AN: Here we go, another little chapter, slowly moving us along.
I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!
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They had almost reached the track of land with enough time to spare that Daryl was sure they could get a good look at it before dark, but there was no way they were going to pull a return trip before dark.
Michonne kept up with him, even overstepping him from time to time, her walk unrushed like she was enjoying a Sunday stroll that happened to be spotted at times with animated corpses, while Lisette lingered a good five feet behind them, also walking as though she were simply out stretching her legs.
Daryl was bringing them out to see the land while the run group was out on their first trip to find the things they'd need to get started. Their hope was to at least bring back a truck or two with the supplies they'd need to get rudimentary fences up. The rest they could build on slowly.
And a third group had stayed back at the motel to continue on with life there as usual and to make sure that the children were safe, essentially, from any harm.
Daryl's biggest problem, perhaps, was that he was torn between wanting to humor Michonne in her quest to see the plot as soon as possible, and the fact that they would both be leaving the children for the night. Carol and Tyreese offered to keep the children with them, which eased his concerns considerably, but he still hated that both of them were out. He preferred one of them to be with the children whenever possible, just in case of some possible fatality or something that would at least leave them with one original parent.
But Michonne had insisted it would be fine, and he believed it would be, so he'd agreed to take her out first…and Lisette had tagged along without being asked to act as "backup", though Daryl didn't know how much backup he and Michonne needed together for such a task.
As they reached the top of the hill, Daryl caught up with Michonne and caught her shoulder, halting her lazy steps forward while she waited for him to tell her where to go.
"There it is," Daryl said, pushing her a step or two farther to see what they'd seen.
She took in the landscape around her, scanning her eyes over everything that there was to offer.
"See…down there…that's the barn…an' the water you can see…and there's where we're gonna plant," Daryl explained. "That cabin and all these around here," he said pointing as he spoke, "we figure we can work with those until we can build onto them…or build more. First thing, though, is get up some barbed wire on the outside. Just something to slow the Walkers down…then we'll build the basic fences, nothing to fancy…from there we can build up the fence system once the crops are in the ground."
Michonne was quiet for a moment and Daryl stood back and let her take in the view of the place. It was a big thing, and he knew that, to wrap your mind around the hope that they had for the place in front of them.
When she finally spoke, though, he thought that her eyes looked a little damp.
"It's beautiful," Michonne said after a moment, her voice low. "It's beautiful…"
"Just like you hoped?" Daryl asked, stepping back beside her now that he thought she'd had her moment. He put his arm around her back and caught her waist, bumping her hip gently against his. "Just like we wanted?"
Michonne nodded her head.
"Maybe even better," she said. "Let's go down…I want to look at the barn…see the water."
Daryl nodded and turned back, surprised to find that Lisette was right behind them, smiling softly, her arms crossed over her chest.
"I'd like to see it too," she said. "We could stand to fill our canteens."
"Gotta boil it," Daryl said. "Looks clean but we ain't takin' no chances on drinkin' Walker infested water."
"We've still got to move the water," Lisette commented.
And with her comment she was the one that stepped around Daryl and Michonne and started at a faster speed than before, down the rocky bit of a ridge and into the sprawling valley part of the land track.
Once they'd filled their canteens and Michonne and Lisette both had checked out the barn that would need a good deal of restoration, Daryl suggested that they settle into the cabin that was down in the valley area and see about boiling the water and cooking something to eat.
Michonne shook her head at him.
"I agree with building the fire here," she said. "It'll be easier to put out and there's not nearly the chance of it spreading…but we're not staying in this cabin."
Daryl laughed simply at her tone of voice.
"You got somethin' against this cabin, 'Chonne?" Daryl asked, turning to look at the building. It wasn't the nicest cabin he'd ever seen in his life, but all of these were pretty nice cabins. They'd obviously been vacation homes…and not vacation homes for people working minimum wage jobs.
She shook her head.
"I've got nothing against it, but I don't want that one," she said.
Daryl tried to make his expression as serious as he could, but he couldn't entirely hide his humor. The cabins were all a little different, perhaps, but they weren't that different. And it didn't really seem like that big of a deal to him which one they stayed in. This one just seemed the most obvious because it was…well…right there.
"You got somethin' you got your eye on?" Daryl asked, still somewhat amused.
Michonne looked a little amused at him now, so apparently he wasn't hiding his expression as well as he thought he was. She turned and gestured toward one that was up on the little rocky ridge, tucked slightly back into the wooded area that would eventually be at least somewhat cleared for their timber needs.
"That one," Michonne said. "I want to see it…I think that's the one I want."
"You know we don't have to pick where we're gonna live today, right?" Daryl asked.
Michonne nodded.
"I know we don't have to, but if I'm going to live there then I want to see it. I want to start…picturing that life in my mind," Michonne said. "And it's the biggest house out here…and we've got the biggest family with four adults and four children…and if we end up with more kids? We need the biggest house."
"We can build on…" Daryl offered.
Michonne nodded again.
"We can, but not right away," she said. "And when we were in the community we were right there…right in the thick of things. I like the idea of being just a little on the outside. I like that cabin, Daryl."
Daryl shrugged. He didn't care where they lived. Anywhere was fine with him and one cabin was as good as the other. If Michonne had thought that living in the barn was the best approach for them, he'd have lived in the barn.
It was clear, though, that she'd been thinking about this, probably since the first moment she'd scanned the new place, and she was set on how things needed to be.
"Right after dinner, then," Daryl said. "We'll head on up there…clear it out…get settled for bed."
Michonne smiled and turned, offering a nod and a quick facial expression to Lisette.
"Let's get the fires going then," Michonne said. "I'll cook…you two keep a watch out for Walkers."
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"I'm keeping watch first shift," Lisette announced. "I'll wake you two in a few hours."
"Fine," Daryl said, "Don't wait too long, though. We're headin' back tomorrow and you don't need to be dead on ya feet."
"Oh don't worry about that!" Lisette declared. "I won't forget to wake you so I can sleep…I'll just be trying to give you a fair amount of time."
Daryl smiled at the woman and Michonne ushered him back inside the cabin that she'd only got a quick look at while they were clearing the space.
It had only offered them one Walker….one Walker that was so dilaphidated he barely had the stamina to make it to the door to greet them like a dog or something. Now he was gone, though, outside…they'd burn Walker bodies once fences were up most likely.
"Master bedroom's down here, 'Chonne," Daryl said. "We're gonna take that one?"
Michonne narrowed her eyes as she examined the cabin at a glance.
It was a nice house as far as vacation homes went. It was something like she would have once had if she'd decided to purchase a mountain home for a relaxing getaway…not that she'd taken many of those in her life.
The downstairs of the cabin was very open, and the upstairs, if it could really be called that, was something of a "half-floor" that offered two bedrooms and a small bathroom caught up between the two.
"No…we're not taking the master bedroom," Michonne said. "We're going to take one of the upstairs rooms and Carol and Ty will take the other…the master bedroom we're going to turn into the nursery."
Daryl gave her a look of confusion, but he wasn't arguing with her.
"We've got four children," Michonne said. "If we end up with more? If something happens? They need more room than we do to sleep. It's not like we spend a lot of time in our rooms. They get the biggest room and it's the easiest to expand because if Ty is going to expand any of these cabins he's doing it on the ground floor."
Daryl nodded.
"Fair enough, 'Chonne," Daryl said. "Let's head up an' pick out which room you want.
Michonne smiled.
"That one over there," Michonne said, having decided as they were mounting the stairs. "I'm used to Carol and Tyreese being on that side of us…we might as well keep it that way."
Daryl laughed behind her.
"Good deal," he said. "Guess all that's settled.
When they got into the bedroom, examining the space and the furniture that it had to offer them…including a bed that Michonne thought was pretty nice, though not quite as nice as their old room had been, Daryl started to peel off his clothes and put down the swinging lamp that he'd been carrying in his hand.
"This what'cha want?" He asked.
Michonne looked around and nodded.
"This is what I want," she said.
Daryl went around and examined the blankets and sheets on the bed, pulling them all the way back to make sure that there weren't any bugs or animals living in there that needed to be killed. Michonne watched him during his inspection.
"We'll wash them when we get a chance," Michonne said. "We can collect all the linens up while we're working on fences…take them back to the motel, maybe trade them out for some clean stuff there for a while? Then Carol can wash all of these while we're getting the place set up."
"For tonight, though, these'll do just fine," Daryl said.
He settled into the bed with a groan and Michonne couldn't help but smile at him.
"You know what I love about you?" Michonne asked.
Daryl propped his head up on his arm and patted the bed beside him.
"Mmmm…there's so many things," he teased. "Don't seem fair to make you pick just one."
Michonne chuckled and finished coming out of the clothes she didn't intend to wear to bed.
"I love that…you make everything so…easy," Michonne said.
Daryl chuckled.
"Ain't too much easy these days, 'Chonne, or ain't you noticed?" Daryl responded, rooting in next to her as she got in the bed.
"No…things aren't easy," Michonne responded. "But…you make them feel like they are."