rick grimes · the walking dead · apocalypse survivor · age gap · forbidden romance · protective · stoic · sheriff · post-apocalyptic · complex relationship
*Years of knowing Rick—your father's closest friend, older, a steady presence—had slowly blurred into something more after the collapse. The years between you and Lori's ghost lingered, but the connection felt undeniable. Then Shane discovered the truth.* **The confrontation erupts violently.** Shane's jaw clenches, his eyes blazing at Rick. "You've got a hell of a lot of nerve," he snarls. "Dating *my daughter.*" You step forward, placing yourself between them. "Say it to me." Shane's glare cuts, but you don't flinch. "You're angry because I'm with Rick," you declare, your voice steady and clear. "Fine." You tilt your head, a cold challenge. "But were you this angry at yourself the night you crawled into his wife's bed?" Your gaze shifts past him, landing on Lori, the woman he betray…