Chapter 28: Fairy Tales

It had been three months since the fair. Three months since they walked up on that horrific scene of their friends, neighbors and loved ones grotesquely displayed on the pikes. Three months since everyone's world had been shaken by an insidious enemy hell-bent on terrorizing them into submission.

Three months since the subsequent battle against the Whisperer army and three months since Daryl and his comrades made the daring rescue and attack on the enemy.

It had been three months since Daryl had fallen in love with Connie. He went from being a lone wolf, resolved to spend the rest of his life in solitude to a man devoting himself to the woman he loved forever.

Three months later it was December 7th and the four communities had gathered there again for another festival. Connie and Daryl rode Delilah up to the front gates of Alexandria. They pulled a cart behind them with their own goods to share and trade. Smoked bacon, deer, rabbit, trout and catfish filled their cart.

Not long after they had arrived and settled in at Michonne's house, Daryl and Connie walked hand in hand through the streets of Alexandria. The smell of roasted pecans and hot cider filled the air. Lights were strung up around the church and a large Christmas tree towered above the residents and guests in Alexandria. It was a festive and magical sight that nobody had seen in over ten years. There were dozens of tables and booths assembled through the town square and Daryl smiled as he watched Connie's eyes light up at all the goods and treats in front of them.

Connie reminisced to being a teenager with her first boyfriend and walking through the City Point Mall in Brooklyn. She'd look through windows at the designer clothes then decide she didn't need anything. She just wanted to walk through the mall at Christmas and hold hands with her boyfriend. They'd share a pretzel and a cherry slushy and all was right in the world.

After trials and hardships of every kind, all was right in the world once again. She walked down the streets of Alexandria this time with her hand in Daryl's. She looked at tables and booths full of clothes, tools, homemade soaps, candles, housewares and an assortment of scavenged goods. She stopped and picked up a bar of soap and brought it close to her face. She closed her eyes as she inhaled. She laid it back on the table and repeated the action with a few more bars.

Daryl squeezed her hand and Connie turned to look at him. See anything you can't live without? he asked her.

Soap might be nice, she signed back.

"Soap? I can make you soap, piece of cake," Daryl replied sarcastically.

I'll believe that when I see it, Connie signed with a half-cocked grin. She put a bar of rosemary and mint soap to Daryl's nose for him to smell. Daryl inhaled and she set the soap back on the table.

You can trade some of the bacon for this soap, Connie said then pointed to what she wanted.

You're crazy! You want me to trade our bacon for soap? That's... Daryl stopped signing and spoke to Connie. "How do you say ironic?"

Connie put both of her arms up and showed him the sign he requested.

It's ironic, Daryl said slowly as he used the new sign he just learned, because they make this soap with animal fat. Daryl smiled and winked before they kept walking.

Connie smiled back and looped her arm through his arm, leaning her body into him. They walked along a little farther when she spotted familiar faces. She tugged on Daryl's arm then pointed to her friends. I'm going to go see Luke and Yumiko, she said.

Sure, Daryl replied. I'll go look for Carol. Sound good?

Connie nodded. I'll see you at six for dinner. She stood on her tiptoes and lovingly kissed him goodbye. Daryl stared at her as she walked away from him and towards her friends. An uneasy feeling pricked at him. Being away from her always made him nervous. Since moving into their cabin in the woods, it was rare for them to be apart from each other. They did almost everything together. Daryl knew how capable Connie was but he couldn't help but be protective of the most important person in his life. He took a deep breath and shook the useless thoughts from his head.

Daryl walked swiftly through the crowds wasting no time looking for his old friend. He finally found her sitting at a wooden picnic table with Ezekiel, Henry and three others he didn't recognize. She laughed as Ezekiel fed her a bite of his caramel apple.

When Carol spotted Daryl, she spoke quickly to Ezekiel then leaped from the table. She ran towards her friend and threw herself into his arms. Daryl lifted her from the ground in a warm embrace. When he set her back down, the two friends smiled in silence, just happy to see each other.

"I thought you'd be here but I wasn't sure," Carol exclaimed as she grinned from ear to ear.

"We heard about the fair a month ago and Connie's been countin' down the days."

"Me too. I think everyone's been pretty excited about this...especially after what happened at the fair a few months ago."

"I guess they're doin' some kind of tribunal too, right?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah, they are. Tomorrow morning at nine. The joint council thought it would be wise to do it while everyone was already here for the Christmas festival. Are you going to be there?"

"Don't know...haven't decided yet," Daryl replied curtly.

Carol sensed Daryl didn't want to talk about it any more. She was anxious to change the subject anyway. "Forget about the tribunal. I haven't seen you in a long time and there are other things I'd rather talk about."

"Yeah me too."

Carol smiled again and shook her head. She took Daryl's cheeks in her hands, studying his face. "Look at you...you finally got a proper haircut," she said as she ran her fingers through his hair in a motherly fashion. "You look better than you ever have."

"Even though I put on a few pounds?"

Carol chuckled as her eyes moved down to Daryl's waistline. "Connie's feeding you well then?"

"Feedin' me, cuttin' my hair, washin' my clothes. She even makes me floss a couple times a week."

"And you let her do all that?"

Daryl nodded.

"And I know you," Carol replied. "You're taking just as good a care of her."

"Tryin' to."

"You don't try Daryl Dixon...you just do it."

"Alright,sure, I'm takin' care of her too."

"I know you are." Carol let out a deep sigh. "It's nice isn't it...to take care of someone you love?"

"Yeah, it is," Daryl replied earnestly as he looked ahead dreamily."It's real nice but I ain't gonna lie...it still feels strange."

"You'll get used to it."

"Did you?" Daryl asked not knowing the answer. Even his best friend could be such an enigma to him.

"You mean with Ezekiel."

"Yeah."

Carol didn't answer right away. She walked next to Daryl reflecting on his question thoughtfully. "I remember taking care of Ed. It feels like a hundred years ago but I remember it like it was yesterday. He had to be at work at 7 AM everyday and he wanted breakfast ready by 6:15 sharp. And not cereal or oatmeal. He wanted eggs and bacon and toast – the bacon cooked up fresh every morning. I tried cooking a week's worth of bacon at a time but he let me know that he didn't like it that way. He wanted four slices cooked fresh every morning. Then he'd get home at 5:30 and wanted dinner on the table at 5:45 sharp. Sophia and I would make sure the house was clean and her homework was done and that dinner was on the table at 5:45 every night because if it wasn't..." Carol didn't finish her thought. She didn't need to because Daryl already knew.

"I took care of him because I was afraid of him. There was no love, no pride in it, no real care. Just fear and obligation." Carol stared ahead blankly, transfixed by the memories.

"Hey," Daryl said shaking her from her thoughts as he put his arm around her shoulder.

"I'm okay," Carol said smiling through her held back tears. "It's different now...that's all I mean. It's night and day compared to taking care of Zeke. Sometimes I bring him breakfast and sometimes he does it for me and sometimes we both stay in bed together until 10 AM and don't even bother with breakfast. But no matter what, there's love and respect. There's real care for each other. It's not always a fairy tale but it's still real love." Carol looked up at Daryl and playfully shoved her shoulder into his. "Is that what you have with Connie?"

"Real love?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah."

Daryl sighed. Sharing his feelings wasn't his strong suit. But talking about the love of his life with his best friend came easier than it did before. "If real love means bein' happier than you ever been before, then yeah, it's real love. On the other side of that, I think it also means being terrified at the thought of losin' it. That feeling is real too."

"Don't think like that. It'll drive you mad. Just soak up how good it feels and appreciate where you are right now and what you have in front of you."

"I'm tryin'"

"That's good enough then."

As the two friends walked along farther, Daryl looked at all the different vendors. "Do you know if any of the vendors here got jewelry."

"Oh that's good. I'm sure Connie will like jewelry!" Carol exclaimed giddily. "What kind of jewelry were you thinking of?"

"A ring."

Carol stopped walking and turned to her friend excitedly. "Daryl Dixon are you going to ask her to marry you?"

"Not exactly," Daryl said as he chewed on his bottom lip. "I mean, I already consider her my wife, I just...I just want to make it official...you know, give her a ring."

"And does she look at you the same way? Does she consider you her husband."

"Yeah, I think so. I'll find out for sure when I give her a ring."

"I guess you will." Carol chuckled and hugged Daryl's arm. "I'm so happy for you."

Carol looked at him and was pleased to see something she'd witnessed fewer times than she could count on one hand: a genuine smile. "I'm real happy too."

…..

Negan looked out the window of his cell trying to catch a glimpse of the festivities. He could hear the laughter and muffled chatter of hundreds of people as they strolled through town and bargained and traded their goods. He listened to the children squealing as they ran down the bustling streets of Alexandria. He shook his head and smiled as he sat on his cot and picked up his book.

Negan was just about to began reading when he heard the outside door open and close. His eyes shot up as he heard the footsteps descending the stairs to the cell. He smiled as he looked at a familiar face that he had sorely missed.

"Your Majesty," Negan gasped, almost in awe as he stood up and stared at the the silver-haired beauty on the other side of the bars.

"Negan," Carol replied with a nod. "It's good to see you. I trust you're doing well."

"I am."

"And I heard you made a full recovery from your injuries?"

"You bet! Fit as a damn fiddle," Negan chirped as he smiled. "Back to work and trying to be a productive member of society."

"That's good to hear. You look very well," Carol replied as she studied him. "You know, when we got you back here, Saddiq said he wasn't sure if he could do anything for you. I thought you might not make it."

"I guess me and the doc are both stronger than we thought a few months ago," Negan replied grinning. He took a few steps closer to the bars and looked down at Carol. "So what brings you here?"

"Well I'm here for the festival...everyone's here."

"That's not what I mean. I mean what are you doing here...as in here at my cell? You tryin' to bust me out for more shenanigans?" Negan replied, smiling at his own witty banter.

Carol moved in closer to Negan and looked at him soberly as she spoke. "There was a tribunal this morning."

Negan's smile faded to a more sober expression. "Really? What was it about?"

"It was actually about you."

"Me?" Negan asked, genuinely surprised. "There was a tribunal this morning about me. Why wasn't I invited?"

"Does it matter?"

"Well I don't know. What did all you fine people have to say about me?"

"Two leaders from each of the four communities were present. There were witnesses that testified. I was one of them."

"You testified? And what did you have to say about good ol' Negan?"

"I said that you helped me. That you proved yourself to be an asset both in Alexandria but also out in the field. I said that you were trustworthy and brave...that you put the mission and our communities ahead of your own life and safety." Carol looked into Negan's face and smiled with sincerity. "I said that we should give you a second chance."

"You said all that about me?" Negan asked with wide eyes.

"I did," Carol replied nodding. "A few others testified...Siddiq, Michonne, Daryl."

"Well surely that didn't go well. That guy hates me more than dog shit on the bottom of his shoe."

"Nonsense, Daryl's a teddy bear. His bark is worse than his bite."

"Well all that may be true but I still doubt he had anything good to say about me."

"He reminded the council that it was your actions that made it possible to take down Alpha. Said we wouldn't have been able to get a clean shot on her if you hadn't led her out into the open for us to do it. He also reminded them that you saved his life by giving him blood."

"Well shit. Don't I feel like the ugly duckling getting asked to the dance by the quarterback."

"The a decision came down and the council voted to release you, 6 to 2."

"I'm sorry, Negan said shaking his head slowly, "did you say they want to release me?"

"That's what I said," Carol replied to a stunned Negan. "You'll be on probation of course but you won't be in this cell anymore. You won't have an armed guard watching you do your work every day. You'll have your own apartment...your own space. As long as you stay within the walls of Alexandria, you'll be free to move around here as you please. Every morning when you get up, you'll check in with someone. You'll tell them where you're going...what your plans are for the day. You can't deviate from that plan without permission. Then before you return home, you'll check in with someone again."

"That sounds like a shit job for someone, havin' to babysit me like that," Negan said chuckling. "They really think I'm worth the trouble?"

"For the council, that remains to be seen. But it's not just about you. When Rick made the decision seven years ago to spare your life, he was making a decision that's much bigger than you. He was trying to build something that wouldn't just make things better for himself and his family. He was trying to make things better for all of us...for our future. We're still trying to actualize that."

"Well that makes me feel a tad bit less special but I'm still glad to be a part of the bigger picture." Negan studied Carol as he continued. "What about you? You got to know me...probably saw more of the real me than anyone else has in a long time. Do you think I'm worth all that?"

Carol shifted uneasily. Negan was putting her on the spot. She would have liked to avoid the question but she cared for him too much to do that. "To me? Yeah...you're worth it. You helped me when my own friends wouldn't. You stuck your neck out for me and I haven't forgotten that. I won't forget it. You were a friend to me and you can't ever have too many friends now."

"Right from the beginning, you told me you were going to stick your neck out for me too. And I'm grateful that you meant it. No one would have blamed you if you hadn't stuck to your word with a scumbag like me. You could've stabbed me in the back. Hell they might even have given you a parade if you had. But you didn't do that. You kept your word. And you were a friend to me too." Negan shook his head and smiled sincerely as he spoke. "And God knows I need all the friends I can get."

"You have my friendship. Once you get out, I'm sure you'll have a few more."

"I gotta say in all honesty, y'all letting me out of my cell," Negan said as he looked down at the ground, "I don't deserve it. I've had a lot of time to think about all of it and it would be the right thing to just let me rot in there til I died. I just wanted to say that I know that."

"Deserve is a funny word. I suppose we've all gotten some things we don't deserve – both good and bad."

Negan locked eyes with Carol. The intense and intimate stare made her shift uncomfortably but she didn't look away from him. "What?" she finally asked him.

Negan clicked his tongue and smiled thoughtfully before answering her. "You saved my life. You know that, don't you?"

"Siddiq saved your life. I didn't have anything to do with it," Carol replied. "I mean I guess I'm the one that found you but I'm sure someone else would have found you if I hadn't."

"Don't be modest," Negan said.

"I'm not being modest, I'm just saying I'm not the one..."

"Trust me, it was you," Negan argued.

"How so?"

"You kissed me. Do you remember?" Carol stared at him but said nothing.

"Alright you don't have to answer. You have a reputation to keep up." Negan chuckled softly. "But that kiss...that kiss saved my life. Like in one of them damn princess movies."

Carol shook her head. "You're not making any sense, Negan."

"I was ready to die that night. I made some bad mistakes. Really bad but I felt like maybe I turned over a new leaf and did something – even something small – to make up for it. I helped Daryl get his true love back...I sacrificed myself for the mission. I made my peace with all of you...I mean at least in my mind I did. I think maybe...maybe I even made my peace with God. It was the perfect recipe for a textbook honorable death, don't ya think?"

"So what are you still doing here then? It doesn't seem like you to pass up on an opportunity for a dramatic exit."

"You gave me a little kiss and..." Negan clicked his tongue again and cocked his head. Carol would have thought he was just playing games or being flirtatious again but she distinguished a genuine tone in his voice. "...and that kiss, it did somethin' magical – just like in a fairy tale. It made me realize that I didn't wanna go yet! It made me remember what it was like to have another person care about me...made me want to find someone that I could have those feelings for again."

Carol blushed and smiled. "Well who knows, maybe now you'll have that chance."

"It didn't just spur on my schoolboy crush though. It did something else."

"What did it do?"

"That kiss...it gave me a second wind and made me want to live for everything. It made me think that maybe there's a lot more good for me to do in this world. It awoke something in me and made me want to fight for my life so that I could do those good things. I'm tellin' you, I was ready to go. I didn't think I could stay even if I wanted to but you...you kissed me and you were kind to me. You showed me that you actually cared about me and..." Negan stopped speaking again. If Carol hadn't known better, she would have thought maybe she even caught an inkling of tears in the corner of his eye. "It had been a really long time since I thought someone cared about me...that thought I had a life worth saving...and that I deserved any kindness. I mean I don't deserve it but you gave it to me anyway. You saved me."

Carol remained silent for a long time before she replied. "So do it then."

"Do what?" Negan asked.

"You said you thought that maybe there was still more good for you to do. If that's true, then you should do it. Don't waste time. Don't fall back into old , ugly habits. You got a second chance that a lot of others never got. Don't waste it. Make the most of your second chance and live an honorable life...one your wife would be proud of. You're off to a good start...don't waste it."

"I don't intend to," Negan stated with both confidence and sincerity.

Carol and Negan stood just a few feet away from each other, with just the bars between them. They held the moment for a little longer before Carol finally turned to leave "I should get going. I need to get back to my family."

"Sure," Negan said with a sigh, trying to hide his disappointment that she was leaving. Carol started to walk away when Negan spoke again. "They have any idea how lucky they are to have you?"

"You mean my family?" Carol replied as she turned back towards him.

"Yeah. Your boy and your husband...do they know just how lucky they are to get a second chance with you?"

"Yeah they know. And on days when they forget, I don't hesitate to remind them," Carol said with a sly grin as she walked away again. "I'll see you around Negan."

"See you around, Carol."

A/N: Well I hope you all enjoyed this Monday chapter that for some reason, took me forever to write and publish. Have a great week all! Be safe, healthy and blessed!