After the long interviews Deanna announced to them all that they could stay. She lead them outside to a nice house, where supplies were housed. "We don't allow weapons within the walls, so please surrender them." Deanna smiled at the group. Rick nodded his head, letting them know they could remove their weapons. "We will let you keep your knives." Deanna told them. Clearly she didn't know that their knives were there most deadly weapon.
0-0-0
"You can have both of these houses." Aaron told them, smiling. "Deanna is willing to let you have them both. Your group is large, I told her you probably wouldn't want to be separated." Aaron nodded at them. "I am just down the road a piece if you need me." Aaron pointed to a yellow house down the drive.
"Thank you." Rick told him, watching him leave.
"Inside we go." Rick and the others made their way inside the larger of the two houses. Once inside they took over the living room, making beds for themselves here and there. "Let's get cleaned up, there is running water and what not."
After everyone had rinsed off the gathered once more in the living room. Food in the middle of the floor. Hunter was stretched out with Judith in front of her, Carl behind her and Daryl beside her. There was a knock on the door, and instantly everyone was on edge. Rick opened the door to see Deanna, she let herself in.
"Sticking together, that's smart." She smiled at them. "I just came to see how you were settling in. I see you look fine. You can use both houses, when you feel more comfortable with it. Everyone has jobs, report to them tomorrow. You said you were a family. That's what you said. Absolutely amazing to me how people with completely different backgrounds and with nothing in common can become that. Don't you think?"
Rick looked confused. "You didn't give me one."
"No, I have one in mind for you and Michonne I just haven't told you yet. I am not sure what to do with Daryl or Hunter." Her graze fell on them, Hunter's head was in Daryl's lap, with Judith on her chest. "But I will figure it out! It is just a matter of time."
With that Deanna left. Early the next morning a pretty blonde came over, with an invitation for Carl to meet her sons. She also had provisions for the house, a care package she called it. Rick's hair was wet he had waited to shower in the morning. "Want me to cut it for you?" Jessi asked. "Before this I was a beautician, I can cut your hair."
Rick nodded, slowly. "You don't know me."
"No, I don't but you look like you need a haircut." His beard was shaved and he looked stone-faced but opened the door all the way for her.
0-0-0
Merle left at first light everyday, making his way out the gate, he returned around lunch with meat of some sort. He liked being in the woods. With everyone working Hunter was walking around the town with Daryl, Judith on her hip. "They are weak, you can tell by looking at uhm." Daryl said under his breath to her.
"I know, it's unfortunate. I don't wanna become weak because of them." Hunter sighed, slipping her hand into his. Something both of them were used to doing at this point.
"Listen, I think your dad doesn't trust uhm, he wants me and Carol to meet him outside the gate for shooting practice…" Daryl's voice trailed off.
"I know the whistle." She smiled at him. He nodded, he kissed her forehead, and then Judith's before disappearing to find Rick and Carol. Hunter saw Carl up ahead, and joined him.
Rick looked out the front door and could no longer see his children. Panic climbed into his chest. He rushed out front in the direction he had saw Carl walk. His eyes landed on Daryl and he sighed, relieved. Daryl would not have let Hunter out of his sight, if there was danger.
"I don't know which direction they went." Daryl knew the face he was making. Rick was running now, and ran into something on a lawn, it was metal.
"Whoa, are you ok!" Jessi looked at him, confused.
"I am fine have you seen my kids." Rick asked.
"No, but I think I might know where they will be." Jessi led him down a block to a front porch, where an older couple lived. "Judith is a little baby, they have not seen one of those in a long time, they used to have tons of grandchildren, and I imagine they are all gone now."
Rick nodded. Carl and Hunter looked up at him at the same time and smiled. He motioned for them to come on.
"Rick, can your kids meet mine now?" Jessi asked.
"Sure, Hunter, Carl, go with her to meet her children please." Rick scooped Judith up, then went back to the house. "Michonne you keep an eye on Judith for me."
Michonne nodded watching Carol and Rick exit the house together.
0-0-0
"Hi, its nice to meet you." Hunter smiled looking at the children in the upstairs room of this woman, Jessi's house. There was a girl there, someone who maybe Hunter could befriend.
"This is Mikey, I am Ron, and this is Enid." Ron told them pointing to everyone.
"I'm Carl, and this is my older sister Hunter." Carl explained, he pulled out a comic book he had found when they swept the houses. "This belong to anyone?"
"We didn't know you got that house. Its Enid's," Ron explained. "That was our hiding spot, need a new one I guess." Enid jerked it from his hands.
"So wanna play some video games, we could play pool…" Ron's voice trailed off.
"Have you been here from the start?" Hunter asked.
"Me and Mikey have, Enid was out there until a couple months ago." Hunter's graze fell on Enid, so did Carl's. They nodded at her in an understanding matter.
"Video games, I guess." Carl said, taking his spot next to the boys. Hunter rolled her eyes but sank down next to Enid on the bed. Sam, Ron's little brother, soon joined them, Hunter played more easily with him.
When it started to get dark Hunter stood, said goodbye and gave Carl a look. Carl stood, said goodbye, and followed his sister out of the house.
"What the fuck." Hunter growled. "We have been out there fighting to survive and they have been in her playing fucking call of duty."
Carl looked at her for along minute. "This place will make us weak if we let it."
"We can't let it." Hunter took his hand in hers and they walked back to the house they were all staying in.
"How was it, with other kids." Rick asked as they came in.
Hunter and Carl shared a look. "They are weak." It was almost in unison.
Rick sighed. "They just need to be taught."
"Dad, this place." Hunter started surveying the room.
"It will make us weak." Carl finished for her.
Rick looked at both his kids. "We won't let it. You two have school tomorrow afternoon, I think every afternoon actually."
"I'm not going." Hunter said it slowly, Rick narrowed his eyes at her.
"Why not?"
"It's not my job. That is the job that Carl received from Deanna. Daryl and I don't have placements yet, neither does Sasha. So we were going to go hunting with Merle." Neither Merle nor Daryl remembered this conversation happening but they both knew she wanted to talk.
"Is that so?" Rick turned his attention to Daryl and Merle.
Merle nodded, and Daryl said "Yea."
"Watch out, Deanna thinks your relationship is strange enough as it is." Rick warned them.
"You get the third degree in the auditions bout them too?" Merle asked Rick, as Merle hung the squirrel skins up on a tree.
0-0-0
At first light Hunter was waiting by the front door. Soon enough Daryl and Merle were beside her. They checked out their weapons, Merle grabbing a revolver, and slipped out the gates. "Hunter, you lied to Rick." Daryl said the moment they were away from the wall.
"Yea, yea." She gruffed, heading into the woods.
"Why?" Merle asked curious.
"Because they are sheep. We are lions." Daryl was confused. Hunter stopped walking and looked at both of them. "They are not like us. Those children… they don't know how to survive. If the wall's fell tomorrow the only people alive by nightfall would be us."
Daryl understood now. "Hunter there is no changing that."
"Rick could if he wanted, that Deanna woman will just be another solider before he gets done." Hunter snapped.
"Why are we out here?" Merle asked.
Hunter turned her attention back to Daryl. "Rick has his suspicions too, doesn't he? That's why he plans on getting guns."
Daryl nodded, Merle looked between the two of them. "Can't we just fit in here?"
"I don't know if we can, there is a chance we are savages." Hunter told Merle.
"We will take this place, if we have to. Rick said so." Daryl told Hunter.
She nodded. They were pretty far from the wall now, and had found a small stream. "I just wanted to be out of the cage."
Merle sighed, Hunter had helped him remove the knife from him petal capped hand earlier. They were planning on making him a more industrial tool. Right now he wanted his knife arm back so he could stab at some trees. ""We better take some game back." Merle motioned them forward. Hunter fell into step with Daryl, her fingers laced in his. There haul was one deer, three squirrel, an opossum and two raccoons. The deer was slopped across Merle's shoulders. The opossum and squirrel hung to Hunter's hips from her belt. Daryl had both raccoons slung over his shoulder. When they made their way back into the gate Daryl smiled at the confused faces. "We brought dinner." Merle snapped.
They walked for their house, where they started cleaning the animals. Merle rather enjoyed stringing the beast up on the tree in the front yard, letting them drip blood onto the gree lawn. There were other interesting things he had found out hunting the last two days on the lawn as well. "Turnin it into a redneck yard yet, Officer Friendly." Merle nodded at him, a goofy smile on his face.
Rick sighed, looking at Carol. "Our three little savages." Carol laughed. Soon Abraham and Sasha were helping them clean the animals.
Deanna came to call that afternoon. "I see we have fresh meat." He smiled at her.
"What you want woman. I done the hunting, don't give me more jobs. Got too many damn bosses as is." Merle was growling. Hunter and Daryl just shook their heads after him.
"Yeah, where do you want them to put it?" Rick asked, ignoring Merle's comment.
"We have a freezer." Deanna pointed to the house that was used as a store for all food. "I have a job for you and for Michonne. I would like to talk to you about…" She was interrupted when a fight broke out between Glenn and Nicholas up the street. Hunter's head snapped up. Eugene had Tara's body in his arms and was shouting something that sounded like help. Daryl was running hard towards it, his body crashing with an Alexandrian. Rick broke up the fight before Deanna even had time to register what was happening. To her confusion Hunter was beside Rick, her hands on Daryl's cheeks making him look at her. Daryl's hands were resting on Hunter's waist. He bent forward slightly to rest his forehead on hers.
Deanna was starting to understand now, there was something more than friendship between the two. "NO MORE FIGHITNG." Rick snarled at them. Glenn took a step back, moving away from Nicholas. "Hunter, get them to the house now." Hunter complied, lacing her fingers in Daryl's and grabbing Glenn's shirt front. Maggie was running to meet up with them now, her hands on Glenn's arm. "EDWARDS" As soon as he heard his name, he was at Tara's side, helping the Alexandrian doctor Pete get her to the makeshift clinic.
Maggie and Hunter shared a look. Then looked back at Deanna. She was talking to Rick and Michonne. "I want you to be our police force." Hunter snorted.
Maggie smiled at her. "I'd rather have us policing then them." Hunter nodded.
Hunter led Daryl into the house, his nose bleeding. She found a rag, and ran it under the water. Carl was upstairs with Ron and Mikey by the sound of it. Daryl sit down at the kitchen table, Hunter slipped her body between his knees, then started to carefully wipe his face off. He caught her wrist in his hand, and smiled at her. Hunter laughed, kissing his nose and forehead. Ron watched from the stairway, careful not to be noticed. Hunter slid her arms around Daryl's neck, he stiffened at the touch something she was used to, but she hugged him close anyway. He hugged her back, letting his head rest against her chest, listening to her heart beat. His anger was gone.
"Where is Noah?" Rick asked finally.
"Dead, and her son is too. Rick that man, Nicholas is the one… its fault, I tried to help him I did. He got Tara shot, and Eugene had to do things he wasn't comfortable with. This place, they don't know how to do anything." Glenn told him, angry.
They all looked at each other, confused and hurt. "He will be missed." Hunter said finally after pausing.
0-0-0
"Mom, they have a thing I am telling you." Ron was almost shouting at his mother, Jessi.
"They are friends, she is just a kid like you." Jessi snapped back at her son.
"I'm going to ask Carl." Ron asserted.
0-0-0
"I told Deanna not to give you two jobs." Aaron told Daryl and Hunter as he saw them walking by his porch, Judith on her hip. "I thought you guys could work better with me, coming and going as needed to recruit members for auditions." Merle was already out of the gate again, bright and early this morning.
Hunter looked at Aaron. She liked him and Eric ok. She could see why he didn't like Eric out there recruiting, he was a little frail and had a low tolerance for violence. Daryl nodded at him. "What would we have to do?"
"Mostly just help me cover the perimeter, and if anyone pops up on the listening phones, we see if they are worthy." Aaron told them as they joined him on the porch.
"Worthy?" Hunter asked.
"If they are a good person or not." He explained.
"Why us?" Daryl asked.
Aaron looked around for a moment, "Because you two know the difference between good and bad men, I don't think Rick does anymore."
Hunter and Daryl shared a look. "Ok." Daryl said nodding. "I am in, but you have to ask Rick, Hunter's is his daughter."
Aaron nodded, "Deanna wants to know more about when you were away from your family." Hunter stiffened next to Daryl, and moved back a step. "Not now, but eventually."
Hunter nodded. "Come in!" Eric threw the door open, and smiled. Hunter and Daryl slipped in, letting Eric hold Judith. They made their way into the kitchen. Hunter hopped up on the counter top, her knees spread. Daryl took a spot infront of her, his back to her chest. She folded her arms in her lap, and rested her chin on his shoulder.
"So, you want us to recruit with you?" Hunter asked. Eric was sitting in the kitchen floor playing with Judith, making her giggle.
"I'm no good at it." Eric told them.
Daryl looked down at him. "We noticed."
"Yes, I need someone I can trust to tell me what is right and wrong. You two seem to understand the balance in people. Like both of you defend Merle and his integrity, yes I saw the videos, the same as you do Rick. The difference is that while they are both good men, you see how they both look bad in the light of day." Aaron told them. "I need people I can trust, and I trust both of you very much."
"I don't think dad will mind." Hunter assured them.
Daryl gave her a strange look. "There is something I am missing here isn't there?" Eric asked.
"No, she just doesn't listen to her dad. If she wants to recruit with us, she will. Don't doubt her on that one." Daryl's hands rested on her kneecaps, he was comfortable with her.
"Listen, we were outsiders here, and we still feel that way." Eric told Daryl.
"We are different from them, because of our love and because we survived for a while out there." Aaron explained. "Whatever is going on between the two of you, Deanna will figure it out, and with Hunter being younger, she will make it hard."
Daryl looked at him for a long moment. "We don't know what this is."
Eric saw it on her face, Daryl had hurt her when he said that. "I know what it is." She was jumping down, pushing him forward. She picked Judith up, and looked back at the men. "I'll be on your team Aaron, no worries. See you guys later." She slipped out the door.
0-0-0
"Dad," She called after Rick. He was walking with Michonne. "Wait up."
Both he and Michonne stopped and waited for her to catch up. "Is something wrong?"
"No, no. I know what my job is. Aaron asked Deanna if he could give me and Daryl jobs. She is ok with it if you are."
"What kind of jobs?" Michonne asked, instantly concerned.
"Recruiting. So I would be out with Daryl and Aaron a lot, finding stuff, people." She told them excited.
"Is that what you want?" Rick asked finally.
"To be out doing something, and doing it with Daryl?" Hunter asked. "Yeah."
Michonne shuffled her feet a second. "You just want to be with Daryl because he makes you feel safe."
Hunter paused. "Its recruiting with them, or hunting with Merle. You choose dad."
Rick noticed how she said dad sometimes, like she hated the word. Deanna noticed them talking and joined. "Deanna, are you ok with Hunter recruiting?"
Deanna smiled, "Aaron and Eric talked to you and Daryl I see. I am relieved to see you asking permission. I am fine with it, Aaron assures me both are capable on the outside."
"Daryl will protect Hunter, above all, you understand that." Michonne started. "It if comes to a situation where he can only save one of them, he will choose Hunter."
Deanna paused, looking at Hunter. "I understand, and I hope that the situation never arises."
"So I can then?" Hunter asked.
"Yeah, take Judith to Carol and go tell Aaron and Daryl." Hunter hugged Rick, then took off.
0-0-0
"She loves you." Aaron told him. Daryl looked at him.
"She is just a kid." Daryl snapped back, following Aaron though the house to the garage.
"Is she?" Eric asked from behind him. He paused when he heard a knock on the door. Eric went to answer the door, and smiled when he saw Hunter, "Back so soon?"
"Dad said it was ok." She told Eric as she entered the room.
"Ok, wonderful, follow me, they are in the garage."
"The man who lived here before was working on this, every time I have went out I have brought back parts. I figured I would figure out how to fix it, but something tells me you already know." Aaron was talking the Daryl when she and Eric entered the garage.
"Damn, you got enough here for a couple bikes." Daryl was excited, moving around looking at everything.
"I bet Merle would like to help you fix uhm up." Hunter's voice jarred him, and Daryl looked back at her. She was smiling.
"Hunter." He sighed, "Did you talk to Rick?"
"Yes I did, and he is fine with it, so is Deanna, even Michonne is ok with it." That surprised Daryl Michonne didn't want any of the outside the wall as it was, she wanted to secure this place and make it work.
"Ok then, let's go on a small run, today." Aaron smiled at them.
"On foot?" Daryl asked.
Aaron nodded. "We will get our packs." Hunter smiled.
"I'll send Merle by to get the parts, we work outside, and we can teach you Aaron, you too Eric."
When they made it home Merle was in the yard, skinning something that looked like a dog. "Slim pickins today, Darlena." Merle greeted him, he raised a bloody hand to Hunter who just snorted and walked by.
"Merle you go down to Eric and Aaron's and get the motorcycle parts out of their garage. Eric will help you." Daryl ordered him.
"Darlena, I don't want that little fairy helping me."
Hunter shot Merle a cold look. "He will help you, and you will like it Merle Dixon, or I'll slit your throat while you sleep. He and Aaron are the only ones nice to all three of us."
Merle shivered, looking at her, she was serious. "Alright, but I aint your bitch Darlena, and you owe me for this one."
"If I find any crystal meth or booze I'll be sure to bring it to you." Daryl snapped. Hunter laughed, and Merle glared after them.
"Little pussy bitch, watch your fuckin mouth, Darlena, don't joke about shit you can't get me." Merle yelled after them, shaking his fist.
0-0-0
Daryl and Hunter were by the gate waiting, empty packs on their shoulders, and crossbows in hand when Aaron arrived. "There is a horse, I wanna track and bring home." They spent the next several hours showing off Hunter and Daryl's tracking skills, they didn't save the horse, and stumbled upon a woman bound to a tree with a W etched into her forehead. As they were making a large arc around Alexandria they ended up on the back side of the walled city, when they stumbled upon several walkers.
"Maybe these are from the herd you guys ran into the other night?" Daryl asked.
Hunter behind him, instinctively she laced her fingers in his.
"Maybe, let's get out of here. We will come back tomorrow and figure out size and what not." Daryl decided for them. They moved around the wall, sticking close to it.
0-0-0
Rick had started making changes within Alexandria. There were guards on watch now, and someone patrolling the gate, most of the time. Hunter had noticed a shift in the people, they were less interested in working or being around her family unit. Rick and Deanna were often talking, often disagreeing.
"We going out again today?" Hunter asked.
Daryl nodded. "I got the bike started this morning, so we are taking it and the car, we are going west today, to see how big that herd is."
Aaron was in a small car, by the gate waiting for them. Daryl got the bike started, and Hunter climbed on in front of him, like she had in the past. It caused several members of Alexandria to stop and examine them. Both their crossbows were in her lap, and Daryl had a large pack on his back. They sped towards the gate. Rick was there, opening it. He stopped them. "Regardless of what happens, you both come back, you hear me."
Daryl nodded. Hunter hi-fived her father, and they sped out of the gate, passing the car Aaron was driving. They reached a small town, about two miles from Alexandria. "Let's search." As they turned off the bike and car, they began moving though the town. They were quick, clearing buildings, taking supplies. Hunter heard them, "Daryl." Her voice dropped off.
0-0-0
They were surrounded. Daryl moved to be closer to Hunter, Aaron moved following him. Daryl shoved Hunter up a brick faced building into a window, she climbed in, and helped Daryl and Aaron in. They moved thought the building, headed for the roof. Once on the roof the moved from roof top to roof top back towards the cars. Looking down she sighed, they would have to climb down and trust an old fire escape to get them there. Daryl started down first, Hunter behind him, then Aaron. As she reached the second story window a walker lunged for her, she lost her balance and started to slip. Daryl caught her by her hair, she clawed at his leg, grabbing ahold of him. She found the ladder, and moved down it. At ground level, there were tons of walkers, moving around them, none moving too quickly.
"They are all older." Aaron whispered.
"Through the fence." Hunter pointed at a break in the fencing. "We can get the bike and the car once we lead them away.
Daryl nodded, he slipped thought the fence followed by Aaron. Hunter moved to come through next, as she did, a faster moving walker lunged at her, grabbing into her hair and pulling her backwards. Hunter screamed, pushing at the things hands, Daryl was quick, "Move your hands." He ordered, bringing the knife blade down on her hair, cutting it. Suddenly her long lengths were gone, the walker stuffing it hungrily into his mouth.
"Run." Aaron ordered them. As they were running the length of the fence, headed back towards where they first turned into town, they killed walkers as they went, moving as quickly as they could. "We can't make it back to the cars."
"We hide." Daryl ordered them into a building at the start of the little brick town, and up to the second floor.
0-0-0