False starts (Shane and Harliquinn)

Shane Walsh was a man of simple pleasures and one thing he liked was to be safe and secure with the people he cared about. And right now he was not safe and the people he had wanted to protect, Lori and Carl, were not safe either. And right now it was all because Rick had decided that they should go to the CDC.

A place that was crawling with god-damn Walkers! A place that had reinforced glass barring their way to what was supposed to be freedom and a cure to this damned plague that brought the dead back to life to try and eat the living.

Grinning his teeth, he fired another shot from his pistol and another Walker went down even as Rick tried to reason with the people inside the CDC. That was, if there were even still people in the damned place and not just more damned Walkers.

And he wanted to go to an Army camp instead!

But nope! Instead of going to the guys with guns and medicine they were going to the guys who had no answers and the door locked down tight. Deciding to give this plan of Rick's one last chance, he moved up to the camera,

"Are you seeing this? Are you seeing this?!" he growled at the camera, "You people haven't stopped this... but the least you can do is open the god-damn door so that we can give you guys some help or something!"

Harliquinn had been relaxing in one of the many rooms within the facility, enjoying her peace in a rather much larger version of her panic room. Nobody was getting in or out within a few days time, hopefully she would be able to use the fuel that she had stolen to open the door one last time when they needed it, the tough part is to persuade Jenner to leave with her, after all she wasn't going out there on her own.

Not without bait.

Sighing softly she got up from her lounger and walked slowly into the main room from the recreation area that she had decided to occupy. The books were mostly tripe but there were a few good classics in there, she thought it would make a change to the scientific journals that she had been reading over the past few days - Jenner had been shoving them down her throat.

As soon as she saw Jenner, for once not depressed out of his mind nor drunk, she knew something was wrong. Harliquinn padded closer and she looked at the monitor for the CCTV that Jenner had his gaze fixed upon. Frowning when she saw that there were survivors out there, she thought it could be her chance to set up looking like the hero and get out of here.

"What are you waiting for?!" she hissed "Open the goddamn door, do you want their deaths on your conscience Jenner? There are kids with them..."

Harliquinn could see him dithering and she pressed the open button over his shoulder, much to his distaste and she proceeded to make her way with speed to the entrance to the CDC. To receive these new people, they should be a most excellent set of bait for her to escape with. Besides, they looked like they had some handsome men in their ranks.

Pausing by the stairs at the head of the entrance she smirked softly;

"Well? What are you waiting for, get inside." she murmured "These doors wont stay open forever. Bring what you need inside, there will be precious little occasion to do so after these doors close."

Crossing her arms about her chest, she set a gentle smile on her lips. How tiring this façade was becoming.

Shane was going to be the first to admit that he hadn't expected his words to inspire any difference in the door situation but soon after he had shouted at the camera the doors began to open. He was already planning out how to reach the damned cars again and now this happened? Rick's idea might actually have some merit in terms of defence though; they'd just seen first hand how much of a fortress the place was and no number of Walkers was going to get in.

He was also rather surprised that only one person seemed to be there to greet them and it was a rather attractive woman. Shane might still be hung up on Lori but that didn't mean he was blind to the fact that the woman in front of them was attractive. Rick took charge of the group and they all hurried inside without delay, having been carrying all of their equipment with them.

Once they were inside the doors shut behind them less than a few seconds later, with everyone inside the CDC now, all very protected from the Walkers outside.

Sighing a little bit in relief, he held onto his shotgun tightly and tried not to look too run down. Because right now he was run down, he was tired and he wanted nothing more than to collapse. But to show weakness might just be a mistake,

"Not that we aren' grateful for the save... but where are all the guards?" he asked her with a little frown, "Surely you can't be the only person who'd come down to see the survivors at your door?"

Rick nodded in agreement and stood beside his friend,

"What's your name?" he asked her quietly, "I think we need to know the name of the woman we're thanking for rescuing our skins out there."

Harliquinn just looked at the men and women as they came into the CDC, she was getting the measure of the group and who she needed to watch out for, and the ones that she would be dropping as soon as possible. Weakness was not an option in the group that she was travelling with, and all of the women looked weak if she was honest with herself.

Even the blonde woman who attempted to look like she could handle herself, but, she wasn't worried about any of them. It was just the three men that she thought she needed to keep an eye out for, the redneck, the police officer and the other male with the black curly hair.

It was obvious however, all of them were tired and worn down, probably through lack of nutrition and rest. Being on the road must be a lot harder than she gave people credit for, she had thought they were just very stupid to be caught and killed by the reanimated, however, it was harder to be on the road for other reasons she supposed.

Stepping away from her thoughts she stepped down the last few stairs and let her smile grow briefly before slipping back to her neutral expression;

"There are no guards, they all died. It's just me, and Edwin." she stated simply "Edwin wasn't going to let you in, so he's probably upstairs sulking like a goddamn child." Harliquinn commented, her tone was friendly but her words were far from that.

Holding out her hand towards the lift, she gestured that the other people should follow her, pressing the button to call the lift, she smirked softly and turned to introduce herself properly to the group that she had taken in.

"My apologies, where are my manners? I am Harliquinn Ledger. You may call me Quinn." she stated with a light smile "I am sure you shall all introduce yourselves to me later, but, for now, Edwin will want to conduct some routine tests, just to monitor your group for infection, nothing major."

Sending a warm smile to the small boy and girl, they all entered the lift, and swooped downwards towards the central hub.

Shane had to turn to Rick and give the man a glare when it was revealed that there were no guards and only two scientists in the entire building. So this was their miracle cure and safe place they had been aiming for? It had been a gamble on Rick's part and it hadn't paid off. Of course they had the chance to rest up in somewhere that was completely secure but he was still rather annoyed that they had ignored his idea for this place,

"No guards huh? You and one other guy?" he sighed a little bit and ran a hand through his hair as he lowered his shotgun a little bit, "So I'm going to guess that you don't actually have a cure for this thing or vaccine or something like that?"

It wasn't really an insult or anything, he was just assuming something that was most likely the painful truth in the matter. He sighed a little bit in frustration and Rick mirrored the gesture. Ah heck... wasn't Rick's fault that the CDC had failed in it's one job. He nodded to Harliquinn with a small smirk,

"I suppose you got a lot of jokes sent at you during school with a name like Harliquinn?" he joked a little bit before his smirk fell a little bit, "Better not have lots of needles or anything like that... I absolutely hate needles."

Getting into the lift, it swooped down towards somewhere and Rick spoke first,

"So... what do you and Edwin know about this while Walker thing?"

Harliquinn to be honest was quite happy to be speaking to new people, she could see that they were very noticeably beaten and worn and it was enjoyable to see them next to her, she had never looked so bedraggled as these people did. Not before this happened, not during it, and she would refuse to look bedraggled at any point in the future.

It made her smirk inwardly at how goddamn awful they all looked, apart from the one male, who seemed to take some pride in actually maintaining hygiene standards.

"No, we have no cure." she stated with a downcast look to the floor, of course, inside she was laughing like a madman, she did have a cure, she had taken it, but...there was no hope once you were infected, and after she released the virus, everybody was infected "As hard as we try, with just two of us now we make very little headway."

As the lift stopped at the bottom floor, she got out and walked down the long corridor towards the central hub, raising an eyebrow at the man Harliquinn couldn't help but crack a genuine expression, a rather wicked smirk;

"Oh, no. I was really rather efficient at dealing with bullies when I was younger." she stated factually before laughing softly "You will each be having a blood test, not lots of needles, needle singular. I am sure you will survive, big boy like you." Harliquinn teased.

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Harliquinn hummed and in her mind wondered how much she should tell these people, not the whole story of course nobody could ever know that but, she decided to go with something close to the truth; "I know a fair bit, I am a biochemist but, I only recently came to the CDC, I was an independent before this happened. Now, this is the central hub, the corridor we came down has a recreation room at the very end, and the rooms off it can be used as bedrooms. The hot water can be used but please be conservative."

"Who are you to be dictating what can and can't be used?" Edwin hissed, rising up from his chair in the hub "You only arrived here a few days ago this is still my facility."

Rolling her eyes she mentally placed Edwin on her 'To Die List' before stating softly; "This is the charming Edwin, I'll leave the rest to you then."

Shane had to say that she looked very well presented for someone who was surviving the same thing that they were. Of course that might have had something to do with the fact that she seemed to have been 'roughing it' in the CDC and other labs. He doubted that such places went without comfy beds and working baths and showers. He supposed that they thought that they deserved them for doing all the work to find a cure.

And here was what he had known he was going to hear being here.

They had no cure.

"Of course... there's no cure for anybody is there?" he asked with a sigh before shaking his head slightly, "God damn it... I guess I can't really blame the lack of progress on you two since you're all on your own here. Are you in contact with any other places? Are they doing the best they can too?"

Something about the way that she smirked and the way that she laughed seemed to set Shane on edge, sending a shiver down his spine. There was something... sinister in both actions for some reason and he didn't know why,

"Well if you threatened people with blood tests in school then I'd say that it was no wonder they didn't bully you." he joked a little bit before shivering in disgust, "I hate needles... but alright, I can handle it."

The exchange between Edwin and Harliquinn was quick but already he could tell that he didn't like Edwin and wanted nothing more than to shut him up. He held his shotgun casually as he turned to face Edwin,

"Well if it's all the same to you..." he smirked as Jenner flinched at the sight of the gun, "I think I'll go with her suggestions. That alright with you Quinn?"

Harliquinn could tell that Edwin did not want her to be telling these people all of the things that they knew but to be honest she didn't see the value of keeping it secret from them, they would ask her to travel with her because they were good people, and, she was the one who was going to help them out and get them the ability to leave. They would not leave her behind. So, she needed no extra leverage to get them on side.

"Actually, we have no idea, the other centers went dark months ago." she stated with a soft sigh "This thing is worldwide and we have had no news since the last lab in France went down two months ago, or, that is what Jenner told me. I don't think he was holding out at the time however. We are the last base still up and running."

Unable to stop herself from laughing softly, returning to her 'normal' demeanour, Harliquinn thought that she would be more than happy to keep what she had done to the bullies secret from these strangers, it would hardly endear her to them she had to admit.

A rather satisfied smile appeared on her lips when the man sided with her, Harliquinn shrugged her shoulders at Edwin and gestured for everyone to follow her to the medical room just on the other side of the main hub; "Alright then, if that is what you wish, I shall conduct half of the tests, and Jenner the other, it'll be done faster that way, and then you can set about finding some food."

Approaching the medical bay she sat down on one of the wheelie chairs by a steel desk, took out a tourniquet, kidney dish, needle, vial and cotton bud with plaster.

"Who is batting first?" she asked with a grin.

Shane was beginning to realise that the only one willing to give them any information was Harliquinn and he'd only met Edwin in the past two minutes. He glanced at Rick and gave his partner a sneaky set of hand signals they had learnt as cops together. Rick signed back simply and quickly.

Don't trust.

He paused before signing about Harliquinn, asking his partner if he thought she was worthy of the trust that Edwin was not.

Trust.

He frowned a little bit when she told them about the other outposts and how this might just be their only place to try to find a cure or something. Hearing that this thing was already world wide was not acceptable to him but what choice did he really have? He coughed a little bit,

"So what you're saying is... there's only two of you working on this cure... in the entire world?" he asked incredulously before swearing violently, "God damn it! We're really fucked now aren't we? Fucking marvellous."

As the blood tests and other tests approached, Shane made sure that he was the last one for Harliquinn's line before sighing a little bit and entering the room just as she was finishing with her last patient before him. He rolled up the sleeve of his shirt to give her access. Trying to control himself, he coughed a little bit,

"So erm... where were you before you came here?" he asked her quietly, "What have you seen of the outside world now?"

Harliquinn had been thinking about the outburst that the man had had before, she now knew the man as Shane from the people that she had been taking the blood from. As soon as she had finished giving them a blood test she had given them a small lollipop in order to keep their blood sugar up, and had handed them a small bottle of water that were kept in the cabinets in the medical room.

It was the time she had to be seen to be nice, to be a positive force. If she didn't then they would mistrust her, and that just would not do, everyone however seemed to love her far more than they did Jenner so she was already on the right track.

Now it was Shane's turn, he must really hate the tests to wait so long, to be honest she would have thought that he would have wanted to go first, to get it out the way. Harliquinn would have begun to panic if she had more time to think about the situation at hand, not about tests but, say in a different situation.

Smiling gently at Shane as he sat and rolled up his sleeve Harliquinn readied her equipment;

"Before here? I was set up in the upmarket district of Atlanta, went to one of those mansions and found myself a panic room to hole up in for the time being." she stated with a small hum to her voice as she connected the needle and plastic tubing to the vial the blood would be going into "But before that I was field working in India and South America. So I haven't seen much."

With a little sigh she turned to Shane, fitting the tourniquet on his arm with a gentle touch. Cleaning his area with a small wipe, Harliquinn took up the needle and readied herself.

"So, why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself Shane? You seemed to be pretty well liked with all the other people I've seen...any reason for that apart from being a nice guy? Now now, sharp scratch."

Gently she found his good vein and pushed the needle into it as softly as possible; "There, that wasn't so bad was it? Maybe even after this I could give you your reward for being so brave." she teased gently as the vial filled up.

Shane had been feeling the pressure beginning to mount on him but in the end he actually rather enjoyed the fact that he was to go last. Meant that no one else was going to be around to hear him if he freaked out about the whole damned thing and he honestly wouldn't put it past himself to do just that. The one thing he hated more than anything in the world was needles... the damned things just creeped him the hell out!

He wasn't going to let himself cry out though. Oh no sir! He was going to be tough and face it head on like a man!

Of course it helped that Harliquinn was distractingly attractive and interesting,

"Wow that actually sounds like it would have been a good idea... had none of the rich bastards had that idea or something?" he joked a little bit before frowning faintly, "I don't suppose this came from over there did it? Or are we looking at something made by the American government do you think? Wouldn't put it past them..."

He swallowed thickly when he felt the tourniquet getting tied around his arm. Swallowing a little bit more he nodded slightly,

"Sure... I was a cop before all this. The other guy, the sheriff, is Rick Grimes and he was my partner... ever since we helped each other pass the entrance exams." he admitted before chuckling slightly, "Well I was the group's leader for awhile but... well I only wanted to protect two people. The others I just try to help as I can."

He winced slightly as she began to take the blood from him,

"Well pleasure usually offsets pain..." he joked a little bit, "And discomfort too."

Harliquinn could tell that Shane was nervous and...it was endearing him to her. A rather odd sensation she had to admit, she had not felt endeared to anyone for a good long time, and she certainly had never expected to come across an infected human that she had affections for, although, she didn't know if they ran any deeper than just relying on his features and his attractiveness. She supposed that time would tell.

"Well they would have used it if they were actually home, they weren't there when I arrived, I assumed they were holidaying somewhere lovely and plush...they wouldn't need the panic room and the supplies would have just gone to waste." she sighed dramatically "I just couldn't leave it, it was such a good opportunity."

Raising an eyebrow, Harliquinn couldn't help but laugh softly, even as she took out the needle and pressed the cotton bud firmly down onto the puncture; "Don't you think that sounds a little bit paranoid, I doubt that the Government had anything to do with this, they aren't doing so hot these days themselves. Press down on that for me please."

Swiftly she rose from her seat and went to place the sample in the storage area with the rest of the bloodwork, she didn't want it to be ruined after all.

"A police officer, I suppose that comes in handy these days with the firearm training. But, those two people you wish to protect, guessing they are pretty close to you?" she smiled, although inside her smile was icy and held no trace of warmth, these people would probably be dead soon by her doing if she continued to hold such a fascination with Shane "Might I ask, where are they now, should they not be here supporting you?"

As she spoke she ripped a strip of microporous tape off and placed it over the cotton bud, holding it in place; "Now leave that on for an hour or so, then feel free to rip it off."

Purposefully leaving out the mention of what the reward was, she pulled off her gloves and threw them in the bin, removing her white coat and hanging it up on a nearby peg. Brushing off her tight black jeans and tailored mint green tunic Harliquinn smirked; "You hungry by any chance?"

Shane wished that he had thought about getting him, Lori and Carl into a safe room like that. Sounded like a great place to hole up and because it was small by definition, they wouldn't have had to share the area with anybody. Of course he'd have to insist that Carl slept with ear plugs in most nights but he'd get used to the idea he was sure.

Or... he would have done. The possibility of him having a happy family life with those two was gone... simply because his best friend was back. It hurt but he knew that feeling this way was just going to make him into a massive asshole at this rate,

"Yeah if I had seen it like you did I'd have taken it too." he admitted with a little chuckle before smirking, "And it would just be terrible if such a good opportunity was wasted. You made the right decision my dear."

Shane chuckled in agreement but didn't say too much. Of course everyone naturally assumed that anything bad on this big a scale was the fault of the government. But to be honest it didn't make much sense to him so he had to agree with her,

"You have no idea how handy it's become I'm afraid." he admitted with a little sigh before smiling softly, "Lori and Carl. The son and mother combo you've seen out there. My partner, Rick, was in a coma and I agreed to look out for them... To protect them."

Nodding to her in understanding, he grinned at her when she was freed from the loose and baggy nurse's outfit. He smirked a little bit and nodded, patting his stomach with the hand that hadn't been stabbed with a needle,

"Starving." he admitted before laughing lightly, "I don't suppose you've got any alcohol too?"

Harliquinn felt herself smirking on the inside again, that devilish smile, she could see that she was already beginning to get her way into Shane's affections, after all he had just called her 'my dear' maybe he did that to all girls but...she was beginning to think that he had other things on his mind than seducing her this evening. The thought made her glower darkly in her mind. She would have to change that, and change it swiftly.

His chuckle was a pleasant sound and she was glad that he had made it, Shane was a very attractive man and she was a little bemused by the fact one of the people in the group had not latched onto him as a partner just yet.

Raising her eyebrow when he explained he wanted to protect the wife and son of his partner, immediately she thought that she was going to have to get the truth out of Shane. Harliquinn knew that something had gone on, she just needed to know if Shane was still stuck on the woman, which annoyingly he probably was. Nobody just protected his friends wife without becoming 'attached'.

"Oh really...how very interesting, and unexpected." she stated silkily "It shows a great dedication to your friend and partner that you would risk yourself to protect his wife and his child, I hope that he has thanked you every day since his return for such a feat."

Entering a small kitchenette, which was more like her own, seeing as Jenner and herself loathed each other and kept separate company. Taking out a can of Corned Beef, and a rather empty bag of potatoes, she decided that she would attempt to cook. Corned beef hash sounded like a good bet, everyone liked that.

"Actually your reward is in the top left cupboard, a bottle of Southern Comfort, but, only if you agree to share it with me Shane, you have to stick to your daily units after all. Oh and no drinking and driving, of course." Harliquinn grinned, teasing Shane, getting him to be more interested and intrigued in her by the moment hopefully by revealing very little of herself "How does Corned Beef hash sound to you?"

Very swiftly she chopped up the potatoes, like she was a pro, because she was. Lately she had been working on her knife skills, they were better than using guns against the reanimated.

Shane knew that it was obvious that he felt more for Lori than just someone he had to protect for the sake of his best friend. After all, Rick had been defenceless. It was an absolute miracle that he had made it out of the hospital room alive after all. He and Lori had begun to live the rest of their lives as if the man had died... and then he had gone and ruined it all by surviving.

Of course he was glad that his best friend was alive.

Of course he was glad that Carl got his father back.

But he hated that to get Lori back, Rick had had to steal her away from him.

And the worst part was that Rick didn't even know he'd done it! How could he be mad at his friend for just wanting parts of his old life back? The answer was that he really couldn't. He sighed a little bit and tried to force a smile,

"Well he'd have done the same for me if out situations had been reversed, though god knows who he'd protect for me since I didn't have anyone before Lori... and Carl, came into my life."

When she led him into the kitchen he was confused but when she told him what his reward was he grinned widely and snatched the bottle out and two glasses. Opening the bottle, he savoured the smell of the alcohol and it almost made him leap for joy. He poured out two glasses full and took a drink from one. He sighed happily,

"Oh don't worry, you're free to have as much as you like." he told her with a grin that widened when she told him she was making Corned Beef Hash, "I haven't had that in years... I'd love to have had such food with you before."

Harliquinn was beginning to find out that this was going to be more and more problematic to become an integral part of Shane's life, mostly because she found out that before this woman and Carl he had not had anyone important in his life. It seemed that he was some rather large ladies man who did not do commitment, it was rather amusing to her that the first time he had done so was in a situation like this.

Almost like he had realised his time was running out and had latched onto the nearest available woman and tried to carve out some form of permanent life with her. Harliquinn doubted that he would have ever been really happy with her.

"It sounds like you had a rather sad existence." she commented with a gentle smile "A lot like my own I will admit, times like these make you open your eyes as to what you have been missing, do you agree? I was never one for relationships or 'love', having never found it before but, I would like to now. Although the population is massively decreased and so are my chances."

Of course, she was never interested in love.

Or relationships.

Sex and lots of it was what she enjoyed, but, perhaps it would be nice to be a bit more tender in such affections, it would give the...illusion someone could love...well. That thought was going nowhere fast, she thought, cutting her sad thought in half.

"I shall, seeing as its mine." she stated, gesturing to Shane with the wooden spatula "Its a good old fashioned favourite and I don't know the last time I had it, I just wish there was ketchup to go with it."

It wasn't exactly a lie, she did love it. It was odd for her to be able to share things about herself without having to lie but, Harliquinn thought she would give it a go. Tipping the diced potatoes into the pan with the oil, she began to fry them off over the heat of the gas stove. Sensually she reached over and took her glass of alcohol; "To new beginnings, and to the joys of hot water and food." she toasted.

Shane sighed a little bit and drank another glass of his whiskey, trying not to fall into the depressive thoughts, he swallowed it all down quickly. The fire in his throat seemed to ease his sensitivity to the subject from what he could tell. Was he even in love with Lori though? He didn't know but he was sure that it was either love or a very strong emotional attachment that he just couldn't ignore for the life of him.

He hoped that this wasn't some kind of mid-life crisis though, he hoped that he did actually have some feelings for her. Otherwise he'd succeeded in pissing off his best friend for virtually no reason whatsoever and he didn't like that idea at all. He chuckled a little bit,

"It seems that way now but at the time I thought I was happy." he admitted before smirking a little bit, "I seem to be missing a whole lot but you seem to be almost perfect so I'm a little confused."

With more whiskey being consumed, Shane was beginning to wobble already. He was only half way through the bottle in the past five minutes so it stood to reason he'd be a little unsteady on his feet. Groaning in annoyance, he nodded with a small smirk,

"Damn... of all the things to miss in the end of the world you pick ketchup?" he teased her before pausing before swearing, "Now that I think about it... I miss it too."

His eyes were on her the whole time she was moving and when she took the glass he raised his own to her without a second's thought. Licking his lips a little bit, he nodded in agreement,

"To new beginnings and to the joys of new friends." he told her with a wide grin, finishing off his own glass and pouring another, "And you're easily my new best friend right now Quinn..."

Harliquinn couldn't help but smile sadly inside, but her cheery façade was still up, to be honest there were times she regretted what she had done to the world but others she was so immensely proud that she had done what she had sworn to herself when she was younger. She had sworn that she would make the world pay for what had happened to her and now the world had paid, perhaps she should get to work on a cure?

Haha. No. She smirked inside, what a moment of weakness. Just because some infected was attractive and was showing her some attention.

"You should never judge a book by its cover Mr. Walsh, you should know that." she stated with a little wiggle of her eyebrows "There is a lot to this woman, more than meets the eye, perhaps one day you will find some of that out."

Seeing that half the bottle of whiskey was gone, and he hadn't eaten, Harliquinn thought that now would be a good time to try and get more information about the man out of him. Smirking softly inside she plated up the food that she had been cooking, the corned beef being crumbled in just before, giving it time to crisp and warm.

"Half a bottle already, how is it your liver has not exploded already if you drink this much each time you sit down?" Harliquinn teased gently, eating her hash with delicate forkfuls but also, she was happily enjoying it at speed "Well you can never have hash without ketchup it just always went together, and how good were ships with sauce drizzled all over the top?"

Smiling gently, Quinn adopted a soft look and she reached out to touch Shane's hand over the top of the table, a concerned expression forming on her features;

"Oh Shane." she whispered softly "The world is hard enough without placing such burdens on yourself, what is the reason a stranger like me is your best friend? You can share things with me you know, I will never tell a soul and...sometimes it is easier when you share."

Inside she was smirking wickedly, she wanted to hear the story of him and Lori so she could manipulate it.

Shane chuckled a little bit when she told him that he should never judge a book by it's cover, an expression he had never really put much stock into. As a cop he had to make quick character judgements about people based on little knowledge. So, in essence, he had to judge books by their covers and do it quick. And it had served him well up till now so honestly he was going to be keeping the policy,

"As a cop it was my job to judge books by their covers, just in case." he told her honestly before chuckling a little bit and nodded in agreement, "Yes... perhaps one day I will find it out. I hope that that one day is soon."

He looked down at the bottle of whiskey and pouted slightly when he realised that it was half empty. Who had been stealing his whiskey? He was not nearly drunk enough for there to be only half left in the bottle! He shrugged,

"Well... I haven't had chance to sit down too often so that's probably why." he joked a little bit before scowling ever so slightly, "And now I miss ketchup... god damn it Quinn..."

He drank some more of the whiskey without thinking about it when she asked him about why she was his best friend. He sighed a bit before launching into the story,

"I fell for Lori as I was protecting her. We both thought Rick was dead and we moved on. Then he came back and she... cut me out of her left completely." he told her honestly but with gritted teeth, tears springing up in his eyes, "Who does she think she is? I gave her and Carl everything and she just... she just threw me away!"

Harliquinn couldn't help but think that Shane did not do a very good job of judging books if he could not see what her true intentions were, but to be honest that would be entirely wrong, she was a level all of her own and there was not a person alive today who could really tell what she was thinking was any different to what was coming out of her mouth.

It was a very useful thing to be able to do, especially if you were someone like her.

Unable to stop herself laughing happily when he scowled at her, she thought the expression was a mixture of endearing and rather attractive, perhaps it was the way that it made him look more authorative. It was strange, he was becoming more firmly placed in her mind as something she wanted, and she would get him, regardless of this Lori.

"My apologies, I am sure that with fresh tomatoes there could be a new ketchup in time, we just need to plant some tomato plants." she stated with a gentle smile "Ketchup shall be consumed once more, never fear!"

The whiskey was firmly in Shane's hand and that was okay, she wanted him loosened so that they could do what she wished, and he could tell her what she wished without being too interested in her in return. All those picky questions were bores to answer. Especially when she had her eyes set on a prize.

Seeing the tears spring to Shane's eyes, a cold flint of hate stabbed through her against this Lori woman, oh her plans had altered, she would have her killed but...in a slow and altogether painful manner. Perhaps by walker attack. Yes...that would be the way for her to go. Or crushed...yes! Crushed by the rather heavy doors of the CDC.

"The world is harsh and cruel Shane." Quinn murmured as she hopped off her stool and held her to him "I can't believe that she treated you in such a cruel manner, all you did was help and then when you are no longer wanted she casts you aside. To me..." she purred as she ran her fingers through his hair "She was just using you for security and protection, the minute someone else came along who wanted her...she left you."

Scowling, yet beaming in victory inside, she shook her head; "I would never treat someone as caring as you like she, if I held your affections. It makes me so angry to hear what happened to you..."

His ability to read people like a book seemed to be negated by Harliquinn, almost like she had figured out how to make herself appear to be one thing. But that wasn't all that different to a whole lot of people to be honest and his ability to read anything other than open hostility had become dulled since the arrival of the Walkers.

He smirked when she laughed at his scowl, her laughter drying up any annoyance he might have ever felt towards her at that point. The thought of having more ketchup was actually something that filled him with happiness. Maybe it was the thought that he'd have something back from his days before Walkers or something but he really did love the idea of making more ketchup,

"Yeah we just need those fresh tomatoes..." he smirked a little bit as he remembered other ingredients, "Vinegar and shit loads of sugar... to make it as healthy as it always was."

He could see that she didn't mind the way he had locked onto the whiskey and was grateful for it as he continued to drink from the bottle. One thing he could see in her at that moment was hate; hate directed at Lori for making his feel this way. And for once he couldn't bring himself to rise to Lori's defence, no questions asked,

"Yeah I guess it is..." he agreed quietly before sighing a little bit as she explained more about the situation, as she saw it. It had hard to dispute what she was saying too, "I understand and I agree. I just... I just thought that maybe we had a connection or something... I guess not..."

He smiled a little bit softly at her as one tear escaped and slid down his cheek,

"Yeah but I don't think I'd ever deserve your affections in the first place Harliquinn... you're way out of my league."

Harliquinn was not so much interested in the whole ketchup thing any more, her sights were fixed upon getting Shane, the man that she was becoming very invested in at this moment in time. She thought that he would be rather interesting to make her own, having such a strong and independent male on her side could never be a bad thing, especially when he seemed ready to defend those he loved with everything he had.

The sadness that she could see in his expression made her steel even more internally against this Lori woman, she would have her pay for the betrayal that she had caused, between two friends as well! Such a strong bond was destroyed because of her and yet she seemed to have no scent of regret or remorse in her look.

"Just because you weren't able to find what you were looking for in this woman, doesn't mean you can't find it in another, you should never give up hope of finding someone who could be right for you. They might come along just when you lease expect it." she stated with a soft smile, gently playing with some of his curly black hair.

With tender fingertips she wiped the tear from his cheek and kissed it softly;

"Don't say things like that." she murmured softly "There are no 'leagues', only people, and the feelings that they have. I have to admit, you are growing on me Mr. Walsh, you are growing on me very much."

Turning her face away with a soft blush on her cheeks, she made it sound as if she was already beginning to fall for him, and it would not be so hard to believe that Harliquinn thought after hearing all of the hardships that he had been through, hearing how romantic he really was.

"Please don't cry for her, she isn't worth your tears. She lead you to believe you were the only one in her heart when we can see now that just wasn't true...you deserve so much more...Shane." Harliquinn blushed brighter and turned her face back to him, a shy smile on her lips.

Shane was beginning to feel as if he would be better suited with another woman, ignoring Lori altogether. Of course it was only the beginnings of a feeling since he had been pining for Lori since before the Walkers had started showing up. Since before Rick had been shot to be honest. It was going to be hard to get over her even though she had completely gotten over him it seemed, almost as soon as Rick had showed up again.

He sighed a little bit as he thought about Rick. Because of Lori and the feelings both men had for Lori... there was unlikely to ever be a strong friendship again. He smiled a little bit,

"Yeah I guess the term 'plenty more fish in the sea' springs to mind but I don't suppose there are many fish in this sea now." he admitted with a small smile before chuckling slightly, "Somehow I doubt I'm the type women look for."

She was being so tender and considerate with him that Shane couldn't stop himself sighing gently and melting into her hand, nuzzling it gently with his cheek,

"Sometimes it feels like there are..." he admitted with a small smile before his cheeks reddened slightly, "Well you're growing on me too Harliquinn, I'm getting very attached I'd say."

He could see that she was blushing too and for once a little bit of hope seemed to blossom up from the pit of his stomach. When she asked him not to cry he grinned a little bit before nodding. She was right. Lori wasn't worth his tears, she had torn his friendship with Rick a part and wormed her way into his heart, only to leave it hollow,

"I want to have more Harliquinn." he admitted softly, "But I'm scared of someone turning out like Lori again..."

Harliquinn was deciding to keep the physical contact between them going, it normally made the barriers come down and gave the feeling that they were being much more intimate than perhaps they really were being, a touch on the cheek could be such a simple gesture but really...really it was showing a bond of tenderness between the two of them.

Smiling gently, but silently she would have agreed with Shane - he was not the type of man that most women flocked to before all of this started, but he was strong, and he was brave, all of the things needed in a man these days, so, really, he was perfect. Which was what she was going to tell him.

"Shane, you are perfect." she stated with a warm smile "You are strong, look like you have a good head on your shoulders, you are loyal and you would do anything to protect those you care for. Those are rare qualities in the world today and, honestly, this woman is idiotic to just leave all of that. To leave you."

The confirmation that she was growing on Shane made her smirk softly inside, of course she was growing on him, she was saying all of the things he wanted to hear. It was good that she was managing to turn him against Lori as well, the woman would be dead by tomorrow so, it would be good if he wasn't too depressed by her passing.

"I understand that." Harliquinn murmured gently, stroking her thumb across his cheek lightly "Its not as if you are going to get over this woman overnight but...you should. She isn't worth all this pain, she had found her happiness and used you in the process, it's your turn to be happy Shane."

Slowly, she let her face grow closer to his own, her nose hovering a few centimetres in front of his, her eyes looking directly into his own; "I would like very much, to see those eyes full of happiness, instead of such anguish. Even just for a while."

Shane had never really been a man that women seemed to flock to but he was proud of the fact that he was now a stronger man than he had ever been before. And the world as it stood today demanded strength from the men living in it. He had to be strong, not only for himself but for all those he cared about too.

Even if that list had changed to become Carl, Rick and Harliquinn.

He was already beginning to lose the rose-tinted glasses when it came to looking at his time with Lori and it was for the best. After all, he didn't need to be constantly thinking about how it was all better when he was with Lori when it just wasn't,

"Now that I very much doubt." he joked a little before quietly responding to the rest of it, "I've had to become strong and I care a lot about those who care about me in return. So right now I guess my list is only three people but I will protect them no matter what."

She was giving him more attention and more respect in five minutes than Lori had ever given him in their entire time together. Harliquinn seemed to realise that he needed time to vent and work out his own problems while Lori had just piled her problems onto him and gotten pissed at him if he hadn't solved and sorted them all out by the time she next asked him. He kissed her thumb lightly with a slight blush,

"I'll try..." he told her with a small smile, "I hope that I'll be able to get over her as fast as possible. I think there are many women out there who deserve a lot of attention and love and she isn't one of them."

With their faces so close together his breath caught in his throat slightly,

"I... I think I can manage that... for you..."