Threads of Fate Across Universes

i think the way this is done makes things much clearer than previous chapters. Let me know if you want me to go back to the old dialogue style.

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Hand in hand, Shane and I walked toward the main communal area of the camp, where everyone was getting ready to cook dinner. One by one, they started looking at us, noticing the extra person standing next to Shane. The next thing they noticed was our hands wrapped around each other.

Ignoring the looks, Shane continued forward, his grip on my hand firm. As we reached Andrea, he used his free hand to take the stacked plates from her and went to lay them on the table. The group, easily accepting the situation in front of them, simply continued with their tasks.

As the last of the food was set on the table, footsteps echoed from the woods. The first thing visible was two pairs of feet, the rest of the bodies still hidden behind the trees. They moved in unison, and soon, the rest of them emerged—Lori and Rick, hand in hand, smiling at each other.

They didn't notice the eyes on them until they were only a few feet away from the kitchen. Lori stopped in her tracks and froze. She could see the look in most people's eyes—some filled with pity, others with happiness, and a few with amusement.

Ignoring the attention, just as Shane and I had moments ago, they went to take their seats. As they got closer, Lori's gaze landed on Shane's broad, muscular figure, facing away as he laid out cutlery with one hand. When she looked to see where his other hand was, she noticed it holding another—mine. Then, her eyes traveled up to my face. Her expression darkened.

A sharp, piercing voice rang through the camp.

Shane's POV

"Who the hell are you?!"

The screech made everyone—except Elio and me—jolt and cover their ears. I rolled my eyes.

"That voice is gonna be the death of us." I muttered under my breath.

I felt Elio chuckle against me, letting me know he heard.

Lori's eyes were wild, darting back and forth, but mostly glued to Elio. I could tell she was gearing up for something. I wondered how Elio would react. I knew what Lori was like when she got like this—rash, manipulative, and loud. Not a great mix.

She opened her mouth again, her voice just as shrill.

"I said, who the hell are you?!" she demanded, pausing dramatically between each word.

I glanced down at Elio. He was staring straight back at her, his lips pressed into a thin line before a slow, terrifying smile stretched across his face.

His smile shrank just a little as he tapped a finger against his lips, pretending to think.

"Who am I, you say?" he mused, dragging it out. "Mmm."

I felt a headache coming on. I could tell he was about to be dramatic.

Then, in one smooth motion, he turned to me, his finger moving from his lips to point directly at my face, just inches away.

And with the biggest, shit-eating grin, he declared—

"I'm his husband."

Silence.

It was so deafening that when a fork slipped from someone's grasp and clattered onto the table, the sudden noise made even me jump.

Lori's face went slack.

"What?" she shrieked.

Elio's smile didn't waver. "I know you heard me."

Lori's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.

"But no need to ask who you are, right?" Elio continued, tilting his head. "Loud as a banshee, face as red as a tomato—oh, and let's not forget the manipulative old wench you are." He turned to me, all innocence. "Did I cover everything?"

I blinked at him, stunned, but found myself unable to disagree. My gaze shifted to Rick, who had finally recovered from Lori's shrieking but now looked confused and pissed off. He took a step forward like he was going to confront Elio—

And then Elio turned back to Lori.

"Oh, and let's not forget—" his voice dropped into a taunting whisper "—the cheating scumbag."

Rick stopped dead in his tracks, his head snapping toward Shane like he'd been slapped. His eyes searched mine, desperate for an answer. And when he found it, when he realized I wasn't going to deny it…

His face fell.

Then came the sound of feet storming toward me.

Before I could react, Lori's hand slapped across my face.

The only thing that followed was silence.

It was so weak, I barely felt it.

Lori, furious that I didn't even flinch, raised her hand to slap me again—and this time, she put more force into it.

"How dare you?!" she spat. "How dare you behave like this when you told me he was dead?"

She was in my face now, her hand way too close for my liking.

"You took advantage of my grief, and then you go ahead and do this? You get married?" Her voice dripped with venom. "No. Happiness isn't on the table for you, Shane Walsh. Not after what you've done. First, you lied to me about my husband being dead, and then you abandoned me for some shag that stayed around too long."

I took it. I let her slap me. I let her yell.

I didn't want to escalate things.

But then—

Then she insulted Elio.

I felt the rage starting to rise.

Until—

A hand on my arm.

A voice, calm but firm.

Elio.

And that's when I knew—he wasn't about to let this slide.

Elio: [marching over, arms crossed] Oh, hell no. What we're not gonna do today is pretend you have the moral high ground, Lori.

Lori: [spinning to face him] Stay out of this. This doesn't concern you.

Elio: The hell it doesn't! You think you can just waltz up and start slapping my man like he's your personal stress ball? Not happening, sweetheart.

Lori: [huffing] Your man? Your man?! Oh, please. If anything, Shane—

Elio: Shane what, Lori? Was your little plaything while Rick was gone? Oh wait, no—he was your safety net, your backup plan. But newsflash, honey—he cut you loose the second he found out what a cheating little snake you are.

Lori: [offended gasp] That's not—

Elio: That's exactly what happened. You think just 'cause Rick came back, you can rewrite history? Nah. I watched him go through it. You played with his feelings, used him to keep yourself warm at night, and the second it didn't serve you anymore, you flipped the script and acted like he was the problem.

Lori: [furious, voice shaking] You don't understand what I went through!

Elio: Oh, boo-hoo. You're not the only one who lost somebody, Lori. You had a whole man who risked everything to keep you and Carl safe, and you repaid him by sleeping with him while your husband's body wasn't even cold yet. And let's talk about Carl—

Lori: [defensive] Don't bring my son into this!

Elio: Why not? 'Cause you already know you're a crap mother?

[Lori visibly shakes, fists clenched.]

Elio: Next time you think about putting your hands on Shane? Don't. Because if you do, I'll remind you why you should be grateful he still has the patience to deal with your nonsense.

[Lori storms off, unable to argue. Shane watches, torn between appreciation and mild exasperation.]

Shane: [low chuckle] You really had to go and do all that?

Elio: [crossing arms] You really gonna pretend she didn't deserve it?

Shane: [smirking slightly] …Nah.