Chapter Text
John: Be interrogated by Dave.
"So Egbert, are you gonna make an honest woman out of my sister?" The tall blond pokes at the campfire with a stick, the four of you huddled around it. You shoot him a dirty look.
"Uh, is that really any of your business?" He takes the stick back out of the fire and points it in your general direction, the end of it lit aflame.
"You need to loosen up."
"Dave, I told you already! He's still trying to recover his memory." Your cousin Jade swats at his arm, and something tells you that's not the first time that's happened to him, and it certainly won't be the last.
"Right, sorry," he apologizes to you before turning towards Jade with a big smirk across his face. You can she's still irritated with him but quickly forgives him, leaning in to give him a chaste kiss. You glance over at Rose who is also prodding at the fire with a stick.
"Do I get kisses like that when I apologize about stuff?" She looks up at you, her face placid.
"No." She gives you a tiny grin afterward and you smile back at her.
"Uh, John? Can we go take a walk?" you hear Jade pipe up, breaking your small moment you're having with Rose.
"Oh, sure." You get up from the ground and Rose reaches into a bag and tosses you something.
"If you two are gonna go out there at least take a flashlight. I don't want you to not see any creepy creatures of the night and get eaten before we've even had a good reunion."
"Yeah, grab your gun, Jade. I'd rather you kick some zombie ass than they kick your own ass."
"Of course, Mom," she jests but does as he says, grabbing her gun off the ground nearby. You turn on the flashlight and follow behind her as she plunges further into the forest, the light of the campfire disappearing from view. She halts all of a sudden, thrusting the gun at you as she hunches over and vomits into the brush.
"God, I wish this would stop," she groans before retching some more.
"Are you certain you're okay, Jade? I mean, I know you don't want me prying or anything--" She spins around, coming into the light of the flashlight you're holding. She wipes her arm across her mouth, and you see clear as day that she does not look good.
"I don't know," she tells you, her lip trembling. "I thought I had this under control but I don't, and that scares me. I just need you to promise me something."
"I dunno, Jade . . . " you trail, but her moss eyes are dead set on yours, pleading.
"Promise me that you won't let Rose know and especially not Dave. I can figure it out when we get back to the sector, but for now I need you to help me hide it. Can you do both of those things?" You really don't want to keep something like that from both of them, but you honor her wishes regardless.
"I promise you."
Rose: Have a fireside chat with your brother.
"So, have you noticed that Jade's been acting a little strange?"
"Jade's always been strange, Rose," Dave disregards you, messing with the fire.
"No, I mean since we left to return to wherever it is you two reside. She seems awfully shifty." Dave remains unphased by the statement.
"She'd tell me if there was something up with her."
"Alright, but I'd be wary if I were you."
"There's nothing to worry about."
"I'm not saying that there is. I'm just saying to be careful and watch out for her. If I know Jade, as much as she is open, she still likes to remain a closed book on matters that seem urgent enough to her. Just watch out for her, okay?"
"Okay, I will. You don't think I didn't already promise myself that I would?"
"Promise yourself what?" You cease conversation as Jade and John return, Jade plopping down right next to Dave and John right next to you.
"I already promised myself that I'm more than ready to use my kickass sword Rose was able to recover a long while ago," he lies to her. "I'm still hella pumped about that."
"She found your sword?"
"Yeah, I found it before I left the camp. Helped me get through quite an armada of the Flesh, I'll tell you that. It's also much more effective than kitchen knives," you tell her.
"I bet. Oh, that reminds me. John and I went back there!" Jade exclaims.
"Back where?"
"To the camp!" You glance over at John with a look that says "why didn't you tell me this", and he just shrugs.
"Shit, no way! What was it like?" Dave asks.
"Creepy, damp, a little melancholy. Helped refresh my memories a bit, to say the least," John chuckles.
"It just felt weird, returning back there. I guess a lot of what's happened just feels so surreal to me. One day I'm sitting on the sandy shores of an island, then I blink and I'm sitting around a campfire and about ten years have passed. It's just strange," Jade says. "It really was just barren and empty, no signs of the people who were once there."
"Do you really think we could have survived there? I mean, you look at the kind of places we all ended up and it seems like there is no way that place would have been sustained," you tell them, drawing your legs up against your chest.
"Well, we're here now and we're all together and that's some awesome shit right there," Dave grins, tossing his stick into the fire. "And we're going to go back there and Jade's gonna fix everyone and it'll be like nothing ever happened." You smile along with Jade and John at your brother's statement, but something about it just doesn't seem like it'll be that way. No, you're positive it'll be like everything happened, but in the end, that'll be much, much better.
Dave: Return.
"It's me, Jade Harley."
"I'm not sure if I'm authorized to let you in, Ms. Harley."
"Okay, can you just shut the fuck up and let me in, Carlos? I have the supplies, and I know it's been longer than expected but I highly doubt the vaccine been made. Just let me in, Carlos! I got a fuckton of people who just want to get some rest!"
" . . . Standby."
The gates of the sector suddenly shift open, allowing all of you inside. There are soldiers there to greet you, some of your old military buddies. They help all the healers from Rose's group while the four of you take off towards the laboratory, gaining instant access once you're inside. Jade ushers all of you into her little office as she plops herself down into her rolling chair, shifting around papers as she recollects her thoughts.
"Hey, Jade!" Jake greets her as he steps into the office, quieting down once he sees Rose and John as well. "Uh, are these guests of yours?"
"Yeah, this is Rose and John. Rose and John, meet Jake." Jade doesn't break her intense concentration and all of you watch her with interest for a few minutes until she pops back up from her chair, holding up a folder full of assorted papers.
"Alright, let's go make ourselves a vaccine! Come on, Dave, you'll go with me. John and Rose, you can wait out in the lobby at one of the couches while we work." The two nod in response and she gives them directions, ushering them down the hallway. She returns back to Jake and shares what's in the folder with him while you stand idly by, waiting for further instructions.
"This looks like it'll work perfectly. I think if we get started on it right away we'll be able to have some sort of solid thing done in no time. I'll get several other people on it while you start one up. There should be several extractions in the icebox already," Jake says, Jade disappears in a flash, heading into a different room. Jake waves goodbye to you as he takes down the hallway, and Jade reappears again with several packages of blood.
"Can you do me a favor and visit the supply closet and get some small tubes that sort of look like this?" she asks you once you're back in her office, picking up a tube off the counter.
"Yeah, can do. Where is it?" Jade points down the hallway and you follow her instructions, finding the closet like she said. You flick the switch and the room becomes illuminated. It takes you a moment to locate the whereabouts of the tubes, but eventually you find a box full of them. You take the whole thing with you and turn the light off on your way out, returning to Jade's side.
"I got your tubes," you tell her, handing her the box.
"Okay, good. Now this is the boring part, so if you want to go sit with Rose and John, you can--"
"No," you cut her off, "I'm staying here with you." She grins and points over at her rolling chair for you to sit down. You do as she says, leaning the side of your face onto your arm as you watch her move back and forth rhythmically, your eyelids growing heavy . . . . .
~
Your eyes jerk open, and when you take a look at the clock several hours have passed. You notice Jade still working at the same pace she had been before, looking under a microscope as she mutters things to herself, writing them down as she does so.
"Need any help, Jade?" you ask her, and she shakes her head without turning to look at you.
"No, not right now. I'm waiting on these vials of DNA to synthesize while I check out the cells of this virus. It's really incredible . . . " She shifts back into her scientist mode completely, focusing on the work in front of her.
"Alright, well, I'm gonna go get some coffee from the break room. I'll be back." She mutters something in acknowledgement to your statement and you chuckle, exiting the room to go turn on the coffee pot. You fill the coffee maker up with water and then replace the old filter, putting some coffee inside and then pressing the brew button afterward. You reach into one of the cupboards and pull out a mug (World's #1 Scientist) and wait. When it's done you pour yourself a cup and put a couple packets of sugar and creamer in it and then walk back to Jade's office.
You drop your mug entirely when you see Jade lying on the floor, unconscious.
"Jade? Jade, come on, babe! Wake up! Jade?!" You pat her cheeks and try to get her up, but she remains still. You notice a spot of red on her side, and you reach over to see what it is.
Blood.
Your heart starts racing and you run out to the hallway, looking it up and down to see if anyone's there. When no one appears into your view you decide to leave Jade for a moment, going down to the end of the hallway and pushing open the double doors, facing an arsenal of scientists hurrying about.
"Hey there, Dave! Everything alright? You're not really supposed to be in here," Jake greets you.
"Dude, it's Jade. She's passed out on the ground and not moving at all," you announce, your voice strained. "And she's bleeding." Immediately most if not all of the people in the room stop what they're doing, and Jake's smile drops.
"What?"
"She's not moving at all, man! I don't know what's wrong with her." He bites his lip as he stops what he's doing, putting down his clipboard and taking off his gloves so that he can go with you. You make your way out the doors again and to Jade's office, and he tends to her immediately, pressing his fingers into her neck.
"Well, I still have a heartbeat, but it's not regular. I'm not sure what's wrong, but it doesn't seem good." You feel the color drain from your face as your heart sinks in your chest.
"W-what? You can fix this, right?" He looks up at you, his hazel eyes solemn.
"I'm going to need you to leave, Mr. Strider," he informs you before extracting a walkie talkie from his pocket, pressing a button in order to talk. "Code Yellow. This is Jake H. in the Harley office and I need some help. I'm gonna need someone to quarantine Miss Harley immediately. This is not a drill." He puts the walkie talkie back into his pocket, rising up to meet your level. "Mr. Strider, I told you that you need to leave."
"No fucking way! I'm not leaving her side!" you insist, but he shakes his head.
"You need to leave." You curl your fists and stand your ground.
"No." He grimaces at you and pulls his walkie talkie out a second time, pressing a button.
"This is also a code 912. That's a code 912." He places it back into his pocket as he remains in front of Jade, shielding her from you. "Come on, Dave, just go sit out in the lobby. We'll take care of her, I promise."
"I'm not doing shit," you growl, folding your arms across your chest. "She's my fiance and I have every right to--" you try to continue, but something is plunged into your neck all of a sudden, and the lights begin to dim from your sight as everything goes dark . . .
Dave: Wake up.
"Ugh, what the fuck happened?" You grip your head, a splitting headache ringing throughout your brain.
"It's about damn time you got up. I was tired of having you sleep on my legs," you hear Rose's voice, and suddenly her violet eyes come into view above you.
"Where are we, Rose?" She helps you sit up in your chair and you notice that John is beside her, the same exhausted look on his face.
"We're in the lobby, waiting." You suddenly remember what was going on before you blacked out, causing you to jolt upright out of your chair.
"Where's Jade? I need to get to her!" you exclaim, but Rose pulls you back down.
"She's fine, Dave. They're keeping her quarantined for right now, but they promised they'd keep us updated with how she's doing." You're quiet for a second as you study your shoes, your mind still buzzing.
" . . . Is she really going to be okay?" Rose chuckles a bit as she reaches over to ruffle your hair a bit.
"Jade's a tough girl. She'll make it, I'm sure of it."
"And then you can make an honest woman out of her," John chimes in.
"Whoa, Egbert, I forgot you were there," you tell him, genuinely surprised.
"Yeah, yeah, so are you going to make an honest woman out of her or am I going to have to shoot you off my property?"
"Don't mind him, he's only trying to gain his funny bone back. It's a lame attempt," Rose rolls her eyes at him.
"No, that's John's whole being. He's lame at everything," you quip, earning a goofy smile from John. "Very funny, ha ha. Except that you're not funny at all."
"Why did we become friends again?" he asks, and you smirk back at him. This sort of familiarity feels good to you, comfortable, even.
"So it's really gonna be awhile, huh?" you wonder aloud, and Rose pats your back reassuringly, rubbing it gently afterward.
"Not too long. We just have to wait while they run some tests and figure out what's up. Hopefully it's not anything, but they are working on the vaccine, so if it's what's been going around then she'll be right as rain soon. In the meantime, however, they provided us with some board games, which I insist we play. While Chutes and Ladders is very tempting, I was thinking Candyland would be a good contender, as well. Or, if we want to really pass the time, Monopoly is always there for us." You smile at her.
"Candyland it is." John removes all the old magazines from the coffee table in front of you while Rose sets up the board.
Your mind still drifts back to Jade, and you just hope that she'll be alright. The two of you have been through too much for you to just lose her like this. You needed Jade Harley in your life more than anything, and John and Rose needed her, too. You were a family, a family that's been to hell and back again and been separated on more occasions than one and yet are always able to find each other in the end. You were going to spend the rest of your life with this girl, you were certain of it. You were more than ready to just crawl into a cozy bed with her and just keep her held to you as you share warmth, but fate had another plan. You hope that Rose is right. You've always known Jade to be tough, you just also know that shit happens. You'd do anything to make sure she stays alive, even if it meant giving her one of your organs. Jade Harley was so fucking important, and she was going to live, one way or another. You were determined to make that happen.
"Are you playing, Dave?" Rose's mind cuts back into your conscious.
"Oh, yeah," you mutter, removing yourself from the chair and onto the floor. "Let's do this bitch."
TWO WEEKS LATER.
Jade: Get a checkup.
"Okay, Miss Harley, you should be good to go today. I would suggest getting plenty of rest for quite a few days. I know this past month has been plenty hectic for you, so I'd like you to cut the stress to a minimum. Here are some vitamins and other meds to take," Dr. Gilbert hands you a couple of bottles of pills, "And remember to get a balanced diet and get at least nine hours of sleep per day. Otherwise, just come back here every month or so for another checkup, unless you have any other problems." Dr. Gilbert departs from your room, leaving you alone to the smell of cleaning supplies and latex.
You slide off of your bed, tossing the covers off the side as you make your way over to the hook on the wall, pulling on your brown robe over your matching set of plaid pajamas. You tie the string into a bow and then slip on your black slippers, stretching your arms above you afterward. You weren't able to move from the bed much for the last two weeks, save for using the bathroom. You take the pill bottles the doctor gave you and place them into your pocket, feeling a surge of excitement go through your system. You were more than ready to go see John and Rose and Dave again, and they were more than ready to see you, the doctor said. Speak of the devils . . .
Dave, John, and Rose come bursting in, each of them holding various plants.
"There she is! I knew she was gonna be alright. I don't see what you were worried about, Rose," Dave nags his sister, and she shoots him a dirty look before turning back towards you.
"Well, traditionally when someone's been feeling under the weather people bring them balloons and stuffed animals, but we know you're not exactly an orthodox sort of person, so we brought you potted plants." Each of them set the plants down on the counter in the room.
"Okay, so I think it's about time we--oof!" When Dave starts to open his arms you run into him, tackling him with a big hug that almost knocks him over. "Geez, Harley, you act like you missed me or something."
"That's because I did, stupid," you tease, but then both of you sober up and he nuzzles his face into the crook of your neck.
"God you had me worried. Don't ever do that again, okay? Scaring a man shitless is not a fun time, let me tell you."
"I won't, Dave," you chuckle.
"I love you Jade Harley," he whispers this time so only you can hear, "I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you."
"I love you too, Dave." He breaks the hug a minute later and you notice a tear rolling down his cheek. You reach up and gently rub it away with the sleeve of your robe, smiling softly at him.
"You need to stop giving us a scare, Jade! I'm offended that you never told us you got shot. Do you know how easy that is to fix for us?" Rose asks as she hugs you.
"I know, I know. I'm sorry," you apologize, and John takes his turn and embraces you.
"You better be. I don't know who would replace you as my replacement replacement sister. I'd have to hold auditions! Hey Rose, do you know if any of your healers are about this tall with black hair and blue or green eyes?" Rose reaches over and hits John on the arm, and everything feels normal again.
"Oh shit, I forgot. The doc said you'd been exhibiting flu-like symptoms and John also confirmed that you had been for awhile," Dave glares at John who retreats back like a puppy, "What was that all about? Are you still sick or are you the first known survivor of zombie flu?" You gasp a little when you remember that you still hadn't told them what was up with that. You feel your stomach flip flop, and for a moment you think you might have to barf but you know this flip flop is only because of the butterflies in your stomach.
"Yeah, about that . . . You might wanna sit down for this one," you tell Dave, and he furrows his eyebrows.
"Wait, you're not seriously sick, are you? Please don't bring me down again, Harley. I can't deal with this rollercoaster of emotions rolling about." You take his hand in yours and tighten your fingers around it, shaking your head.
"No no, it's not that. It's good news. At least, I hope it's good news for you, too. It is for me," you smile at him.
"This will be fun. We should set a timer to see how long it takes Dave to figure it out," Rose comments, and Dave looks over at her.
"You know already?!"
"Yeah, I'm with him. You know?" you ask her.
"It was easy to figure out, context clues and all. I'll let you do the talking, though." Dave looks back at you, his eyebrows raised this time.
"Okay, what is it? I'm not sure what I should be expecting . . . " You give him a moment to think about but then he drops his mouth when he's realized it, turning back to you. "Wait, seriously?"
"Uh huh," you nod your head at him.
"Can everyone stop talking in code?! What is the big news?!" John exclaims from across the room.
"You idiot, she's pregnant," Dave remarks. "And I'm gonna be a dad." He falter his last few words and you notice him start to wobble. You stick your arms out for support.
"You okay with that?" you ask him.
"Hell yeah," he smirks, but you notice the color drain from his face.
"Sweet! I can't wait to be this kid's estranged uncle who only visits on really weird holidays like Arbor Day or National Taco Day or something like that," John says.
"Wait, aren't you going to stay here with us? You'd get to visit all the time!" you tell him.
"Looks like the cat is out of the bag. We were planning on leaving really soon. John and I like travelling, and we were thinking about starting a new healer group. Then we're going to head up north," Rose explains.
"Well, you can stay for a little bit, right? I want our kid to be able to meet their aunt and uncle!" you grin at her.
"I suppose we can stay for a while. It wouldn't hurt, right?"
"Yippee!" you exclaim, letting go Dave in order to clap your hands. You hear a thud and look over to see that Dave's fainted on the ground.
"This man is going to become a father," Rose remarks, and you snort, feeling your chest fill with absolute euphoria. You think you can make it in this world, after all.
Not bad, Harley. Not bad at all.
~.~
TWO YEARS LATER.
"Aw, doesn't she look just cute? I told you she'd look adorable in that outfit," you tell Dave as he enters the bedroom. He pauses, taking a long look at your daughter before stating,
"She looks like a fucking marshmallow." You gasp, covering her ears.
"Language, Mr. Strider! You don't want to be a bad influence on our daughter!"
"I'm not going to be a bad influence on her, Mrs. Harley. It's not like Olivia can fucking understand anyway. She's not even potty trained," Dave tells you, folding his arms across his chest.
"You are a terrible father."
"Yeah, I know," he says, but then smirks, leaning in to kiss you. He pulls you close against his chest, sweeping your long hair out of your face as he leans deeper into the kiss. He still wears his silly shades, and now that you don your coke-bottle glasses once again they hit up against each other, but it feels so natural to you now that you'd feel a lack without it. You suddenly remember your child resting on the bed and you push his chest away gently, but not before he steals one last kiss in the end, smiling at you endearingly. You put on Olivia's shoes then, tossing her in the air afterward. She begins to giggle, her wide smile almost reminiscent of yours. Her hair and eyes are much like her father's, but her smile is definitely yours.
"Man, we have the cutest child in the whole goddamn world," Dave states, watching the two of you.
"She really is," you agree, settling her back in your arms. "It's because we are probably the best looking parents in the world."
"You've got that right, baby. No other set of parents got the looks to kill like us." Dave pauses then to check his watch sitting on his wrist. "Looks like we should get going. They aren't going to wait for us forever."
"Do they have to leave already? I wish they wouldn't go."
"Well, if I had to guess it would be the fact that those two are actually an old couple and are having their midlife crisis right now. I can just picture it: Rose's hot flashes and constant mood swings drive John insane while John's snoring and lack of teeth take away the appeal of the entire relationship altogether. They finally decide that they need to travel the world in search of enlightenment and to rekindle their sexual fire."
"Ew, knock it off Dave," you laugh, handing him Olivia's backpack to carry on his shoulders before you exit your apartment. You lock it behind you once you're out and then proceed to walk to the gate where your two friends are waiting patiently. When you approach them they're in mid-conversation, ceasing only after they spot you.
"Morning, you two," Rose greets, chipper.
"Aw, doesn't Liv just look adorable!" John exclaims, taking Olivia from your hands.
"God, I am still so fucking mad that he tricked us into naming her that," Dave groans.
"What? I think Liv Tyler is a beautiful name for a baby, isn't that right, Liv?" John asks her, cooing and making faces.
"First of all, it's Olivia Tyler, and second of all, you're right. It's a fucking great name. I hate you John," Dave quips, but John only continues to grin, bouncing Olivia in his arms.
"So, are you two ready to go? You've got a long journey ahead of you," you ask them.
"Yes, I am more than ready to go. I always wanted to see if I could find my old group of healers, but then I realized that it might be worth it to create a new group," Rose muses.
"We'll miss you terribly," you grimace, and Rose pulls you into a hug, resting her chin on your shoulder.
"Well, I'll miss you the most, I think," she whispers before releasing you and turning to Dave. "Bro."
"Sis." The two twins stare at each other, and you can only guess that they're having some silent conversation that only twins can have before they begin embracing one another. "I'm gonna miss you and your stupid face and your annoying sarcastic comments."
"As will I miss your ironic nature and your colorful language, Dave. You're the best twin a girl can have." The two break away and it's John's turn to hug you and Dave. He hands Olivia off to Rose and then hugs Dave, patting his back.
"You're the best bro a guy can have," John smiles, his voice wavering a bit. "I'm gonna miss you."
"I'm gonna miss you too, man," Dave says, ceasing hugging him shortly after. "You take good care of my sister, you hear? She's one of the best people in the world." John nods his head and then turns to you, and you promised you wouldn't cry but the tears begin welling up in your eyes as he pulls you into a tight hug, practically knocking you over.
"You're the best cousin and sister ever. I'm so glad I got to see you again."
"You're so dumb," you sob into his shoulder. "And I'm glad I got to see you again so you could be the best cousin and brother to me. I'm happy to have someone like you in my life." You stop hugging after that and Rose hands Olivia back to you, who gurgles in response.
"Alright, get out of here you old so and so's," Dave says, waving them off. "You've overstayed your welcome."
"Okay, we will," Rose tells him as both she and John sling their backpacks on, approaching the gate and standing before it as it slides open. John takes Rose's hand in his as they wait for it to finish opening.
"Don't forget to come back and visit us!" you shout out to them.
"Okay!" they yell back, waving with wide smiles across their faces as they disappear down the path, starting their new journey together. The gate slides shut and you look over at Dave, who slides his thumb across your cheeks in order to flick away a tear.
"We better get this little lady back inside. We had to wake her up early in order to say goodbye to these two, and she could use a nap so that we don't have to fucking wake up in the middle of the night like every single goddamn day."
"I could use a nap too," you admit, turning to walk back towards your apartment.
"Then it's agreed. We are going to have a family nap so Olivia can get some rest and I can cuddle the hell out of you," he smirks, and you smile right back at him, leaning your head against his shoulder as he extends his arm around you. You think that it seems strange that you can just go sit in a household all of your own with your child and husband and not have to worry about zombies or anything getting to you. You're glad that you met Dave all those years ago, and you're more than glad that you get to share this life with him now.
Your name is Jade Harley, and you think that everything is going to be just alright.
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When the higher hills have turned blue
And the waves are lapping where the children grew
All that we have known will be an echo
Of days when love was true
Muted voices just beyond
The silent surface of what has gone.