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Stubborn Love- A Modern/AU Walking Dead Story	By : ImagineLayla131 Category: S through Z > The Walking Dead Views: 2907 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NOR HAVE ANY AFFILIATIONS WITH TWD FRANCHISE NO MONEY/PROFIT IS BEING MADE!

Chapter List
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Hi everybody! Thank you for all the birthday wishes! I had a very nice birthday indeed :)
I've posted a picture of Autumn Montana on the Walking Dead FanFiction site, just look up Stubborn Love, but the dossier is Giavanna Lyerly, who was on Toddlers and Tiaras a couple times. Her and her twin sister Alescyandra are known as the "Tiara Twins" and are big in the child modeling scene.
Clementine is from The Walking Dead TellTale video game, as is her mother Diana. Alice and Gloria are amongst the Woodbury Survivors, and Denise is from the Alexandria Safe-Zone Community. All three of them are from the comics, but Gloria is the only one that is supposedly still alive.
Chapter Seventeen: New Ground
ENCINO, SATURDAY, 10:20 am
MELODY
Pulling up and parking in front of Gareth's house, I was feeling a little on edge. I never did return his voicemail or text, so I was taking a huge leap of faith by just showing up, I didn't even know if he was home, but I had to try. Not only that, but the Giants had lost Game 3 of the World Series last night, with the Royals now leading 2-1. My bad juju must have been affecting the game somehow, and if I didn't make a change, we could just kiss this World Series good bye. With a deep breath, I got out of the car with a Frozen bag in my hand. I had decided to get Gareth an "I'm sorry I was such a bitch" present, Beth had helped me come up with the idea. When I got to the front door, my nerves got the best of me again.
"No, I can't do this. He's probably not home." I shook my head and turned around, halfway to my car when I turned back again. "Yes, you can do this. You'll be fine, you miss him." Except when I got to the front door, I once again turned around. "No, I'll just call him." This little song and dance continued for probably about five minutes until I decided to leave for good, my indecisiveness winning. I was almost to the mailbox when somebody called out to me.
"Melody?"
I glanced over my shoulder to see Gareth standing on the front porch, I hadn't even heard the door. He looked so cute in his jeans, Nirvana T-shirt, black zip up hoodie, and black and white low top Chuck Taylors, definitely cruising the hipster meets rocker look.
"Gareth? Whoa!" I turned around a little too quickly and slipped on my espadrilles, completely wiping out on the walkway.
"Melody!" Gareth came running over as I sat up.
"Ow! My ass!"
"Are you ok?" He knelt down, putting his hand on the back of my head to sit me up. His eyes were filled with concern, wearing the cologne I hadn't smelled in two days, which was when I realized how much I really missed him.
"Yeah, I think I'm fine." I couldn't hold back anymore, I leaned in and pressed my lips to his as hard as I could before pulling away just as quickly. Gareth stared back at me, appearing to be puzzled.
"Are you sure you're ok? That was a pretty wicked fall. I saw you pull up about ten minutes ago."
I nodded. "Yes, I'm fine."
He grabbed my hand and helped me to my feet, not letting go. "I'm surprised to see you here. I know you told me not to call or text, but you were so upset when you left and I was concerned. I wanted to make sure you were ok."
"Don't worry about it. I came here to apologize."
"You are? I'm the one that owes you the apology. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner about Autumn Montana. My moms really let me have it, I was being a dumb ass. I'm also sorry if I overreacted about Shane and Rick. It just shocked me, the thought of somebody innocent and pure like you being with such slime like him. I'd never want to do anything to drive you away, baby, and I promise that I'll never do anything like this again. Do you think you could forgive me?"
Gareth looked at me with those brown green eyes, nervously running a hand through his hair. I smiled at him and how genuine he was being. Any other guy would have flipped out, but Gareth actually owned up to his faults.
"I forgive you, and I'm sorry, too. I handled things pretty immaturely and overreacted. Truth be told, I think it was how I found out that made me freak like that, we pretty much had our pants around our ankles and I was embarrassed. I don't have a problem with the fact that you have a child, I think it's really sweet. Also, it's kind of nice to know that you're not something created by Disney or Warner Brothers to market to the world. You know, the perfect Prince Charming?"
"Ha, trust me, I'm nowhere near perfect. Would you like to meet her? Because I'd love to introduce you. We have the house to ourselves today."
I nodded with a smile. "Yes, I would. I brought something for her, actually." I held up the bag. "It's an Elsa doll. I hope she likes Frozen?"
"There's one thing you two already have in common, because she loves it."
"Good, and here's an "I'm sorry I was such a bitch to you but I still can't get you out of my head" mix CD." I pulled the CD out of the bag and handed it to him, which he took with a smile. "Noah helped me put it together."
"That's really sweet of you. Thanks, babe." He cocked his head backwards. "Come on in." Once he closed the door, Gareth took my hand in both of his, bringing it to his lips for a gentle kiss as he looked into my eyes. "Gorgeous, I'm so sorry, again. It was wrong of me not to say anything earlier, and to get annoyed about the news of your father."
I put my other hand on his face. "I get it, kind of. I'm sorry, too, that I didn't tell you about my dad or "The Goonies". Abe and Gene are cool guys once you get to know them, and after a while they aren't even noticeable. In regards to my dad, I guess I didn't want to be further scorned, like I shouldn't have all these issues because I'm the daughter of California Governor Phillip David Blake. Honestly, I don't know what I'm afraid of, and I've been thinking about changing my last name to Silverstone-Blake."
"Well, that's good. You should do whatever makes you happy."
"You make me happy."
We smiled at each other as Gareth leaned in and kissed me. It was fantastic being here with him once again, I felt relieved and tranquil.
"And you make me happy, Melody. Hold on, I'll be right back." He walked out of the room. "Hey, kitty cat?"
I stood in the hallway, starting to feel a little nervous. This was completely new to me, dating somebody with a child. Would I be able to handle it like I thought I could?
Gareth walked back in holding Autumn Montana's hand, and I could feel my heart melting. She was a beautiful little girl with light brown hair, green eyes, and a few freckles on her nose, carrying a white and purple stuffed animal.
"Autumn, this is my friend, Melody. Can you say hi?"
I'm not going to lie, my heart dropped a little being referred to as a "friend", but I know it had only been done for Autumn Montana's sake.
"Hi, I'm Autumn Montana Mandel, and this is Pipper. Daddy got her for me when I came out of Mommy's tummy." She held up her stuffed owl and smiled. With the exception of her eyes, she looked exactly like Gareth.
I smiled and crouched to her level. "Hi there, Autumn Montana. It's great to-" I was cut off as she ran up and gave me a big hug, as big of a hug a little person like her could give. With a smile, I returned the hug, pulling back to see her smiling. "It's great to meet you."
"She got this for you, too." Gareth took the Frozen bag off the family room couch and gave it to her. We both smiled as she pulled out the Elsa doll and gasped.
"I love Elsa! Thank you, thank you, and thank you! Elsa is my absolute favorite, next to Belle!" Autumn Montana began jumping up and down, which made my smile broaden.
"You're welcome, sweetie. Elsa is one of my favorite Disney Princesses, too." I was glad that I had gone with this. When I bought the doll, it wasn't done to try to buy her affections, it was done to show Gareth that I had embraced the fact that he had a child.
Autumn Montana started talking my ear off, holding up her fingers with the number of things she had. "I'm three and a half years old, I have two grandmas. My grandmas are Bubbe and Nana. They couldn't find Prince Charming, so they're both princesses. A prince can marry a princess or a prince, and a princess can marry a prince or a princess."
"Wow! I'm impressed." I looked down to see a piglet with its front feet on my knee, sniffing the air and snorting. "Oh! And whose this little cutie pie?"
"Violet, she's my pet pig and best friend."
"Well, hello there, Violet." Smiling, I reached over and pet the adorable piggy, who nestled into my touch.
"Daddy calls her Piglet like in Winnie The Pooh."
I looked up at Gareth with a smirk. "You do, huh?"
"Yes. Technically, she is a piglet."
Autumn Montana pouted and put her hands on her hips. "I don't like it, Daddy! You're making her feel insecure about her size!"
I had to bite my tongue so I wouldn't laugh. "I'm sure she knows that it's a friendly nickname. If it makes you feel any better, my own dad calls me piglet."
"Really?" Her face broke out into a big smile.
"Sure does." This was true. Before he turned into a royal douchebag, my father wasn't so bad. He still calls me "pumpkin" when he's in a good mood, but half the time I see him he's just ragging on me. One of these days, I won't be in fear to stand up to him, and he has it coming. Shaking my thoughts away, I stood up and looked at Gareth.
"So, what are you up to today?"
"Well, I'm going to take Autumn to her ballet class, then to Northridge Fashion Center because it's the only place I know with a Build-A-Bear. Do you want to come with us?"
I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'd love to. I was actually planning a trip to the mall, these gift cards have been burning a hole in my pocket. Why don't we take my car since it's bigger?"
"Alright, sounds like a plan." He patted Autumn Montana on the back. "Go get ready, squirt. We'll be down here waiting."
"Ok, Daddy!" She ran off upstairs, leaving me alone with Gareth.
"She's precious, ya know that? Like your little Mini-Me."
He nodded. "Absolutely. It's probably why I go above and beyond at Woodbury, so I can make sure she has the best of everything she needs and then some. There's probably not a thing I wouldn't do for my daughter."
The love and dedication flowing from his words touched me, if only my dad was like that… Well, in all fairness, he is to Penny and Meghan, just not to me.
TEN MINUTES LATER
"Ok, are we ready?" Gareth asked after securing Autumn Montana into her car seat that he put in my car.
"Yep. Here, why don't you drive?" I threw him my keys.
"Are you sure?"
I smiled and got in. "Of course. I trust you." My Cadillac Escalade, or "Blue Jay Way", as I called it, was my baby next to Simba. We hadn't been together for long, but we bonded immediately, and I don't usually let anybody drive it except my mom and Lori.
"Alright, let's hit it."
As we took off down the block, I turned over my shoulder to look at Autumn Montana, dressed in her ballet leotard, tights, and tutu, her hair up in a bun as she played with Pipper in the car seat. "How are you doing back there, kiddo?"
"Good. Daddy, my iPad isn't in my backpack! You left it at home."
"I'm sorry, pumpkin. You can play with it when we get back, ok?"
I watched from the rear-view mirror as Autumn Montana did what my mom called "Liver Lip", which was pretty much a pout.
"But Da-d-dy! You don't have my playlist in Melody's car!"
"Autumn, you know those songs by heart after listening to them every day. Play them in your imagination, think of Elsa singing "Let It Go", just like in the movie."
I spoke up, trying to save the day. "I have some songs on my phone, I'll play them for you."
She gasped and smiled, I noticed she did that a lot. "Really? Oh boy!" Autumn Montana began clapping her hands excitedly.
Gareth leaned in as I scrolled through my iPhone playlists. "Do you know how many times a day I hear these songs?" He said through gritted teeth, which I couldn't help but laugh over.
"Now I get what my parents went through. Too much of a good thing, huh?"
"Yes and no. I mean, I always want her to be happy, but after a while those songs get to you."
"Again, I understand. I'll go with one everybody loves." I winked at him as I looked up in the rear view mirror at Autumn Montana. "Hey, Autumn Montana, do you like Despicable Me?"
Her little face let up once more. "Yeah! I love the mim-nuns! Carl and Kevin and Phil and Jerry!"
"Me too! I have a nephew named Carl, but the minion is much cooler." I winked at Gareth's smirk as the beginning beats of "Happy" by Pharell Williams played in the car, to which Autumn Montana started singing along and bobbing her head, making Pipper dance.
"Nice save there, Supergirl." Gareth grabbed my hand at the stop sign and gripped it.
"Eh, I try."
It had only been twenty or so minutes, but this little girl already had a special place in my heart, just like her wonderful daddy.
THIRTY MINUTES LATER, TARZANA
GARETH
"Clementine!" Autumn burst through the dance studio doors and into the arms of Clementine, the eight-year-old daughter of Miss Diana, the ballet teacher. Clementine was the last person I'd ever expect to take ballet, she was pretty much a tomboy with unruly hair and always wearing a trucker hat, but she was actually pretty good.
"Hi, Autumn Montana! Ready to go to dance?"
"Yeah!" Autumn turned around and hugged me good-bye. "Bye bye, Daddy! I love you."
"I love you, A.M.. I'll see you in an hour, we'll be upstairs watching. Be good, ok? And pay attention."
She giggled at me. "Daddy, I'm always good and I always pay attention! I'm not Uncle Alex! Bye, Melody!" Autumn Montana hugged Melody. I was really happy that Autumn had warmed up to her so quickly, for she has a tendency to be shy around certain people, like the first time she met Albert. Although, I could see why it was easy with Melody, who was very sweet and nurturing. It made me think of what Lori said the night of our first date, how she was an absolute doll and that everybody fell in love with her. Well, she was right on the money with that statement, and I hoped to tell Melody sooner rather than later.
"Bye, little miss. Have fun!" We watched Autumn grab Clementine's hand and run into the classroom. Melody looked over to see me smirking.
"What? What's so funny?"
I shook my head. "Nothing. It's just that the moms all kind of have the hots for me."
It started over a year ago when Theresa and I first started taking Autumn Montana to the ballet class. The flood gates literally flew off the hinges coming open when they found out we broke up, and that's when the real flirtations began. Since I was a more active parent, I had been involved with doing carpools and what not before my workload at Woodbury picked up, so the other moms had my number.
They started texting me asking if I'd come over and do repairs around their house, which I thought was odd, but I figured it was the least I could do since the moms adored Autumn Montana. Boy, was I in for a surprise. This one mom, Alice Smith, all but threw herself at me, answering the door in her lingerie, begging me to mount her against the fireplace since her husband was having an affair with the maid. I didn't even get to fix whatever she wanted repaired, I bolted out of the house. Sometimes, I'd get provocative pictures, other times they'd just flirt with me even with their husbands standing right there at one of the ballet recitals. It was stressful, but I didn't let it get in the way, I loved watching Autumn Montana practice and perform.
Melody started laughing. "Oh, my god! You have a Mrs. Robinson situation going on?"
I nodded, slightly embarrassed. "Yeah, something like that."
She looked up and put her hand on my face. "I'm sorry, that's kind of funny, but in a way, it's cute. You have nothing to worry about, baby. I'm here." Melody boldly kissed me before grabbing my hand. "Come on, let's go see whose after the guy I'm dating."
I smiled, following Melody and rather liking her newfound confidence. When we arrived upstairs, all the moms stopped talking and looked over at me.
"Hi, Gareth!" They waved and winked one right after the other.
"Hi." I waved politely before sitting down, where I could hear Melody trying not to laugh as we noticed the moms fixing their tops to expose more cleavage. Honestly, I don't know what they were so crazy about, their husbands seemed like they could satisfy them sexually in bed. Maybe it was because I'm the youngest one here? Besides, as far as sex goes, it was Melody I wanted. I swear, after the other night, any time I look at her all I want to do is-
"How sweet of you to bring your sister, Gareth!" Gloria Rossi said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. I was about to speak when to my surprise, Melody cut me off.
"I'm not his sister, I'm his girlfriend." She looked over at them, one eyebrow raised, a "You wanna challenge that?" expression on her face. When the moms started whispering to each other, I noticed Melody's face was bright red as she leaned in and whispered to me.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that, I-"
"No, I actually really liked the sound of it." In fact, I couldn't have been happier. While it was sudden, I loved how forward she had been.
"You did?"
I nodded. "A lot, actually." I kissed her, her blush fading away. Pretty soon, I'd be able to say the words I had wanted to this whole month.
"How long have you been dating for?" Denise Griffin asked.
"A while. I had to do something to repel the cougars from coming after him. I swear, it's like Gareth's a magnet or something. Then again, considering what I've seen when the lights are off and the door is locked, I really can't say I blame them."
We both started snickering as she left the moms speechless, and I really liked how gutsy she was.
THREE HOURS LATER
MELODY
"I don't think I've ever seen anybody eat a hamburger like that. You continue to amaze me all the time, Melody." Gareth stared at me putting fries in my hamburger, to which I smiled after swallowing a big bite.
"Who said I was normal though?"
He reached over and gripped my hand. "Normal is boring. I'm intrigued, so keep at it."
I smiled, squeezing his hand back. "I will."
So far, this had been an absolutely fabulous day. After leaving ballet class, we took Autumn Montana to the mall as promised, where she had picked out at least twenty Build-A-Bears to stuff, but Gareth told her she could only have four. After debating over them, which included leaving and coming back five times, she finally decided on My Little Pony Princess Celestia, Pretty Petals Bunny, A Frozen Anna Bear, and 40th Anniversary "Herro Kiki".
I've always loved kids, but I loved Autumn Montana from the second I met her. What was better was that it seemed she liked me right away as well. She held my hand the whole time at the mall, dragging me into Build-A-Bear and the Disney Store, as well as smelling the candles and lotions with me at Bath and Body Works while Gareth did his own thing. Autumn Montana was a very smart, loving, and charismatic little girl, any parent would be proud to have her as their daughter, and Gareth was the proudest dad I've ever seen.
He absolutely adored and doted on his daughter, paying attention to her and caring about the things she said. It was such a sweet sight to see and really made me fall for him that much more. A few times, I had been mistaken for Autumn Montana's actual mother, thank goodness she wasn't within earshot. While it had been a little awkward, it left me with a warm feeling, like maybe one day this kind of life was in the cards for me, and maybe it would be with Gareth.
"Hey, Autumn?" Gareth looked over at his little girl. We had stopped at Red Robin to have lunch before heading back to his house for the Giants game.
"Yeah, Daddy?" She asked, not even looking up from her Mickey and Friends coloring book.
"What do you think about Melody being Daddy's girlfriend?"
"GAR-ETH!" I mumbled under my breath through gritted teeth, my eyes widened. Even though I had staked my claim at the ballet class and he said he liked it, the way he asked Autumn Montana now kind of threw me for a loop, it was such a huge question to ask. I braced myself for a temper tantrum.
She looked up, glancing over at both of us before nodding with a big smile on her face. "Yeah!"
"Yeah?" Gareth's smile widened.
"Mmhmm. She's really nice and pretty, she likes Frozen and the Giants. Go for it, Daddy! Then you can double date with Mommy and Sam."
His smile disappeared slightly. "Well, I don't know about that, dolly, but I'm glad that's how you feel. I'd never date somebody you didn't like or weren't comfortable with."
I couldn't help but smile watching the two of them together. It made me think of when my mom and aunt were dating following Mom and Dad's divorce and my uncle's murder. It would be up to Lori, my two cousins, and me, respectively, as to who they'd end up dating. It wasn't always easy, a lot of guys were either jerks or had no personalities, but eventually it all worked out. I wonder if I would accept Mom's new boyfriend as quickly as Autumn Montana accepted me?
"Of course, Daddy. With Melody, you look like how Mickey Mouse does with Minnie Mouse." Autumn Montana grabbed a red crayon and started making two shapes before coloring them in and holding the page up. "Like this!" We both looked at the page and laughingly smiled to see that it was Mickey and Minnie Mouse holding hands, and she had drawn hearts in Mickey's eyes. For three years old, she was very astute.
"You're correct, cupcake brain. That is however I look whenever Melody is around."
Again, I don't think it was possible for me to fall any more in love with Gareth Mandel than I already had.
FOUR HOURS LATER
GARETH
"Yeah! Go, Pence! Work it, Panda! Run, Blanco, Run, Posey! YES! SCORE, SCORE, SCORE! WOO-HOO! WOOT, THERE IT IS! BOOM SHAKALAKA! BOOM SHAKALAKA!" I saw Melody jump off my bed and cheer as the Giants scored run after run, gaining the lead at the bottom of the sixth. Her enthusiasm was one of her best qualities, and quite infectious at that, just like her smile.
"Wow, you should get a movement going for the Giants to have cheerleaders. You're perfect for it." I said as I walked back into my room, where we had put the game on while I was giving Autumn Montana her bath and putting her to bed. Before she fell asleep, Autumn told me how she really loved Melody and couldn't wait to see her again soon, which left me overjoyed. Naturally, I had been nervous for when the time would come to introduce my future girlfriend to my little girl, but Melody had really won Autumn Montana over. The things I love about her are truly endless.
Melody looked over with a smirk. "Yeah, I know I come off as ridiculous, but I can't help it. This is totally what we needed. Now these are our San Francisco Giants." We high fived as I laid down on my bed, wrapping my arm around Melody's waist and pulling her in as she curled up to me.
"You're right about that. If they keep it up, they will win it all."
"Of course they will."
AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER
"Wow, 4-11, they creamed the Royals tonight!"
"Yes, they did." I turned the TV off. "Now, all they need to do is win tomorrow and Tuesday, we'll be finished."
"That's for sure. I had a really fantastic day with you both, but I should probably get home." Melody got off my bed, but I reached out and wrapped my hand around her wrist, causing her to look back at me.
"There's no need for you to leave. Why don't you sleep over? It's Sunday tomorrow, everybody does their own thing. We can spend the day together and watch the game after Theresa picks Autumn up."
She hesitated. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. I'd like you to stay with me tonight, I really want you to."
This day couldn't have been more perfect if I had asked for it myself, there wasn't a reason that it should end now.
Melody smiled and nodded. "Alright, I will. I'll just text Lori and tell her I'm staying out. Do you have a shirt I could sleep in? Maybe a toothbrush, also?"
"Yeah, sure." I walked into my closet, smiling to myself and pumping my fist as I grabbed a shirt. "Here, take this."
My dream girl was going to be sleeping in my bed with me tonight, and I couldn't wait for her to fall asleep in my arms, feeling her skin against mine and inhaling the scent of her hair. At this point, who knows where the night would take us?
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Stubborn Love- A Modern/AU Walking Dead Story