acceptably loud enough level) and returned to the back of the truck. For a moment, it was like any other night out in the woods, celebrating with friends around a campfire in a circle of headlights.

"May I have this dance?" Nora asked, holding her hand out to Ingrid.

[DarkSideCookie]

In all honesty, it had to be said that Negan was, by far, not overthinking the situation as much as Nora. He had always felt that attraction towards her, although without allowing himself to feel it beyond something physical. Never was not exactly correct, though, as there had been one moment before where he had felt something more indeed; And that had been during their dance in the record shop. In this very moment, though, Negan just wanted to let it happen, what hadn't back at that day. But it just seemed not meant to be...

"Hey guys! Get a load of this! Barely a scratch! What do you say...should we pop her in the truck and see if Bob and Nat's taste in music is any good?"

While Nora backed off from him and jumped up immediately, Negan remained in the same position. It took him some seconds to awake from this. Of course, Ingrid wasn't aware of the moment she had just destroyed, so he couldn't blame her. Or should he even thank her? No, honestly, Negan would have loved to get a taste of this, to find out what it was that was between them. At this point, at least.

"Only for a little bit,""Don't want to run the battery down."

A quiet hiss escaped him, along with a rather bitter grin, when he watched Nora dedicating herself to the stereo inside the cab as if there was nothing more interesting right now. Negan knew that she was thankful and regretful at the same time, hiding both those emotions in her actions. At some point then, it started to amuse him even.

"Oh-ho!" Negan finally rose back to life when he heard the first musical notes of 'September' playing. "Guess I would have liked Bob and Nat." When Nora returned to the back of the truck where he was still sitting, one hand casually leaned on his knee, he was almost about to ask the same question as she did, as something like the last chance, yet not regarding the same dance partner. On his features remained a slight grin, though, as he became a watcher only.

"May I have this dance?"

Maybe this was for the better, after all.

[Ariel]

"May I have this dance?"

Ingrid chuckled, exaggerating a curtsy in Nora's direction, "I would be honored," Ingrid accepted Nora's invitation in the worst impression of an british accent before straightening herself back upright and giving Nora one of her hands to dance. She was never particularly one to be a fan of period dramas in books or movies in the previous life before the world went to shit. Though, one did not simply pass up the phase of dreaming of a Mr. Darcy to come and sweep them off of their feet. In Ingrid's case, she never knew if true love would ever find her in an apocalyptic world such as this. However, she couldn't help but to notice something between Negan and Nora. It had been known to her that a spark had seemed to try and ignite multiple times between the two. Sure, Negan had loved Lucille, but Ingrid knew that he deserved love and to be able to move on as well. If Negan and Nora were meant to be, Ingrid had come to accept that. For now, she would be more than satisfied to be Nora's dance partner as the two ladies swung around each other to the beat of the music while Negan sat and watched, gleefully laughing into the starry night. Forgetting about the hell they had just gone through and not worrying about what was to come for their futures.

***