Author's note: If anyone's read my other Walking Dead stories you know I stopped watching after season 5. I thought it used to be a good show. This story I originally published wasn't what I had planned on when I posted it. I've made a few iterations of it then decided to go back to the first one I did. The timeline is different and a lot has changed. There are some OC's but most of it centers around Michonne, Daryl and part of TF.

I've always like the pairing and if you've read 'Wish' some of my issues with Michonne and Rick being together are mentioned. Don't get me wrong, I've read some fabulous Rick and Michonne stories on Fanfiction, but I think Michonne and Daryl are the better pairing. IN MY OPINION. Personally, I think the actors who play those parts are better than the one that plays Rick. Again, IN MY OPINION.

Some of the characters mentioned may be OOC, because I stopped watching. I haven't kept up but when new characters popped up in other stories I checked them out a little. I've mostly finished this story and I'm going to. I like to finish what I start. And it gives me something to do until the new season of 'Jessica Jones' and 'Stranger Things' are released on Netflix. Those bastards on Syfy canceled 'Dark Matter'.

Reading this, keep in mind how people would change after being...safe. Not having to worry trying to survive day to day. So some TF members may seem OOC. Anyway, constructive criticism is welcomed. Bashing? Take it on down the road. I'm not making any money on this. I don't own any of TWD characters, just my OC's. Don't like it? Don't read it.

Michonne was feeling stifled and needed to get out of this place. She was the one that pushed Rick to come here, they did need to be somewhere. This place? These people? She hadn't been lying to Sasha the other day when she said she was killing walkers for herself. This place was making her weak.

She did smile when she saw her friend in his constable uniform walk outside the house they shared. She smirked at him.

"What?" he asked as he shuffled his feet uncomfortably on the porch.

"Just trying to get used to the clean cut look," she aswered.

"Yeah. Me, too." He shifted, nodded to her and left to do his rounds. She knew he'd go by Jessie Anderson's house and she frowned. She didn't think he should get involved with a married woman, but it was his life. She, like everyone else in their group, had suffered losses. Who was she to judge after the things she'd done? They'd all done?

She watched Carol as she walked around dressed in her 'PTA' clothes, as Daryl called them. He was having a hard time. They all were. Except Rick and Carol. They took to this place like ducks to water. She'd never been a Stepford Wife before and she couldn't do it now.

Daryl walked out on the porch of the house he was livin' with Rick, Michonne, Carl, Carol and Judith, and took a seat with his back against the railing. He pulled out a cigarette, lit it and blew smoke out of his nose. He couldn't breathe here. Hell, he'd grown up in a single wide in a trashy trailer park with a drunk, abusive father, a mother who didn't know her own son was missing before she killed herself in a fire and a drug addicted older brother. That he'd had to kill after the Governor let him turn.

He nodded his head as 'Chonne sat beside him.

"Dixon," she greeted in her soft voice.

"Michonne."

They sat in silence and watched the people of Alexandria go about their day. Their boring day looked like to Daryl. He agreed these people were weak, but 'Chonne was right. They needed to not be out there. But in here? He felt like he was suffocating. They needed to be armed, ready to kill walkers. Or the next Governor. Deanna Monroe was clueless. Useless ass politicians. He and his old man could agree on that.

He stood up and walked away.

"Where are you going?" she raised her voice a little.

"Out. Can't breathe in here," he muttered and headed toward the gate. He felt it when she fell into step beside him.

"Company?" she asked. From the tone of her voice it wouldn't matter if he wanted it or not he was getting it.

When got to the armory he pulled his bike out and had Spencer open the gate. He got on, waited for Michonne, started it and they left.

"She's not listenin', Glenn. She thinks she's givin' us too much power," Maggie spit the word out.

"We're sitting ducks here, Maggie," Glenn reiterated.

"I know. Hell, she still mentions the fact she let us carry knives inside the gates. Sometimes I wanna take her out there, for an hour, and leave her on her own. Her and Reg. I understand she doesn't really know what it's like out there, but shit," Maggie huffed as she sat on their sofa.

It still felt strange, in some ways, to be away from the group. Even though they were near each other. They were always together at the prison. After the Governor and finding everyone again she wanted to stay together. After Beth she didn't want to be around anyone. Now? It was starting to hurt. She needed her family. She needed to be near them. Even Abraham. Asshole though he was sometimes, he kinda grew on her.

She was tryin' so hard to fit in here and she felt like she was dying. Glenn felt it, too, even though they didn't talk about it. Except Rick and Carol. She shook her head.

"What?" Glenn laid down and pulled her next to him.

"Rick. Spendin' time with Jessie Anderson," she said.

"Yeah. Not good spending time with a married woman," he agreed.

"It's not just that, Glenn. She wouldn't last two minutes out there. I woulda thought Rick had better sense."

"I thought he liked Michonne," he told her.

"Me, too. Not sure if Michonne likes him. She's hard to read sometimes."

"They'd be a force together. The power couple of Alexandria. Next to Deanna and Reg and me and you."

Maggie laughed. "Power couple?" she looked up into his eyes.

"Deanna thinks she's giving too much power," Glenn drawled.

Maggie kissed him. "I feel real powerful right now."

Glenn raised his eyebrows before he pushed her off of him and stood up. "Let's go be powerful," he wiggled his eyebrows up and down before holding out his hand.

She took it and used it to pull herself up. "Let's go be powerful. Loudly."

"Soldiers?" Deanna asked Tobin.

"Soldiers. Army. They're dressed in fatigues. They look rough, Deanna," Tobin said.

"How many?"

"Twenty."

Deanna looked at her husband. "We should talk to them," Reg suggested.

"I'll, we'll come with you," Deanna and Reg stood up.

Tobin had been right. They did look rough. Not as rough as Rick's group but close.

"Hello. I'm Deanna Monroe and I'm in charge of Alexandria," she introduced herself.

One of the soldiers, an older white man who was taller than she was by a foot stood at attention and saluted.

"Lieutenant Daniels, ma'am. Twenty ninth infantry out of Fort Meade, Mrs. Monroe," he introduced himself.

"It's Congresswoman Monroe, Lieutenant."

"My apologies, ma'am. I wasn't aware any of the government survived this outbreak. We weren't sure anyone had to be honest, Congresswoman."

"Have you been on the base all this time?" Deanna asked him.

"We have. We had to kill, this is going to sound bad, ma'am, but we had to kill some our fellow soldiers. After they turned. These are all the men I have left. We started to run low on food and I decided we should head for DC. If there was a safe place it would be in the nation's capital." The Lieutenant grimaced. "We were surprised there wasn't. We found this place by following an armed group."

Deanna took a step back. "An armed group?"

"Twenty to twenty five people dressed in civilian clothes carrying automatic weapons and driving SUV's. Until we get the lay of the land I did not engage." Lieutenant Daniels Lieutenant Daniels narrowed his eyes. "Are you aware, ma'am, there's a pit not far from here with a large population of the undead?"

"What?" Reg questioned in disbelief.

"Yes, sir. We found out the hard way. Almost lost a few of my men. The armed group didn't come from here. Maybe neighbors going to deal with them?" he inquired.

"We don't have any neighbors and we certainly didn't know about a pit with walkers," Deanna protested.

"Walkers?"

"The undead," Deanna stated.

"Yes, ma'am. Good name."

"I'd like to see this pit," Deanna told the man.

"We'd like to take you, Congresswoman, but we ran out of gas about half a mile back."

"We have cars with gas. Will you show us?"

"Yes, ma'am," he saluted her again.

Fifteen minutes later Deanna stood with Reg, Lieutenant Daniels and Corporal Spicer, a young white man, near the edge of a pit.

"How many?" Deanna looked at Daniels.

"Hard to tell, ma'am. Possible a hundred or so," Spicer answered.

"Ma'am, we were going to ask for some news and assistance from your settlement," Daniels told her.

"There is no news. And we'd be happy to offer any assistance we can," Deanna offered.

"A place to stay? The armed group didn't look…friendly. When we got to DC we ran into some not so friendly people," he raised his eyebrows.

"DC?" Reg raised his eyebrows.

"DC, sir. They engaged us first, sir. We're sworn to protect the United States and its citizens. We didn't like firing back but they fired upon us first," Daniels frowned.

"Deanna, it's right in our back yard," Reg whispered to her after they walked a few feet away from the Lieutenant and his subordinate.

"Rick and his group?" she suggested quietly.

"Deanna," he chided.

"They're not happy in Alexandria. Rick wasn't happy. He thinks we should have guns," she hissed.

"If we allow the soldiers to stay, Deanna, will they want to carry guns?" Reg asked.

Deanna looked at Daniels and Spicer. "I'd feel safer if they did."

"We should find out his experience."

Half an hour later Deanna and Reg were seated in their living room interviewing Daniels.

"We just got back from Iraq six months before this started. The army had us on standby to go back and help with the outbreak. Virus. We never got orders to leave. Base Commander Jenkins lost contact with the Pentagon. We hunkered down and tried to wait it out. We had some breaches of the fences and soldiers got bit or scratched and we had to kill them. Some just died and came back. Up until a month ago it my platoon was the only one left on the base. Supplies ran low and I decided to try and get to DC. Someone in the government had to have made it. When we got there? Wall to wall of undead. We ran into a large well-armed group that started shooting at us. We returned fire. I'm not happy to say we killed some of them. The rest ran off. I lost a lot of my men. The nineteen with me are all that's left. We'd been on the road for a few weeks when we saw another well-armed group a mile from here. We waited them out. Then we saw the pit. Then we saw walls. We came here, ma'am," he finished.

"It's troubling. The news of another armed group close to us," Deanna exhaled.

"I imagine so. You would think during this time people would be rallying together. To survive," Daniels shook his head sadly.

Deanna inwardly sighed with relief. "Yes, they should. Lieutenant Daniels, I'd like to welcome you and your troops to Alexandria. I've always been a supporter, my family, has been a supporter, to our troops."

"Thank you, Congresswoman," Daniels smiled.

"As a rule, I don't allow weapons to be carried inside the walls," Deanna told him.

"It's a good rule, Congresswoman. Most people aren't soldiers. We are. I believe we should be an exception."

Deanna and Reg shared a look. "Congresswoman, you seemed surprised by what I told you, and what you saw today. At the very least you should have a watch. The armed group may come back and Alexandria could be attacked. I'm not saying the group would do it, they may do it. My platoon and I didn't do anything but try and talk those people in DC. There are a lot of factors we don't know. It could be how people operate now. Which is sad," he sighed. "I agree. People shouldn't walk around with weapons but you need some kind of security here, Congresswoman. I'm not trying to tell you how to run Alexandria, but make you see how it is out there."

"Reg and I will talk about it. We do have a group that's been out there. I reluctantly allowed them access to their knives."

"Ma'am, I don't think it's a good idea. But Alexandria is your community."

"Watch. We will take you up on your offer for watch," she said.

"I'll get you set up with some houses in the back. You'll have to leave your guns with Olivia. She'll come by and tell you how our pantry system works," Reg stood.

"Thank you, Congresswoman. Mr. Monroe. We'll get settled. Move them out, Corporal," Daniels saluted the Congresswoman before barking the order to his subordinate.

"Let's go, people," Corporal Spicer told the troops.

When they exited the house Deanna saw Michonne and Daryl walk over.

"You have a problem," Michonne said to Deanna and Reg.

"Walkers in a pit. Not far from here," Daryl said.

"You need to tell everyone, Deanna," Michonne advised.

Deanna and Reg shared a look. "No, I don't, Michonne. I won't have widespread panic in Alexandria. Lieutenant Daniels, this is Michonne and Daryl Dixon. They're part of the group I told you of earlier. Reg, can you get them situated?" she requested.

"Of course. This way. We'll drop your weapons off first," Reg smiled and led the twenty people away from his house. Deanna turned and entered her house again while Michonne and Daryl followed her. When they entered the living room she gestured to one of the sofas.

"I don't have to tell the residents anything, Michonne. This is my community. As it happens Lieutenant Daniels took Reg and I to the quarry and he showed me. He also told me of an armed group he'd seen near here." Deanna sat back. "You're not surprised."

"By the walkers in the quarry, not the armed group," Michonne confirmed.

"Why you don't have a lot walkers around here," Daryl added.

"Really? How so?"

"At the prison they was always at the fences. Almost brought 'em down," he muttered.

"We ran into our own problems, Deanna. At the prison and while we were on the road. It's why we want our weapons back. Armed group?" she raised her eyebrows at Deanna.

"The Lieutenant and his platoon are our new residents. He's recommended we start a watch. We're doing it. I'd like for what you've told me to remain quiet for now. Lieutenant Daniels is in charge of it." Deanna stood up.

Michonne and Daryl did the same. After they stepped outside and Deanna closed her door she turned to them. "I will inform every one of the walkers in the quarry how I see fit. We've been sheltered here. We're not used to seeing or hearing of things like this." Deanna huffed out a breath at the look on Daryl's face. "This is my community, Mr. Dixon. I won't have you or Michonne causing wide spread panic in Alexandria. I won't. Lieutenant Daniels is an experienced combat veteran. I'm sure he'll come up with a plan."

"Are you going to the party?" Michonne asked Daryl as he was near the door to their house.

"Nah. Didn't go to ours. Why would I go to this one?" he sneered. It had been a few days and Deanna still hadn't said anything about the walkers in the pit.

Michonne raised her eyebrows.

"Aaron and Eric. Goin' over there," he admitted.

"Want company?"

Daryl shrugged and walked outside. Michonne quickly followed him.

"Michonne?" Aaron asked after he opened the door.

"Is it alright?" she questioned quietly.

Aaron stepped back with a sheepish look on his face. "Sure. Sorry. I thought you would have gone. To the party," he elaborated as Eric came from the back of the house on crutches.

"Why?" she gave him a look.

"You're one of the constables. Aren't you?" Eric questioned.

"No. I was let go. Daniels didn't think a woman should be doing the job," she replied.

"What?" Daryl gaped at her.

"Deanna told me Daniels didn't think a woman should be a constable," she repeated. "She told me today."

"That's bullshit," Daryl snarled.

Michonne shrugged her shoulder. "Not in a party mood."

Aaron walked further inside, got Eric settled on the sofa and sat down. He motioned to the other chairs and waited until they sat.

"Did you want something to drink? We have wine or scotch," he offered.

"Scotch," she requested.

"Me, too," Daryl nodded. "That's bullshit, Michonne."

"I know."

Eric shook his head. "It doesn't sound like Deanna," he commented.

"I guess some of the men here don't think I should be a constable. They went to Daniels and complained. He told Deanna," she explained as she took the scotch from Aaron.

Aaron wrinkled his nose. "It doesn't sound like anyone here," he said after he gave Daryl his scotch, Eric his wine and sat down again. "Except Pete Anderson."

Michonne took a sip and sat back in the chair. "It doesn't matter. Deanna said she'd find something else for me."

"Should recruit. With us," Daryl told her.

"That would be great," Aaron smiled.

"Might a been Aiden," Daryl suggested.

Eric laughed. "No. It wasn't Aiden. He thinks she's the seriously sexy constable."

Daryl glared at him. "She threatened to kick his ass," he reminded him.

"Why he was following her around. He thought she looked good in her uniform." At Daryl's look he sighed. "Daryl, I'm a gay man, in love with my partner, but I can see Michonne is a beautiful woman."

Michonne smiled a small smile. "Thank you. It's been a while since someone called me beautiful. Usually they were full of shit."

"If a gay man says you're beautiful, you're beautiful," Aaron gestured with is wine glass in her direction.

"I don't know you well, but I think you are beautiful. The outside," Eric grinned at her.

"Rick know?" Daryl asked.

"I don't know," she sipped.

Daryl muttered something about housewives.

"Ah, the hot non romance between Rick and Jessie?" Eric laughed again. At the looks he received he shut up.

"Sorry. We heard. About kiss on the cheek at your party." Aaron frowned. "I'm surprised Rick let Jessie give him a haircut. I tried to bring him and his group to a nice place to stay and he punched me."

"Why?" Michonne questioned.

"He let some strange person stand behind him. I thought he was too paranoid for something along those lines." He paused. "I didn't mean anything bad by it. It was, I thought, unusual. We've talked about it," Aaron nodded to Eric.

"Let's talk about something else. What do you think of the soldiers?" Eric changed the topic.

"Don't know. Good, I guess," Daryl said.

"I don't like them. Personal bias," Michonne admitted.

"I'm sure. Daryl's right. You should recruit with us. Well, them." Eric pointed to Daryl and Aaron. "I have another four weeks in this cast."

Aaron nodded in agreement. "A woman. A black woman. Yes, you should. It will show future residents we're accepting."

Michonne shot him a glare.

"Oops. I phrased it badly," Aaron hunched his shoulders.

"Michonne, I'm not a black woman but I am a gay man. I know what discrimination feels like. We didn't mean anything bad by it. In case you haven't noticed there aren't too many minorities here. We want a good solid community with people from all walks of life. White, black, Asian, gay, straight, religious, nonreligious. You would think people would look passed their prejudices now. Especially now. It won't happen. It'll make people dig in more," Eric stressed.

She sat back. "True. I'll recruit with you."

"Eric does most of the talking," Aaron grimaced. "Obviously I'm suffering from 'foot in mouth' disease."

She huffed out a laugh.