Y/N woke up the next day alone. Alicia's spot was empty, and she felt her heart drop to her stomach. It quickly shot back up, though, when she saw a fresh glass of water and two more Advil laying on her beside table. Y/N smiled slightly before taking the Advil, wishing the pain away as she did. She hated to admit, but all she wanted was to take something harder. She weighed the options back and forth in her head, wondering if she was stronger now. However, it just wasn't a risk she was willing to take. Not now.

After taking the Advil she hopped out of bed, pulling off her sweaty t shirt and replacing it with an old tank top before heading downstairs. As she walked down the stairs she heard pots clanging, as well as the sound of Daniel and Ofelia laughing. Y/N looked toward the kitchen and saw the Salazar's cooking something while Alicia sat at the counter, her chin resting in one of her hands as she watched the two cook.

"I really hope that isn't food from my fridge because that stuff is at least a year old," Y/N joked as she reached the bottom of the stairs. At the sound of her voice Alicia looked over toward her, the girl's smile growing comically large as she caught sight of the older girl walking toward the kitchen.

"Don't worry," Ofelia said. "We went over to Strand's to get some food from his fridge."

Y/N nodded while walking over toward the countertop and taking a seat next to Alicia. Once she was seated Alicia grabbed one of her hands under the counter, and both girls smiled at the contact.

Y/N looked over to what Daniel and Ofelia were cooking before she felt Alicia lean over, whispering in her ear. "Good morning," The girl said softly.

"Morning," Y/N said with a cheeky smile, not bothering to whisper back.

Alicia smiled back at the girl before turning her attention toward the plates being slid in their direction. They were full of bacon and pancakes, and Y/N couldn't help but be excited by the thought of food. She was also excited by the fact Alicia was currently holding her hand, but she was also a little confused. They hadn't kissed since the day at her neighbors house and they also hadn't really talked about their feelings or what they wanted. Sure they both said they liked each other, but that was about it. Y/N wasn't entirely sure where the two stood, but maybe it didn't quite matter. From what she could tell the world was basically ending anyway.

Y/N let go of Alicia's hand to begin eating, and soon everyone in her house was eating and enjoying light conversations with one another. Ofelia apologized once again for her being shot, Y/N shrugged it off just like she had the day before. Daniel spoke about his time growing up to which everyone listened to with intrigued ears. Y/N told them about growing up in her house, and how no matter how full it was it still always felt a bit empty. She told them it'd never quite felt as at home as it did now, though she wasn't quite sure if that was only due to the circumstances.

Once everyone finished eating they decided to head over to Strand's house, but first Y/N and Alicia went back up to her room. Y/N fought with herself back in forth in her mind before finally decided to speak up.

"Hey, you think we could talk?" Y/N questioned Alicia as they walked into her bedroom.

Alicia glanced at her nervously before answering. "Yeah, of course. Are you okay?"

Y/N nodded while sitting on the edge of her bed, motioning for Alicia to sit beside her. Once the younger girl did she spoke up again. "I've just been wondering...I know you like me, and it's been established I like you too, so, like," Y/N paused, taking a deep breath before speaking again. "I guess I should just say I want to be with you. It doesn't have to be labeled or anything, but I want you to know that you're it for me. Like, I'm not gonna be hitting on other random girls we run into."

Alicia laughed gently, causing Y/N to raise a questioning eyebrow. Once Alicia noticed this she answered the girl. "I don't really know how many random girls we'll be running into now, but the same goes for me, Y/N. After seeing you get shot yesterday I-," She paused, taking a shaky breath before continuing. "Let's just say it really put things into perspective for me. For a moment I thought you were going to die and it felt like I was going to die too."

Y/N was taken aback by her statement, but it also eased her worried. Alicia really did like her. She had nothing to worry about. She knew it was dumb to worry in the first place, but that was just the type of person she was. Things had never really worked out for her in the past.

"Well," Y/N said while looking toward Alicia with a relived expression. "I feel dumb for even bringing this up now.

Alicia shook her head while grabbing hold of one of Y/N's hands. "Don't feel dumb. I'd be worried too if you'd reacted the same way I did after our first kiss."

At the mention of this Y/N smirked, causing Alicia to gulp slightly. "Speaking of our first kiss..." She said while leaning in closer to Alicia's face. "What about the second ki-"

She was cut off when Alicia abruptly closed the distance between them, capturing the older girl's lips in a gentle yet passionate kiss. Y/N quickly returned the favor, using her free hand to grab the back of Alicia's head and pull her in closer if it was even possible. As the kiss continued Alicia melted into the other girl's grip, releasing her hand and allowing Y/N to wrap her other arm around her waist. Alicia wrapped her arms behind Y/N's shoulders gently, careful to not accidentally touch her injury as she did so. Their lips moved together carefully, and neither girl has ever felt so content with a kiss before.

Eventually Y/N pulled away, a loopy smile on her face as she slowly opened her eyes to make eye contact with Alicia. After a few moments of staring at one another Y/N leaned in to quickly peck the girl's lips before pulling away from her. Alicia frowned slightly, but that was quickly replaced with a smile when Y/N stood up, holding a hand out for Alicia to do the same.

"Want to borrow some clothes?" Y/N asked once they were both standing.

Alicia nodded so Y/N told her to go ahead and change into anything, and that she'd be waiting downstairs when the girl was done.

Seeing Alicia in her clothes really did something to her. Something about it felt so domestic, and she had to admit it warmed her heart to see Alicia wearing one of her old soccer jerseys as she walked downstairs.

"You should have played soccer," Y/N teased as Alicia approached her. "You pull off the jersey nicely."

Alicia laughed at this statement. "Yeah, well the whole running and kicking the ball thing is the whole point and that was never really my strong suit."

"You got me there," As Y/N said this she stood up, following Alicia out the side door and walking back over to Strand's house. Y/N was excited to see everyone else, but also nervous. She felt guilty about leaving Chris yesterday, but she hoped he would understand. A lot had been happening lately.

When the two walked into the house they were immediately greeted by Madison and Nick. The two of them were sitting on a large couch and watching TV on Strand's flatscreen that was almost as big as the wall.

"You have to be kidding me," Alicia mumbled when she looked at was on the screen. Zombieland was playing, and Alicia couldn't believe they'd watch that at a time like this. She looked over to say something about it to Y/N, but the older girl was already walking over to one of the smaller couches, a slight smile on her face.

"You're one sick individual," Y/N laughed while looking over toward Nick. "But I appreciate the enthusiasm for the current state of our world."

Alicia rolled her eyes, but joined Y/N on the couch anyway. She noticed her mom staring at her with a small smile, but didn't think anything of it. She was probably just excited to see Alicia was still okay after spending the night with the girl she had previously hated.

Y/N didn't want to push Alicia into anything, so when she noticed the girl sit a few feet away from her she didn't say anything about it. It wasn't her place to force someone into coming out or admitting they were dating her. Alicia could take all the time she needed as far as Y/N was concerned, though from the look on Madison's face she knew the older woman already had an idea about what was going on.

"So," Madison said while turning the TV volume down slightly, much to Nick's dismay. "How did you two sleep? Are you feeling okay, Y/N?"

The y/h/c girl shrugged while looking down at the gun wound that was being exposed due to the fact she was wearing a tank top. "It hurts like a bitch, but I'm okay."

"And we slept good," Alicia cut in, a small smile on her face as she thought about cuddling with Y/N all night.

Madison nodded. "Glad to hear it. If you need anything, Y/N, just let me know."

"Will do," Y/N responded before turning her attention back toward the TV. The movie wasn't the most accurate depiction of what was happening currently, but she figured that was probably for the best.

After awhile they turned on some random comedy, but everyone eventually dispersed. Alicia went with her mom somewhere, and Nick mentioned something about him and Chris having a boys day. Y/N found herself going out to the balcony where she was immediately greeted by Strand. The older man was staring out at his boat.

"So," Y/N started while leaning up against the railing beside him. "Is there a reason you were so adamant about getting back to The Abigail?"

Strand chuckled slightly, but his eyes remained ahead. "You know me too well, kid."

"Well?" She pressed.

"Mexico," He answered her. "I'm only telling you because I trust you. I need to get to Mexico."

Y/N lifted her eyebrow slightly before responding. "Okay, why?"

Strand sighed, finally pulling his eyes away from the boat to look over at the girl beside him. Y/N could tell he seemed upset, and she wondered what was wrong. She didn't want to push him too hard, though. For now she only needed answers to one question.

"You remember Thomas?" He asked. Y/N gave him an 'of course looked that prompted him to continue. "He's with his mother in Mexico. I need to get back to him as soon as I can."

She nodded in understanding, watching as Strand turned to look back out over the water. "What about everyone else?"

"You know you always have a place on my boat, but what am I to do with 7 extra people?" Strand asked.

His answer upset her, but Y/N tried not to show it. "Strand, without those people you wouldn't have even made it back here...You cannot just leave them when things get bad."

"What makes you think things are going to get any worse than they already are?"

"Well," Y/N shrugged. "You haven't left yet. You must be waiting on something to happen. You're comfortable now, but anticipating it to not last long."

"You're too smart for your own damn good," Strand chuckled. "Their welcome to come, but I don't know about all the way to Mexico."

As he said this Y/N knew what he was implying. He'd drop them somewhere else, though she wasn't exactly sure where that would be. Who's to say that 100 miles down the coast was any safer than it was here?

"I know you're a good man," Y/N told him, ignoring his previous comment. "Don't mess it up now. For everyone's sake."

"I won't," He responded, and Y/N believed him.

In the back of her mind she was still questioning what could possibly be worse than this, but she knew anything was possible. The walking dead outside their fences was a testament to that.

But she knew Strand would never leave her, and she'd never leave everyone else. That's just how it was going to be.