AN: Well, I do actually have some idea of where this is going, so y'all should be happy about that. :P
-Shazzy
-Day Jobs-
Daryl hovered around the kitchen while Jules set about the task of making breakfast for a dozen hungry newcomers. He helped her bring things up from the storage in the basement without complaining while she buzzed around the kitchen, seemingly perfectly happy and in her element. He didn't talk much, and Jules hummed 80's rock music to herself while she worked.
Daryl couldn't help but find himself smiling at the entire thing. She was the most relaxed person Daryl had seen since the whole world had fallen apart. She moved with a comfortable efficiency in her home, not even batting an eye at the thought of feeding another dozen people. She talked openly about anything you asked her about and she was full of energy. She seemed outright happy despite the world having fallen apart. Daryl wondered if she was meant for living like this, and honestly how long she'd been doing this since before the world ended.
"You cook?" Jules asked Daryl as she set things on the stove to cook. She'd hooked the electric stove back up, it would be easier to use to cook for the new group that way than on the wood stove.
"Not like this." Daryl replied.
"You're a rugged outdoorsy kind of guy?" She asked in return. "Cook fish over the fire an' all that shit?"
Daryl smirked. "Yeah, I guess?"
Jules shot him an indecipherable look. "Well, if you're half as useful as your brother has been, I'm sure that I won't mind cookin' for you once in a while."
Jules baked bread that she'd had ready in the cooler and brought out some dehydrated eggs and powdered milk to serve. She chose to avoid cooking any meat, though, knowing that Lori was in the worst stages of morning sickness. Still, the breakfast she produced was more than the group had seen in weeks. Scrambled eggs, milk, fresh bread, fresh fruit, oatmeal and fruit preserves were laid out on the large dining room table with plates and cutlery and an open invitation for the group to help themselves. Jules brewed coffee and a pot of tea without hesitation, happy to share as much as she could before the rations needed to be reconsidered.
Merle joined the group as they set about eating breakfast. He didn't say anything to anyone, but mumbled a thank you to Carol as she handed him a plate laden with food. Jules tried her best not to smile openly at the gesture. She liked Carol, and was happy to have someone else around who would instinctively take on a motherly role in the group. Merle took his usual seat next to Jules at the edge of the table, and Daryl sat next to his brother, just in case, as the silence of a meal being eaten fell over the table.
Rick broke the silence first.
"We have some questions."
Jules smiled. "We?" She asked. "Or just you?"
Rick nodded. "Fair enough." He drawled. "I have some questions. I'm sure the others do, too."
Jules shrugged. "Fire away." She said, helping herself to bread and jam, and handing a piece to Merle as well, as she waited for Rick's line of questioning.
"You keep mentioning Woodbury." Rick said.
"I'll explain that after." Jules said, cutting Rick off. "It's a long damn story."She smiled politely at the group. "Look, I dunno what to tell you. I got stuck here, made the best of it and have happened to come out on top of it all so far. I'm more'n happy to share what I've got with you all since I know that a group is better than me an' Merle tryin' to make it much farther on our own."
Merle grunted his agreement and took a sip of his coffee.
Jules grinned and continued. "I didn't make it this far by lettin' anyone in. I've killed walkers, but I've never killed a person. I don't fight if I can avoid it. I saved Merle 'cause it was the right thing t' do, and I'm more than happy to have y'all here. I've scavenged and stolen and screwed over the guys in Woodbury by nabbing what they needed first. I have guns and ammo and stuff locked away in the basement. Not once did I even consider pulling weapons on you, even before I knew you weren't from Woodbury. I didn't ask you to drop your weapons, I didn't think that would even be necessary. We're all civil humans here, right? I think that we can all trust one another if only so that we can survive the winter." She glanced at Lori. "And to make a safe place for new beginnings."
Rick shook his head, amazed. "Where are you from?"
"Boston." Jules said. "I was here on vacation visiting some friends. They're all dead now." She shrugged. "I was a film student back in Boston, but I learned about survival a long damn time ago. I assume my mom is dead, I got lucky, we got to talk before the shit hit the fan and we said our goodbyes."
"How did you know how to fix Merle's hand?" Daryl asked.
Jules snorted. "Common sense, mostly." She admitted. "I used to watch a lot of medical television and I learned as much as I could for realism in my craft, y'know, before. And there's some good books up in the library, so that helped." She shook her head. "I got lucky with it, to be honest."
"What sort of defences do you have around here?" Rick pressed.
Jules shot him a pointed look. "Secrecy." She said bluntly. "No one knows we're here. This house is hidden well away from the main road and the Woodbury crews don't come this far out, there's no point, they've scavenged what they needed already and we took the rest. But aside from that, the trees are lined with razor and barbed wire, so just stay outta the trees unless me or Merle is with you, since you won't know what to look for. Then along the inside edge of the treeline there's a spike pit that runs all the way around the property. Aside from that? We just manage to stay secretive about our location. It's why I try not to burn wood if I can help it."
"What do you need us to do to earn our keep?" Hershel asked, getting looks of worry from the group. They hadn't discussed this, the thought had barely crossed anyone's mind. Helping was really the last thing anyone had considered.
Jules blinked in surprise. "I don't rightly know." She admitted. "First off, though, I'll get y'all kitted up with proper bags, so that at least y' aren't runnin' around with nothin'."
"Kitted up?" Daryl asked.
"Yeah." Jules said. "Proper bug out bags." She shrugged like it was the simplest thing in the world. "Y'all each need a weapon, some food, some medical gear... some rope."
Daryl snorted at the mention of rope.
"In case we gotta bail." Jules shrugged again. "Better you have enough to get you outta the fire if it comes down to it than to run off into the night with nothing."
"Already done it once." T-Dog said, meaning their loss on the farm.
"Done it more'n once." Daryl pointed out.
"What are the chances of us needing to run?" Carol asked.
"Wouldn't you rather know you've got enough to provision yourself for a couple a' days on the road and not need it, than to not have a kit and have to run outta here in a hurry?" Merle asked, waving his fork to accentuate his point. "I mean, shit, I wouldn't have made it this far if Jules hadn't been carrying a few things with her when she found me."
"Weapons?" Rick asked.
"We've got guns." Merle said slowly. "And knives, and ammo, and pretty much everything you could want." He eyed Rick casually. "All locked away in th' basement."
"Seemed like a better idea than having them all stacked in the living room." Jules added quickly. "Ammo is too precious to waste, so we don't use the guns if we can help it."
"She uses a slingshot." Daryl piped up with a grin. "Damn good shot, too."
"Well, at least let us clean up for you?" Carol suggested. "And you can start building these kits of yours?"
Jules smiled and nodded. "Sure, if you really want to." She agreed slowly.
"Let me make sure your medical supplies are in good order." Hershel offered. "I can tell you if things need replacing."
"Thank you." Jules said.
Hershel smiled. He glanced at Merle. "I can take a look at your hand if you want." He offered.
"I'll keep you in mind, Doc." Merle replied, patting Jules on the shoulder with his good hand. "She's done a good job so far. I'm sure I'm okay."
"Offer stands, if you feel like you need it." Hershel said with a nod.
"Will do." Merle said amiably.
"There's a big ass garden out back, and the orchard." Jules explained. "And a couple of beehives, though I haven't gotten around to reading about how to take care of them yet." She hesitated. "I've got crops growin' in the garden, vegetables that I replanted. I dunno if we'll get anything else outta that garden this season, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try. The orchard is picked almost clean, and I've already done as much preserving as I could, obviously." She sighed. "The way we work is that Merle an' I hunt every other day, he cleans the game, I preserve it as best I can. I do the washin' and cooking, for the most part. We scavenge in town twice a week and keep an eye out for any Woodbury crews. We haven't seen any walkers up this way in what?"
"Three weeks at least." Merle said. "It's nice an' quiet up this way."
"If you wanna sew or knit or whatever, all the supplies are down in the basement." Jules offered, looking at Lori and Carol. "Help yourselves to whatever you need. There's clothes in most of the closets, too, from the family who I assume used to live here. Seriously, anything you need, please don't hesitate."
Jules stopped her rant and frowned. "I'm just really happy to have a kinda family around, y'know?"
The group grew very quiet at Jules' sentiment.
Each person was suddenly very aware that a single thought had passed through almost everyone's mind: Maybe we could take this place over for ourselves.
Only Daryl, and Carol because she wasn't like that, hadn't thought of it that way. But everyone was suddenly very aware of that single, malicious thought.