Chapter 26: Static
"Will ya'll move your asses? We aren't here to coo over the pretty baby things."
Liv and Isabel both turned to blow raspberries at the antsy man with a crossbow tossed over his shoulder. "I cleared the entire town months ago, Daryl. We already took care of the strays and did a building to building sweep. Michonne and Doyle are both stationed on separate rooftops so we have eyes up high to keep a lookout. If you're that antsy why don't you keep watch at the door while we get this stuff packed up?"
"I ain't antsy, this could just be going a helluva lot faster. Ya'll don't have to play with everything you pick up."
"What you'd rather be hauling forty pound sacks of feed with the others than filling carts and bags with pregger and baby gear?" She asked with a pouty face and miming sad with a pink stuffed duck she held up to face him, making it's head bow low.
He pursed his lips though she could see the amusement in his eyes. "Let's just get a move on?"
"Alright, alright. Fuddy duddy." She conceded tossing the duck in the bag in her hands and swiping the remaining toys from the shelf into the bag tying it off and tossing it to him. She watched with a small smile as he toted it outside. Something had been steadily, sneakily growing between the two over the months, something completely unexpected. Liv had begun to realize that when the kiss incident had happened. The day of Pop's burial had only cemented it but the day of the storm, the day they'd gone alone to the woods and depot, that day something had changed. It was as though a switch had been flipped. He'd spent that evening quiet, distant. She'd almost wondered if he was upset with her. He hadn't spoken a dozen words since supper. The kids were all put to bed, the adults were all starting to wander off to join them. After putting her brood to bed Liv had returned to sit with Daryl out on the balcony as had become their nightly routine. Many nights they were content to sit there neither speaking, just relaxing but that night had been different. It wasn't the usual companionable silence. Years of reading people and their intentions told her his mind was a million miles away and it was best to leave him to sort out whatever it was for himself. So she'd quietly bid him goodnight, receiving only a simple glance in return, and went up to her room. At her door she'd heard footfalls on the stairs behind her and turned just as he'd quietly called her name. He hadn't uttered another word just raised a hand to cup the back of her neck and he pulled her up to meet his kiss. That was the first night they'd spent together in her bed. Each night after once the others had gone to sleep he would silently let himself into her room and slip away just as silently in the morning before the others woke.
A thump jarred her from her musings back to the present as Isabel took the two large bags of baby clothes she'd grabbed to the Tacoma parked out front with her small two horse trailer hooked up to it. Rick, T-Dog, Shane and Declan were clearing the feed lot a half mile or so up the road. They'd split up after clearing the area of strays that had wandered in since her last trip to this little town so they could hit both the feed lot and the baby store at once. It was the first week of May now. They'd collected an enormous stockpile of supplies from the construction depot and while they hadn't yet started the new perimeter plans she'd finished drawing up, they had been working nonstop on her other expansion plans. Successfully setting up a good sized greenhouse and a small cattle barn. They'd also just yesterday finished construction on the most complicated storage shed she'd ever seen. It was only 25ft by 25ft but included a basement level, a ground level, and a 2nd level. They had already stocked it with the feed still left from their run at the end of last month but thanks to her 'think big' approach there was still plenty of room for more. With the two babies on the way and all the ones already running around she'd decided to hit this little baby store now too. Better to get all they could in one trip, gas was too hard to come by. We'll get this all packed away, start on the perimeter tomorrow.
"There's like twelve of these playpen things how many do we need?" Daryl asked coming out with one under each arm.
"At the rate we got munchkins arriving, might as well grab them all. We'll need 'em eventually."
"What about the cribs?" Isabel asked.
"We'll grab a couple but mostly playpens will be easier to deal with and store back up."
They filled the backseat and the bed of the truck with the bags and had the trailer partially filled with cribs, high chairs and other larger items.
"Okay so we got furniture,some baby clothes, all the food and necessities they had left, maternity stuff. What else we need?"
"There's not much left in here. Just grab whatever else we can fit. Can't have too many clothes and such, fast as the little boogers-" A new sound caused her to stop mid sentence and grab for her belt. They all froze staring at the walkie. She turned up the volume, only static came through it. She went outside in a daze her eyes not leaving the gadget in her hand, hoping for a better signal. No sooner had she cleared the doorway than the sound came again. A fragmented voice.
"-better -nd-p soon-at trucks run-g on -umes." The three exchanged glances. That wasn't the others. Liv lifted the walkie high trying to get a better signal when the responding voice nearly caused her to drop it on her head in shock. "Just—tight. Can't-from-station or - highway."
"My god" Liv declared in disbelief.
"What?" Isabel asked uneasily.
She moved further into the street depressing the buttton and bringing the walkie to her lips not replying to her niece's urgent questioning. "Hello?" she questioned cautiously holding her breath waiting for a response.
"Hello-Someone-ere? Quiet-s-mebody-d something!"
"Who is this?" Liv asked as clearly as she possibly could with her heart in her throat.
"-Can - hear m-?"
Her face screwed up in frustration at the static "What did you say?" She was practically dancing on tiptoe arm up in the air trying to get clearer reception.
"M- -me is -n Foreman. Can you hear me?"
"Son of a bitch!" She gasped out stunned, a thrill going through her she depressed the button again. "Ryan? Ryan is that you?" A moment of silence followed before...
"Liv? Olivia?!"
"My God! Where are you?"
"We're uh...-k where the –ll are we?" she heard him ask in a panic. Several voices were indistinguishable in the background. "S-th of the highw- off ramp som-here. McEntire! Theres -sign - -Entire Street!"
"Take the roads leading into Canton."
"Canton? W-ch way- -at?"
"Are you going north or south?
"What?!"
"Are you going north or south?" she yelled back. Daryl and Isabel watching the interaction from beside her.
"South!"
"Right on McEntire it'll bring you straight to where I'm at right now."
"Right?"
"Yes, Go right and follow McEntire."
"Ri- - follow it. - we close?"
"Not far. These things only reach a few miles. Look for a truck and horse trailer."
"- -r way."
She lowered her arm and turned to Daryl and Isabel, her mind racing with a hundred different scenarios. "What the hell was that?" Daryl asked staring at the walkie.
"My team or at least one member of it. They said they'd come if they-" She shook her head "no time to explain now you two need to go join up with the others."
"What?"
"A lot can change over time especially in times like this, people can change and even if they haven't I don't know what kind of people they may be teamed up with until I see for myself. Until I get a feel for the situation the less they know the better. Better they don't know I'm not here alone just in case."
Daryl stepped closer aggravated "I'm not leaving you here if this-"
"I don't want Isabel anywhere nearby if it does go bad. I need you to take her and meet up with the others. Keep them off the radio until you hear from me. They'll pick up anything said over the walkies so get over there before they can say something and give away their presence, alright? Go, fast."
Isabel moved quickly heading down the street, Daryl just behind her. Knowing him better than he thought Liv grabbed his hand as he passed making him turn and meet her gaze. She didn't speak, just flicked her eyes briefly to Isabel and back to his watching intently, hoping the message was clear. She watched the urge to argue battle across his bearing before he nodded once, squeezing her hand briefly and jogged to catch up to Isabel who had stopped several yards away. He led her quickly his hand on her back around the end of the street and out of sight. She wondered for second if he'd really stay with Isabel, keep her safe like she'd asked or if he'd drop her with the others and come back to keep an eye out for her like she knew he'd first intended to do. Trusting him to remain there like she'd asked Liv glanced pointedly upward and moved to the truck, pocketing the keys and double checking her rifle before slinging it over her shoulder opposite her bow and returning to loading the trailer. Her eyes continuously swept her surroundings as she worked she kept her ears strained for the tiniest of noises. It was nearly ten minutes before a sound reached her ears making her stop. Listening carefully she could discern the engines of several different vehicles approaching fast. She took the armload she had outside and had just added it the trailer when two hummers and a box truck pulled to a stop just a few yards from her. The rear passenger door of the nearest hummer flew open and a black-haired blur hit Liv with the force of a cannon ball. Only just managing to remain upright Liv locked her arms around her friend.
"God the whole way down here all I kept thinking was what if.." the young woman sniffled indelicately pulling back to scrub at her tear streaked face "but you're here. You're really here."
"I know the feeling" Liv managed to say passed the brick sized lump in her throat.
"Oh god I'm so happy to see you!" Luna shrieked pulling her into another strangle hold. By this time most of the others had left their vehicles and Liv saw several familiar faces come to stand in a semi-circle around them.
She felt Luna pull back only to be replaced by Dani usually stoic to a fault Liv felt Dani squeeze her tightly for only a second before releasing her gripping her bicep tightly before she stepped back. "You good?"
Liv smiled "I'm good."
Joe pulled her into a suffocating hug speaking into her shoulder "You are a sight for sore eyes."
"Tell me about it. Where the hell have you lot been?"
"Long story. Very long story" Luna answered.
"I bet."
"I know we said we'd be coming if we could but our group's not exactly what you were expecting" Ryan pointed out as he released her from his iron own gripped hug. "We've both lost a lot of our people and picked up stray survivors over the months."
"I noticed." She couldn't help but notice the group around her and the heads moving around in the vehicles. Her heart sank from its euphoria when she realized one face in particular was notably absent from the impromptu reunion but she couldn't dwell on that now. It wasn't the time or place for it. The red flags she'd feared when she sent Daryl and Isabel away hadn't been there at all. Under different circumstances she'd have kicked herself for her doubting them, for her paranoia but times had changed she couldn't be sure without getting a read on them herself. Doubts of their intentions had vanished but one problem still remained. She hadn't been counting on so many new dependents. What the hell am I going to do with all these people? She let out an aggrieved sigh. "We don't have room for this many people" she told them shaking her head with a helpless shrug, running her hand over her hair. Seeing the looks of despair crossing some faces she realized they thought she was turning them away. "No. I'm not-"
"Please?" interrupted a middle aged man with his arm around a young boy's shoulders, his son if she had to guess. "We'd be happy... even to sleep on the roof if it means we have a chance to stay somewhere safe."
"We can be of use, I was a paramedic-" A light haired man piped in.
A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she shook her head slightly. "I wasn't saying you couldn't stay. I'm not that selfish or cruel. Even if we were having to sleep sitting upright along the walls I wouldn't turn you away not unless you gave me a reason to. I just meant we'll have to camp you out in whatever couch and floor space we can find until we get something worked out for beds, that's all." She watched tense shoulders sag in relief, and sighed. "It'll be a bit cramped and there are conditions to staying. Non-negotiable conditions but nothing harsh or unacceptable I promise. We'll discuss them back home where it's safe. We've cleared the area but there could always be stragglers sneaking up on us. It's safest the majority of you stay in your cars. We'll get out of here a lot faster if some of you lend us a hand though."
Several people moved forward including several faces she didn't know. One of whom spoke in a gravelly voice. "Who's us?"
"What?"
"You said give 'us' a hand. Only one I see is you" he punctuated the statement with a wave of his right hand in her direction. She stared at it. Something niggled at her, something she should know but couldn't quite grasp. "Gotta starin problem, Red?" he asked defensively, his voice gruff.
"Dixon don't be a dick" Ryan ordered unenthusiastically.
"Dixon" she spoke quietly interrupting his comeback. "Merle Dixon."
Several heads snapped around to look at her including his "I know you?"
"Not directly." He looked at her like she was insane. "You'll see what I mean in just a minute." Liv lifted the walkie to her mouth "We're good. He can bring Isabel back here, be sure they watch their surroundings, don't need any nasty surprises today of all days."
"What exactly's going on?" Rick's confused voice came back a moment later.
"Long story. I'll explain everything when we're back in safer surroundings. Let's just get this wrapped up for now and get home."
"Understood. They're on their way back."
"That's the mysterious 'us' then?" Merle asked still waiting on an answer.
"Part of them."
"And the other part?"
Liv smirked pointing a single finger skyward. He looked at her like she was nuts. "Look at the rooftop, genius" Dani snarked with a smirk of her own as she spotted what Liv was talking about. Liv gave a nod to the roof top across the street and they watched the scrawny Irishman lower the rifle and place it back over his shoulder with a wave before returning his attention to watching their surroundings.
"Huh." The man stated simply turning to give her another scrutinizing look as if seeing her in a different light.
"I'm not a complete idiot." She grinned and moved past him reentering the store. A few moments passed while the excited faces both new and familiar pitched in helping her load up any remaining items they thought may be of use. A thought nagged at the edge of her mind and she decided to address it as Merle had one end of a cart of supplies helping her lift it into the trailer "Mr. Dixon I just want to be clear on one thing before my people show up. Everyone starts off with a clean slate. Both with the group and with each person, new or old in that group. What's happened in the past stays in the past. I don't have the time or the patience for dealing with grudges."
"What the hell's that suppose to mean?" he stared at her.
She shrugged "Just something to keep in the front of your mind, whatever happens next. Now go do the whole manly reunion thing with your brother" she said jerking her chin past his shoulder where Daryl had stopped, frozen as he rounded the corner and caught sight of her standing there his brother next to her.
"Merle?"
A/N: So I know I haven't updated very frequently lately. My main issue is I have a half dozen chapters and several more partial chapters done the problem is they are scattered through out the planned timeline and i'm a bit stuck on how to string them together. As a result the last few updates seem...choppy I guess for lack of a better word. Making the chapters and events segue into each other isn't working out as well as I'd like but I'd like to go ahead and start posting them even if they're a little disjointed. I'd love to know your opinions on the direction the story's started going. Maybe later I can clean it up a bit and go back and fix the little things that are bugging me in my updates. So hope you enjoy the story, since I've decided to just go with it another update shouldn't be too terribly far off. Thanks for sticking with Liv's story through all my excuses and mishaps, guys. I get a little jolt of joy every time I see a new follow, favorite, or especially reviews.