KEZZ 1: Sorry I didn't post sooner...it is Halloween weekend, though...lol
Ani woke up curled into Daryl's side and smiling widely before she smiled in content. She'd dreamt of their old campsite back at the burned out cabin and the day he'd first told her he loved her. It was a great memory and had her wishing that they were alone so she could give him a proper 'I'm sorry' wake up. Seeing as that wasn't happening just yet, she settled for lightly running her hand up and down his back, trailing it along his arm as far as she could before up and over his shoulder and back down his back. She heard him breath deeply as his arm tightened around her, the leg over hers catching her tighter as he ground his hips into her.
"Mmm, keep doin' that and I'll have to drag your ass outside," his gruff, sleep-filled voice rang out.
"Maybe ya should. Need ta show ya how sorry I am," she told him as he rolled on top of her and kissed her senseless.
"Get a room!" Merle's voice called out, causing Daryl to drop his forehead to her shoulder and both of them to groan.
"Prolly should stop 'fore we get carried away anyway," Ani said, causing Daryl to groan again and grind his hips into her once more before he rolled back off her.
He handed her her shirt as he stood up before grabbing his and putting it back on. Once their clothes were righted, Ani stood up and got to work reattaching all her knives. Daryl still couldn't believe she'd handed Sasha Bob's knife after they'd gotten back from Atlanta the first time. He was in the middle of grabbing his crossbow when she held one of the knives out to him. Taking it, his hands stopped as he looked at he handle. An intricately carved crossbow was on the handle of it, complete with his initials. Looking up at her before looking back at it, he wasn't sure what to say.
"What's this?"
"Ya lost most a ya knives, and I got plenty ta spare. 'Fore all this fightin', when I was laid up in the van, well, Beth was given me whittlin' knife at Grady and gave it back ta me," she said, pulling the smallest pocket knife he'd ever seen out of her back pocket; it was seriously no bigger than her pinky. "It was me papa's, and 'e handed it down ta me. How Shepard got it, I don' know. But when I was laid up in the van, I carved that. Only craftin' I was eva good at, carvin'. Can' really whittle, but I can carve."
"Is there anythin' you can't do?" he asked as a small smile crept on his face as he looked at the gift.
"Live without ya," she said back immediately, stepping into his personal space and wrapping her arms around him, needing to make up for lost time. "I love ya, D. I'm so fuckin' in love with ya it ain' funny. I'm sorry."
"I know. Stop sayin' it. I love you too. C'mere," Daryl said as he stood up, reaching out and pulling her to him, giving her another kiss.
"You weren't kiddin' about the conjoined thing, were you?" Abraham asked Carol from his perch against the wall, internally smiling at the two.
"Worse than teenagers is what they are," Merle said from beside Rick, passing the man back his daughter. "Come on, y'all! Got kids around!"
"Like Red and Rose haven' taught 'em 'bout the birds and the bees already. Ain' nothin' me and Daryl can teach 'em jus' by kissin' and cuddlin'," Ani said.
"I think it's sweet," Sophia said.
"Yeah, shows real love exists, you know?" Beth agreed, nudging Noah in the shoulder and causing him to scoff; it was no secret the two liked each other.
For a while, they just sat around in silence, not knowing just what their next move should be. It wasn't until Maggie called out that anyone even moved. "Hey, everyone? This is Aaron," she said as the sound of several guns were heard being readied. Ani had her knives out and followed quickly behind Daryl as he went to the barn door and looked out, double checking if they were followed before he roughly searched the man for weapons as Maggie explained herself and Ani studied the newcomer. "We met him outside. He's by himself. We took his weapons and we took his gear."
Merle closed and locked the door as Judith begin to wail, 'Aaron' saying, "Hi. It's nice to meet you."
He tried to take a step forward to shake Ani's hand, but she stepped back as Daryl stepped up between them, bow trained at the man who visibly paled and took a step back.
"You said he had a weapon?" Rick asked, Maggie handing him a six-shooter. "There something you need?"
Ani was still studying him, not seeing any signs of hidden behavior or even anything in his face except genuine shock and awe, as well as a genuine concern for his life, as Sasha spoke up. "He has a camp nearby. He wants us to audition for membership."
"Pfft-ha!" Ani couldn't help it. "Audition for membaship? Seriously? Ha!"
"I wish there was another word," the man said. "Audition makes it sound like we're some kind of a dance troupe. That's only on Friday nights. And, uh, it's not a camp. It's a community. I think you all would make valuable additions, but it's not my call. My job is to convince you all to follow me back home." When they remained silent, Aaron shook his head in understanding, his words so far ringing true to Ani, "I know. If I were you I wouldn't go either."
"Might, if ya have proof," Ani said, making Rick grab her by the arm which in turn made her jump and accidentally be a little too rough when she smacked his hand off, leaving a large red mark on his arm. "Sorry, but ya don' gotta be so rough. Man's tellin' the truth far as I can tell. All 'is responses are completely genuine, he's by 'imself, unarmed, and surrounded by enemies. Yet 'e's keepin' 'is compsure even though he's scared 'nough ta piss himself. Give 'im a chance."
"Sasha, can you hand Rick my pack?" Aaron asked. "Front pocket, there's an envelope." Ani walked over to where Rick had backed off a couple steps to look at what he pulled out too, giving Daryl a squeeze on the shoulder before she did so. "There's no way I could convince you to come with me just by talking about our community, just like, um, Ani is the correct name for everyone, right?"
"Yeah. Only Daryl and Red get names for me, and Red's only 'cause if I don' let 'im call me Tiny his panties get in a twist bad 'nough ta make 'is balls blue."
Merle's snort and a few smiles from the group as well as Abraham's only chuckle showed, making Aaron think his choice had been right all along and that following them for the last while had been worth it. He and Eric had been out for a few weeks now, having heard about Terminus and went to investigate. What they'd seen and heard while investigating had, at first, completely disgusted them and then astounded them. That's why they had continued following this group in the first place. When they had escaped together and continued traveling, eventually being joined by the small woman, they'd been astounded when she'd promised the young kid they brought back from Atlanta they'd get him home. And sure enough, they'd gotten him home even though it was destroyed. They'd lost two of theirs along the way and one of the couples had been fighting before he and Eric went back home to pick up the RV. They were positive of the group's heading and were close enough that they stayed the night in Alexandria due to the storm before heading back out. Aaron went on ahead to the barn he'd watch the couple lead the group to while Eric stayed back and hid with the vehicles.
"Ani, yes. Like Ani said, I need proof to convince you. That's why I brought those. I apologize in advance for the picture quality. We just found an old camera store last-"
"Nobody gives a shit," Daryl said quietly, just wanting the man to shut up but not missing the amused glint in Ania's eyes that quickly turned to one clearly asking if he was okay.
She might have been able to bounce back quickly, but he was rather grouchy about being hounded by Merle for taking what he needed from his girl. Needed a lot more than some kisses, but that'd have to wait now that this stranger showed up. Daryl knew that it was a need that came from over a month of not being able to be with her, and then just in general he needed to be touching her to make sure she was still there. Even if it had been an emotional slip, she'd still almost slipped through his fingers and he needed to make sure she hadn't. He just nodded at her and gave her a twitch of a smile before Aaron spoke, making him tear his eyes away from her to glare at the man.
"You're absolutely, 100% right," Aaron told him. "That's the first picture I wanted to show you, because nothing I say about our community will matter unless you know you'll be safe," he told Rick and Ani as Rick pulled the pictures from the envelope, showing a very high, but poorly constructed wall. "If you join us, you will be. Each panel in that wall is a fifteen foot high, twelve foot wide slab of solid steel framed by cold-rolled steel beams and square tubing. Nothing, alive or dead, gets through that without our say-so."
"Ya got ya bracas facin' out. Should be facin' in. anyone can climb up them things and drop down inside," Ani told him, automatically stating what was wrong with the wall before thinking about it. Realizing what she said, she quickly added, "But we can handle anyone. It's good ta keep out the walkas, though."
"You know architecture?"
"I know a good way in when I see one."
"I'll have to let them know back home. Thank you," he told her. "Like I said, security is obviously important. In fact, I think there's only one resource more critical to our community's survival. The people."
"Ya right there. People have always been the world's greatest resource," Ani said, nodding her head and agreeing with the man.
"Together we're strong. You can make us even stronger," Aaron told them as Rick handed Ani the pictures, who happily flipped through them, happy that at least one of the people was on his side, even if it wasn't the leader; if only he knew. "The next picture, you'll see inside the gates. Our community was first constructed-"
Whatever he was going to say was cut off by Rick sucker punching the man in the face. "The fuck, Rick?!" Ani asked, handing the pictures off to Sophia. "I told ya he was tellin' the truth! Does no one listen ta me anymore?!"
"Well, you aren't exactly reliable," Rosita said, earning her a glare from Ani.
"Listen 'ere, asshat. I am sick a ya attitude towards me. I know I ain' been at me best lately, but I sure as hell ain' gonna sit back and listen ta ya talkin' shite anymore. Or did ya forget, I've been the ones callin' half a the shots 'round 'ere even with me head on sideways?!"
"Girl's right, Rose. You're not even this much of a hard-ass to Eugene," Abraham said, still impressed by the girl's own right cross.
"Eugene didn't punch you."
"Yeah, well, a was being a donkey with his nuts on fire, so I deserved it. I was given fair warnin' by Stumpy she wouldn't tolerate my shit and I all but flung said shit in her face. And hell, I got a good night's sleep," Abraham said. "Don't pin the blame on the horse for the donkey bein' a jackass."
"Where do ya come up with these sayin's?" Ani said as she double checked Aaron with Maggie and Daryl. "Neva mind, I don' wanna know. He should be fine, but Rick? Seriously? What the hell?"
Michonne seemed to agree as she told him, "Let's be clear, that wasn't a 'let's attack that man look.' It was a 'he seems like an okay guy to me' look. I'm with Ani on this. He didn't look like a threat."
"Still gotta secure him. Dump his pack."
"Rick, is that really necessary?" Ani asked. "Sure dump 'is pack, double check 'e's tellin' the truth, but let's be honest 'ere, he ain' no damn threat with all a us. Hell, even one a us could take 'im with our eyes closed. Ain' got an ounce a trainin' with his posture."
"Say we give him the benefit of the doubt," Abraham said. "And we leave him untied and he just happens to run off and brings back people from his community. I'd rather tie him up than be left lickin' dog balls of a corpse."
"Fine, but don' be too rough. Man looks fragile."
"Everybody else, we need eyes in every direction. They're comin' for us. We might not know how or when, but they are."
"Uh, Rick? If they were, they'd be hear already. Can we at least hear the man out 'fore ya go and condemn 'im? I mean, 'e's clean. That means runnin' wata. Look! He's got fuckin' applesauce! I mean, I don' 'bout ya, but that's homemade applesauce and that says their community has resources. And, let's be honest, lookin' at 'im, they need us. 'Sides, could always jus' take it if it don' work out right," she said with a shrug, making the man look at her in contemplation as Daryl tied the man's hands behind his back. "Might as well hear 'im out. Not too tight, D. No bruises. He won' try ta run."
"Alright," Daryl said, making sure the ropes were tight enough to not be able to break out of, but not so tight they'd bruise. His wrists would definitely be chaffed though.
"Me and Sasha, we didn't see him," Maggie said, agreeing with Ani. "If he had wanted to hurt us, he could've."
"Anybody see anything?" Rick asked, ignoring both Ani and Maggie who shared a look.
"Just a lot of hiding spots," Glenn replied unhelpfully.
"Alright, keep lookin'."
"Rick, I really don' think this is all necessary."
"How you figure, Tiny?" Abraham asked, wondering what it was that the little woman saw in the man that made her trust him so easily.
"Again, he's clean, Rick. Home-canned goods. Fuckin' pictures! We need this! I need this. Judith definitely needs this," she told him, following him back to where Carl had emptied his pack.
"What'd you find?"
"Never seen a gun like that before," Carl said, handing over an orange gun with a large barrel.
"It's a flare gun," Ani said. "Ya shoot it in the air ta indicate ya position."
"So you're saying there could be more out there?" Rick asked.
"Well, that's a dumb question. A course there're more'n jus' him out there. Don' know how many, but one flare gun with two flairs and no knives says a lot 'bout this guy. Eitha he's sincere, or 'e's expendable. Me guess is still definitely leanin' towards sincere." Walking away, she noticed how Daryl was pacing behind the man as Maggie dealt with the man's bleeding ear. "Ya okay, D?" she asked as she walked up to him, Daryl reaching out and grabbing her to bring her further away from the man on the floor.
"Don't like this," he said, knowing she'd understand that not knowing how many they were against and the fact that he was uncomfortable with the newcomer.
"I know, babe, I know," she said as the guy came to.
With a smile and a chuckle, Aaron told Rick, "You've got a hell of a right cross there, Rick."
"Yeah, well, Ani's a good teacher," he said dryly. "Sit him up."
"I think it's better-" Maggie started.
"Ya prolly gave 'im-" Ani said at the same time.
Both were cut off by Aaron's, "It's okay."
"He's fine, sit him up," Rick repeated, causing Michonne to roughly jerk Aaron into a sitting position.
"Easy, Michy, jeez! Am I the only one wantin' 'im ta be treated like a human fuckin' bein'?" Ani asked, thoroughly irritated by the way the group was treating the man; he seriously wouldn't be able to hurt a fly around them!
Groaning as he was righted, Aaron said, "You're being cautious. I completely understand that."
"How many of your people are out there?" Rick asked, cutting off Aaron's response and sending Ani a steely glare she responded in kind too before he produced the flare gun. "You have a flare gun. You have it to signal your people. How many of them are there?"
"Does it matter?"
"Yes," Rick and Ani said at the same time.
"I mean," Aaron said while rolling his eyes, more to himself and his own stupid question than anything else. "Yes, of course it matters how many people are actually out there, but does it matter how many people are out there?"
"Man's got a point, Friendly," Merle popped up from his station at the back of the barn. "Can't trust a damn number that comes out of his mouth."
"Stop ya shite, Merle. Man hasn' lied yet."
"How do you know?" Tara asked.
"Forensic psychologist. Really good at it. Used ta be called the Atlanta PD's own Sherlock. So yeah, I know."
"Would you believe me if I said there was only one?" Aaron asked.
"I can believe ya scared 'bout whoeva ya thinkin' 'bout," she said, bending down in front of him and taking a good look at him. "Ya partna, ya really care 'bout 'em, don' ya?"
"He's the love of my life," he admitted. "There really is only one other. Just him. We drove in separate vehicles so if we encountered a group, we could bring them all back to the community. He stayed by them to guard them. Look, I know it's hard to trust me," he told Rick who was standing behind Ani, watching the interaction closely, "but I am telling the truth."
"Kinda hard to trust a man who smiles after getting punched in the face."
"How about a guy who leaves bottles of water for you in the road?"
Daryl glanced at the water he'd been sharing with Ani and realized scowled at the man, "How long you been followin' us?"
"Long enough to see that you practically ignore a pack of roamers on your trail," Aaron said. "Long enough to see that despite a lack of food and water, you never turned on each other. Your survivors, and you're people. Like I said, and I hope you won't punch me again, that is the most important resource in the world." Everyone remained very silent, looking to Ani and Rick. Rick was scowling and untrusting, as were Merle and Daryl, but Ani looked relaxed and excited. "Let me drive you to the community. All of you. You can see it for yourselves."
"You're parked just a couple miles away, right?" Carol asked suspiciously, making Ani roll her eyes.
"Uh, duh?" she told the other woman, looking back at her. "Prolly got a car and a big van or somethin'. Prolly been listenin' ta us and watchin' us. Honestly, I like 'im! We did the same thing back at Grady, watchin' and waitin' ta see what we could see ta get Beth back. Ain' nothin' wrong with bein' cautious, 'specially with a group like ours. Come on, guys! We really do need this. We've been out here too long. Sasha needs a place to rest and mourn. Red's hand is still bleedin' 'cause we're always fightin' and on the move. Judith needs food. Can' jus' keep givin' 'er crushed acorns." When they all looked around, Ani gave a little room. "How 'bout this? Red, Glenn? Ya take Maggie, Rose and Michy ta check out the vehicles. The rest a us'll look for his friend. Rick, ya stay here and get ya head on straight. And give that baby some applesauce!"
"What if it's poisoned?" Carol asked.
"Give it ta him first," Ani said, jabbing her thumb in Aaron's direction.
"Where you parked?" Abraham asked, liking the option where he got to get out of the barn.
"East on Ridge Road, just after you hit Route 16," Aaron said. "We wanted to get them closer, but then the storm came, blocked the road. We couldn't clear it. Like I said, I came here, he stayed back."
"You got this all planned out, don't you?" Rick asked.
"Rick, if I wanted to ambush you, I'd do it here. You know, light the barn on fire while you slept, pick you off as you ran out the only exit. You can trust me."
"I believe 'im, Rick," Ani said.
"I'll go check out the cars," Michonne said, agreeing with Ani that they needed this.
"There aren't any cars."
"There's only one way to find out."
"We don't need to find out."
"The hell we don'!" Ani shouted at Rick, making Aaron startle as she stood and stormed over to the older man. "Shite's bein' put right, right now! It ain' ya call ta make, Rick! I'm resumin' me mantle a leadaship. Red, Rose, Glenn, Maggie, go with Michy. Do what ya gotta ta get ta the road and back safely, but go. That's an orda."
"You got it," Glenn said, agreeing with Ani's move, though still not trusting the man.
"Look," Michonne told Rick. "You know what you know and you're sure of it, but I'm not."
"Me neither," Maggie told him. "I agree with Ani that he's tellin' the truth."
"Your way is dangerous," Rick told Ani. "Mine isn't."
"Passin' up a place we can live? Where Judith can live without goin' without food? Where we don' gotta scramble for wata? That's pretty damn dangarous, Rick."
"We need to find out what this is," Michonne told him. "We can handle ourselves. So that's what we're gonna do."
"Fine, do it your way."
"Ya good with it, Abe, Rose?"
"Sure, whatever," Rosita said as she grabbed her gun; she still wasn't happy that the young woman had been calling the shots half the time anyway and now she was handing out orders.
"Yes ma'am, I'll walk with him," Abraham told her, ruffling her hair a bit as he passed by, smiling at the literal growl that came out of her as she batted his hand away. "Damn, momma to bobcats, should've known you were part animal."
"Get the fuck outta here 'fore I kick ya ass again!"
"Like to see you try with those short legs."
Ani's response was to turn and do a roundhouse kick, effectively kicking the man in the ass and making him stumble forward, "Not that damn hard."
"Told you she takes things literal," Merle said. "Me and Phia'll go with 'em, just to make sure we're good."
"Alright, the more the merrya they always say," Ani said nodding her head.
"You got enough firepower?" Rick asked them.
"We got what we got. If there's trouble, we'll take 'em down," Merle assured him.
"Alright," he said as Daryl moved Aaron away from the door. "The walkies are outta juice. If you're not back in sixty minutes, we'll come. Which might be just what they want."
"Rick," Ani drew out. "Will ya jus' fuckin' trust me on this?"
Ignoring Ani, Rick told the remaining members, "If we're all in here, we're a target."
"I've got the area covered," Daryl said, grabbing his crossbow and Ania's hand and leaving the barn as Rick talked behind him.
"Alright, groups of two, find shomewhere safe within eyeshot."
Daryl pulled her far out into the woods, worried about the man in the barn but happy about having a moment alone with Ania. It'd been far too long between the prison, Terminus, Atlanta, and their fight and he had about an hour to keep her to himself and he was going to take it. Pulling her around a large tree, he pushed her back against it as he took her face in his hands and crashed his lips to hers. It didn't take long for her hands to be exploring him, either, though she did pull her lips away from his, making him attack her neck and shoulder instead.
"S'pposed to be loo...mmm...lookin' out," she told him, though if she was being honest with herself, she would kill him if he stopped.
"Don't care," he said as he dropped his crossbow off his shoulder and grabbed hold of her shirt, ripping it over her head. He really didn't, either.
~x~
"Eyes open, everybody," Glenn said. "Weapons up. If you see someone comin' at us, you fire."
"Copy that," Abraham said.
"No, don't copy that," Merle said. "Don't shoot, just keep 'em in your sights."
"Merle's right," Michonne told Glenn. "So if we see someone we just shoot them?"
"It's a good question," Maggie admitted.
"What if they're someone like us?" Michonne asked him. "What if Aaron's telling the truth? What if they're someone who has nothing to do with this?"
"We're seven people, walking with guns, and a crossbow," Glenn argued. "No one's coming up to say hello."
"But that's exactly what happened," Maggie countered.
"If it's someone like us, we should be afraid of them," Glenn told them.
"How so?" Sophia asked, not understanding why they should be afraid of people like them, when they were pretty damn nice people.
"He said he was watching us, right?" Glenn said. "It means he saw us yesterday. After everything we've done, why would he want us to join his group."
"Prolly been watching us a lot longer than that," Merle said. "I know I would. Knows our names, knows Ani's got a few of 'em. Probably knows more about their fight then any of us will. Not sure how long they've been watchin', but long enough to know whether or not we're good people. That says somethin'."
"People like us saved a priest," Michonne told the young Asian. "Saved a girl who rolled up to the prison with the Governor. Saved a crazy lady with a sword. He saw that."
"I don't know what he saw," Glenn admitted before they fell into silence walking along.
Their guns up, they moved along the road until they found some fallen trees, a car and an RV on the other side of them. "He was telling the truth," Michonne said as they momentarily lowered their guard.
Rosita had just stepped over one of the smaller trees when twigs snapped, causing her, Merle, Sophia, and Abraham to move with precision as a well greased military unit, each spreading out while covering flanks as Glenn called out, "Not one step closer, asshole!"
The only thing that came out was a couple of walkers, Abraham pulling out his knife and saying, "I got 'em."
"We got them," Rosita said, not even trying to hide her annoyance.
They went forward and made quick work of the walkers, Rosita helping get one off Abraham as he'd gone to grab it's arm and the damn thing just breaking off and away. It doing that sent Abraham off kilter and caused him to go down to one knee and leaving him open for attack. Rosita had knocked the other walker to the ground and quickly did the same to the one Abraham had been fighting before finishing off hers with the branch she'd grabbed as the man smashed his knife down into it's brain.
"Thanks," he told her, knowing his fondness of Tiny was getting on Rosita's nerves.
She didn't say anything back, just moved to the RV while pulling her pistol. Merle stood by the door, opening it as Rosita and Abraham quickly stormed the vehicle. Giving the all clear and checking the cupboards, Abraham almost started crying as Merle chuckled at his face from the steps.
"Gracious Ignacious," he said as he pulled a can of S'getti Rings out. "Oh, it has been a while."
"I think I saw Rex eat three cans one night," Rosita said, sitting on one of the benches.
"Four," Abraham corrected with a chuckle. "Son of a bitch knew if he didn't toss 'em back, I'd have come for 'em." When she looked away from him, he walked over to her, "Did I ever tell you 'bout William?"
"Your brother, right?"
"Yeah, my twin. Fraternal," Abraham said, Merle listening in on the conversation even if he wasn't invited to; Ani always said if he'd just shut his trap and listen, he might learn something. "Different in every way. I was big, he was small. I got my rugged good looks, he was baby-faced. Kept to himself a lot. Didn't like to talk, or couldn't, not rightly sure which. Had a lot of big movements and a lot of things that just set him off. Couldn't handle school, needed a specific routine and schedule, down to what he ate on which day. They didn't have a name for it back then, just said he was bein' difficult, slapped him with a label of 'mental' and called it good."
"Got a point in all this?" Rosita asked, not knowing where he was going with it.
"He was autistic, Rose, least accordin' to Ani, and I'd bet my life she was right after she explained it."
"Everyone's autistic to her. Says Eugene is, too," Rosita chimed in.
"You know why I let Merle talk me down when Eugene told the truth? Why I even helped him in the first place? Yeah, he asked and gave me a mission, but he reminded me of Will. Ani reminds me of him, too."
"What happened?" Merle's voice sounded out, causing both of them to look around the counter to see him sitting on the stairs. "To your brother, what happened?"
"He killed himself," Abraham said with a sigh. "The teasin' by our classmates, the scoldin's and ass-whoopin's he got at home for not 'tryin' hard enough'. He couldn't take the pressure after seventeen and became real depressed. Ended up that he took a bunch of pills on our eighteenth after findin' out the day before he was bein' denied the ability to live by himself on account of our parents. Found him myself. Soon as he was in the ground, I was in the military. Never saw my parents again. Couldn't after losing him."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Merle told him. "Really sorry. You know, Ani had a rough go of it too. She wasn't lyin' 'bout her parents tryin' to sell her off. Hell, her sister got her to take a bunch of pills on a few occasions, but Ani...well, it didn't take. Most of those scars on her body are from her family. If ever there was a hill to die on, it'd be the one she's standin' on. That's the hill I'm willin' to die on, anyway. Girl's got more grit than sandpaper, power and punch to match."
"I hear you there," Abraham agreed before turning to back to Rosita and thinking about how he and Sasha had started getting on, even if it was just her rolling her eyes at him. "You ain't the only woman out there anymore, Rose. And I ain't gonna keep listenin' to you bitch about Ani anymore. Get your shit squared away, or find another bunk to camp in."
Merle was shocked by Abraham's profession, eyebrows disappearing into his forehead as he stood up and got out of the RV, Abraham following close behind. Together, he and Abraham managed to move a lot of the large branches, the seven of them having to work to move the largest tree out of the road. Directing Rosita, Glenn, and Maggie into the car, he, Michonne, Sophia, and Abraham piled back into the RV and drove it back to the barn. As he climbed out, he gave a whistle, one they all knew as a signal for all clear.
~x~
"You sure your back's okay, baby girl?" Daryl asked as they trudged back to the barn having heard the whistle, feeling bad about being so rough when she was against a damn tree; she'd scraped it up good.
"Ya ask me that again and I'm gonna smack ya upside the head. People are gonna know, though," she said sheepishly, looking up through her lashes and looking at the deep purple bite mark on his collarbone.
"Still don't care," he told her with a smirk, loving the blush that spread across her cheeks and chest. "Had to keep quiet somehow."
"Gods, you're encouragable!" she laughed as they reached the clearing the barn was in.
Turning around and bringing her into his arms, he kissed her breathless again before looking her right in the eye, "Don't care."
He was half tempted to take her back out into the woods when Merle shouted at them, "Seriously! Didn't you do 'nough of that in the woods?!" Ani flipped the man off, though her face was beet red, making Merle howl in realization. "Holy shit, you did, didn't you?! Supposed to be lookin' for danger yet you're fuckin' like rabbits!"
"Blame 'im!" Ani shouted before running into the barn; she'd never been called out right after and certainly never wanted to be called out by Mr. Big Mouth himself.
And sure enough, even if several of the others were smirking as Daryl walked in with his own cocky smirk in her direction, Merle opened his big mouth and said, "Well, looks like my baby siblings finally kissed and made up."
"Gods, jus' fuckin' stop!" Ani told him.
"Ain't like you won't tell me 'bout it when I ask about it later," Merle chuckled.
"Ya worse than a woman, Mer-man! Worse than a gods-damned woman!"
"Are you two finished yet?" Rick asked, giving all three of them a scowling, dirty look. "Guess I don't need to ask if you two saw anything?"
"His fault! I swear! I was an innocent bystanda ta his decision! 'Sides, ya can' tell me Glenn and Maggie ain' been sneakin' off inta the woods and same goes for Red and Rose! Might not a been the most logical time, but..."
"That's enough," Rick said as Carl and Sophia brought more food in from the RV. "This is ours now," he told Aaron, holding a can in his hand.
"There's more than enough."
"It's ours, whether or not we go to your camp."
"Oh, we're goin', Rick. No ifs, ands, or buts. Ya ass is gettin' in one a them rides and we hightailin' it the fuck outta Dodge! Side note, where're me kitties?"
"I do believe they are above you, ma'am," Eugene told her. "They've apparently been practicin' their tree climbin' skills."
"Ya two get the fuck down 'ere!" Ani said after she looked up to be met by the eyes of Bobby and Catty, stomping her foot, pointing to the ground and putting her hand on her hip. While they weren't super high up, even on Daryl's shoulders she'd have to convince them to jump because she was so damn short! "I can' fuckin' reach ya way up there!"
Abraham laughed at how petulant she looked and said, "Give me a hand here, Rose."
"I am not getting those things."
"I'll help," Sasha said, not caring if she got scratched and knowing she owed Ani for screwing up at the bridge the other day.
"Well alright, darlin'," Abraham said, bending down on his knees. "Climb on."
Sasha climbed onto Abraham's shoulders as Ani reminded her, "Grab 'em by the scruff."
When the twins were safe on the ground, Ani told them thanks, only for Abraham to remark with a wink towards Sasha, "Anythin' to be between those two fine thighs. Still got some of that whiskey, darlin'."
Sasha just scoffed at him, still scratching Catty's chin as the kitten purred away in Ani's snickering arms as Rick said, "Fine, we're goin'. So where are we goin'? Where's your camp?"
"Well, every time I've done this, I've been behind the wheel driving recruits back," Aaron admitted.
"Nah, that one don' sit with me. We drive. You tell us where we're goin'. I'm willin' ta risk me family's relative safety ta go ta ya camp. I ain' gonna be stupid 'bout it," Ani said, seeing all kinds of possibilities of being led into a trap.
"I believe you're good people, I'd bet my life on it. I'm just not ready to bet my friends' lives just yet."
"Admiral, but ya can at least give us the first part a the trip," Ani suggested as a compromise.
"You're not driving," Rick agreed as he walked to the man with a map. "If you wanna go home? Tell us how."
"Go north on Route 16," Aaron told him as Rick looked down at the map, Ani kneeling down to look at it to, even if it was a bit painful both in her back and her legs.
"Then?" she asked him.
"I'll tell you when we get there."
"Fair 'nough."
"We'll take 23 north," Rick said. "You'll give us directions from there."
"That's," Aaron started before stuttering and starting over. "I don't know how else to say it, but that's a bad idea. We've cleared 16, it'll be faster."
"We'll take 23. We leave at sundown."
"We're doing this at night?" Sasha asked.
"Gives us the advantage," Merle said in agreement with Rick's call as much as he was with Ani's.
"Look, I know it's dangerous," Rick told the group. "But it's better than ridin' up to the gates during the day. If it isn't safe, we need to get gone before they know we're there."
"Rick, no offense ta ya, Aaron, if they're sendin' guys like 'im ta recruit people, I don' see why we can' jus' take the damn place and make it safe if it 'ain't safe,'" she said, dropping her voice an octave and air quoting around Rick's perceived danger.
"Either way, this is the safe play."
"Maybe. I dunno, but I'm agreein' with it for now," Ani said.
"No one is going to hurt you," Aaron said, freaking out over them wanting to change the route when Eric was still out there. "You're trying to protect your group, but you're putting them in danger."
"Tell me where the camp is, we'll leave right now," Rick countered. Aaron looked at Ani who gave a nod of her head but he could only shake his, prompting Rick to turn around and tell everyone, "It's gonna be a long night. Eat. Get some rest if you can."
He walked out of the barn, followed by Michonne while Merle tried to steer the conversation back to Ani and Daryl. In true Ani fashion, she had the man in a headlock in two seconds, making the man tap out and give up. She and Daryl dozed after she made a comment about how Abraham cracked and opened two cans of S'getti Rings at the same time. Soon enough, it was time to move out, Glenn, Michonne, Rick, Sasha and Aaron traveling in the car while the rest piled into the RV. They hadn't gotten very far at all before Abraham slammed on the breaks.
"Fuckin' shitballs!" the man said as he looked ahead of them through the window.
Ahead of them was a span of walkers that Glenn was charging the car through when Ani looked, "Turn the RV 'round! Go back ta 16! It's been cleared and we know they know that route!" They'd only gone a short distance when a flare shot into the sky, Ani hitting Abraham's shoulder, "There! They got out! Let's go get 'em!"
It didn't take very long to get to Route 16, the flare having been sent by a water tower a short distance towards where Aaron had told them to go. They didn't find the car, or their people, instead finding a man trapped under a car with a bunch of walkers surrounding him. Making short work of the walkers, Daryl, Abraham, and Merle helped life the rear end of the car up so Ani and Maggie could drag him out. He introduced himself as Aaron's husband and thanked them for coming to his aide. As Maggie wrapped the man's leg and Ani gave him some water and pain pills from her pack, the others settled in. Merle had reasoned that the others probably saw the flare and like they had, thought it was them. It was best to sit tight and wait for now. Going outside where Daryl was leaning against a wall, she leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him.
Holding onto her hips, Daryl asked, "We're good now, right? We're gonna stay good?"
"I wish I knew the answa ta that, D," Ani said. "Me mind sucks sometimes. I can' promise anythin' more'n I'll try harda not ta think y'all leave me jus' 'cause a me mind, though. And I can promise, I eva try somethin' like that again, ya can fuckin' tie me ta a bed and set me straight. Don' wait or let me push away. Jus' take what ya fuckin' want and need and shut me up."
"Hmm, I can live with that," he said with a smirk as he looked down at her.
Not too long later, a whistle sounded, causing Ani to move back and listen carefully. When it sounded again, Daryl whistled back while Ani knocked on the door. It opened and everyone began spilling out, Carl running to Rick as Maggie ran to Glenn. Aaron was calling for Eric as the group had their reunion, Ani just pointing to the door as the man called out from inside himself. Rick followed the frantic Aaron into the abandoned factory and through the side door Eric was laying in. Ani meant to follow, but Daryl's arm wrapping around her waist and bringing her to his chest stopped her.
"Don't you ever get sick of him holding you?" Tara asked her.
"Neva. When me head's on right, ya couldn' pay me 'nough ta get outta his arms when I ain' doin' nothin'."
"I honestly don't know whether to puke or say how that's really sweet," the woman said before walking away, leaving Ani laughing at her reactions.
"Hey," Aaron said as he came back into the room. "Everyone? Thank you. You saved Eric. I owe you. All of you. And I will make sure that debt is paid in full when we get to our community. When we get to Alexandria. Now, I'm not sure about you, but, I'd rather not do anymore driving tonight. Maybe we can hit the road in the morning," he suggested.
"That sounds fine," Rick said from behind him. "But if we're staying here for the night, you're sleepin' over there," he pointed across the room.
"You really think we gotta do that?" Maggie asked.
"Rick, ya couldn' keep me from Daryl or vice versa if and when one a us is hurt. Ya ain' keeping Aaron from 'is husband."
"Rick," Glenn spoke up. "He told us where the camp is. And he really was only traveling with one other person. If Ani trusts him, so do I. She's right that he hasn't lied yet. They're both unarmed. One of them's got a broken ankle. I want us to be safe too. I can't give up everything else. I know what I said," he said quietly, noticing Ani's look of confusion. "But it does matter."
Rick relented and moved away from the door, letting Aaron spend the night with his man. In the morning, Ani and Daryl piled into the RV with everyone but Michonne, Rick, and the kids, who were traveling in the rust bucket in front of them. Ani was sitting on Daryl's lap with her feet kicked up over Merle's. It made more room for others as they traveled down the road, Ani listening to the game Eugene was playing but not interested in joining in. They ended up breaking down momentarily, Rick taking a moment to himself out in the woods while Glenn taught Abraham how to change out the RV's battery. Ani and Daryl were on the roof of the thing, actually on separate ends, to keep looking out. It only took about twenty minutes to get back on the road.
"Don't even think about it, girly!" Merle chastised as Ani went to jump off the RV.
She just smiled sheepishly and jumped anyway, landing in a 'superhero' pose, "Stuck the landin'!"
"Ania! The fuck you think you're doin'?" Daryl yelled at her as he climbed down off of the RV.
"Relax, I still got the air casts on," she said, lifting up her pant leg a little and showing the white plastic and velcro. "See? Just a part a trainin'. Not that far, anyway. Less height than the tree."
Thirty minutes later they pulled up on a large fence, Ani suddenly going rigid in Daryl's arms, prompting him to ask, "You alright?"
"Is it bad that now we're 'ere, I wish we were gone? Meetin' people afta all this time. Promise me I can stick ta ya like glue?"
"Hell, you better," he told her, grabbing her hand as they stood and leading her out of the door.