.・゜-: ✧☾　☽✧ :-゜・.

Living and surviving were two words that Stella used to believe had the same meaning. However, after living in the prison for six months in peace she finally understood the difference between the two. Surviving was what she and the rest of the group had been doing for so long after the fall of the world as they were constantly living in fear. Fear of death and the dead. They were forced to constantly fight for survival. Scavenging for food, being constantly hungry and thirsty, and going sleepless nights plagued by pure fear.
Living was a whole other thing. It meant not having to worry about all of that. Living and acting like you did before the world collapsed. Actually being able to charice the moments in life, not having to worry about death constantly lurking around you. That's living.

The moment when the people of Woodbury entered the prison, they were all introduced to a new era of living. An era of happiness and peace. Life finally felt normal. Worth living. They had a community of people, survivors. Rick had decided to step down from his position as a leader, handing the leadership to the so-called council that consisted of Stella, Levi, Herschel, Daryl, Glenn, and Sasha. Rick had taken it upon himself to become the farmer of the prison.

Levi had grown closer to the girl, not taking his eyes off her since the kiss they shared in the forest. The two didn't spend any time away from each other. If one went on supply runs it was obvious that the other would join. He didn't leave her side unless it was necessary. After what happened with the governor, with Lori, and the aftermath of all of it, Levi swore to not leave her, fearing that she could break at any moment despite it being many months since it all went down. Not long after the war of the prison, the two labeled each other as boyfriend and girlfriend, which seemed like a silly concept for the two. But it was a way of living a normal life. Levi knew that he was falling in love with her but he was terrified to admit it to him and her with the fear of ever losing her. He was ready to protect her with his life. But the boy wasn't just in love with her, she was his safe harbor and the one thing that made his life doable. He had never felt anything like that in his life.

Ellie had taken it upon herself to move out of hers and Stella's cell giving Levi the opportunity to move in. Rick didn't approve at first but after Ellie's constant nagging, he finally decided that it was okay. But he and Daryl had taken down the cell door, replacing it with a curtain instead.

But Levi wasn't the only one who had found love. Ellie had her eyes on the governor's stepson, Tristan even though he could be a douche. His mother Gabriella worked along with Caleb as one of the nurses at the prison. But since the girl had military training, it was given that she was going to be working outside the fences as well. Stella and Ellie had noticed something about the woman - she clearly had her eyes for Daryl and it was obviously mutual. However, the two tried to disguise it.

Life felt normal, or as normal as it could feel in an apocalyptic world.

___________________

Stella woke up to her bed being empty, which was unusual as Levi never got up without announcing he was leaving. He'd simply lay there, staring at the girl with endless admiration until she woke up.

Stella rubbed her sleepy eyes before throwing on the closest clothes that she found before heading outside to find her father by the field where he usually spent his days, treating their plantations and animals. She covered her eyes from the bright sun with her hand as she approached him with a smile. The man didn't seem to notice her as his earphones were plugged into his ears and he was too focused on his current duty. Stella came up behind him, pulling the earphones out of his ears before placing them in hers letting the music flow into her ears. It wasn't the worst she had heard but you'd be surprised by the amount of bad music you can find in an apocalypse. Rick tilted his head to the side, sending her a playful hard look before grabbing the headphones back.

"It was alright. Would kill for some Rihanna right now, though." She smiled.

"Good morning to you too." He said jokingly as he placed the headphones into his pocket to give his daughter his full attention. Stella sent him a smile as she leaned against the fence that surrounded their pig who Carl had decided to name Violet.

"How's she doing?" Stella asked, staring at the once very energetic pig that now laid completely still in the mud.

"I'm not sure. Herschel told me she could be sick." Rick looked down on his daughter, noticing a worried look spread across her face. "But he also told me it could be nothing. I'm sure she'll be back on her feet soon."

Stella nodded, letting her gaze linger over the animal before leaning her back against the fence. "Is Carl still sleeping? I need to give him something." Stella said.

"Yeah, I thought I'd let him sleep. The boy was up all night reading." Rick grunted as he shoved his shovel into the dirt. "He's turning out to be a bookworm like you." He smiled.

"All he reads is comics. He's got a shared Spider-Man obsession with Levi." She said, A smile inhabited her face as she thought about it. Whenever she and Levi would go on a supply run, no matter how important it was, the boy would always find some time to look for new comics to give Carl when they returned home. "Have you seen him, by the way? Levi?" Stella asked, making her father shrug. The girl's shoulder slumped and she let her gaze wander over their home as worry began to creep up on her. However, her face instantly lit up upon seeing her little brother approaching the two with his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

"Good morning, little late riser." She took him under her arm making him look up at her with a smirk.

"No one woke me up." He defended himself.

"Cause I knew you were up all night reading comics with a flashlight." Rick raised an eyebrow, smirking at his son.

"Oh, that reminds me," Stella said, reaching for her pocket to pull out the comic book that Levi had found on a supply run a few days ago. "Levi found it. He said it was epic. Limited edition or something. I guess everything is limited edition in an apocalypse."

"No way." He grabbed the comic book, letting a bubbling laughter of excitement escape his lips. "Spider-Man 60th Anniversary."

"You like it?" Stella couldn't contain her smile, seeing the boy's happiness in such a small thing as a comic book. But at the end of the day she had to remind herself that he was just a child, however, it was a surprise to see him finally acting like one. Children don't get to be just children in a post-apocalyptic world. The boy was older now. But despite him growing into a teenager, Stella still looked at him as her baby brother. His hair was longer now. A lot longer. He was taller and more mature. He had friends which was a sight that never failed to make his older sister happy.

"Do I like it? It's exclusive! Thank you!" He had to stop himself from jumping into Stella's arms. He was tired of reading the same DC comics over and over again.

"Hey, don't thank me. Thank Levi. Or the dead man who we took it from."

Stella stayed with her father to discuss their plans for the mission later before walking back to the courtyard where they had put up benches and an outdoor kitchen creating an eating place. She knew that today was going to be a long day as she had agreed to go on a supply run to a supermarket not far away.

The girl spotted Levi, shoving some food onto his plate.

"Hey," She greeted him, making him look up, instantly smiling at her presence.

"Hi," He said, placing a kiss on her lips.

"Where were you this morning?" She asked as she grabbed a plate.

"Daryl took me hunting. I'm so sorry. I should've woken you up or at least left a note. It was just really early." Levi explained as Stella placed the meat on her plate.

"It's okay, I'm just glad to see you two spending time together." Stella sent him a smile as the two sat down on one of the benches to eat their breakfast which consisted of freshly caught meat.

"You should join us sometime. You're good with a bow." He said.

"Maybe. Seems like yours and Daryl's thing. He's very fond of you, you know." Stella said. Other than Carol, Levi was the only one who actually got close to Daryl. Don't get him wrong he didn't have anything against the rest of them, he looked to them all as a family but Carol was his platonic soulmate and Levi was sort of a brother to him.

"Speak of the devil," Levi said, looking up at the man who appeared behind Stella.

"Good morning, sunshine," Stella smirked at Daryl.

"Yeah, whatever, Goldilocks. Get your stuff. We're leaving." The man nodded his head toward the gates. The pair stood up, placing their empty plates in a pile along with the rest before heading for the parked trucks. Stella passed Rick on the way, stopping to say goodbye.

"Be careful." He told his daughter, pulling her in for an embrace. He hated sending her away on these trips and if it was up to him, he'd make her stay. But he knew that it was necessary for her to leave every now and then to not get too comfortable and weak inside the prison's safe walls. Plus she was growing up. She was almost an adult, a strong independent woman and he knew that she could take care of herself, especially after the endless self-defense training that she and Levi would have in the woods.

"Always." She smiled.

Rick followed her to the trucks that were being stocked with weapons and supplies for the trip. Levi sneakily took Stella's hand in his, brushing over it with his thumb. He wasn't sure what to think about her going with them, especially on a bigger mission like this. He was struggling to contain the worry he felt each time. He was frightened by the thought of her ever being in danger but what scared him more was thinking that he might not be able to protect her. While Levi would put his life on the line to keep her safe there might come a day when he couldn't.

"Hey, hands off my daughter." Rick crossed his arms over his chest at the sight of his daughter's hand in Levi's. The comment was a bit jokingly but with a hint of seriousness. The man's words made Levi instantly unravel his grip on Stella's hand, standing up straight. The Grimes girl rolled her eyes, sending Rick a crooked and slightly embarrassed smile before walking over to him, placing a quick kiss on his cheek. "Bye Dad."

She turned around to see Levi's cheeks turning crimson making her snicker. Rick knew about their relationship but that didn't mean that he improved it. He trusted Levi with his daughter's life and he respected the boy more than most men at the camp and if anyone was going to love Stella he'd want it to be no other than Levi. However, he didn't want to see her daughter with anyone. It wasn't in a controlling way. More in a protective way as the thought of Stella growing up frightened him.

Stella jumped into the car as Daryl got on his motorcycle.

"When am I gonna get to give that bad boy a ride?" She heard Levi ask from outside. She peaked out to see Daryl scoffing at his request.

"Never."

"Oh come on." Levi threw his arms in the air.

"I might as well drive it into a wall," Daryl said.

"Hey, I can drive." Levi pointed out. "I am an excellent driver."

"I'd even let Stella drive it before you," Daryl said, making the girl frown.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Before Daryl got to explain, Tyressed shouted for everyone to get into the cars as he started the one Stella was sitting in. The group each found a seat in a car before they drove off. Levi fell asleep during the ride and at that moment Stella wished that she had her phone or at least a camera to take a photo of him. She wanted a camera really badly lately. She found it important to take photos of the beautiful moments. But mainly because she was frightened that she might forget what their faces looked like if she lost them.

It had only been seven months since her mother passed and she already couldn't quite get a clear picture of what she looked like in her head. She remembered her features. All of them. Everything from her brown eyes to the small dimple that formed on her left cheek when she smiled. She remembered her mother as beautiful. But when she tried to picture her mother's face it looked slightly blurry as if the clear memory was fading. She couldn't forget what the people around her looked like. However, she wasn't planning on losing Levi anytime soon. She wouldn't be able to. He was one of the most important things in her life and she wouldn't be able to make it without him in her life. Matter of fact, she wasn't just depending on him for company. She was falling in love with him.

_____ ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ _____
𝟐𝟑𝟕𝟕 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬
_____ ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ _____

𝐀/𝐍
SEASON 4!!! FINALLY

Stella and Levi are such cuties and be ready because they'll just get cuter