This chapter is more like a filler to introduce Scott to this storyline but I can promise you that there will finally be some Daryl/Aaron action in the next, more longer chapter that I'll upload on sunday!


"And there I was, thinking that nothing in this world could surprise me anymore, but here you are, Mr. Daryl Dixon." Aaron could here say the man that was threatening them with a deadly weapon, strangely enough with a very british accent.

He didn't dare to move, so he could only see parts of the man behind him, that pointed a gun towards Daryl. A cold wave run through him, knowing that Daryl would take a bullet for him if necessary in the face of death. But the next moment he started to wonder why the hell this guy knew Daryl by name. Was he part of Rick's group once? Did they cast him out, like he had done with Negan? Before he could follow this track of thought any longer, Daryl spoke up again.

"What the hell are you're supposed to be? The british Indiana Jones? You forgot the whip, though."

Aaron was sure, that something bad was about to happen when Daryl suddenly stood up and the other guy rushed towards them. What he didn't expected was to see those two guys fall into each other arms. Aaron slowly turned around, with his hands still in the air to show subordination but his face showing a very confused impression.

He watched the two men sharing a manly hug and then grinning at each when they pulled away. Shotgun-guy punched Daryl and laughed while he ruffled Daryls hair. Aaron heared the other guy saying something about Merle and Daryl's haircut but he couldn't quite make it out, so instead he just gaped at them during the whole scene, until shotgun-guy finally glanced at him.

"Oh, I think we're rude. Why don't you introduce me to your boyfriend?" The other guy said with a big grin on his face.

Daryl just now seemed to remember that Aaron was still there. He looked over his shoulder and smiled at him apologizing. "Oh, that's Aaron." When Aaron didn't react he added: "Aaron, this is Scott Hawkins!"

Scott held out his hand and Aaron reluctantly took it, not without shooting Daryl a questioning and suspicious glance.

"Nice to meet you!" Scott greeted and enthusiastically shook his hand. Aaron, still overwhelmed about the recent events, didn't answer. Who was this guy? Did Daryl met him on the road? Or was he once part of Rick's group and got cast out for some reason, like his group had done with Negan and his friends? And why didn't Dary correct him, when he was refering to Aaron as Daryl's boyfriend?

Before Aaron could follow this particular train of thought any further, Scott turned around to Daryl and clapped him on his shoulder. "He's cute!"

Daryl just rolled his eyes. Aaron finally managed to form words and asked: "Can someone please explain to me what's going on?!" His voice came out a little more highpitched than he wanted.

A few minutes later, Scott had led to them back into the woods, where had set up a small camp. Half of a animal was still roasting of the rest of a fire when they got there."That's all I have out here and I don't think it'd be wise to bring you two back to my people just yet." Scott said when he handed the rest of the roasted meat to Aaron and Daryl. The smell of the meat caused Aaron's stomach to groal and he started to eat the piece Daryl gave him hungrily.

"I'm going to get more wood for the fire, I guess there's a long night ahead of us." Scott said when he stood up and made his way into the forest. Aaron immediately took the chance and grabbed Daryl's shoulder to get his attention.

Daryl turned his head to him, a amile still plastered on his face and after seeing Aaron's worried face, he managed to ask. "Pwad?" When Aaron continued to stare at him he gulped down the big peace of meat in his mouth and repeated his question. "What?"

Aaaron throw his hands in the air. "Seriously? We just got almost killed by some guy and now we're eating his meat while he's sneeking off to god knows where and you're asking me 'What'?" He snapped at Daryl. When he realized how bitchy he sounded he instantly closed his mouth and took a deep breath before he continued. He wasn't even sure why he was so pissed suddenly, but the whole situation confused him and he didn't understand why Daryl was so calm and why the hell these two man seemed to be so close when he had never heard Daryl mentioning someone with the name Scott before. "Who is this guy?" He finally asked after he had calmed down a little.

Daryl watched the dying fire in front of them for a while before he answered. "Scott was the best friend I ever had. The only real friend I ever had, I guess. Before, you know? Before shit has been going down." Before the apocalypse, Aaron added in his mind. Daryl set down the bone he had been nagging on and looked at Aaron again. "You know that before all this I spent my days by drifting with Merle, that's where I first met Scott. We all shared a couple of drinks at a bar one night and after that I didn't see him again for a about a year. Then Merle got caught selling drugs and went to prison for a couple of months and I was on my own. During that time I tried to find any kind of work to get through the time until Merle would be released and then one day Scott suddenly showed up at the bar again and offered me a job."

Aaron had listened silently but now his curiosity about the this mistreious man of Daryl's past had to be satisfied so he blurted out what came to his mind first. "So he was some kind of drug dealer, too?"

Daryl looked at him with an expression that was a mix of anger (about him calling Merle a drug dealer he guessed), horror and confussion. "Hell, no!" Daryl growled and Aaron was on the verge of stuttering out an apology when Daryl added. "He was a grifter. The best one in the business and he always played it big."

Aaron now looked even more flabbergasted than before. He thought about a way to tell Daryl that that wasn't really much better than being a dealer or any other kind of criminal but Daryl could obviously read in his face what he was about say. "He always only ripped off people who deserved it. People who wanted to make money without actually doing something for something or didn't care if they screw the poor and helpless to get richer themselves." Daryl tried to explain and soften the blow.

Aaron still seemed sceptical. "So you're saying he was like a modern Robin Hood? Take from the rich and give it to the poor?" He asked with an raised eyebrow.

"Well, kinda. If you bear in mind that he always consider himself and his crew as "the poor", then I guess you could say so." Daryl grinned and let out a little chuckle as he suddenly remembered something. "One time he actually convinced this rich dude that he was selling him the Golgen Gate Bridge because the city needed money. I wish I could have seen his face when that bastard realized that it was all a sham and that he would never see his desposit of 500 grand in cash ever again."

"The Golden Gate Bridge...?" Aaron gaped at him with big eyes while he tried to process what Daryl had just told him.

"Anyway, he took me in. We've worked a couple of gigs together and became very close. And he kinda started to groom me to become a grifter like him and after a few months I was like his right hand. It was the first time in my life, that I could be myself and it was actually appreciated. He accepted me for who I was and we became good friends." Daryl paused and then sighed slightly. "And then Merle got out of prison. He heard that Scott had taken me in and he wanted to work with us, but Scotty refused... rightly so, I guess. Merle was a screw-up and Scott didn't work with that kind of people. Like I said, he was the best and you couldn't afford mistakes in that kind of business. Scott offered me to come with him to England to continue working. But after prison Merle was a mess and barely survived, so I decided to stay with him to help him get back on his feet. And that was it. And haven't seen Scott since, but there hasn't been a day I haven't regret it. I have never been happier then back then, the time with him was the best of my life. Scott had always believed in me, I guess that's why I feel that I have to believe in him now, too."

With that Daryl looked at him and his eyes locked with Aaron's, trying to make him understand. And Aaron kind of got it. Scott must have been like the bigger brother Daryl had always wanted. Someone who understands what he has been going through, someone that were there for him no matter what and stood up for him. Someone who showed him that he was capable of more than just being a drifter.

Aaron finally spoke up. "I get it Daryl, I really do. But times are different now. You can't know if he's still the same person you knew back then. He could lead us into a trap as far as we kno..."

Before Aaron could finish his sentence, Scott walked out of the forest, carrying a big pile of branches. Aaron shut his mouth immediately and awkwardly continued to gnaw on the bone in his hand.

"So you were talking about me, I guess?" Scott said when he dropped the branches next to the fire. He stood there casually but Aaron could see his right hand sneaking up to his gun and Aaron was sure Daryl had seen it too.

Without thinking Aaron moved to grab his gun as well, but Scott had already pointed his shotgun at him before he reached it.

"Don't." Was the only thing Scott said. Daryl hadn't moved at all, quietly observing the situation in front of him. Scott glanced at him for a second and lowered his gun a little. "I think it's time we have a proper talk."