“I sent her out for prenatal vitamins once. Different ones than the ones I had because they were having a bad reaction with my morning sickness.” It was odd how easily she could talk about her pregnancy now. “I was surprised when she came back with it, but I probably shouldn't have been.” She nodded when he brought up the fact that they weren't immune and frowned. “I know. Another reason I can't wait to be able to get back out there again.” She subconsciously touched the bite scar on her collarbone and then frowned.
She chuckled and nodded her head. “I'm glad you appreciated my drawing of Cheese Man the other day,” she said of the man in the compound who smelled like he'd bathed in Limburger. “And I'd be pretty upset if you took it too! On slow days, it gives me something to do!” she added.
For a woman who used to take her clothes off for a living, Rae Alghren was surprisingly modest. Now, at least. She didn't used to be. Back before the infection started running rampant, she used to have a reputation for being a slut, being easy. But now that Elliot was gone, she wasn't just opening her legs for anyone who showed interest. And it made her feel awkward, flirting with Silas. His comment about Leah and Kori made her laugh a little and nod. “I spent a long time on Leah's bad side,” she started. “She used to make my life hell because she just didn't like me. And Kori... well, she's nice and friendly, but any Stone's wrath is a scary, scary thing.”
Rae made a face when he told her he was pinning it on the three of them. “Oh, I see how it goes. All fun and games until something goes wrong, and then it's all Rae's fault because she is a super evil woman and deserves all of the blame!” she joked. “Oh, I don't expect everyone to like me. Honestly, Brandon's grudge is a little... immature, but the fact that he doesn't like me doesn't bug me.” She couldn't believe he was still holding it against her, that she wouldn't sleep with him six years ago.
With a nod, Rae smiled a little. “I still get a little use out of mine, I guess. And I will later on, too, teaching EJ things when he's old enough to learn them, but...” she shrugged. “All that time spent learning and enjoying life seems... wasted now.”
She laughed and licked her lips. “Oh, I see. Let's make Rae make a fool of herself by asking her to talk about something she has no idea about,” she mused with a half-smile. “Fortunately for you, I don't mind making a fool of myself. Life's no fun if you live it in a box,” she said seriously.
Romeo and Juliet? That was an interesting way to think of them, and she said, “A little? Maybe more like... Aladdin. The part where him and the princess are both lying to each other? I'm sure you know about Brandon going to Ellis Island, right? He lied to her about that, and Lexi lied to him about her former life as a conwoman. And it caught up to them. But even after that, they still couldn't stay away from each other.” She shrugged. He explained, in no uncertain terms, that he was alone without Brandon, and she nodded. “I'm sure, with you looking out for him, he'll be okay.”
Rae nodded. “You got that, too?” she asked softly. “That's... yeah, that's just cruel. Dredging up past things when they don't matter anymore.” Rae knew that a lot of people thought poorly about her because of her past, but she didn't think the past mattered. It was over, and if they ever wanted to move on and rebuild, they had to let it go. “I've always felt like mistakes are important. If you live a life without mistakes, you never learn anything. And you wouldn't be the person you are today without them. You're a good guy,” she told him. “Don't let your past define you. Make it more of a footnote, you know? You define you. Not history.”
His next comment made her turn her head down and nod. “That's human nature,” she said, turning to look at him again. “The world's a nightmare out there. It's totally normal to wish you dreamed it, however the dream came about. It sucks. That there's nothing we can do about it, and that we've lost so many good people, good things. But we've got to be okay. We've got to rebuild. If we don't, the infected win, and I don't want to let that happen. Not in this lifetime.”