Penny Lane chapter 3
"Gregory's dead." Michonne did not bother with any casual greetings or any small talk. "He tried to kill Maggie to take back control of Hilltop. She had him hanged to death for it."
"I'm surprised it took so long for that to happen. Why tell me? You don't look any more upset about that than I am." Negan smirked as he thought of it and what wasn't said out loud. "You were against it?"
"There were kids out there. I didn't want them to see that."
"Save that kind of talk for Rick. You know exactly why you protested. Hilltop has a new leader. The public hanging made it clear who's in charge and who is not."
Negan paused as if something occurred to him before he let out his usual, devilish smile.
"What are you smiling at?"
Al's MRAP was certainly built for the world they lived in. The biggest issue was how it would work, if ever again, once the fuel tank went dry. That was why it was not used unless absolutely necessary.
Going to Oceanside, Maggie and Al chose a more fuel-efficient converted box truck. It's refrigerated cargo bay would help preserve the goods for the trip back to Hilltop.
Thanks in large part to the solar powered storage facilities Oceanside had, they were able to have their beach day without worry about the fish spoiling.
"I hope Hershel doesn't give Enid and Tara too much of a hard time while we're away." Maggie said as she and Al walked hand in hand down to the beach with beach towels.
"You need to get away for some personal care. Tara and Enid understand that. Neither of them mind watching Hershel while you do that. For me, I'll take advantage of any opportunity there is to spend some alone time with you."
Maggie leaned in and kissed Al as they took in the sight of bright, blue sky and the seemingly endless sea as waves crashed lightly against the sandy shores.
"Oceanside is civil enough when they need to be but I know what they are trying to do. Their hate of Negan is not unfounded. Their reasons are not far from mine. On the other hand, I do not want to hurt the ones I love."
"That's great to hear and easy to say. Nevertheless, talk is cheap." Al knew how easy it would be to talk peace while preparing for a fight.
Cyndie and many of the minor leaders of Oceanside were making a very hard sell on Maggie. Though she could not blame them for why they wanted revenge, Al recognized as well how indifferent they were to who might get hurt in the process.
"The world's moving on without him. We're all working together and living together. For now, no more talk about trading pacts, hostilities, worries of the future or pains of the past. I have something else in mind right now." Al said as she gleefully took her shirt and pants. "It's something I've always wanted to do but never had the chance."
"Are you serious? We don't have swimsuits." Maggie argued as Al stood in front of her, completely naked with a smile on her face. "If there was ever a time to do this, it's now. Don't argue with me that you don't have the body for it. Even after becoming a mother, you are still sexy and fit enough."
Maggie paused for a moment before taking all her clothes off, revealing her body to Al.
Once both women were naked with their clothes piled up on their beach towels, Maggie and Al ran into the oncoming waves. The feel of the cool water against their skin and the scent of salt in the air soothed and excited them. It had been a long time since either of them had a good swim and they enjoyed every moment. After a few laps, Maggie and Al were in each other's arms, riding the waves as they passionately kissed each other.
"Teenagers. They love to talk without thinking, especially when the gossip is juicy enough. While it's amusing and boner-inducing to think about who the Widow has in her bed, it's hilarious to think how things have changed for you."
"What is that?" Michonne was no less annoyed at how perverse Negan spoke of Maggie than she was about how he was trying to manipulate her.
"While Rick is out there selling everyone on the dream of coming together, I can spot someone silently biding her time. I know the look of someone with a dominating spirit. Deep down, in places you don't talk about, you want everyone dancing to the tune you call. The Widow and The Tomboy will not, even if you turn your katana against them."
"I am not you. What we're creating here, it's nothing like what you had."
Michonne was about to reach the door when Negan spoke again. "Would you have killed Gregory before or after he killed Maggie?"
When she was outside, getting some fresh air to clear her head, Michonne tried to distract herself from what now coursed through her mind but Negan's question stuck like a thorn in her mind.
Would she have killed Gregory only after he managed to kill Maggie?
Al held Maggie in her arms as they laid down together on the shores of the beach. The sound of the waves crashing against the sand, the warmth of the sun and the salt in the air was a welcome change. Maggie gave a slight forward thrust, pushing her breasts deeper into Al's hands. "You feel so good in my hands, Maggie." Al whispered into Maggie's ear as she kissed the nape of her neck tenderly.
"You feel just as good in mine, Al." Maggie said as she took in the sights and sounds of the beach that laid out before them.
"When he gets old enough, I want to bring Hershel here to see all this." Maggie said as she leaned into Al's embrace. "I know what is out there but this is still a part of the world."
"Hershel would love it here as much as we do. We can even give him his first swimming lessons here." Al remarked, stroking Maggie's long hair and kissing the top of her head tenderly. "That sounds wonderful." Maggie mused.
"I know the world's gotten harder and tougher to live in, but if I can make every day as good as this one is for you, I will."
Maggie turned to face Al. "You already do that for me, Al. It's one of the many things I love about you." Leaning in, Maggie kissed Al deeply. "Now I want to show you that I can do for you what you do so well for me."
Al watched with undisguised arousal as Maggie descended lower and lower on her body. Al gasped as she felt Maggie's mouth on her breasts. She watched with excitement as Maggie wound up between her legs. "You're so beautiful, Maggie." With labored breaths, which caused her breasts to rise and fall, it was not long before Al called out Maggie's name in between orgasms.
The women of Oceanside were not blind to what was going on between Maggie and Al. They certainly were not deaf. They heard everything. So watching Maggie and Al naked and fondling each other, even as they rinsed off the salt water and sand from their bodies, did not come to them as a shock. In the grand scheme of the world they lived in, who slept with who was the least of their concerns.
After they were dry enough and their clothes were back on, Maggie and Al oversaw the loading of the stored resources into their box truck.
"Cyndie, thank you for letting us enjoy a beach day and for these resources. We had a great time." Maggie remarked.
"We're more than happy to have you and Al here whenever you need a break from it all." Cyndie replied. "Under the right conditions, beach vacations could become more than the occasional retreat."
"We appreciate the offer but it's not all sun and surf for us. There's still work to be done. We have to get to it." Maggie answered. Deanna's tutelage was certainly paying off. Calm diplomacy and carefully chosen responses helped to keep one's footing during negotiations and daily conversations.
Al hugged Maggie from behind and kissed the nape of her neck. "We have a long way to go and we're dealing with perishables."
After the goodbyes were done, Maggie and Al drove off back to Hilltop.
"Maggie, Al, you out there?"
Al smiled from behind the wheel as Maggie took the CB radio receiver in hand. "We're here, Daryl." Maggie answered back.
"I was nearby and thought to spend a bit of time at your place. I didn't come empty handed and I didn't come alone. We have lots to talk about."
"Is Aaron staying the night at the Kingdom? I had not seen him since he left for the boar hunt?" Michonne asked at the dinner table.
"Aaron will be back by midday tomorrow. He and Daryl are passing by Hilltop to talk with Maggie." Rick answered. Between him and Michonne, he was more accepting of Maggie's assertion of her leadership at the Hilltop.
"Does it have to do with what she did to Gregory?"
"No. It's about trade between the settlements, the distances in between and the commutes from one to another. There's a broken bridge not far from each community and if we can fix it, it will help us all in more ways than one. Until that happens, we need a way to cut down on long commutes, conserve resources and maintain ties amongst us all."
Upon their arrival at Hilltop, Maggie and Al were greeted by many of the newer members of the community, who helped move the supplies from Oceanside to the refrigerated storehouses inside Barrington House. When Maggie asked what they had planned for the communal dinner, she was surprised by the large boar cooking on a spit over an open fire. Maggie and Al ran to Daryl and Aaron, embracing them immediately. "It's been a bit since the last time we saw each other. How's your kid?" Al asked Aaron.
"Gracie's doing well. How are you and Maggie coming along?" Aaron did not hold any prejudices against their relationship. In fact, he was one of their firmest supporters.
"We had a fun beach day." Maggie said, wrapping an arm around Al's torso. "I could tell by the tans." It was not lost on Aaron how both women smiled so effortlessly around each other.
"Where did you get this catch?" Maggie asked, referring to the boar cooking over an open fire.
"Daryl and I caught one right off the hunting grounds nearby the Kingdom. We helped them out with several things there for the privilege. I also brought some applesauce from Alexandria for Hershel." Aaron remarked as he went back to soaking the boar in it's own juices, which he collected in a container between the fire and the spit. "Thank you both so much. If you can, we would love to have the both of you join us at our table for dinner." Maggie said, grateful for such gifts.
"We would love to. There is something else I'd like to talk with you after dinner." Aaron answered.
Al smiled at Aaron. "Dinner first, business later."
Dinner was not isolated between the folks of Hilltop. Everyone sat at the same table and ate together. Maggie sat at the head with Hershel on her lap. Aaron and Daryl to her right while Al, Tara and Enid sat at her left.
After dinner, Maggie entrusted Al with Hershel while she sat in her office with Aaron as he laid out the proposal Rick thought up.
"He wants Hilltop to act as the central trading post for all the settlements?" Maggie asked.
"Only for the short term. This setup helps everyone to not burn fuel getting from one place to another. It encourages more interaction with people as well." Aaron explained.
Maggie sighed as she contemplated what was being laid out in front of her. "Our storehouses are capable of holding large amounts but only so much. What you're asking is going to either push the limits of what we can maintain or completely overwhelm us."
"That's why we will have to make arrangements with the Kingdom, Oceanside, Alexandria and the Sanctuary. Storage time will vary on what is being held here at Hilltop and for how long."
"I think it's a bad idea and we shouldn't do it." Michonne remarked very sharply.
"Why? We're not dealing with a stranger. It's Maggie."
"It's not about whether it's Maggie or a complete stranger. This kind of deal undermines the equal standing of all the settlements. If one gets more influence than the others, it can make demands from them."
"Do you really think Maggie would do something like that? I trust her completely."
Michonne scoffed at Rick's answer. "How soon do you think we're going to hear her answer?"
"Either by the time Aaron returns tomorrow or on the CB radio any moment now."
The next day, when Aaron arrived at Alexandria, Rick and Michonne got Maggie's answer to both the proposal and Carl's idea of being a blacksmith's apprentice.
"Maggie says Carl can divide his time between Hilltop and Alexandria in between trade deliveries and pickups. We will have to work out with one another what is stored on the grounds of Hilltop and for how long."
It was not lost to either Rick or Aaron how unhappy Michonne was at hearing such news.
A/n: It may have taken a while to get this chapter done but I think it was worth it. Big thanks to Rositadixon321 for helping me out with this.