Thanks for everyone's reviews and welcome new followers. We have some big events coming for Valentine and the gang. This fic follows a thread of canon but most of it will be me exploring my own imagination and alternate timelines. I hope to combine the two. Anyways. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
ENJOY!
"We just got here." Carl complained, "You can't leave already."
"I'm not leaving forever, I'll be back." Valentine explained, her hands packing the bag for their trip. Carl huffed, crossing his arms, "you're still leaving and you can't promise that you'll be back."
"I'm not promising Carl." She remarked, as she shoved a change of socks and t-shirt into her pack, "I'm telling you how it is. I'll be back."
Rolling his petulant eyes he looked at the other three packing their gear. "There are people my age here." He muttered almost under his breath, his blue eyes flicking to hers, before away. Valentine stopped packing and looked at him fidget, his fingers picking at the hilt of his large hunting knife. A young man with a deadly weapon who was still just a self conscious kid.
"That's a good thing, right?" She asked carefully, her eyebrow raised.
"I guess. They want me to hangout or something." He mumbled, chewing on his lip a minute, his eyes narrowing as he looked away "we won't have anything in common."
"Oh yeah?" She quipped, trying to break the tension, "You a fortune teller now?"
"Shuddup." He moaned like only a teen could, his eyes heavy and rolling. Snickering Valentine stood up, her hands gripping his shoulders affectionately, "don't be a pussy Carl. Be a kid or whatever."
A laugh had her turning around to see Rick hiding a grin, his eyes crinkled in amusement. Apparently the man found Valentine's completely inappropriate advice hilarious.
"That's your advice. Don't be a pussy and be a kid or whatever."
"Yeah, what do you expect of me?" She laughed ruffle his mop of hair, "I'm no longer a very respectable parental figure."
Rolling his eyes Carl huffed, pulling his head away from her hands, "I'm just saying they've all been behind these walls. They aren't like us."
"No they're not. They're weak and we're fucking strong." She replied her head dipping to catch his eyes, "so strong that we can handle hanging out with a bunch of idiots for a few hours. Get some dirt for me, how about that? Keep your eyes and ears open."
"Fine." He conceded, his voice lowering, "You better be back soon."
"Or what? You gonna ground me?" She teased, her bag sliding over her shoulders.
"Yeah and no TV after dinner." He joked, his lips curled into a cocky smirk and arms crossed.
"Oooooh he means business." Tara joked from behind them, her laugh making Valentine smile widely.
"I'll be back before you know it. Maybe I'll even find something cool for you."
"I'd rather you stay." He spoke solemnly, the humor gone from his worried eyes. Valentine pulled him into her chest, kissing his temple before whispering, "I'd rather stay too but I'm gonna make sure we're safe. That you and Jude are safe. Then I'll come back."
Pulling away she looked at him so he could see that she was no longer joking and that her words were honest as well as true. Carl nodded and backed up to let Rick speak with her before they left.
"Stay safe out there." Rick rasped, his head tilting to the side as he watched the others throw their gear into the car. "I don't want you gone more than a day or two."
"Duh, Rick." She remarked with a smirked as he rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah." He muttered walking with her towards the others, his elbow bumping hers, "Humor me ok."
"I will be safe and we will be back very soon."
"Thank you." he sighed, pulling her into a hug, kissing her temple, "See you soon."
Valentine, Daryl, Abraham and Sasha left Alexandria's walls before the sun actually rose. They borrowed a vehicle and a few days worth of supplies just in case they got detoured.
Daryl was eager to get to the location and find out what the leader of Alexandria was hiding from them. He wasn't excited about trusting them and with Valentine's observations of the group's maps, they may not be caught with their pants down.
Glancing over at her, Daryl watched as Valentine slowly wiped her machetes down, the worn cloth removing the blood from the walkers they cleared at the gate.
"So we got any idea what's waitin' for us?" Abraham asked from the backseat, the man leaning forward in between them.
"It's why we're goin'." Daryl drawled, his thumb firmly chewed between his teeth as he steered lazily with one hand.
"No shit Sherlock. I'm askin' what ya think we'll find."
"And I'm sayin' we'll see what we see. Ain't no point in guessin shit."
Abraham scoffed and sat back. "How 'bout you Sunshine?"
Valentine snorted at the nickname and guessed, "I'm gonna guess a big pot of gold and a leprechaun."
Sasha laughed and quipped, "Maybe some Lucky Charms. I loved that shit."
Abraham chuckled, "That shits for kids."
"So." She snarked, "I used to be young at heart."
Daryl rolled his eyes and glanced at Valentine who smirked at him. She had moved the conversation on for him without being asked. Of course she knew guessing and hypothesizing was stressing him out. He didn't need to imagine up what was waiting for him, it was stressful enough without all the 'what ifs'.
The group hiked into the area that was considered off limits. Daryl was on edge, his body thrumming with tension as they approached the unknown. He was beginning to think they should've just trusted the others word on what laid in the no man's land but now they were there. All he was hoping for was anything but another Negan. The dead he could deal with but if they found another volatile group nearby Daryl was going to lose it. He was sick of having to fight other survivors. He'd rather fight a herd, at least he knew what to expect from the dead fucks. They wanted to eat you; there was no underhanded sneaky bullshit, just teeth and claws.
"You regrettin' this Hoss?" Abe drawled from next to him, the man looking just as apprehensive. "Cuz I for-fucking-sure am."
Daryl grunted, his lip rolling between his rough teeth. He was regretting this trip, his eyes jumping to Valentine who was waiting for his instructions like the others. Her face was blank, whatever she was thinking or feeling buckled tightly inside her, out of view for even him.
"In and out. Eyes open. Somethin' off, we're out. I ain't gettin' us caught up in somethin'."
They nodded to Daryl's orders and fell in line as he led them towards the unknown. The area was thick forest but after walking a mile or two the group saw the edge of the woods. As they approached a ridge above a large quarry they caught a sickening scent on the wind. Dead rotting flesh overwhelmed the air and soon the echoing groans of hundreds and hundreds of undead reached Daryl's ear. Approaching cautiously they found the quarry filled with shuffling bodies. The dirt roads leading down to it were blocked with semi-trucks, walkers stumbling off the paths and into the dead below.
"Mother of dick." Abraham cursed, his eyes landing on Daryl's before flicking to the women. "This what they were talkin' about?"
"Gotta be." Sasha replied, her brow furrowed as she watched another couple dead tumble off the edge into the pit of undead.
"You think their gonna get out?" Valentine asked quietly.
"Prolly." Daryl grunted, adjusting his bow to his back in order to use her binoculars. The area was secure at the moment but he could see the ground deteriorating around the truck's tires. The barriers wouldn't hold forever and when they poured out of their makeshift pen the herd would head straight towards Alexandria. Without action their new home would be trampled and devoured by the dead.
"My team saw it early on, back when we were on one of those first scouts, finding out what was around here. There was a camp at the bottom. The people, they must have blocked the exits with one of those trucks back when everything started to go bad. They didn't make it. They were all roamers. Maybe a dozen of them." Heath explained while the town crowded into Deanna's home. Rick had confronted her while the team was gone and she had confessed to the horrifying threat just waiting to be unleashed on the town. The residents were invited to the leaders home to discuss the issue as demanded by Rick. It had turned out to be information they had kept from the majority of the town siting there being no reason to worry them.
"No one's been back since?" Rick growled, his eyes jumping to Deanna who stood near her son Spencer.
"Reg was convinced we'd be able to secure the entrances," Deanna replied, her body tensing at the mention of her late husband. Valentine had heard the man responsible for the walls died during the construction, his life taken by walkers. Swallowing thickly she added, "I have the drawings around here somewhere."
"Building up the barriers won't work. The sounds going to keep drawing them," Valentine informed the woman, "they'll get out eventually."
Rick nodded, his hands resting on his hips as he looked over the townspeople. "I know y'all don't know us from Adam. We just got here and ya got no reason to trust us but walkers are already slipping through the exits. One of the trucks keeping the walkers in could go off the edge any day now. Maybe after one more hard rain. That exit sends them east. All of them. Right at us."
"What're you proposing?" A man asked from the left side of the room.
Rick glanced at Abraham and Daryl who had been discussing their options for the last few days. Their plan was risky and probably downright suicidal but there wasn't any other better ideas.
"We guide the herd, run it away from us and hope they keep going."
The room exploded with chatter, most exclaiming the ludicrousness of the suggestions. Deanna spoke loudly over the group, her voice shouting out, "Enough!"
The group simmered, quiet chatter still thrumming between the residents as Deanna assured, "We are going to listen to Rick and his group. We all know they have more experience out there."
"We don't know them." A woman growled, her eyes glaring at the group as a whole. "There's no way to know if it'll work and once they're out there's no going back!" Spencer growled from next to his mom. Her son Aiden shifted forward, "Spencer's right. We won't be able to control hundreds of deadheads. It's not possible."
"We have to try because it isn't a matter of if it'll happen, it's when." Rick spoke emphatically, his eyes blazing over the group. "If we plan out every variable. Every what if, we can do this."
The conversation continued, some Alexandrian's getting so fed up they left in huffs. One man got aggressive, pulling a gun on Rick he stole from the armory. Valentine ended the argument with her blade pressed into the guy's throat and her teeth bared.
"Val. Enough." Rick ordered, his hand yanking the gun away from the man before pulling on Valentine's shirt. She growled lowly, her chest vibrating aggressively until standing up and striding out of the house. Being fed up with the group's inability to see reason, the woman stalked out of the community and into the woods. Her blades out and eyes wild, Valentine began clearing the surroundings of walkers. With smooth movements her machetes slicing through the rotting skulls of the undead, their bodies a breadcrumb trail behind her. She wasn't surprised when Daryl stepped through the brush, his eyes searching for injuries with a frown.
"Don't like ya takin' off like that Val."
"I know."
"But ya still did it." He growled with narrowed eyes, his wide frame towering over her.
"I knew I wouldn't be alone for long." She quipped her smirk breaking the heavy tension in Daryl's shoulders. Rolling his eyes he muttered, "smartass."
They stood in the small clearing silently, only the rustle of the breeze and breath of the two sounding out. Daryl chewed his lip while gazing at her, his feet shuffling nervously. Valentine mentally rolled her eyes and huffed, "What?"
"Ya can't do shit like ya did back there."
Sighing she glanced at him but then muttered, "guy deserved more than my warning."
"That's your warnin'? Nearly cuttin' his throat?"
"He pulled a fucking gun on Rick."
"And Rick woulda handled it. They ain't gonna trust us if you go off half cocked and crazy eyed." Daryl drawled, his eyes flicking away before he added, "ya need to hold back a little darlin'."
Valentine temper flared up but she stuffed it down, logically she knew she'd lost it back in town. Her need to protect the ones she cared about overriding her ability to think things through.
"Fine." She growled, shoving her blades away, "But I'm not gonna watch them threaten us. They don't know what the fuck their doing."
"Just… reign it in Val. We'll work everything out." He assured her, his lip curling as he joked, "I'm the hotheaded redneck 'member?"
Stepping into his chest, her finger traced the seam of his flannel, she murmured, "yeah but you're my hotheaded redneck."
Daryl was lifting large panels of metal onto a flatbed truck with the rest of the scavenge group. They needed to get enough to guide the herd away from Alexandria and they were far from being prepared. Everyday was another day the dead could come marching towards his family. The eventual catastrophe being only one of Daryl's concerns, the second and more troublesome to him was the fact that Valentine was on the scouting crew a dozen miles away. Rick had ordered a perimeter sweep from sun up to sun down and Valentine was in charge of the groups. She was spending thirteen hours a day out of his reach and in the thick of it. He couldn't fucking stand it. The woman could take care of herself but it wasn't just her out there she was looking after. She was running a crew of two to five people, half of which were the greenhorn Alexandrians. To say he was worried, would be the understatement of the century.
"Dixon, were 'bout done here. Are we hitting up another place or headin' home?" Heath asked from the truck bed, his hands tightening the canvas straps securing the paneling.
"Gonna unload. Next place is too far to get back home before dark." He instructed, his chin ticking to the truck, "Starter up. Be up in a sec'."
Lighting a cigarette, Daryl began double checking the ties, his inability to trust anybody stemming from his nerves. He didn't want to go back so soon, the further he got away from Valentine the harder it was for him to settle down. If he took his time working in the field, he could be closer to her if needed. His chest ached the further he got and there was a constant knot between his scarred shoulder blades. Daryl needed her more than he thought possible.
Climbing into the truck's passenger seat he grunted, "A'right, le's go."
Heath shifted the huge truck into gear and pulled out of the field. Daryl flipped the visor down in front of him, his gaze falling on the tiny mirror. He stared at the receding forest and then the packed dirt roads, his narrowed eyes searching for any sight of her or a signal flare for help. The sky stay placidly blue and soon the woods disappeared and the suburbs reappeared. They pulled into Alexandria and were met with a few helping hands. Rick strode over to get a report, his eyes looking for any sign of trouble. Seeing nothing other than Daryl's usual tension the man slowed his pace. "It go a'right?"
"Mm." Daryl grunted, his hand gesturing for the group to unload near the front of the community. "No sign of her."
"That's good Dixon. Means everything's going as planned."
Rolling his shoulder uncomfortably, the knot tightening as they spoke of Valentine. "Could be no sign 'cause it went t'shit." He muttered, his thumb torn to bits as he shuddered at the idea.
"They'll be back in a couple hours." Rick assured, "We'll all sit down and talk over the next steps."
Grunting again Daryl headed off to their house, the man needing time alone without everybody's desperate need to assure him. Nothing was going to get his mind off it, nor change his gut feeling that shit was going to fall apart soon. He knew it was inevitable and just wanted to deal with it all while beside Valentine rather than alone.
Valentine paced along the quarry edge, her eyes watching the dead shuffle below her. They were keeping an eye on the eroding roads leading into the rutted earth filled with biters. She was working with two people today, all three killing any walkers drawn to the sound while watching for any escaping corpses. Aiden and Stephen were patrolling the woods with her, both of their clumsy footfalls and constant chatter making her insane. Valentine wasn't sure why she needed to have anyone with her, let only two moronic douchebags but Rick had insisted on a buddy system. She hated him for it but couldn't blame him. It was still irritating.
"Hey Val. Look at this." Aiden hollered from a dozen yards away making her cringe. Glaring at the kid she stalked over and looked at the corpse he found. The rotten body was once a young woman, her blonde hair now caked with blood. Her pasty skin, sagging and gray but the gruesome sight was the jagged 'W' carved into her forehead. Valentine's lip curled in disgust and she glanced around the woods as if looking for the culprit.
"What do you think it is?" Stephen asked, his brow furrowed.
"Trouble." She muttered, her eyes tracing the initial while looking of the rest of the body. Her wrists were bound and her clothing torn, the reason for her death plan as day, a thick cut circled her neck, the wound obviously from a dull blade. The woman was murdered and left to turn. The canyon filled with the dead weren't the only threat out in the woods.
"We need to do another perimeter sweep." She remarked, her head tilting towards the ridge.
"Why? This thing could've come from anywhere." Aiden argued, his eyes defiant. Sighing Valentine spoke slowly, "Yes and they could also be near. We need to know."
"Waste of time." the other man bitched but began trudging after Valentine regardless. They moved slowly, all three looking for any prints that could be the living. The trio found a pathway that led into a development of homes. The overgrown yards strewn with dead bodies and burned rubble. A chill trickled up her spine as they stepped over garbage and body parts. The area was destroyed much like Noah's camp, the signs of an invading force and a resulting slaughter strewn all over the paved roads.
"Walkers?" Aiden asked, his hand ringing the handle of his rifle nervously. Valentine could tell they hadn't be exposed to such depravity. They were still naïve to the way the world was now. It both infuriated her and caused a feeling of deep jealousy.
"People did this." She replied, toeing the shoulder of a body to roll the corpse over. Once facing up they could see the slit throat and one letter initial etched into its bruised skin.
"Fuck." Stephen gasped before promptly throwing up all over the concrete. Valentine's face scrunched up in disgust as she strode away from the men. She scanned the grounds for any fresh prints, her eyes hooked by a bloody boot print entering a home nearby.
"Keep watch," she hissed before striding towards the home, her body crouched as she circled the property. Peering inside she ended up on the back porch, her knife popping open the locked door. Valentine slid inside, her eyes scanning the kitchen and living room for signs of life. Once she entered the hallway leading to the back of the home she found a few more bloody footprints. The woman stayed low, her blade out and ready for anything coming her way. She moved cautiously through each bedroom and bathroom before finding herself at the bottom of the attic's doorway. Taking a calming breath Valentine headed up the narrow stairs, her flashlight in one hand as she noticed more blood trailing up the steps. Moving sideways along the wall with a light searching the tiny attic the beam caught sight of the end of the trail. A man dressed in filthy clothing was strewn out of the ground. His tennis shoes covered in the trail causing blood. The light landed on the man's arm to see the giant bite wound and the hand holding the gun he put himself down with. Brains and blood stained the walls and soaked the bare wood floor.
Sighing Valentine headed towards the stairs when she heard the sound of a large vehicle. Her body frozen for a moment before lunging towards the window. She could see the huge truck, rumbling towards the men keeping watch, their guns raised. Valentine muttered, "Shit."
Running downstairs she caught sight out a bedroom window of the truck stopping, several men hopping down to the ground. Both Aiden and Stephen were shouting orders for them to stop. Valentine exited the back of the house and began circling the group. She made it the whole way around, her body sliding along the back of the truck. Two more men climbed out of the truck bed, one using a walkie talkie. Static rang out but then a voice ordered them to subdue them. Valentine worked quick, her body lunging at one man, her blade sliding between his ribs into his lung while her other blade swung out into another guy's stomach. His insides spilled out while he screamed, the other two firing off two gunshots at her.
Moving low she ducked behind the car, her ears catching the thundering boots as Aiden fired off a couple rounds. He missed his targets, the two men following Valentine catching up to her near the other side of the car. She swung her left blade out, nicking the man with a hunting knife. He grunted in pain before swinging a large fist at her face. Dodging it she was tackled by the second man, her face smashing into the ground. The sound of another truck roaring down the road had Valentine grappling for control. Underneath the car she could see Aiden freeze at the sight of the new threat his eyes flicking to his friend before they tucked tail and ran. Her eyes burned holes into their retreating backs as the men above her pounded on her face and chest.
"Fuckin' bitch." One man sneered, his fist landing hard against her cheek.
"Fuck you!" she sneered, her knee flying up into his groin. Twisting her body, she grabbed the handgun tucked in the back of his waistband, squeezing trigger instantly without regards to where it would land. The loud gunshot and the man's piercing screams echoed against the concrete. The bullet tearing down the back of his leg causing blood to gush all over them. He flung himself away and the second man took over, his legs pulling back to land hard knees into her ribcage.
The second truck had arrived, several men jumping out, all heavily armed and angry. Valentine's weapons were ripped away, her body thrown towards the center of the road. She stumbled forward to her knees as far too many guns were pointed at her. Her chest was heaving, her panting breathe rough from the fight. Adrenaline was thrumming through her veins, the jitters coming fast and hard as fight or flight took over. She was out numbered and her body was screaming for her to run as fast and as far as she could but she was caught. There was no escaping the web she had just landed in.
When a familiar face stepped out of the large vehicle Valentine felt her heart stutter. She couldn't decide if Dwight's reappearance was a good thing or bad one. It really could fall either way depending on what happened in Sanctuary after ruling fist of Negan was gone.
The scarred man sauntered over, his bow strapped to his back and gun on his hip. His eyes told her nothing of his or his men's intentions. Clenching her teeth she stayed still as stone as he approached.
"I gotta say I didn't think you'd ever stray back this way Valentine." He commented, his head cocked to the side. "I know some people who'd like to get their hands on you."
'Ok, bad. That's probably really bad.' She thought anxiously. Her eyes scanning the group of men behind him.
"Most didn't give a shit when you killed Negan. Some were happy... Well until everything started falling apart." Dwight drawled, his feet circling her. "See Negan may have been an asshole and he may have been a fucking tyrant but he got shit done. He kept a roof over our heads and food on the fucking table."
Valentine swallowed the lump now developing in her throat. His revelations were what she was afraid of, that her personal vendetta got others killed inadvertently.
"He had fucking order and when you took that... Shit went south I guess you could say." He spoke calmly but his eyes were piercing and full of hate. "You wanna know what happened when the fear of being beaten to death for committing rape and murder was gone?"
Swallowing thickly she watched as he flexed his fists, his gaze pinning her with unadulterated hatred.
"You wanna know what happened to Negan's wives after he was gone?" He growled, stepping in closer to hiss in her ear, "Should I tell you what happen to my wife?"
Valentine ground her teeth and stayed silent, dread filling her as fury rolled off Dwight in waves.
"You wanna know how many men took turns before I found her?" Dwight snarled his hand reaching out to fist her shirt. "How about how long it took her to finally give up and slash her wrists to bleed herself dry?"
"Dwight I'm..." She murmured, but was cut off as he shoved her hard to the ground. A kick landed to her gut causing her to cry out and try to block the incoming hits.
"Don't fucking say it." He screamed, fisting her hair to growl in her face. "I don't want your fucking sorries, I want a pound of flesh!"
He stood up and paced away, his stride angry and posture stiff. Valentine panted as her lungs tried to work past the now injured diaphragm.
Dwight stopped in front of her, his arms crossed. "You remember Seth?" He asked, his gaze drilling into her.
Nodding once she fell back into her vow of silence like a bad habit. Seth had been an asshole, always taunting and prodding her for a reaction. She had murdered him when he caught her speaking to Daryl about escaping Sanctuary. Valentine hadn't thought of the man since she impaled him with a knife blade and had no idea why Dwight was bringing him up.
"See Seth had a brother, not sure if you recall him talking about him, but they were tight. They lost each other after DC fell."
Shifting uncomfortably in her skin she realized where the conversation was going. If Seth's brother had shown up, there was a high likelihood he wasn't too pleased with her.
Glancing at the men behind him she looked for someone resembling Seth.
"He's not with me." Dwight commented, his eyes drilling into her, "I'll be taking you to him shortly. Man he's gonna be so happy with me. I bet I'll get a fucking raise. Maybe he'll even let me have first dibs with you."
A chill ran through her blood, her heartbeat faster and harder than before. Nothing good was coming to her and all she could think about was that Daryl would never find out what happened to her.
Thanks for reading! Drama and dark times ahead. You didn't think it was going to be all sunshine and puppies did you? ; ) Sorry for the cliff hanger.