#newdawnv

@sacramentalis​ said - “ you probably shouldn’t try climbing that. ”

“Alright, well do you have a better suggestion on how we get out of here?” she frowned, looking over her shoulder at her husband. She looked back to the rocky incline before them, unsure how to proceed. He was right, attempting to climb it wasn’t likely to end well.

“Do we just keep walking this riverbed and hope we find a way out?” she asked, sounding a little defeated. “It’s going to be dark soon,” she added, her worry obvious. Their son was practically grown now, but a mother never stopped worrying. On top of that, they weren’t exactly prepared to spend the night in the wilderness, but they’d survived worse. They’d survived the end of the world, they could handle this.

God, how she wished the world was different. She remembered how it used to be, but wasn't sure if things had been better or worse when she was a child. 

Sighing to herself, the petite blonde continued carefully extracting various plants from the soil, delicately storing each in her bag. She was absorbed in her work, but tensed when a twig snapped nearby. Abandoning her efforts, she drew her weapon, eyes hard as she scanned the treeline.

Was it a friend or a foe?

Keeping her hair braided had become the new norm since exiting the bunker. It made it easier to deal with as she had far more important things to worry about. However, on the occasions when she washed it, she enjoyed having it hanging loose once more. It reminded her of a simpler time.

As John and she bathed, she paused as her husband turned to her, the river flowing lazily around them. In his hand was a vibrant pink flower. Without a word he slipped it into her damp hair, his lips finding hers. 

Smiling, she leaned into him, flesh against flesh as her lips lingered against his. Sweet gestures had once been a nonexistent thing where the youngest Seed was concerned, but age and fatherhood had changed him. Melody loved the man he'd become more and more each day; she cherished these little moments. 

She was exhausted. More exhausted than she'd ever been in her entire life, but it was worth it.

Through some miracle, John was alive. How or why she didn't understand, but she thanked God that she'd been given more time with him. The Twins hadn't taken so much from the people of Hope County, but at least they hadn't taken her husband.

It had been more than a week before they were able to move him from New Eden. Even now, in the safety and comfort of their home, Melody feared that she'd lose him. He hadn't woken since he'd "died" in her arms and she feared he never would.

The highwaymen weren't to be trifled with and when the shooting started, Melody was transported back to Hope County before the bombs dropped. She was frozen, reliving all the horrors she'd seen as the Project and the Resistance clashed. 

John saved her from being shot.

Roughly, her husband drug her to the ground, his body atop her own. The pain brought her back to the present and she clung to him; she'd have bruises in the morning. It was only when the shooting stopped that they dared to move to better shelter, his grip on her still painfully harsh. 

Sunlight filtered into the room, striking her in the face. The petite blonde grumbled and rolled into the warmth at her side, hiding her face against her husband. Distantly, she could hear a bird calling beyond their home and it sounded as though Joshua was rummaging around in the kitchen. She smiled sleepily and enjoyed the quiet of the morning, John's steady heartbeat lulling her back to sleep.

"Melody, come get your child," he calls from the bunker bedroom, ignoring the four year old who has somehow managed to make a mess of crayons on the bed. Stress had kept John awake all of last night and now that he finally feels like he may be able to catch some much needed rest it seems all Joshua wants to do is play with his father.            

Ready to remind her husband that Joshua was also his son as she entered the room, the words died on her lips as she saw the exhaustion in her husband's gaze. She knew he hadn't slept well the night before, but he looked worse than he had that morning. "Joshua, sweety, Daddy isn't feeling well, we need to let him rest," she told the little boy as she moved to help him clean up his crayons. For a moment the boy pouted, but after studying his father for a moment he moved to help his mother. With crayons in each tiny fist, he stood upon the bed and pressed a kiss to his father's cheek while hugging the seated man.

"Feel better Daddy," he said, then slid from the bed and trotted from the room. Melody lingered before following her son, kissing her husband on his forehead. "Get some rest," she murmured with a soft smile. Her fingers slipped through his hair before she departed, shutting the lights off and drawing the heavy door shut behind her.

"You were there for John when he needed you, and now you have a beautiful son. I was wondering if it would be alright for me to bring him to my home, a nephew is something I never expected to have."            

While she had come to accept that Joseph hadn’t been wrong all those years ago, she still didn’t think his methods had been justified. A lot of people had died needlessly and far fewer were saved because of his battle with the deputy. However, in the end it had given her John and Joshua; they were the greatest gifts in her life and she couldn’t dismiss that. Plus, without Joseph she wouldn’t have gained either of them.

However, she was still reluctant to let her child go with Joseph, even for a short visit. It made her anxious, but Joseph was family now and Joshua didn’t deserve to be punished for his uncle’s misdeeds. Frowning, she finally nodded in agreement, her eyes drifting to her son and husband playing nearby. “Thank you for asking me,” she murmured, arms winding around herself as she looked back to Joseph.

“Did you... want to stay for dinner?”