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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! As promised, here is a longer chapter! Jeff is Rick's actual brother in the comics. Walt, Jean, Danny, Brie and Tess are all from the TellTale Game. Andi is an original character I based off of Alison Janney's character in Mom and named after my beta! I imagine Kirk Douglas and June Squibb as Walt and Jean, Grandma Jun-Jun is my tribute to Joan Rivers. My own mother is always saying how Mark Feuerstein is the American version of Andrew Lincoln, so I thought it would be fun to throw that in. I hope you all enjoy the surprise I threw in at the end ;).
Chapter Thirty One: Turkey Lurkey Day
Thursday, November 27th, 12:30 pm
LORI
"Ok, the turkeys are basted and have been in the oven for an hour, the cranberry sauce is done, you're doing the mashed potatoes and yams. Mom is bringing the pies and the sweet potato soufflé, I made the pumpkin roll, and the salad can be done last minute, the rolls just need to be popped in the oven, and- OH MY GOD! I completely forgot about the stuffing!"
I ran into the pantry, frantically looking for the stuffing mix. In a little less than three hours, there would be nineteen people coming over for Thanksgiving. This included our mom, grandma, great grandma, The Dixon Brothers, along with their sister Andi, Gareth with his moms and siblings, my in-laws, nephew and niece, not to mention that my Aunt Rachelle and her family would be dropping by for dessert later tonight. It was my year to host the dinner, (After Mom lost the house, my sister-in-law Tess and I began trading off) it was also the largest, but I couldn't say no to having Gareth and his family join us. Like Mom said, he was part of the family now, and hopefully one day it would be legitimate. Regardless, we'd be having turkey sandwiches until Passover.
Melody gently grabbed my arm and pulled me away. "Lori, you've got to relax! We've made perfect time, you really don't need the stress, especially since you're not doing all this on your own. Now, sit." She pointed to a chair by the kitchen table.
"But Melo-" I tried to speak but she shook her head and pointed again until I finally sat in the chair.
"No "but Melo", Lollipop." Melody crouched down in front of me, grabbing both my hands. "You're pregnant and do not need the stress. Everybody is going to marvel on and on saying how you did such a fabulous job, and I can vouch that you barely broke a sweat! Besides, you've got it easy with two dishwashers."
We chuckled with me finally taking a deep breath.
"Now, can we just chill out for a little, please? We have been preparing this massive meal for hours and have barely paid attention to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which is a Thanksgiving pinnacle for us! A break is much deserved, ok?"
This was a little odd, Melody was the one telling me to relax, and she was usually one for letting it all out without having a care in the world. Alas, I knew she was right, the stress wouldn't do the baby or me any good.
"What's going on in here?"
Melody and I looked over to see our mom standing in the kitchen entryway, holding the Corning Ware that was storing her delicious sweet potato soufflé and a concerned expression on her face.
"Mommy!"
She walked over and set down the dish before embracing us. "My sweethearts, you're a mess! Have you been up all night?"
"Sort of…"
This was true. Melody and I were completely devoid of makeup, smudges of flour and nutmeg on our clothes, faces, and hair, and having been up since six in the morning, we were both exhausted despite four cans of Rockstar between us.
"Don't worry, you've worked hard enough. I want you both to take a shower and relax before having to get dressed, Andi and I will take over from here."
"Hello, little ladies."
A tall woman walked through the kitchen carrying two of our mother's pink pastry boxes. She was probably about six feet with mid length, wavy sandy brown hair and eyes, wearing jeans, a silk button up shirt, and a black leather jacket with a Cupie doll logo on it that read "Dixie Motors". Mom had mentioned that Andi had her own chain of custom chopper shops, but she already reminded me a bit of Alison Janney's character on the show Mom.
"Darlings', I see you've met my little sister, Andi Dixon." Merle said as he and Daryl walked in.
"Little my red white and blue ass! I can still take both of you suckers down." Putting the pies down on the counter, she had both Merle and Daryl on their knees in a headlock, giving them noogies, which Melody and I found to be hilarious.
"Mercy!" Daryl shouted as they both attempted to squirm from Andi's grasp.
"We get the point, sis!" Merle choked out, who managed to make all three of them fall to the ground.
"Fine, fine. Bunch of pansies, anyway." She let them go and brushed herself off before walking over to my mom. "Seriously, we'll take it from here, you can count on us."
"Lori, where's Tess?" Mom asked.
Tess is the former beauty queen Sandra Bullock look-alike that Rick's brother Jeff married. Now she's a homemaker… in her own home surrounded by maids, servants and butlers, the lavish lifestyle provided by Jeff, a successful cardiologist in Atlanta. At my house, all she does is sit on her skinny little ass and stay with the guys while the women do all the work, which includes my mother-in-law Jean and both my grandmas.
"That lazy bitch? She and Jeff took his parents and the kids for brunch in Malibu so we wouldn't be distracted."
"Melody!"
I raised my eyebrows at my sister in a surprised look, but I couldn't help smirking when all she did was shrug.
"What? You know I'm right. She thinks she's Scarlett O'Hara or something, too good to do anything and lets the old biddies help instead of doing it herself."
"Melody, Tess and her family have always been nice to you, you shouldn't say things like that."
"I know, but you also know I'm right, though." She turned to Merle and Daryl. "Guys, Rick and Carl are upstairs in the man cave watching football or whatever the hell guys do in there. Why don't you go join them and we'll call you when dinner's ready?"
"Ok, sounds good."
Andi smiled as soon as her brothers left the room. "We've got this, girls. Take a load off."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes! It will make me feel like the old days again. Now, shoo!" Mom playfully fanned at us.
"She's right." Melody grabbed my hands, helping me up from the chair, and still holding my hand as we walked out of the kitchen. "Come on, let's go watch the parade. I don't want to miss Idina Menzel! She's my idol!"
TWO HOURS LATER
GARETH
"Now, I want you all to be on your best behavior." Mom said as we walked up the Grimes' front steps. "That means you, Alex and Lizzie. No talk about zombies and vampires, ok?"
"But, Mooom! They're cool!"
Carol gave Lizzie a look. "Listen to her, Lizzie. I completely agree."
My younger brother scoffed. "Mom, how could you even single me out?"
"Uh, maybe because you keep calling my girlfriend "Tits McGee" and whining about the fact that you're not anatomically blessed."
All Alex did was roll his eyes. "That's not true, bookworm! Compared to what that idiot Sam has said, I'm harmless. You should be flattered, your girlfriend is banging! Those pictures, whew! Dude, you seriously are every man's dream."
I laughed, sometimes my brother was absurd, but it was nice to know he admires me so much. "I appreciate the praise, bro, but please don't embarrass me."
"Fine, whatever. You got it."
I opened the front door. "He-llo? It's Gareth and company."
"Hi!" Charlotte strolled out into the foyer, grinning from ear to ear. "Happy Thanksgiving!" She hugged my mom and Carol, exchanging air kisses with them. Melody and I were both over the moon that our moms were getting along so well, I could only hope that her father would like me when we went out to dinner in two weeks.
"Happy Thanksgiving, Charlotte." I kissed her on either cheek. "Where is that gorgeous girlfriend of mine?"
"In the shower or lying down, she and Lori were up since six preparing everything, so I took over as soon as I got here with Merle and his siblings. The guys are watching football upstairs if you're interested."
"That's where I'll be." Alex raced up the stairs before we could tell him otherwise.
"We'll help you out, Charlotte." Carol said, to which she shook her head.
"Nonsense! You're our guests, guests aren't supposed to do work!"
"No, no, we insist. It'll give the kids some down time, too. Come on, girls." My moms and sisters walked with Charlotte into the kitchen while I went to the family room, where I had seen the parade was on.
When I looked over the couch, I smiled when I saw Melody and Lori laying down head to head on either end of the couch, sleeping with their feet propped up.
Both of them had their hair in ponytails and were wearing matching pink and black checked pajama pants with a black long sleeved thermal shirt. Lori's read "World's Best Big Sister" in hot pink glitter writing while Melody's had the same style but said "World's Best Little Sister" instead. I could tell that a part of Melody felt dishonored wearing the shirt.
Hindsight is 20/20, both Rick and Melody were responsible for the kiss, but I know that they both learned from the mistake and wouldn't be making it again, it was all in the heat of the moment. Hopefully, Lori would see it the same way I do, but I wouldn't blame her if she didn't. Either way, I knew that one day she would forgive Melody, she loved her sister too much. Compared to how much worse it could have been, this particular situation seemed miniscule.
"Well, it worked with Snow White…"
Still smiling, I leaned over the couch to give Melody a kiss. She must have been able to sense my presence, because in a matter of seconds, her arm was wrapped around my neck, letting out a small giggle as she pulled me over the couch and on top of her.
"Hi, sweetie." Melody whispered in my ear.
"Hello, yourself."
We must have gotten a little too comfortable, because the next thing that happened was Lori groaning.
"If you two are going to make out, then you better find one of these ten rooms and not do it on top of me."
Melody opened her eyes and laughed as she glanced at her sister. "Sorry, sissy. I guess I was a little delirious, but man, was that an awesome nap."
"Right? A hot shower and I will be totally back to good."
"I second that." They sat up as Melody leaned into my ear. "Wanna take a shower with me, sexy boy?"
I looked away as my face turned bright red over the lascivious look on her face and Lori rolling her eyes. Ever since we started dating, Melody had really let her salacious side take over, and from time to time it was intimidating but hot nonetheless.
"Um, well…"
"First, you take the long way here, you know that rush hour traffic might as well be a hangover, it hurts that bad."
"Ma, the long way was only thirty minutes."
"Thirty minutes is a long time for somebody my age! We all know I'm not getting any younger!"
The three of us looked over to hear Grandma Frances and whom I assumed was the girl's great grandma Jun-Jun walking through the front door.
"Really? I couldn't tell with all the plastic surgery you've been getting!"
"Grandma Jun-Jun!" Lori and Melody squealed and ran over, simultaneously giving their great grandma a kiss on either cheek, who excitedly wrapped her arms around them.
"Ahh, my two girls! Lori, you're glowing! She's going to be such a beautiful baby!" She smiled, rubbing Lori's tummy before looking around. "Where is he? Where is the boychik I've been hearing so much about?"
I walked out into the foyer, awkwardly waving. "Uh, I think you're talking about me?" I shoved my hands in my pockets, avoiding the urge to run them through my hair.
Grandma Jun-Jun's face lit up when she saw me. Melody told us that she resembled Joan Rivers, you'd think they were twins separated at birth. Same flipped out platinum blonde hair, same raspy New York accent, and almost the same amount of plastic surgery, another eye lift or two would do the trick.
"Ah, Gareth!" She threw her hands up in the air before motioning downward as she walked over. "Scoot down, I'm not Yao Ming."
I looked over at Melody and Lori before crouching down a little, only for Grandma Jun-Jun to grab my face and lay huge kisses on both my cheeks. "Bubulah, I could kiss you all day for how happy you've made my little shana meydil! Mazel Tov, Mazel all around!"
I smiled, liking her already. "Well, she's made me just as happy, if not more."
"Oh, you're being modest, Gareth. We all know I'm the morning and evening star, that the sun rises and sets around me." Melody said as she rested her head on my shoulder, wrapping her arms around my waist.
"My Melody! Look at what a beauty you are! You're so skinny. Lori, Charlotte, are you feeding her?"
"Yes, Bubbe, we are." Charlotte said as she walked into the room, grabbing a container from Frances. "Thanks for bringing the salad, Mom."
"Your brother made it, actually. Consider yourselves lucky to have my presence today since he wasn't allowed over. It's not a Thanksgiving without the whole family." Frances shot Charlotte and Lori a cold glare, the latter not taking it very well, putting her hands on her hips and shaking her head.
"Absolutely. Axel has some very deep psychological issues and is unpredictable, he's not welcome in my home."
"He's just a little anxious from being in his room all the damn time."
"Just a little anxious?! He hit Melody, and since then I've lost all respect for him. What if it was Carl he got mad at? What I don't understand is how you could condone such behavior on his end."
When Charlotte and Melody lived with Grandma Frances, Axel had lost his temper when Melody was having one of her manic episodes (which had later been the result of her accidentally taking the wrong dosage of her medication) and slapped her repeatedly on the head (the way she described it was like those toy monkeys with the cymbals on their hands) and knocked her into a wall. Lori was infuriated when she found out and ripped him a new one, Charlotte was in shock and Melody was practically terrified of him. Ever since they moved out, the three of them haven't spoken to Axel and probably never would again. I can't say I blame them.
"Ladies, ladies, that's enough! It's Thanksgiving, a time for togetherness for the people you're currently with, so let's enjoy the time we have now. I could go tomorrow, you think I want my last memory being of my daughter arguing about her son who hasn't been laid since the Reagan Administration? I don't think so, I'd rather model a G String in front of those One Direction boys! It would be a better memory than that!" Grandma Jun-Jun diverted her attention back to Melody again. "And your butt is too small! Maybe you oughta take a page from that Kim Kardushian girl."
Melody bit her lip, trying not to laugh. "It's Kardashian, Grandma Jun-Jun."
"Eh, who cares? Kardashian, Kardushian, the whole family is nothing but a bunch of fame whores. That girl's got a Zeppelin sized rear end! The world hunger crisis could end with her tuchus. Enough about that mindless bubblehead, I want to hear all about Gareth!" She linked arms with me and headed for the kitchen. "Tell me everything about you and Melody. How you met, when you fell in love, go Gone With The Wind on me with the deets!"
"Ha, absolutely, m'am."
She shook her head. "No, m'am. You call me Grandma Jun-Jun like the others, ok?"
THREE HOURS LATER
RICK
"Alright, now that the turkey is carved and our plates are full, I'd like to make a toast before we all dig in." I stood up, tapping the side of my glass as everybody stopped talking and looked at me, holding their glasses up as well.
For us men, it had been a relaxing day, throwing back beers and watching the football game, which Gareth and Alex were somewhat upset over. Being natives from San Francisco, they were devout 49'ers fans. We had offered to help the ladies, but they refused.
This was probably the largest Thanksgiving we had ever hosted, twenty one people including both our families and Gareth's. So far, everybody seemed to be getting along, except I could tell Carl was getting a bit anxious because Sophia was practically drooling over my nephew Danny, who was a year older than Carl and almost as tall as Gareth. Ever since they were little, the boys had been just like me and my brother Jeff, very close but also very competitive. Luckily for Carl, Danny was too immersed with his girlfriend back in Georgia rather than Sophia, whose attention immediately reverted back to Carl.
"First off, thank you all so much for coming. Lori and Melody, you two were the heart and soul of this entire feast, and you really went all out. You're quite the team."
Melody smiled warmly at me and nodded. "Thank you, Rick."
"Anytime, kiddo. Especially Lori." I smiled, looking at my beautiful wife. "Lori, if I even began to describe how much I love you and Carl, we'd be here all night." Everybody laughed before I spoke again. "You two, make that three, are my whole world and I couldn't imagine a life without you. It's been a crazy year with a lot of ups and downs, but I wouldn't want to celebrate with anybody else than all of you. We don't always get to see each other as often as we'd like, but when we do, we always make it the best time was can. To family."
"To family!" Everybody clinked their glasses together.
"That was lovely, Rick." Lori squeezed my hand as I sat down, giving me a kiss.
"Well, I meant every word." I was so blessed for my wonderful family and lucrative career; I hoped things would be this good after some time had passed once the truth came to light.
We were about to eat when Melody stood up, clinking her glass. "You guys don't mind if I make a toast, do you?"
I shook my head. "Nope, not at all. Go for it."
MELODY
Rick's speech was very moving and inspired me to toast what I was appreciative of as well.
"First off, I'm so glad everybody is here!" I glanced over at Rick's parents and brother. "Gran and Pop Grimes, you've both always been so sweet to me, I practically consider you my surrogate grandparents. Same for you, Jeff, even though I'm always saying that you look like Mark Feuerstein every chance I get."
Jeff cracked a smile. "What can I say? As far as I'm concerned, they based Royal Pains around my life."
"Pfft, you wish, bro." Rick threw a roll at Jeff, who tossed it right back.
"Hey, embrace it, Rick. I'm the better looking of the sons, k? Be flattered. Mark Feuerstein looks just like that Andy Lincoln guy."
Tess poked Jeff. "Jeff, let her finish."
"Oh, right, go ahead."
"No worries." My smile broadening, I looked around the dining room again, filling with warmth over the people surrounding me. "I also can't forget all the new faces, but the one I'm especially grateful for is you, my love."
Gareth smiled up at me as I held his hand, making me blush. "As am I for you."
"And I hope to spend next Thanksgiving with you all as well." Taking a deep breath, inhaling the rest of the warm fuzzies, I knew things were about to get serious with what I was going to say next.
"This year hasn't been the easiest for me. I went through a lot of hardships that effected me in a tremendous way, almost enough to make me want to end it all, to say good-bye without waking up again. Except I knew I couldn't do it, because I've only just begun writing my life story, my chapters aren't finished and there's new ones just waiting to be explored. As the years pass, people come and go in our lives and we find ourselves growing a bit as well, too. With the right people around, they can help you grow to the sky. I'm so thankful for every single person in my life and for their belief in me to move forward, which helped me gain something. Now I know, I've been home all along." I raised my glass with a smile on my face. "To home, love and happiness."
As we all toasted and sipped, I actually believed in my words. A year ago, I wasn't in such a great place. I was living at Grams' house, sharing a bed with my mother, sneaking out at all hours of the night for meaningless hookups, secretly jealous of how well my friends were doing in comparison to my misery. Except now, I was one of them. I had a life worth living, one rich in love and goodness despite the tragedies. Sadly, I knew it wouldn't last once Lori found out about that kiss, so I had to revel with what I currently have for as long as I can.
GARETH
"Great speech, Melody. Very touching."
She smiled at me. "Thanks. I meant every word, too. Except I know it can't last forever, my guilt is too consuming, I'm worried I'll crack sooner than expected." Melody looked down, and I knew she wanted to cry, but I couldn't let that happen.
"Hey," I grabbed her hand in an act of comfort. "Melody, we are going to get through this together. It's not going to be easy, but I'll be by your side the whole time, I promise. For now, we need to enjoy what we have, it's not worth letting it slip through our fingers."
She nodded. "Yes, you're right. I just need to try harder to push it away until the time comes to let it out."
"I know. No matter what, I'm not going anywhere, you know that."
"I do, and you know the same of me." Melody kissed me on the cheek, smiling once more. Before we could resume the conversation, we were interrupted by Grandma Jun-Jun pointing back and forth at my moms.
"What you two are doing, it's a beautiful thing, really."
"Thank you." Mom smiled, holding Carol's hand.
"Plus, now we know for sure that this one knows what he's doing under the covers." She pointed at me with something of a smirk on her face. "Am I right?"
Alex started guffawing as my face burned up, Melody couldn't even look at anybody and I could tell my moms were slightly mortified.
"What's going on?" Charlotte asked, looking over at the little commotion.
"Grandma Jun-Jun, you are such a crack up! If you were around to entertain me every time I got baked, I'd be the world's happiest stoner dude." Alex commented. They were an odd couple, my brother and Melody's great grandma, but they had been almost inseparable all evening. Perhaps it helped that Grandma Jun-Jun was one to hit the reefer…
"Alex, honey, as long as you've got the toke, I've got the jokes." Jun-Jun turned back to the rest of the table. "I just read recently about a woman with two vaginas and a man with two penises. Does that mean he has four balls, too?"
Rick's dad Walt began choking on his turkey over her speech. His wife Jean had to slap him on the back to get him to stop, but even she was shocked as well.
"What's going to happen when he's my age and they hit his knees? Poor schmuck won't be able to walk, he'll be shackling. " Grandma Jun-Jun glanced at Daryl. "Hey, Dick's On, would you ever bed a broad like that?"
Daryl smirked, although I could tell he was embarrassed. "As long as there's an entry, I'll walk on in."
AN HOUR LATER
"Wow, that was fantastic." Merle said as Lori and Melody walked around collecting the plates.
"That's not all, Merle. Wait until you see dessert." Lori smiled as she walked out of the room. Merle was right, everything was cooked to perfection and absolutely incredible.
"Are you sure you don't need any help in there, babe?"
"No, I've got it." Melody replied.
"Besides, we're going to help." Mom and Carol stood up, following them into the kitchen. "Sophia, Lizzie, Mika, that means you, too."
"Aww, Mommy, do we have to?" Lizzie whined.
"Yes, you do."
"Alright, fine." My sisters reluctantly joined the others in the kitchen when the doorbell rang.
"Oh, it's probably Aunt Rachelle. Sophia, would you mind getting that?" Lori asked.
"Sure." Sophia rushed to the foyer, and I heard her squeal when she opened the door.
"DELILAH DALTREY-STEVERSON!"
I laughed to myself, rolling my eyes as I stood up. "Soph, for the last time-"
To my surprise, Sophia was right this time. Delilah Daltrey-Steverson was in fact standing in the Grimes' foyer. She was a true beauty and looked exactly the same as she did on TV and in the movies, except a little bit thinner.
"Hi, it's so nice to meet you. You already know who I am, and you are?" Delilah smiled, extending her hand forward.
"Sophia, Sophia Madison Peletier Mandel. I have all your movies and your book and every Led Monkey CD on my iPhone! I also have some of the items from your clothing line."
Delilah's smile broadened. "Well, I'm glad to meet such a devoted fan and sweet girl like yourself."
"DELILAH!"
"CHRISTINE!"
"RACHELLE!"
Melody, Lori, and Charlotte practically ran over, squealing and hugging The Daltreys, which was equally reciprocated. I had been so distracted by Delilah that I hadn't seen who else was with her. Rachelle, Charlotte's sister, was to her left. Rachelle was six years younger than Charlotte, they looked a lot a like with the same dark hair and light eyes, but who I didn't notice was Christine. Panic enveloped me at an alarming rate once we made eye contact, and I could tell it did for her as well. How had I not put two and two together that Christine -the last person I hooked up with to land an account for Woodbury- was my girlfriend's cousin?
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Stubborn Love- A Modern/AU Walking Dead Story