Tara ran as fast as she could to the basement door. She turned the door knob in her hand, but found that it was locked. She let out a frustrated sigh, knowing she didn't have time for this.
She kicked the door open, rushing through the broken wood and hurriedly running down the stairs. Tara could barely believe what was waiting for her in the basement.
A low light was on, lighting the room in a soft glow, illuminating some boxes that were stacked up against a wall. Tara looked over at the opposite side of the room, and saw a man who fit the description of the bastard the whole town had been looking for.
Up against the wall was her precious Maggie in the fight of her life. The man's hands were around Maggie's neck, trying to strangle her to death. Maggie was putting up a struggle, trying to get out of the monster's grasp.
Tara pulled out her gun, cocking it to take a shot, but realized in the position that Maggie and the man were in, that her wife was at risk for getting hurt. She hoped Daryl was on his way because she had a feeling that this wouldn't end well.
"Let her go...now," Tara said in a voice that left no room for arguing.
The man stopped what he was doing, clearly surprised that someone else was in the room. He had been so engrossed in the moment that he hasn't heard the door being busted open or the footsteps coming down the stairs. Roger turned to the see Tara pointing a gun at him, he loosened his hands that were around Maggie's neck.
Maggie immediately took a deep breath, almost not believing that she was still alive. Roger let Maggie fall to the ground in a coughing fit as he turned to face Tara.
Tara glanced briefly at Maggie who grabbed at her neck, still trying to catch up on her breathing. Tara wanted nothing more than to see if Maggie was alright, but she had to take care of this bastard first. Roger grinned when he saw how concerned Tara was for her wife. He figured that Tara's weakness would make it easier to kill her.
Roger pulled out a gun that he was hiding in the waistband of his jeans, causally swinging it around. He placed himself in front of Maggie, who was still weak on the floor, pointing the gun at her. Tara kept her weapon trained on the man in front of her.
"So we finally meet. I'm Roger by the way. You know, I never knew why Aiden and Nicholas hated you so much. I don't blame you for wantin' to kill them. Those two were too cocky for their own good. They annoyed the hell out of me," Roger said as his finger played with the trigger on his gun.
"Now, I'm going to kill you," Tara threatened, the gun steady in her hands.
"You make a move to shoot and I will shoot Maggie in the head killin' not only her but your unborn child. So the choice is yours," Roger placed the muzzle of his gun against Maggie's head to emphasize his threat.
Tara knew that she had to get Maggie out of this dangerous situation and fast. Roger looked like he was beginning to unravel, knowing that he wouldn't be leaving the basement alive, no matter what happened. She wanted to take a shot but knew she couldn't put Maggie or the baby's life at risk. Tara knew she needed to act fast to save Maggie.
Tara knew that Roger was a narcissistic bastard who thought he could do no wrong. She knew she would have to give into his huge ego to get Maggie out of that basement and up to safety.
"Listen. Aiden and Nicholas hated me so much that they apparently wanted to hurt Maggie to get back at me. But right now, you have the opportunity to do something they never had the balls to do - kill me. You can show everyone just how deadly you are, but you have to let Maggie go. She's innocent in all of this...it's me you really want," Tara tried to reason with Roger as he listened.
"Go on..." Roger prompted. In his sick mind, he thought his legacy would definitely live on if he killed Tara. He would be able to accomplish something Nick and Aiden had only dreamed of.
Tara could see that she was peaking his interest. "I'll even make it easy. I'll put my gun down so you can just shoot me before everyone figures out where we are. But you have to let Maggie go first."
"Fine. I can do that," Roger smiled cruelly as he forced Maggie up, and pushed her roughly towards Tara.
Maggie landed in Tara's arms, clinging desperately to her shirt, not wanting to let go. Tara held her close for a few seconds before forcing herself to gently push Maggie away, towards the stairs.
"No...I can't leave you here! I need you!" Maggie pleaded as tears ran down her face.
"Baby, no matter what happens you'll be ok. You have the family, and you'll be alright, I promise. But you need to leave now. Go up those stairs, get out of this house and find Daryl. Do this for our baby. You know I love you more than anything," Tara tried to comfort Maggie as Roger looked in impatiently.
"Hurry up before I kill that bitch too," Roger growled while Tara glared at him.
"Go on, Maggie...go," Tara gently pushed Maggie towards the steps. Maggie took one last look at Tara, trying to memorize everything about her.
"Go...be sure to take care of our baby, alright? No matter what happens, just know that I love you," Tara watched as Maggie nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Tara kept her emotions in check, even though she could feel her eyes start to water at how distraught Maggie looked. Finally, Maggie ran up the stairs and out the basement door, yelling for Daryl.
"Well, finally. I never was one for long goodbyes," Roger laughed as Tara narrowed her eyes at him, daring him to make a move.
"So put your gun down so we can get this over with before your friends try to ruin my moment of glory," Roger demanded as he pointed his weapon towards Tara.
Tara slowly set her gun on the ground, but what Roger didn't know was that she had another pistol hidden in the waistband of her jeans. She was just waiting for the right moment to give the bastard a taste of his own medicine.
Roger continued to point his gun at her. "I'm sorry that Maggie will be a single mother, but I'm sure she'll take good care of your kid. Way better than my own mother...that bitch never cared about me. Cared more about the men in her life...fuckin' bitch."
Tara kept her eyes on Roger, watching his every move, knowing she needed to do something soon or she was going to be a goner. Roger waved his gun around as he ranted on and on about his mother and how it was her fault that he was the monster that he was today.
Roger suddenly aimed the gun at Tara, pointing it directly at her heart.
"Any last words?" Roger asked as his finger was ready to pull the trigger.
"Fuck you. You really think you're gonna get away with this?" Tara simply said, readying herself to grab her hidden gun.
"I don't care if I die today...as long as I kill you first and do what those two idiots couldn't," Roger grinned evilly, ready to fire a shot.
Suddenly, they both heard a lot of commotion on the first floor indicating that Daryl was on his way into the basement. Tara hoped that he would make it in time, but she wasn't too optimistic. Roger became alarmed, knowing that it was now or never.
Roger raised his gun towards Tara, pointing it directly at her chest, wanting to kill her instantly.
"See you in hell," Roger soberly said as he pulled the trigger. The shot was deafening as the bullet left the barrel of the gun.
Tara jumped out of the way as the bullet penetrated the wall behind her, she quickly pulled out her gun, aiming it at Roger. He was alarmed when he realized that she had another hidden weapon. They both stood in the basement, guns raised at one another.
There was an intense stare off between the two. The footsteps upstairs were getting closer to the basement door, both knowing that someone else would soon be in that basement.
Roger didn't waste a second as he pulled the trigger. Tara shot her gun at the same time as Roger. The bullet from Tara's gun hit him square in the chest as he fell to the ground, clutching his heart. Roger died almost instantly, taking his last breath, blood seeping into his shirt.
Tara fell to the floor, not sure if she had been hit by a bullet or not since her body was pumped with adrenaline, pain temporarily blocked for a couple of minutes. Tara could feel her breathing start to weaken just a bit.
Daryl ran down the steps as quick as his feet could carry him, not sure what would be waiting for him. He had heard the sound of gunfire and knew that Tara might be dead when he arrived on the scene. He prayed to whatever god there was that his best friend would be alright when he finally reached her.
He finally reached the bottom of the stairs, surveying the room before him. Daryl spotted a man's lifeless body in the middle of the room. Daryl looked him over briefly, noting that his appearance matched the suspect they had been looking for. He kicked him slightly to make sure that the man was indeed dead.
Daryl frantically looked around the dark room, searching for Tara. He finally spotted her in a corner of the room. Daryl rushed to where Tara was laying, trying frantically to see if she had gotten hit by a bullet.
He patted his friend down, trying to feel for any blood. Tara suddenly sat up, leaning against the wall behind her.
"Geez...you can at least buy me dinner first," Tara weakly joked while Daryl kept a serious look on his face.
"Did you get hit?" Daryl frantically asked.
Tara shook her head. "No, I don't think so. I almost did, but I got out of the way."
Daryl fiercely hugged Tara so relieved that she was alright and not gravely injured or dead. Tara heard other people rushing down the stairs, looking up to see Rick and Abraham running down the wooden steps.
"Are you alright?" Rick asked as he flashed his flashlight on the friends who were still hugging.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I killed that fucker though. He had his hands around Maggie's neck when I ran in here," Tara said while Daryl helped her stand up.
Rick glanced over at the body that was on the ground. "Yeah, no one's gonna blame you for doin' that."
"Where's Maggie?" Tara questioned. She just wanted to see Maggie and make sure that she and the baby were alright.
"She fainted from all the stress and everythin' that was goin' on. Carol, Rosita, and Spencer took her to the infirmary," Abraham answered as he kicked Roger's lifeless body.
"Sick motherfucker," Abraham growled under his breath.
"Maggie fainted?!" Tara asked in alarm as Rick nodded his head.
"You go and be with her. We'll take care of everything here," Rick gently pushed Tara towards the stairs so she could be with her wife.
Tara didn't need to be told twice. She immediately ran up the basement stairs and into the house where a small crowd was gathering. The people all quickly moved out of her way as she ran out of the house and into the cool night. Tara ran as fast as she could through the streets leading towards the infirmary.
When she finally arrived at her destination, Tara threw the doors open, stumbling into the clean, white building. She looked around until she spotted Nicole who was heading her way.
"Nicole! Do you know where Maggie is?" Tara asked, almost running into the smaller woman.
"Yeah, she's over here. Come on!" Nicole guided Tara down a couple of halls until they ended up in front of a closed door.
"Dr. Fields was just in here a few minutes ago. She said the baby should be fine, but Maggie needs to eat more and not be so stressed out, which is hard considerin' what she has been through. But we're gonna keep her overnight. Oh and she still hasn't woken up yet," Nicole explained as she opened the door.
Tara walked into the room to find Carol and Rosita sitting in chairs by Maggie's bed. When they caught sight of Tara, both women immediately rushed up to her, throwing their arms around her body in a big hug.
"We were so worried about you and didn't know if you got hurt or not. Thank God you're alright," Carol smiled as she gave Tara a kiss on the cheek.
"How's Maggie?" Tara asked as Rosita also gave her a quick peck on the cheek.
"She fainted when we heard those gun shots. She just kinda lost it and got so distraught that it was too much for her body to handle. I think she thought you got shot," Rosita recalled what happened at the scene just a few minutes ago.
"Then Spencer scooped her up and we followed him to the infirmary where Dr. Fields did a quick check up on her. The doc said she'll do a more thorough examination when Maggie wakes up," Rosita finished explaining as Tara glanced over at Maggie.
Maggie looked so small and weak in that hospital bed. Tara leaned down to give Maggie a quick kiss on her lips, letting her fingers run through Maggie's soft hair. She couldn't imagine what Maggie must have been going through when the sound of gunfire went off. Tara just hoped that she would wake up soon.
Tara sat down in a chair next to Maggie's bed, knowing that she was going to be there all night. She definitely wasn't going to leave her wife's side. Tara noticed the dark bruises that were forming on Maggie's neck from where Roger had tried to strangle her.
She sighed, taking Maggie's hand into her own. Carol and Rosita excused themselves from the room so they could get some sleep and rest up. Plus, they both knew that Tara wanted to be alone with Maggie for a little while.
"Let us know if you need anything. We'll see you tomorrow when Maggie's able to come home," Carol gave Tara another kiss on the cheek before she and Rosita left the room, closing the door quietly behind them.
Tara sighed again as she laid her head on Maggie's bed for a brief minute. She reached out and placed her hand on Maggie's stomach, hoping that their baby was alright. Maggie had been through so much over the past few days, Tara was surprised that she hadn't had a miscarriage.
"I'm sorry that I haven't been taking good care of your mother lately, Peanut. I really am sorry. Just know that I love you both so much, and would do anything for y'all," Tara whispered to the baby that was snuggled safely in Maggie's womb.
Tara sat up to look at Maggie, who still had her eyes closed. She gently ran her fingertips over the bruises that Maggie still had on her face from the attack from Nicholas. Tara remembered all the details that Maggie had told her about, and felt her emotions get the best of her.
She realized that she could have lost Maggie that night. Tara let a few tears fall as she thought about how useless her life would be without Maggie. How empty her life would be without the love of her life. Tara didn't think she could go on if anything ever happened to Maggie.
"I love you so much, Maggie. I promise to always be here for you no matter what. You're my angel," Tara rested her head on Maggie's stomach, wanting a connection to not only her wife but the baby also.
Tara closed her eyes, thinking about about how so far Alexandria had been nothing but trouble for the group. The community was supposed to be their safe haven from the outside world, but so far the dangers were well within the walls.
Before she knew it, Tara fell asleep, her head nestled on Maggie's stomach, her hand holding Maggie's, never wanting to let go.
Maggie slowly opened her eyes a couple of hours later, the events from the night rushing back to her in a frenzy. She grabbed at her neck, remembering how Roger's hands had been gripped tightly around her throat, trying to kill her. She remembered Tara saving her at the last minute, and taking her place in the basement.
Tara. Maggie began to panic when she recalled the gunshots that came from inside the house. She didn't know if Tara had been hurt or killed. All she remembered was crying out for Tara, her body going into some kind of shock, and everything turning into blackness.
Maggie sat up slightly, feeling for the first time that there was some extra weight on her body. She gazed around the room, realizing that she was in the infirmary with its clean, white walls and floors. A lamp on the side of her bed was on low, emitting a glow in the dark room.
She looked down and saw Tara sound asleep, head on her stomach. Maggie couldn't stop the tears that started to fall from her eyes at the sight of Tara, safe and alive. She had really believed that Tara wouldn't make it out of that house in one piece.
Maggie let her fingers run through Tara's hair, almost not believing that she was here in the room with her. Maggie's body shook with sobs when she remembered everything that had taken place. Her soft cries woke Tara up from her slumber.
Tara sat up straight in her chair, glancing over at Maggie who had tears streaming down her gorgeous face.
"Hey baby, it's ok. I'm here," Tara leaned over, gently wiping the tears away from Maggie's face.
Maggie threw her arms around Tara's shoulders, holding her close. Maggie felt herself practically melt in Tara's arms, feeling safe once again.
"I was so scared that you were gone. I couldn't even breathe when I heard those gunshots. I was so scared, Tara. All that went through my mind was that I wouldn't ever see you alive again and I would be all alone," Maggie sobbed as Tara climbed into the bed with her.
Maggie moved so that her whole body was on top of Tara's, gripping her shirt like a lifeline. Tara closed her eyes for a brief moment, savoring the feel of having Maggie in her arms once again, never wanting to take that feeling for granted. It hurt her to know how scared Maggie had been for her well-being.
"I'm here, Maggie. I was so scared that I was going to lose you. When I saw him hurting you like that...I nearly died inside. You have no idea how much I love and need you, babe. You mean the world to me," Tara whispered softly as Maggie continued to cry.
"And I'm sorry that I let you get hurt again. I'm supposed to protect you and the baby, and I keep failing. I'm so sorry, babe. I promise that no one's gonna hurt you...I would die protecting you and our baby," Tara sighed as she told Maggie what she couldn't get out of her mind.
Tara was supposed to keep her family safe, but so far Maggie kept getting hurt on her watch. Tara felt like such a failure, feeling like she kept breaking the promise she made to Glenn that night that felt so long ago.
Maggie sat up slightly, looking down at Tara. She then leaned forward, capturing Tara's lips in a passionate kiss.
"You're not a failure. You practically almost gave up your life for me and the baby. We're so lucky to have you. I love you so much, Tara. I don't ever want to be without you," Maggie softly said as she gave Tara another kiss.
"I love you too, Maggie," Tara whispered as Maggie snuggled into her again, closing her eyes.
Tara felt Maggie's breathing even out as she fell asleep. Tara kept a protective watch over Maggie, thinking about how her wife's progress had been set back because of Roger. She could only hope that Maggie would continue to open up to her and allow herself to heal. Tara knew that somehow they would get past this incident. Tara held Maggie close as she finally fell asleep, her hand resting comfortably on her wife's stomach, letting Peanut know that she was there.
About three weeks passed by without much incident in Alexandria. The residents were still weary of the newcomers, knowing that Rick's group had killed a couple of ruthless men. Although, most of the townspeople were grateful that such dangerous people had been taken care of. The inhabitants mostly went about their daily lives, never knowing what dangers were still lurking outside the safety of the walls.
Tara arrived back into Alexandria with Daryl. They had both just gotten back from a supply run into a town about forty miles away to get whatever supplies and food they could salvage. So far they were the only runners on the team since no one else volunteered, but Tara didn't blame anybody. It was a dangerous job that only a few could handle.
The first two weeks after the whole Roger incident had been the hardest. Tara barely left Maggie's side during that time, her protection mode on full blast. Maggie barely left their bedroom, still trying to handle and cope with what had been done to her by Roger and Nicholas.
The couple were grateful that their baby seemed to be doing alright after all the trauma Maggie had been through. Dr. Fields had done a couple of thorough examinations on Maggie and determined that the baby was healthy as long as its mother took care of herself. The young couple were both relieved to hear the news, both of them secretly fearing for the worse.
Maggie tried to take better care of herself by taking prenatal vitamins and eating more, even though all she wanted to do was lay in bed most of the time. Maggie also noticed that her baby bump grew a bit, and was a lot more noticeable now. This made her excited about the baby, helping in her road to recovery.
Deanna had visited Maggie a few times, reassuring her to take all the time she needed before she came back to work. The family did everything they could to make Maggie more comfortable, especially after Tara had to go back to doing supply runs. Carol and Rosita always made sure that Maggie was never left alone, knowing that made the young woman feel anxious.
So far everyone was adjusting to what had happened to a valued member of their family and being part of a community. Although, Rick still had his concerns that Alexandria was not prepared in case of an attack or emergency. Rick also kept an eye on Jessie and her husband, Pete. So far Pete had not acted out or left any evidence that he was abusing his wife. Carol had tried to get Jessie to talk but to no avail. So Rick dropped the subject of killing Pete for now since their family was going through so much at the moment.
Tara made her way through the town after dropping off what she and Daryl had found at the pantry. Of course, she kept the chocolate candy bars she had discovered for Maggie. A few of the townspeople waved to her, though most eyed her suspiciously. Tara had become used to the stares since everyone found out that she had killed both Nicholas and Roger. They were scared of her for the most part, but Tara didn't mind. It meant that everyone knew what the consequences were if they decided to mess with her family.
Tara continued walking down the street, hands in her pockets. She was still coping with what had happened to her precious Maggie. There had been one night a couple of days after the whole Roger incident that had been particularly bad...
That night Tara had seen how distraught and broken Maggie was over everything that had happened. All the feelings that Maggie had tried to keep to herself, boiled over into a meltdown. Maggie had cried for hours, feeling so victimized and used. Nothing that Tara had done seemed to comfort or help her.
"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't be this weak..." Maggie started before Tara interrupted her.
"You're not weak, babe. You just went through things that would break most people. You definitely aren't weak," Tara tried to soothe Maggie while trying to avoid having her own breakdown.
Seeing Maggie distressed and in pain was too hard for Tara to handle. She knew she needed to get out of that room that seemed so suffocating to her. Maggie was crying into her shirt which had a huge wet spot from Maggie's countless tears.
Tara felt like it was her fault that Maggie had been victimized in the first place. She hadn't been there when Maggie needed her the most. Tara hadn't been able to keep the one person who meant the world to her safe. It made her doubt her abilities to keep Maggie and their baby out of harm's way. Tara felt like she had let Glenn down on keeping their girl safe.
She gently extracted herself from Maggie's grasp. Maggie looked at her confused, wiping her tears away.
"Where are you goin'? Don't leave me here!" Maggie pleaded to Tara, trying to pull her back onto the bed.
"I need to get out of here. I need some fresh air, but I promise I'll be back. I'll send Carol and Rosita up here," Tara said as she made her way to the door, trying to avoid the crushing look that Maggie was giving her.
"Remember what I told you before...I'll give you an out if you want one," Maggie cried, not believing the words that were coming out of her mouth.
Tara didn't say anything as she left the room, closing the door behind her. Maggie took that as a sign that Tara was seriously considering leaving her, not that she could blame her. Tara hadn't signed on for any of this. Maggie continued to let her tears fall, not sure if Tara would be coming back to their bed.
Tara made her way downstairs where everyone looked up as she made her way into the living room.
"You alright?" Abraham asked with concern.
"I'm fine. Carol and Rosita, can you guys keep an eye on Maggie? I need to get out of here for a little bit," Tara asked as she made her way to the liquor cabinet.
They all watched as she grabbed a bottle of Crowne and proceeded to head out the front door.
"Where are you going? And with that?" Abraham asked as he stood up, not sure if he should let Tara leave.
"Out. Please just watch over Maggie," Tara glared at Abraham as she stepped past him and headed out the door.
"If you aren't back in a couple of hours, we'll get Rick and Daryl involved in whatever you're doing!" Carol called after Tara who was busy walking away from the house.
Carol was worried about Tara, knowing that she hadn't been in her best mindset these past couple of days. Carol had tried to talk to the younger woman about what had happened to Maggie but Tara preferred to keep her emotions to herself. Daryl suggested that Carol back down a bit, and Tara would talk when she was ready.
Now, it seemed like Tara was trying to cope with alcohol and they all knew Tara could be a bit unpredictable when she was drunk. Carol told Rosita to stay with Maggie while she tried to find Daryl and Rick, who were on guard duty that night.
Meanwhile, Tara had just wanted to forget everything for a little while so she grabbed the bottle of Crowne and started taking drink after drink. One drink turned into five which turned into ten. Soon, Tara realized that she had drank almost half the bottle, and she could feel the drunkenness take over. She made her way to the only person she wanted to talk to right at that moment.
Tara knocked on the front door of a house, taking a few more drinks while she waited for someone to answer. A couple of minutes later, the lock on the door turned as Nicole was surprised to see a very drunk Tara on her front porch.
"Hey...Nicole. I can't be at my house right now, and I didn't know where else to go. Maggie keeps cryin' and I can't even keep her safe. That's my job and I can't even do that..." Tara slurred as she stumbled into a chair that was on the front porch.
Nicole watched as Tara took a few more drinks of the dark liquor. She sat down in the chair next to Tara, placing her hand on Tara's knee.
"You're more than welcomed to stay here, but this isn't your fault, you know? I know you feel like it is cuz Maggie got hurt, but it's not. You killed the people who hurt her, and made this place safer. You're a hero," Nicole said as she rubbed Tara's knee.
Tara stared at Nicole for a few minutes, trying to let what she had said sink in. Tara's head was spinning with how drunk she was. She knew she wasn't thinking clearly as she leaned over, kissing Nicole.
Nicole immediately broke the kiss, knowing that Tara was extremely intoxicated and emotional. Plus, she didn't feel right knowing that Maggie was waiting for Tara back home. She knew Maggie was a great girl who didn't deserve all the bad things that had happened to her.
Nicole saw the confused look on Tara's face. "Hey...none of that. You can't do that to Maggie. I know you're hurtin' and you're really, really drunk but no. That's not the way to cope with everythin'. Understand?"
"Yeah, I'm sorry," Tara mumbled as she took another drink of Crowne.
Just then Nicole saw Daryl and Rick coming up the street, obviously looking for their friend. She made her way down the porch, catching their attention.
"Tara's on my front porch, and she's really wasted," Nicole informed the two men who just sighed.
"Thanks for keepin' her out of trouble," Daryl gratefully said to Nicole as he made his way to Tara.
Nicole decided not tell the men about the kiss since it had been a big mistake. Plus, she figured Tara wouldn't remember it the next morning with how drunk she was. So Nicole decided to keep it a secret.
Daryl found Tara with an almost empty bottle of Crowne, crying to herself. He knelt down beside her, knowing that he was witnessing a breakdown of some sorts.
"Hey...come on. Let's getcha outta here. Spencer gave me some keys to an empty house, we can settle there for the night. No need for the whole house to see ya like this," Daryl put his hand on Tara's shoulder trying to steady her. He figured that she was so lit up that she would fall out of the chair if he didn't help her.
Tara looked at her best friend with tears in her eyes. "Daryl...I didn't protect her. I didn't protect Maggie from everything. That's my job. She depends on me and I couldn't even do that. Glenn would have made sure nothin' happened to her."
Daryl could see that Tara was beyond distraught, crying silently to herself. He knew that she wasn't thinking clearly and could barely understand what she was slurring about. Daryl knew he needed to get Tara to bed so she could sleep off her drunkenness. Then he would have a serious talk to her about how much Maggie needed her to be strong in this trying time.
"Alright, come on," Daryl helped Tara stand up, wrapping his arm around her shoulders to steady her.
Tara slowly hobbled down the stairs, still talking about how she failed as a protector and how Maggie deserved better. Rick helped support Tara's other side as they helped her walk down the driveway.
"Thank you for everything, Nicole." Rick thanked the young woman as he continued to walk with Daryl, helping Tara get to the empty house.
Nicole watched as the trio made their way down the sidewalk. She hoped that Tara would be alright and that her relationship with Maggie would remain solid. She didn't think Tara could handle losing Maggie.
Daryl and Rick finally made it to the empty house with Tara, who was still slurring her words, and making no sense. They gently laid Tara on the couch where she passed out in less than a few seconds after her head hit the pillow.
"You ok to stay with her?" Rick asked Daryl, who nodded in response.
"Yeah, I'll give her a talkin' to when she wakes up. She can't be gettin' shitfaced when Maggie needs her," Daryl said as he covered Tara with a blanket.
Rick said his goodbyes before taking one last look at Tara, and leaving the empty house. Daryl kept watch over Tara, making sure that she was alright until he finally fell asleep in the chair next to the couch.
The next morning, Tara was suddenly woken up by a bucket of ice cold water splashing on her face. She coughed a few times, spitting out water.
"What the fuck?" Tara yelled out in surprise as she sat up. She was confused when she realized that she was in an unfamiliar house.
"Where the hell am I? Where's Maggie?" Tara asked confused as she looked around. She saw Daryl standing over her with a bucket in his hand.
"You awake? You remember last night?" Daryl asked in a voice that was too loud.
The hangover hit Tara hard, her head practically splitting in two. Suddenly, the sunlight was too bright and Daryl was definitely yelling too much and too loud.
"I remember leaving the house and drinking a little. After that...it's a blur," Tara held her head, which was pounding in pain.
"Yeah...ya got really fuckin' wasted last night. You drank a whole bottle of Crowne. Was out wanderin' in the streets, blabberin' 'bout not bein' able to protect Maggie, and whatever else," Daryl informed her as Tara tried to remember those events but came up empty.
Daryl sat down in the chair next to the couch, ready to give Tara some advice.
"Listen, last night could have gone bad if Rick and I hadn't found ya. You can't be doin' that shit. You have any idea how worried Maggie was? She thinks that ya took off and split on her and the baby. It took Carol forever to get her to sleep," Daryl explained as Tara felt guilt wash over her.
"I just needed to clear my head. I kinda went overboard with the booze though," Tara admitted as Daryl handed her a few aspirins and a bottle of water.
She readily took the medicine as Daryl continued. "You can't be usin' liquor to forget your problems like that. Ya keep that shit up, then you and Maggie won't make it. You need to be there for her. She needs you...she doesn't blame you for what happened. No one does. We all know you would do anythin' for Maggie. So don't blame yourself. Man up."
Tara let Daryl's words sink in, knowing that she had to be better for Maggie. They had to get through this together, and become stronger.
"You're right, man. I need to not be so stupid. I need Maggie and she needs me. I'm not gonna fuck up anymore," Tara said in a determined voice as she sat up and made her way to the front door of the house with Daryl in tow.
"Yeah! That's my Tara!" Daryl laughed as they quickly made their way back home.
Tara ran into the house, barely taking notice of everyone in the kitchen. She immediately went up the stairs, and quietly opened the door to her bedroom. Maggie was sound asleep, snuggled alone in the bed. Tara gently crawled into bed, pulling Maggie close to her.
Maggie woke up, feeling Tara's warmth all around her. She opened her eyes, taking in Tara's appearance, seeing that her hair was damp.
"What happened last night? I thought you really left me," Maggie said sadly as Tara shook her head.
"No, baby. You know I would never leave you. I was just being stupid and got drunk...like really, really shitfaced. But Daryl found me and I woke up in an empty house with him. He threw a bucket of water on me to wake me up," Tara explained while Maggie let out a little giggle at the thought of her special wake up call.
Tara loved the sound of Maggie's laughter, knowing she would do anything to keep her safe. Tara placed a kiss on Maggie's hair before continuing.
"I'm never gonna leave you like that again, I promise. You and the baby are my world and I'm gonna do whatever I can to keep y'all safe. I love you so much, Maggie. We'll get through this together, I promise," Tara held Maggie close, basking in the feel of having her near again.
Tara knew in that moment that her and Maggie would be alright after they were allowed time to heal. It would be a long road, but she knew they would get through it.
Tara's thoughts were interrupted by the front door of the house opening and Carol greeting her with a huge hug.
"How did the supply run go?" Carol asked with a big smile.
"It went alright. Daryl should be back soon, but I found some candy bars for Maggie. I know how her cravings can get," Tara showed her friend the few chocolate bars she had obtained.
"That's great! Maggie actually came out of the room today! She's in the living room right now, reading. Her baby bump is the cutest. She's still a little on edge so don't sneak up on her or anything," Carol informed Tara who smiled a big goofy smile at what was said.
"She's out of the room?" Tara couldn't contain her grin.
Tara knew that this was a big step for Maggie. For the first time in three weeks, she actually left the bedroom. The room was Maggie's sanctuary where she felt safe and secure. She never left the room unless she absolutely had to. Now, it seemed like Maggie was slowly getting comfortable being near other people. Maggie still had flashbacks and panicked easily, but her recovery was slowly beginning.
"Yup! Maggie's out and about. She's still adjusting of course, but it's a step in the right direction. Plus, she started eating more which is always a good sign," Carol smiled as they both walked into the house.
Tara made her way into the living room, thrilled to see Maggie in the recliner, reading a baby book. Maggie smiled when she noticed Tara in the doorway, watching her with an adoring gaze.
The bruises on Maggie's face, body, and neck had finally faded away. It helped both of them since the marks were a daily reminder of what had happened. Tara knew that while physically Maggie was healed, mentally she wasn't. So Tara tried to keep her wife as comfortable as she could, avoiding doing anything that could trigger a flashback like surprising Maggie or hugging her from behind.
"Hey baby, how are you doing today?" Tara asked as she strolled into the room. Maggie closed her book, glancing up at Tara.
"I'm doin' a bit better. I just wanted to get out of the room for a bit," Maggie said as Tara leaned down to give her a kiss.
Tara let her hand slowly drift down to Maggie's baby bump. Maggie placed her hand on top of Tara's as they both smiled at each other. Maggie scooted over in the chair so Tara could sit with her, but Maggie soon ended up in Tara's lap as they looked at the baby book together.
Tara tried to keep her attention on the book that Maggie was showing her, but it was hard. She felt Maggie's body so close to her own, and Tara couldn't help but notice that Maggie's breasts had grown a bit because of the pregnancy. Tara tried to keep her mind off sex since she knew Maggie wasn't ready, but it was torture.
They heard the front door open as Rick and Daryl stepped into the house. Both of the men were happy to see Maggie out of her bedroom, knowing how hard it was for her to take that big step.
"Hey, you two. How's the baby doin?" Daryl asked as Maggie beamed.
"Baby is doin' great. Dr. Fields said that she should start kickin' in a couple of weeks or so. I'm excited 'bout that," Maggie answered as both men smiled, happy that she seemed to be doing a bit better.
"Yeah, soon Maggie will have a little soccer player in there," Tara joked.
Rick grinned before getting down to business. "Well, Sasha has been takin' watch and explorin' a bit in the forest. She said that there's a lot more walkers showin' up. A lot more than she can manage so I want you and Daryl to start headin' out on days you don't have any supply runs, and take care of any walkers you find."
Tara nodded her head in agreement. "That sounds like fun. Daryl and I will definitely have fun taking out some walkers."
"Good. We can't have a huge herd build up. We all know these people ain't ready for anythin' like that. Plus, who knows how much weight those walls can handle," Rick cautioned as Tara and Daryl agreed.
"So 'morrow we'll head out into the woods for a few hours, and kill as many walkers as we can. Sounds easy 'nuff," Daryl said as Carol joined their little group in the living room.
"I could go out if you need me too," Carol offered.
Rick shook his head. "Nah...Tara, Daryl, and Sasha should be enough for now. That's all that Deanna has approved of so far, anyways. And I don't want to get on her bad side just yet."
Deanna and Rick's group had been united during the whole Roger dilemma, but the leader of Alexandria was still leery of the outsiders and their philosophy on certain things. Rick definitely didn't want to further strain the relationship they had built so far with Deanna. Although, Rick still considered taking control of Alexandria if it seemed like the best option. So far that day hadn't come yet.
"So be ready for a walker slaughter tomorrow," Rick said before he patted Tara and Daryl on the shoulder and headed out the front door.
"Come on," Carol grabbed Daryl's arm and led him to the kitchen so that Tara and Maggie could have some privacy.
"It's nice to see ya, Maggie. I hope yer doin' better. If ya need anythin' just let me know," Daryl smiled as he was corralled into the kitchen.
Once they were alone again, Tara leaned against Maggie, holding her tight, trying not to overstep any boundaries. Maggie responded by pulling Tara closer, letting her fingers graze up and down Tara's arm.
Maggie couldn't believe how lucky she was to have Tara in her life. There had been a couple of bad days, but for the most part, Tara had been by Maggie's side faithfully throughout the past three weeks. Tara always took Maggie's feelings into consideration, never doing anything to make her uncomfortable. Tara listened when she needed to talk or just held her when she cried. Tara had been nothing but loving and patient during the whole ordeal.
Tara placed a kiss on Maggie's shoulder before reaching down to grab her backpack.
"Guess what I got you," Tara grinned as she dug around in the pack.
"What?" Maggie asked, her curiosity peaked.
"These," Tara handed the chocolate bars to Maggie, loving the way her face lit up.
"Oh my god! You have no idea how much I've been cravin' candy right now. You're the absolute best!" Maggie beamed as she gave Tara a kiss on the cheek.
"Anything for my girl," Tara smiled as they held each other. The young couple felt like everything would be alright, and they would get past this hurdle.
Soon, everyone else started to come home from their jobs and were pleasantly surprised to see Maggie out of the bedroom. The family had missed Maggie being around, feeling like a piece of their group dynamic had been missing and an important one at that.
Even though it was hard, especially for Carol and Rosita, no one touched or hugged Maggie, knowing that she was still uncomfortable with anyone touching her but Tara. They were all excited about the upcoming baby, knowing they only had a few more months to prepare.
"So when are we gonna start workin' on the nursery? We have that extra room that would be perfect for the baby. We can put Tara, Daryl, and Abraham to work on paintin' it. Carol, Maggie, and I can get the crib and other things the baby'll need," Rosita excitedly started to plan out the whole nursery.
"Well, you gals figure out what color you want it, and I'll run with Daryl to the hardware store that's a few towns over. I know y'all have like twelve different names for one color," Tara joked while they talked about how to set up the extra room.
Maggie enjoyed the time spent with Carol and Rosita, missing her friends during the time spent up in the room by herself. Maggie could almost feel a sense of normalcy coming over her. Of course, the crimes against her were still fresh on her mind, but slowly she found herself not thinking about the horrible events all the time like she used to. Now, Maggie found herself thinking more about the growing baby inside her. Plus, it didn't hurt that Tara was by her side.
The family spent the rest of evening enjoying each other's company, and reassuring Maggie that they didn't think any different of her. They all knew Maggie didn't want to viewed as a hopeless victim. Tara was so proud of her wife for surviving through something so devastating, and coming out stronger than ever.
Finally, after a couple of hours of conversing with the family, Maggie fell asleep against Tara. After saying goodnight to everybody, Tara gently picked up Maggie and carried her upstairs to their bed. She gingerly laid Maggie down onto the soft mattress, covering her up with the blanket.
Tara quickly got ready for bed, knowing she had an early morning with Daryl. Maggie didn't wake up as she snuggled into Tara, finding comfort in the warmth and the familiar way Tara held her close.
The next morning, Tara was up and ready to go when there was soft knock on the bedroom door. She quickly opened it before the noise could wake up Maggie.
"You 'bout ready to head out?" Daryl asked as Tara nodded.
"Yeah, I'll be down there in a few minutes," Tara replied. Daryl headed down the stairs to say goodbye to Carol and get his backpack ready for a long day.
Tara opened her drawer, taking out the gun that no one had a clue she had except Carol, Daryl, and Rick. After everything that had went down, Rick and Carol were more adamant that their family had hidden guns to protect themselves. So far, Carol had made a sizable gun collection that they kept stashed in Daryl's room.
She made sure the gun was loaded before sticking it in the waistband of her jeans. Tara kissed Maggie softly on the lips before heading down the steps and into the kitchen where Daryl was waiting for her.
"Ready to kick some walker ass?" Daryl asked as they both headed out the front door.
"Hell yeah," Tara laughed while Carol gave them both a hug.
"You both better be careful! Don't make me have to go out there looking for y'all," Caron threatened, playfully giving them a stern look.
"We're always careful!" Tara argued as Carol just burst out in laughter.
"Yeah right! Good one!" Carol grinned as she waved the duo off.
Daryl and Tara strolled to the pantry where they waited for Olivia to issue them a couple of guns. Daryl picked a revolver while Tara selected a semi-automatic tactical rifle. Olivia gushed to Tara about how there was more than enough infant formula when Maggie had the baby. It almost seemed like the whole town was ready for the arrival of the Chambler baby.
The duo were finally able to get away from Olivia and make their way to the gate where Sasha was waiting for them.
"Finally, you two show up! I thought you guys bailed out on me," Sasha laughed, holding her semi-automatic rifle close to her body.
"Nah, we just couldn't get away from Olivia and all her talkin'. That woman can talk for hours if ya let her," Daryl complained as Sasha and Tara laughed.
"Yeah, I know about that all right. What was she talkin' to you about?" Sasha asked the duo.
"She was talking about the baby, and asking what I thought the sex was, and too many baby questions," Tara grinned.
Spencer appeared at the gate to let the trio out. Tara raised her hand for a fist bump which he readily returned.
"You guys be careful. I'll be on the lookout for y'all in a few hours," Spencer said while he opened the gate.
"See ya later, buddy," Tara called back to him. Spencer waved goodbye in response, and watched until the group disappeared within the trees.
Daryl and Tara followed Sasha throughout the woods, keeping a close eye on their surroundings. The trio walked a few miles until they came upon a few dead walker bodies.
"These are the ones I killed yesterday. There was a whole herd of them...they probably went towards the west. There were too many for me to handle," Sasha explained as Daryl knelt down to inspect the bodies.
"They all have this carved on their forehead?" Daryl asked. Tara knelt down to see what he was referring to. She noticed that a "W" was carved on the dead walker's head.
Tara looked at the other dead bodies and saw that they all had the same carving. She was puzzled on who would mark live walkers, and hoped it wasn't a future threat to Alexandria.
"You think it's another group?" Tara questioned while Daryl continued to investigate the bodies.
"Maybe. Let's hope they aren't tryin' to attack us with walkers. Sasha said she's seein' more biters around. They could be tryin' to start a war...what better way than with a shit load of walkers? A whole big herd could bring a wall down easily," Daryl replied as they thought about what he had said.
"Let's hope that's not what's happening. We all know Alexandria isn't prepared to take on a ton of walkers," Sasha added, knowing the people were ill prepared for an emergency like that.
"Come on. Looks like the herd went this way," Daryl led the way, looking for walker tracks in the ground.
The three friends made their way through the forest, brushing past trees and bushes. Tara felt the cool wind on her skin; the trees' leaves turning into a yellowish red color. Winter was definitely right around the corner, and all the dangers that came with it.
They walked a few more miles deeper into the forest until the noise of numerous walkers could be heard. The friends quietly crept closer until they came upon a small clearing. They almost couldn't believe their eyes when they saw the scene before them.
There was a sturdy chainlink cage where there had to be about fifty to sixty walkers being held captive. The walkers were against one side of the fence where it was bending slightly against the extra weight. Tara noticed that almost all of the walkers had the "W" carved into their foreheads, just like the ones in the forest.
"What the fuck's goin' on here?" Daryl wondered out loud, expressing everyone's thought.
"Who knows? But it doesn't look good," Tara commented as the walkers caught sight of them. Suddenly, one side of the cage started to shake harder, the biters wanting a taste of human flesh.
"We need to do something about this," Sasha suggested as the fence shook with force, causing all three of them to get a little nervous. They knew they had no chance against sixty walkers if the fence broke down under all the added stress.
"Yeah...if they have other fenced in walkers with this amount in 'em then Alexandria would be in big trouble if we're their target," Daryl observed as he watched the cage tremble.
Sasha glanced at her friends. "So what should we do about this herd?"
"Set it on fire," Daryl suggested while Tara thought over the idea in her head.
"Sounds like a good idea. But won't it piss off whoever captured all these walkers?" Tara questioned with a bit of concern.
Daryl shrugged, knowing they didn't have much choice. "Yeah...they probably will get pissed but what choice do we have? We gotta protect Alexandria and our family."
"So we all agree? Burn this thing down?" Sasha asked as Tara and Daryl nodded in agreement.
"Let's get to it then. Come on, there was some gasoline in our little cabin in the woods," Tara reminded Daryl about their hidden cabin in the woods.
"Oh yeah...let's go get that real quick before whoever's corralling all these biters comes back," Daryl led the way through the forest towards the cabin. Tara kept a diligent eye out for any danger.
She had a bad feeling about the fenced in walkers. Tara was certain that some kind of enemy had declared war on Alexandria and it was only a matter of time until evil came knocking at their door.
They finally came upon the cabin, letting themselves in. Sasha immediately noticed all the dried up blood on the floor, and knew that was the scene of Nicholas' demise.
"This where you guys killed that son of a bitch?" Sasha asked although she already knew the answer.
"Yeah...we got a little carried away, but what he did to Maggie was unforgivable," Tara said while she grabbed the container of gasoline.
Daryl scoffed. "Fucker deserved everythin' we did to him and more."
They remained quiet while Daryl searched through the cabinets until he found a six-pack of beer. He opened one and almost drank the whole bottle in one gulp.
"Want one?" Daryl asked his friends. Sasha shook her head while Tara popped one open.
"Drink a couple. Or pour it down the sink. We're gonna molotov the shit outta that walker cage," Daryl announced while he worked on his second beer.
Tara quickly finished up her drink before twisting the top off another bottle and finishing it in a couple of gulps. Daryl grabbed the container of gasoline, filling up all four bottles. Tara added some motor oil to the bottles while Sasha found an old sheet and tore off pieces to stuff into the bottles.
Daryl took the pieces of cloth and soaked them in some kerosene. "Those fuckers are gonna burn. Let's get goin' before it gets late."
Daryl grabbed two bottles while Tara took the remaining ones. They quickly made their way back to the fenced in walkers with Sasha keeping her gun ready to fire at the first sign of danger. They finally reached their destination where the captive walkers were going crazy knowing a meal was just a few feet away.
"This won't set the forest on fire will it?" Tara asked as Daryl pulled out his lighter, lighting the first molotov and handing it to her.
"Nah...it should be contained. Just those fuckers will get burned to a crisp," Daryl laughed as he lit up another bottle.
"You wanna do the honors?" Daryl nodded his head toward the cage of walkers.
"Sure," Tara simply said as she threw the molotov as hard as she could at the caged in walkers.
The bottle exploded on impact causing an intense fireball as the flames spread throughout the cage, engulfing the unfortunate walkers that were in the way. Daryl threw his molotov into the mix before lighting up the remaining two beer bottles. He handed one to Tara, throwing his last one into the cage.
Tara threw the last molotov at the walkers. Flames and smoke flew up into the air, the undead bodies burning to a crisp, their bodies becoming charcoal black. The three friends watched their work in progress before Daryl decided they better head back to Alexandria.
"Let's get outta here. Whoever rounded up those walkers will notice the smoke and fire. I don't think they'll bring the welcomin' community if they catch us here," Daryl quickly retreated into the cover of the trees followed closely by Tara and Sasha.
They remained on high alert, reacting to every branch breaking or unknown noise they heard. The friends finally made it back to the safety of Alexandria, the gate only a few feet away. Spencer promptly greeted him as he opened the gate for them.
"Hey guys...y'all were gone for a while. Anything interesting?" Spencer asked as Daryl nodded.
"Yeah, lots of interestin' shit out there. We'll talk to you and Deanna 'bout it later," Daryl replied.
Spencer kept watch over the gate while Daryl, Tara, and Sasha returned their guns to Olivia.
"Rick's still patrollin' the neighborhood probably. In 'bout an hour, we'll meet at the back wall where it's private and let him know what we saw. We shouldn't tell anyone else until Rick figures out what he wants to do. Agree?" Daryl explained as Tara and Sasha nodded.
"Alright...see you guys in an hour. I'm gonna go see if there's anything left over from dinner," Sasha announced as she started to make her way back to the houses.
"Hey, can you check on Maggie for me? I probably won't see her until after our meeting with Rick," Tara asked.
"Of course! Any excuse to see that cute baby bump on her," Sasha smiled, continuing her way towards the house.
"What are you gonna do?" Daryl asked Tara in a curious voice. He was surprised that she wasn't running home to make sure that Maggie was alright.
"I'm gonna go see Rex, the tattoo guy, and see if he can tat me up real quick," Tara answered.
"Gonna get Maggie's name on ya? Ya know that means that yer like her property forever," Daryl laughed while Tara shrugged her shoulders.
"I'm cool with that," Tara grinned as Daryl patted her shoulder.
"Alright...see ya in an hour," Daryl made his way towards the houses while Tara went the opposite direction.
Tara walked slowly down the streets, noticing that the sun was starting to already set. She guessed they had been in the woods for a few hours dealing with that walker herd. Tara knew there had to be more captive walkers out there. She sighed to herself, thinking about how they never seemed to get a break.
She made it to Rex's place, where he was more than willing to tat her up real quick.
"So I'm guessin' she's 'the one' if you're gettin' her name on you," Rex commented as he applied the tattoo gun to her skin.
"Yeah, Maggie is everything to me," Tara smiled, watching while Rex tattooed her wife's beautiful name on her wrist.
The tattoo didn't take long, and the result was everything Tara had imagined and more. Each letter was beautifully crafted in perfection, and Tara knew Maggie would love it.
"Just be sure to wash it with soap at least twice a day," Rex instructed as he bandaged up Tara's wrist.
"Awesome. Thanks man. I really appreciate it," Tara shook his hand as he led her to the door.
"No problemo. Hey, be sure to come back. I wanna do a sleeve but no one wants to get tatted around here. You game?" Rex asked in a hopeful voice.
"Hell yeah! Let me know what designs you come up with. I definitely wanna get tatted again," Tara replied as Rex gave her a high five.
They said their goodbyes before Tara started to make her way towards the back wall to meet up with Daryl, Sasha, and Rick. She suddenly noticed that Nicole was out on her front porch and ran to greet her friend. Tara had a strange feeling that Nicole had been avoiding her lately, and she wasn't sure what she had done.
"Hey Nicole...how have you been?" Tara asked as she leaned against the porch rail.
"I've been alright. Just been workin' a lot," Nicole smiled before an awkward silence surrounded them.
Tara stood on the porch looking out on the street. "Did I do something to make you mad at me?"
Nicole sighed as she remembered the night that Tara had shown up on her doorstep, drunk with a bottle of liquor in her hand.
"Do you remember that night you got really wasted?" Nicole asked as Tara tried to remember the night in question.
"No. I mean I remember drinking some Crowne and walking down the streets, but after that nothing. Only thing I remember after that is Daryl waking me up by throwing a bucket of cold water on me. Why? Did I do something?" Tara questioned as she desperately tried to recall the events of that night but pulling up blank.
"Yeah. you showed up on my front porch, wasted as fuck. We sat down on the chairs...then I don't know what you were thinkin'. Probably wasn't thinkin' at all with how drunk you were," Nicole looked over at Tara.
"What did I do?" Tara almost didn't want to know the answer.
"You kissed me. It only lasted for a few seconds cuz I broke it up, but still," Nicole revealed while Tara looked at the ground, ashamed of her drunken actions.
"I'm sorry...I don't even know what to say," Tara tried to remember her mindset that night.
"It's ok. I mean it wasn't ok cuz of Maggie, but I knew you were wasted and very emotional. I didn't tell anyone cuz I know how much you love Maggie. Let's just keep it between us. She doesn't need to be hurt anymore. Plus, it's not like you meant it," Nicole tried to reason with Tara so that her marriage would stay intact.
"I guess. I just feel so guilty now," Tara leaned against the railing, feeling sick to her stomach.
"It meant nothin'. There's no reason for this to ruin your relationship. If you were sober then I would have questions but you were beyond intoxicated. So we should just forget it even happened. I don't even know why I told you to be honest," Nicole gave Tara a quick hug, being sure that it didn't last longer than a few seconds.
Quietness surrounded them for a few seconds while they both tried to think about what to say next. Nicole noticed the bandage on Tara's wrist.
"What happened?" Nicole pointed towards Tara's wrist.
"Oh...tattoo. I got Maggie's name tattooed on my wrist," Tara felt even more remorseful.
"You're so dedicated to her, Tara. Let's just never talk about it again, like it never happened," Nicole suggested as Tara nodded in forced agreement.
Tara looked down at her watch and realized that she already late for the meeting. She gave Nicole a quick hug before running down the steps.
"I gotta go but I'll see you around, I guess," Tara said uncertainly while Nicole waved goodbye.
Tara ran through the almost empty, dark streets. The street lamps flicked on as she made her way to the back wall as quickly as she could. There she saw Sasha, Daryl, and Rick waiting for her.
"Glad you could make it," Daryl sarcastically said as Tara joined their small group.
"Sorry guys. I lost track of time," Tara apologized as Rick noticed the bandage on her arm.
"Hurt yourself again?" Rick asked as Tara shook her head.
"Nah...tattoo," Tara grinned, showing her friends the newest tattoo.
"I can see why Maggie fell for you. You've got that bad girl image written all over you," Sasha laughed while Tara shrugged in response.
"How was Maggie?" Tara questioned the former firefighter.
"She was doin' great. Maggie was in the kitchen with Carol when I got there. I got to feel her baby bump...so cute!" Sasha gushed as Tara beamed proudly.
"Alright, let's get down to business," Rick said in a serious tone. Daryl explained to their leader what they had found in the forest and his worries of some other group trying to start a turf war.
"Well, y'all did the right thing with destroyin' that walker pen. Whoever created it might be pissed though so we need to be extra vigilant. I'll talk to Deanna and tell her not to let any of her people out of the gates until we know for sure what we're up against. They wouldn't know how to protect themselves and might get kidnapped by this new threat," Rick ran his hand through his brown hair; his blue eyes gazing at the quiet town.
"All four of us will go out 'morrow and look for more of these pens and destroy all that we find. If these people want a war, they messed with wrong people," Rick declared as the others agreed.
"Almost all the walkers had a 'W' carved into their forehead. Any ideas on what that might mean?" Sasha asked while the other three thought it over.
Suddenly, an idea came to Tara. She turned to look at Rick and Daryl. "Remember when we went to check out Noah's community? On the walls there were messages that said stuff like 'Wolves were here'. It's probably the same group who attacked that community."
"If it's the same people then they're dangerous. Very dangerous," Daryl commented.
"Keep your eyes open for anythin' that looks suspicious. I want someone from our group on lookout at all times. We know what to do in case Alexandria gets attacked by people or walkers," Rick ordered while he observed the wall behind him. He knew it wouldn't take too much to knock down a wall and make the community vulnerable.
"I'll keep watch tonight," Sasha offered as Rick gave her a look of approval.
"I'll take tomorrow night," Tara offered.
"You sure Maggie will be alright with that?" Daryl questioned, knowing that Maggie might not be ready to spend a night away from Tara.
"I think she'll be alright if Rosita and Carol stay with her, but I'll talk to her about it," Tara replied.
"Alright...let's head back since it's gettin' late. I'll talk to Deanna in the mornin' and let her know what's goin' on. Then we can go out and search for more walker pens. We need to lessen this threat as much as we can," Rick finalized their meeting before leading the way back their houses.
Tara, Daryl, and Rick walked back home after saying goodbye to Sasha, who was headed to the lookout post to do the night watch after obtaining a gun from the armory. Rick headed into his house after giving his friends a quick hug.
Tara and Daryl stood on their front porch, enjoying the cool night and a couple of cigarettes before heading to bed. The friends didn't speak much since they both had a lot on their minds, mainly the newfound threat the community was most likely facing.
"Alright, buddy. I'll see you in the morning," Tara said goodnight to Daryl before heading into the house and up the stairs.
The house was dark and quiet since everyone was in their rooms ready for the night. Tara quietly opened the door to her bedroom, trying not to make too much noise and wake Maggie.
Tara allowed herself a few seconds to admire Maggie who was sound asleep. She reached down, gently letting her hand run up and down Maggie's side, realizing how much she had missed her. Tara quickly took a shower and got ready for bed.
She carefully slid into bed trying not to disturb Maggie. Tara realized she failed at her mission when she felt soft kisses on her neck as Maggie snuggled against her.
"I missed you so much," Maggie whispered softly into Tara's ear.
"I missed you too, babe. I'm sorry I was gone all day. We had a lot to do and talk about. How's the baby?" Tara asked, trying to ignore Maggie's hot breath against her ear.
"Baby's fine. Tara...I think I'm ready," Maggie said as Tara sat up to look at her.
"Are you sure, babe? You don't have to rush it. I said we can wait as long as you want," Tara gazed down into Maggie's eyes, looking for any doubt.
"I want to...I've missed that connection we share," Maggie whispered as she pulled Tara down, letting their lips touch gently, their breath intermingling.
Tara closed her eyes, capturing Maggie's lips into her own, gently placing her body fully on top of Maggie's. Tara savored the feeling of having Maggie underneath her again, the closeness of the bodies pressed together.
"If it becomes too much, just tell me to stop, ok?" Tara nuzzled Maggie's neck, basking in the scent of her skin mixed with perfume.
"Just be gentle and slow," Maggie held Tara close, her body trembling in anticipation.
Tara thrusted her hips against the woman underneath her causing a small moan to escape Maggie's lips. Slowly, Tara let her hand wander under Maggie's shirt, feeling the soft, smooth skin. Maggie sucked in a breath as Tara's hand cupped a firm breast, her thumb gently rubbing the hard nipple.
Maggie sat up slightly, reaching down to pull off her shirt, tossing it onto the floor. Tara let her eyes drink in Maggie's beautiful body, taking in every detail.
"You're so beautiful..." Tara whispered before placing a few soft kisses on Maggie's collarbone, making her way to the succulent breasts that waited for attention.
Maggie took in a sharp breath when she felt Tara's tongue against her excited nipple. Maggie eagerly ran her hands over Tara's strong back muscles as Tara continued to suck on her nipple. Tara took her time before moving onto the next one causing Maggie to whimper in pleasure.
Tara licked her way down Maggie's body until she reached the hem of Maggie's black lacy panties. Tara hooked the panties with her thumbs, glancing up at Maggie for permission to go on.
"Please..." Maggie begged hitching her hips up so Tara could slide the panties off.
Tara could barely keep herself from coming right at the sight of Maggie's naked body. She let her hands run up and down Maggie's smooth legs, slowly letting her hand wander up Maggie's thigh.
"You're so gorgeous, Maggie," Tara murmured as she slowly opened Maggie's legs, eyeing what she wanted the most.
Tara reached down, letting her fingers feel how wet Maggie was for her.
"Oh Tara..." Maggie whimpered, her body trembling with anticipation.
Slowly, Tara coated two fingers with Maggie's wetness, feeling how warm and silky her juices felt. Gently, Tara slid both fingers into Maggie's pussy, the tightness gripping her instantly.
"Oh god...Tara..." Maggie moaned as Tara's fingers slowly started to move in and out of her pussy, making her even more wet than before.
Smiling at Maggie's reaction to her, Tara leaned down letting her tongue stroke Maggie's clit, savoring the sweet taste that invaded her taste buds. Maggie cried out in pleasure as Tara's tongue licked her pussy, making sure that every inch was tasted and coated with saliva. Maggie reached down, her fingers running through Tara's hair, her hips thrusting in rhythm with the long fingers deep inside her.
Tara could feel Maggie's impending orgasm as she sucked on her clit, her fingers gripped tight by Maggie's pussy. It didn't take long before Tara felt an intense orgasm shudder through Maggie's body. Tara's mouth became drenched with Maggie's wetness as she removed her fingers, letting her tongue enter Maggie's pussy, licking up all juices that coated her waiting tongue.
Maggie cried out Tara's name, her fingers gripping Tara's dark brown hair hard, pulling just a bit as the orgasm took over her body. A few seconds later, Maggie's raging body started to calm down.
Tara's nose nudged Maggie's clit before she placed a kiss on it. Moving up, Tara hovered over Maggie, as she came down from the intensity of her orgasm. Tara placed kisses on Maggie's face before she was pulled in for a passionate kiss, Maggie's tongue swirling around hers. Maggie moaned into Tara's mouth as she tasted herself.
Their bodies were pressed together as Maggie quickly discarded Tara's tank top and boxers, pushing the clothing off the bed. Maggie could feel Tara's hard erection poking her stomach, little dribbles of pre-cum slipping out.
Maggie reached between their hot, sweaty bodies, gripping Tara softly, guiding Tara's cock to her wet pussy. Tara could feel the head of her cock teasingly enter Maggie, but she forced herself to stop.
"Are you sure you want this, baby?" Tara asked with concern, ready to stop if any doubt laced Maggie's eyes.
"Yes...I want this. Just be gentle," Maggie kissed Tara, trying to reassure her that she was ready.
Maggie closed her eyes, softly whimpering as Tara slowly started to thrust into her tight pussy. Tara let out a groan at the feel of Maggie's pussy wrapped around her hard cock.
"Baby, look at me, so you know it's me. I love you so much," Tara whispered, leaning down to kiss Maggie's lips.
Maggie opened her eyes, gazing into Tara's dark brown ones, seeing nothing but love in those eyes. Maggie let her fingers graze over Tara's shoulders and back muscles.
"I love you too," Maggie said as she wrapped her legs around Tara's waist, bringing them even closer together.
Never breaking eye contact, Tara slowly thrusted forward, her cock entering Maggie's warm slickness inch by inch. Maggie moaned at the sensation of Tara filling her up from inside, loving how gentle and romantic Tara was being with her.
After Tara was fully sheathed inside of Maggie, she stayed still letting Maggie get used to her size. Maggie could feel her pussy stretch to accommodate Tara's cock, her nails lightly scratching Tara's back, leaving marks behind.
"You ok?" Tara asked, giving Maggie another passionate kiss.
"Yes...just go slow," Maggie looked up into Tara's eyes, hitching her hips up.
Tara slowly started to thrust in and out of Maggie's pussy, pulling out until just the tip was in, and then burying herself deep into the tightness. They kept eye contact as Tara built up a slow, steady rhythm, trying to hold off her orgasm for as long as possible.
Maggie moved her hips to meet Tara's strokes, moans escaping her lips with each thrust that she felt. She knew Tara was holding back so she wouldn't get hurt or scared. Maggie didn't know what she had done to deserve someone so loving and as caring as Tara.
Maggie couldn't fight it any longer as she pulled Tara down, desperately kissing her lips, hips picking up a little speed. Tara responded by thrusting a little faster, holding Maggie tight as her strokes became just a little bit rougher.
They kept up the faster rhythm, the headboard hitting the wall gently. Maggie could feel her orgasm teetering on the edge as she reached down and rubbed her clit. Tara leaned down, giving Maggie frenzied, desperate kisses, knowing that she only had a few more minutes before she came.
Tara could feel her cock coated with Maggie's juicy wetness, the tightness engulfing her, knowing that she was in her own personal heaven.
"Oh...Tara!" Maggie cried out as her body went over the edge. She held onto Tara, desperately digging her fingernails into Tara's back as her body rode out the waves of pleasure, feeling herself orgasm all over Tara's cock.
Tara felt Maggie shake underneath her, knowing that she was close. She could feel the intense sensation of Maggie's pussy gripping her hard, making the need for release unbearable. Tara thrusted a couple of more times until she finally allowed herself to cum, knowing that Maggie had gotten off already.
Maggie latched onto Tara tight as she felt Tara cum deep inside of her, feeling her pussy fill with cum. Tara thrusted until she was spent, the warm tightness milking every ounce out of her. All of her energy gone, Tara collapsed onto Maggie, giving her passionate kisses.
"I love you so much. Are you ok?" Tara asked with concern. She hoped that she hadn't done anything to hurt Maggie.
"I'm more than ok. I feel amazin'. I love you too," Maggie replied, holding Tara close, reveling in the feel of having Tara buried deep inside of her.
After a few minutes, Tara gently pulled out, laying on her back. Maggie took the opportunity to snuggle into Tara's side, feeling safe in her arms. They were quiet for a few moments until Maggie noticed Tara's new tattoo.
"You got my name tattooed on you?" Maggie smiled, letting her fingers graze the ink on Tara's wrist.
"I told you I would get it done. Now, we can't ever get divorced cuz then I'll just look like a dumb ass," Tara laughed as Maggie giggled. The sound was absolute music to Tara's ears.
"Well, I don't ever plan on leavin' you. Especially since I'm havin' your kid," Maggie beamed, letting her hand rest on her baby bump.
"Good cuz you're all mine. You're perfect in every way for me, Maggie. You're my everything," Tara said as Maggie felt some tears of joy leave the corners of her eyes.
Tara noticed that Maggie was crying and became alarmed. "Are you alright, baby? Did I hurt you? Was it too soon?"
Maggie shook her head. "No...I just can't believe how lucky I am to have you."
"I'm the lucky one here," Tara grinned while Maggie cuddled her, pulling the blanket over them.
It didn't take long for Maggie to fall asleep, her breathing becoming relaxed and even. Tara held her wife close, making sure that Maggie didn't have any nightmares that still seemed to plague her every night.
This night was silent as Maggie listened to the rhythm of Tara's soothing heartbeat. Tara thought about the new threat that was on the horizon. She had a feeling something horrible was waiting for Alexandria in the coming weeks. Tara could only hope that her family would survive whatever was thrown at them.
The charred remains of dead walkers filled the air as his nostrils took in the scent. He smirked as he thought of what the other survivors had done to his walker horde. He ran his hand through his messy, dirty hair, surveying the damage in front of him. The community behind the walls actually thought they had a chance against his ruthless group. The idea was laughable at best for him.
The man laughed out loud as his companions looked at him like he had gone crazy. Perhaps, he had lost his mind.
He was planning an attack on the walled-in community already, but now he wanted to plan it quicker and more deadlier. His group, The Wolves, had killed countless innocent victims, carving a "W" into their foreheads. They had taken down entire communities, scavenging and taking what they wanted - food, supplies, women, children.
They used the undead bodies of their victims in attacks against other groups and communities. So far his group of bandits and thieves had wreaked havoc on countless peaceful groups.
Now, his savage group had the walled-in community in their sights. He reached up, feeling the perfect "W" carved into his forehead. Yes, that community would know very soon who the Wolves were.
Oh no! The Wolves are coming! What do they have planned for Alexandria? Will the community even survive this new threat? More importantly will Team Family make it out unscathed?
I saw the promotional pictures for season 6...Tara and Glenn are lookin' hot af! Less than a month until those two grace my screen again. Sorry...total fangirl moment there! :)
This chapter's song is "Just a Game" by Birdy.
But anyways enough about my crushes. Thank you everyone for all the awesome reviews! I love all of you! You guys make this gal very happy! :)