Chapter 96 Another Mission

The sun had just come up as Daryl approached what looked to be temporary gates protecting Alexandria. There were still gaps in the walls with armed guards standing both inside and out for protection. Things were moving slow, but at least they were moving. Daryl was still surprised at how much damage had been done by Alpha's horde. But that chapter was over and done. The bulk of the herd had walked itself off the cliff.

He was about to enter the community when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. A group of about ten to fifteen walkers approached. One of the guards whistled and took his position against the threat. The wobbly gate opened, and a group of people came out with weapons, most in the form of spears salvaged from Hilltop after the fire. Daryl let his bag slide from his shoulder and land on the ground at his feet, as he readied his crossbow to join the fight.

First out of the gate was Aaron, Maggie and Carol, armed and ready to go. They were so focused on the group of walkers that they didn't even notice Daryl standing to the side. More people came out and followed their leaders. Soon they were all in battle, killing the threat of the walkers that approached. Daryl aimed his weapon, but it seemed he wasn't needed for this fight. Within minutes, the threat was vanquished.

"We gotta get this wall finished," Maggie was saying, as they cleaned the gore from their weapons.

"Everyone's doing their best," Aaron said. "We've got a group going out to find more supplies as we speak."

"What we really need is food," Carol said. "It's difficult to keep up a good pace on an empty stomach."

"I might be able to help with that," Daryl called from across the way.

The three friends looked up and saw that Daryl had returned. Maggie and Carol smiled and went to him immediately, but he noticed that Aaron stayed where he was. So, it seemed they were still fighting.

"When did you get back?" Maggie asked.

"Just now. About the food situation … I found an army base. I did a little exploring and saw a bunch of crates filled with MRE's. The problem is, I couldn't get close enough to bring any back. The place is loaded with dormant walkers," Daryl explained. When there was nothing to stimulate them, they shut down as though they were hibernating. Unfortunately, the slightest disturbance could activate them. Wake just one walker, and like a domino effect, they rest would follow.

"Did you find a way in?" Carol asked.

"Yeah, but we're gonna need lots of rope and more people. The shortest way to the prize is through the roof," Daryl informed.

"How soon do you want to go?" Maggie asked with enthusiasm.

"Wait a minute," Carol interrupted. "I thought we were going to have a wed–"

"We need to get food for our people," Aaron said. He had come up behind them and stood next to Carol. "That's first and foremost. Everything else can wait."

"Getting these walls secured can't wait," Maggie reminded them.

"I'll head up the construction," Aaron offered. "You go find some food for our people." Carol started to speak again, and Aaron cut her off quickly. "Your soup is going to fill a lot of bellies right now, but we need more."

Daryl stood by in silence and listened to them. They were hiding something from him, and he didn't like it. "What the hell's going on?"

"Nothing," Aaron said. He forced a smile, but didn't meet Daryl's gaze. "We're glad you're back. We're glad you're safe," he said like an automaton.

"Okay, let's get something organized," Maggie said. "Daryl, you fill us in on what we have to deal with and how long it's going to take to get there. Carol, get us some people to help out. We should head out soon. We're burning daylight here."

Everyone agreed. Carol walked with Maggie back inside the town. Daryl and Aaron stood still, each one wondering what the other would do. Daryl made the first move, picked up his bag and started pushing his bike toward the gate. He noticed that Aaron stood by and watched a moment before he spoke.

"You need some help with that?" Aaron asked.

"Naw, I got it," Daryl said tersely.

Aaron watched him stubbornly go, rolled his eyes and rushed to catch up. "Can we not do this?"

"Do what? Last I checked you made your decision … and you took my dog," Daryl complained.

"I didn't take your dog," Aaron countered. "He just … decided to go with me."

"By the way," Daryl went on. "My tool is in your pack. I need it back before I leave."

"Is that all you have to say to me right now?" Aaron's tone turned to anger.

Daryl stopped and turned around to face Aaron. "What do you want me to say? I told you my story. I told you my feelings about it. It happened a long time ago. It's over and done with."

"That's what I thought too, until I saw that note." Aaron shook his head and looked to the ground. "I don't know why, but I can't stop thinking about it."

"Yeah? Well, now you know how I felt when you were playing house with Jesus," Daryl shot back. He almost regretted saying it, but stopped himself. "Look … I met someone. We were together for a little while. He split. I never saw him again. That's it. That's the whole story."

"You left out the part about falling in love with him," Aaron said softly.

"I didn't love–"

"'I belong with you.'" Aaron recited. "That's what you wrote. Not 'I'm sorry' or 'I want you back'."

"Can you stand here and say you never felt that way with Jesus? You were with him longer than I was with Will."

"It's not about quantity, Daryl. The fact is, you met someone who you fell in love with. He will always be in your heart. I need to understand what you had together so that I can move on with it. I told you all about me and Paul. I was honest when I said that I would have left him if you had asked it of me. But what I'm struggling with is not knowing if you would have done the same. If I had come to the river and asked you to come home, would you have done it?"

Daryl chewed his lower lip, his eyes darting back and forth as he found it difficult to look Aaron in the eyes. It would have been easy to say yes and end the argument, but saying yes wasn't necessarily the truth. The fact was, Daryl couldn't say what he would have done. Could he have left Will to go back to Aaron? Any other moment in time, he wouldn't have had to think about it. The answer would have naturally been yes. But where his head was back then, and the person he'd become when he met Will might have altered his decision … and he didn't yet understand why.

"I guess I have my answer," Aaron said in response to Daryl's silence. He left Daryl standing with his bike and went inside the gate.

"Fuck," Daryl whispered to himself. This was neither the time nor the place for this discussion. He had a mission to carry out and a community of people to feed.

Daryl met with Maggie and the others to discuss and devise a plan. He told them about the army warehouse, where it was located, how he thought they should move forward, and approximately how long he thought it might take.

"I managed to get to the roof. There's a way in, but we'll have to rappel down," he told them.

Maggie looked around the room at the volunteers attending the meeting. "It should be the women doing this," she commented. Daryl started to disagree, but Maggie held up her hand to stop him. "We're lighter, and we'll need the brawn to pull us back up to the top. Carol, Rosita, Kelly, Magna and Lydia, are you all okay with that?"

The women all nodded in agreement, and Maggie went on taking charge of the mission. "We'll need rope. Do we have that at least?"

"That's one thing we managed to salvage," Jerry said. "We've been using it to pull logs into place for the wall. It shouldn't be a problem if we borrow some from the construction crew.

"I'll gather the rope," Daryl said, knowing Aaron was in charge of the construction crew. It would give him another opportunity to speak with him before leaving for the army base. He didn't like going out on a dangerous mission without patching up their differences. At least he could try. "What else do we need?"

Maggie rattled of a list of things, and the meeting broke up. Everyone went their separate ways to collect the items they needed, and agreed to meet at the gate in one hour. Daryl hung back with Maggie and waited until they were alone to speak with her. He couldn't help notice how much she'd changed over the years since she'd been gone. She was stronger, more headstrong, and more willing to take charge. He could tell she was still fighting her demons. One of those was living right here in Alexandria alongside Maggie and her son, Hershel. The tension felt in the air when Maggie and Negan met again could be cut with a knife.

"Hey, how you holding up?" Daryl asked.

"About as well as could be expected," she said, moving toward a building where she kept her things.

"You know, we haven't decided what we're going to do with him," he said about Negan. "Nothing's been decided. We've been a little preoccupied."

"As long as he stays out of my way and away from my son," she said, her steps becoming increasingly long as she rushed to get her stuff.

"I don't like him here either, but he's expendable. Some of the things he's done have helped us, but if he'd died while trying to accomplish our goals, it would have been no big loss. Better him then one of our own."

"But he didn't die," Maggie said a little angrily. "It's almost like he can't die when it's no more than he deserves." She reached the building where she stashed her things, and found Elijah and Cole waiting for her.

"Need us to come with you?" Cole asked.

"I'll take Elijah. Cole, you stay here. We're taking most of their fighters. They'll need the extra muscle, especially with the wall compromised," she ordered. Elijah and Cole nodded to their leader and went about their business.

"You've come a long way since the farm," Daryl mentioned.

"That was a whole other life," she said with disdain. "I'm not that girl anymore." Noticing how dark her mood was, Maggie shook it off and turned to Daryl with a forced smile. "What's going on with you and Aaron?"

It was Daryl's turn to push away from the conversation. "Nothing that a little time and distance won't cure."

"Well, if you want to talk, I'm here." Maggie reached for his shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"I'm gonna go get that rope," Daryl said, with a friendly glance at his longtime friend. "Meet you at the gate."

He saw Aaron from a distance, helping a crew lift another panel into place. Even with one arm, Aaron was still very strong. He had never let his handicap slow him down. He couldn't, not in this world. The weak were always the first to go.

Daryl waited until Aaron was finished before approaching him. Aaron spoke first. "You need that rope now?"

"Yeah, we're heading out soon. You sure you don't want to come?" Daryl offered, knowing he would refuse.

"They need me here. We have to keep going with the wall."

Even though they were talking to each other, there was an icy vibe between them. Nothing had been resolved, and it would be a while before they could really sit down and hash out Daryl's past. He was still trying to come to terms with it himself. Daryl needed Aaron to know that, and he started to say something, but Aaron interrupted him.

"We're using the one storage shed that wasn't destroyed to keep what tools and equipment we have. You'll find rope in there. Take what you need. We'll get by with what's left until you get back." Just as Aaron finished speaking, someone shouted out in a curse and threw a broken hammer across the yard. The men watched, and Aaron lowered his head. "Without a smithy, broken tools aren't being repaired, so if you happen to find anything while you're out there, it would help us out a lot."

"I'll keep a lookout," Daryl said. He watched Aaron, but he still wouldn't make eye contact. "Hey," he said softly. "I don't want to leave while … this is between us," he said, gesturing between the two of them.

"Yeah, I know. Listen," Aaron looked up, but not at Daryl. He kept his sight on the people fixing the wall. "We'll talk when you get back. We'll sit down and figure it all out."

"Okay, but there's not much to figure out. I love you, and that's never changed. It never will. I need you to understand that."

Aaron nodded as his sight fell to the ground once more. "Be careful out there."

"I always am."

Aaron started to turn away, but Daryl caught him by his arm and pulled him in, forcing Aaron to make eye contact. He gazed at Aaron, his eyes asking for permission. Aaron reluctantly gave in and met Daryl half way. Daryl closed the distance and they kissed. It was light, just lips upon lips, since they were in public, but Daryl had a feeling it would have been the same even if they were alone.

"I'll see you soon," Daryl said when they separated. To make it easier, Daryl walked away first. He could tell Aaron was being awkward with the moment they shared, and he wished things didn't have to be this way. The sooner he got back, the sooner they could resolve their differences. Daryl would use the time away to get his thoughts straight and really take a good look at his past and how to patch things up with Aaron. He told himself it was just a bump in the road. They'd made it through much tougher situations, and they would make it through this one, too.

The group made their way with great care to the army base, and so far, the only thing that crossed their path was walkers. It was good and bad. Good because they knew how to take care of walkers, bad because that was the only thing moving through the woods. Daryl constantly kept an eye out for animals, but there were none to be seen for miles. The horde had really depleted their hunting grounds and the surrounding areas. It was very worrisome. How were they going to feed the people back in Alexandria? The children were his main concern. Adults could handle the hunger better. Children, especially the little ones, didn't understand.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Carol said, coming up next to Daryl as they navigated a path through the forest.

"I was just concentrating on the land, looking for clues, signs of animals nearby," he answered.

"How long have we been friends?" she asked.

He glanced at her skeptically. "I don't know, nine or ten years now."

"And in all that time, do you think I haven't learned a thing or two about you?" she said with a cocked brow.

"Ditto," he said tersely.

"Right. Now, spill the beans," she demanded when he resisted.

"It's nothing," he said, but he knew Carol wouldn't take that for an answer. "It's me, I guess. I'm the asshole once again."

"What did you do?" she asked, though Carol already knew. Aaron told her what he knew about Daryl's other life with Will, but she was giving him the chance to come clean. Afterall, it really didn't concern her outside of being Daryl's best friend.

"I shut down and closed myself off, and you know Aaron's never allowed that in our relationship. But we'll work through it like we always do."

"And how are you going to do that when you haven't spent a solid minute together … alone."

"There's no time for that right now. We've got the community to think about."

Carol nodded. "Yes, that's true, and maintaining healthy relationships is a part of being a community." She could see Daryl wasn't ready to share, so she wouldn't push. "Well, I'm sure it will all get worked out in the end." The conversation ended and they moved on with the mission.

It took them two days to reach the army base, and when they got there, it was exactly as Daryl had described. It looked like a hanger of some sort, sealed off from the outside world, undisturbed because of the amount of walkers inside. No one had thought to try and find a way inside, but not Daryl's group. Desperate times and all, nothing would keep them from getting to supplies that made the difference between life or death.

Daryl led them to a ladder that went to the roof. It didn't reach the ground, but they hoisted one another up, leaving a couple people on the ground to keep guard. They opened a trap door and peered down inside. The floor was littered with bodies, most of them in army uniforms.

"Are you sure they're not already dead?" Jerry asked as he looked worriedly into the dimly lit building.

"They're dormant. No telling how long they've been in there without a food source." Maggie informed. "The good thing is that they'll be stiff and slow. The bad thing is that it won't take much to animate them. The slightest noise could wake them up, and all it takes is one. The rest will be triggered by its growls and then the entire building will come alive with walkers."

"Are you sure about this, Maggie?" Alden asked.

She flashed a light at a stack of wooden crates. "There's food in those. MRE's, Meals Ready to Eat. The expiration dates on those go out for years. They'll still be good. We've got a lot of hungry people depending on us back home."

"Let's do this," Daryl said as he got out their supplies.

They rigged up the ropes and a pully system. The women tied themselves to the ropes, empty satchels in hand, and weapons strapped to their bodies. The men carefully lowered them down. Once the women reached the floor, they unhooked themselves and cautiously made their way to the crates. Once they were down there, they were on their own. Daryl didn't like that feeling of helplessness. Now, all he could do was cover them from above if things went wrong.

It was taking a very long time, and the men were getting nervous the longer the women were inside the building. But there was nothing they could do. The women had to move slowly so they didn't make any noise. After an extensive amount of time, the first of the scavengers appeared below. Maggie attached her bag to the metal carabiner and gave a light tug on the rope, signaling to the people above to pull it up. One by one, the men retrieved the heavy sacks full of MRE's. The plan was coming together, but they weren't through yet.

Jerry was pulling a bag up when the rope gave out and broke. Daryl was right there, and he saw the rope. Just as the broken end started to go over the edge of the opening, he dove and grabbed it. He had a death grip on the rope. If the bag fell, it would be a disaster … devastation. Beside him, Jerry let out the breath he had been holding. Daryl took a moment to gather himself before he started bringing the

pack carefully to the roof. That's when he felt a burning sensation on his arm. He and Jerry saw it at the same time, a large cut and a trail of blood running toward his fingers. Daryl's first thought was to get the bag up before the blood made his grip slippery. But what he didn't account for was the blood to drip from his arm before getting to his hand.

"It's okay, man. You've got this," Jerry whispered with confidence, but he didn't see what Daryl was seeing.

A single drop of blood fell, and Daryl prayed it landed on Maggie or one of the other women gathered at the bottom. But when he heard the faint sound of growling, he knew they were all in trouble. One drop was all it took. Like a shark sensing blood in the water, a walker had smelled the metallic scent and started waking up. This triggered other walkers around him, and one by one they started to reanimate. Daryl ignored the searing pain in his arm and lifted the sack. Then he signaled to the others to get ready for a fight.

It all happened so fast. Down below, the women scrambled. Maggie and Carol went into action, protecting the others so they could make their way to the ropes. As shots were fired, the entire herd below woke up and were on the move. Daryl, Jerry and Alden peered into the dark, ready to defend their female counterparts. First to the ropes were Kelly and Lydia. Next was Rosita and Magna. Maggie and Carol remained behind, giving cover to the others. By then, the walkers were closing in, and Daryl watched Carol tell Maggie to go up next while staying behind as a last defense. To his horror, he watched as Carol left the ropes once Maggie was high enough that she cleared the reach of any walkers.

"What the fuck is she doing?" he said to himself out of frustration. Dammit, she was going back for the last of the MRE's. She had an empty bag, and must have seen a clear path to one of the crates that still held the food. He was ready with his crossbow, and when a couple walkers were getting too close, he shot them. After what seemed like forever, Carol was finally coming back to the ropes. She was trying to clip her bag to one of the ropes. It would be too heavy to lift her and the filled bag, but the time it was taking was far too long. Meanwhile, Daryl was out of arrows. All he had left were his knives, so he threw them with accuracy, taking down two more walkers that were reaching for Carol. She seemed to be caught off-guard when she noticed them fall to the floor. The last thing she did was retrieve Daryl's knives before tying the rope to her waist. Daryl and the others hauled her up quickly, and just in time. With no time to spare, the last open space below lit by a single beam of light from the opening in the roof, filled with growling walkers who could do nothing more than reach for the open air between them and Carol. Once again, luck was on their side, and everyone made it out with their lives.

The group was making their way as far from the army base as possible before having to stop for the night. Daryl walked alone. He was perturbed because of Carol and her reckless behavior. He wasn't alone for long. Carol rushed to catch up to him. He took a deep breath and tried to contain his anger before speaking.

"What's the rush?" she asked.

"Why are you pulling a stunt like that?" he said with more anger than he would have liked.

"What?" she asked as if she didn't know what he was referring to. That pissed him off even more.

"You almost got yourself killed back there … again," he complained.

"We need the food. I saw an opening and went for it. And I'm still here, aren't I?"

"Barely," he mumbled. "I was out of fucking arrows. If I didn't have my knives–"

"And your welcome," she interrupted with a condescending smile. "I could have left them stuck in that walker, but I grabbed them for you."

"I wouldn't have had to throw them if you'd just come up the rope like everyone else." Daryl stopped walking and waited for the others to pass before he continued. Then he quietly spoke. "You're going to get yourself in real trouble some day."

"Aw, pookie. I didn't mean to upset you," she smiled, but this time it was genuine. She was, however, taking the whole episode lightly. "We've done this too many times over the years. I know what I'm doing, and you know it too. I knew I had just enough time to fill that last bag, and I knew you were hovering above me like a guardian angel. We've always made a good team in that way."

"Do me a favor, and for once, don't let it get that far. I don't know how much more my nerves or my heart can take it." Daryl spoke lightheartedly, knowing she was right not to get so upset.

Carol patted him on the back and gave him a peck on the cheek before moving on to catch up with the group. Daryl watched her walk away, taking a moment to check his anger level. He knew it wasn't just focused on Carol. He was already on edge even before they left for this mission.

"Hey," Maggie said, coming up next to him. She had been hanging behind, keeping watch over the others. If anyone was on edge lately it was Maggie.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Looks clear around here, but I think we should keep going through the night," she suggested.

"Bad idea," Daryl mumbled. "You know it's dangerous at night out in the open like this. We should stop." Even as he spoke, she seemed to be moving on to the next dilemma in her mind. "You gonna tell me what's making you so skittish?"

"It ain't walkers I'm worried about." She scanned the area as they walked, never making eye contact with Daryl.

He gently took her by the arm and stopped her from walking. "What happened to you out there?" he asked with genuine concern. Maggie was different than she used to be, and he knew she had been through some kind of trauma. Instead of answering, she turned the questioning onto Daryl.

"You've been in a mood yourself, and I sensed the tension between you and Aaron. Did you guys have a falling out or something?"

Daryl turned his eyes from her and started walking again. "I guess you could say that."

"Wanna talk?" she asked, her lightened tone reminiscent of the old Maggie.

"You won't talk about your past. Why should I talk about mine?"

Maggie rolled her eyes to the tree canopy above and gave a sigh. "I lost a lot of people … people who counted on me, trusted me to keep them safe. I had a place, a community. We called it Meridian. It was a good place to live … until it wasn't." She paused to collect herself, and Daryl waited for her to continue. She did so reluctantly. "I was out with Cole and Elijah when our home was raided. By the time we got back, most of my people were dead or dying. We lost Meridian. A few others made it out, but I don't know where they are. I was hoping to run into them out here, but they must have fled in a different direction. I sent Cole out to look for them, but I'm worried they're gone."

"Do you know who attacked you?" Daryl asked. If there was another group out there, he needed to know about it.

"All I know is by the time you see them it's too late. That's why I've been hanging back."

"See anything?" he asked.

"No. Nothing." She mentally shook herself from her past and turned her attention to Daryl. "Okay, it's your turn."

"Aaron found out the hard way about my past. You know, after we lost Rick and I split. I … uh … I … met someone," he stammered.

"I thought you set up camp by the river. Where did you meet someone out in the wild?" she asked, baffled.

"Actually, Dog found me first, and led me to this cabin. Someone lived there. His name was Will. We, uh, we were together for a little while. And then one day he wasn't there anymore."

"That doesn't exactly sound like the kind of thing that would make Aaron upset. What's the real story?"

Daryl gave a sigh before continuing. "At first we'd go for months before running into each other. Then the coming winter was going to be a difficult one. He invited me to tough it out at his cabin. As we got to know each other better, we developed a relationship. It was … good, you know? I'd been alone for a long time before then. Aaron was with Jesus. That knowledge alone destroyed me. It was part of the reason I left. I couldn't bear the thought of them together, let alone the chance of seeing them. At first, I guess my relationship with Will felt more like convenience, but after a while it became something more. Will and I really enjoyed each other's company. We had a lot in common. He was a tough-ass like me. We were good together, but he wanted something more, and at the time, I was still on my mission to find Rick, or at least whatever became of him. I couldn't let it go. We never found a body, and to this day it still haunts me. Anyway, after the spring thaw, I started going out again, checking places off my map. The further out I went, the longer I was away. Will hated that. He wanted me home. He just wanted to live a solitary life at his cabin, but he wanted me to be a part of that. We had a big fight because I was leaving for a couple weeks. Will didn't want me to leave. He challenged me, wanted to know where my head was at because it wasn't with him. And you know how I am with ultimatums. I left despite Will's desire for me to stay. But then, I changed my mind. I didn't like leaving things the way they were between us. I came back after a couple days, and Will was gone. The only thing he left behind was Dog. So, I packed up the rest of my shit and left too. Went back to my original camp and continued my work."

"You said Aaron learned the hard way about your relationship with Will," Maggie said, luring Daryl into telling her the details.

"When me and Aaron were out scavenging earlier, I showed him my old camp. We happened to be close by, and I thought it would be good to show him that. Then, Dog ran off. We followed him and ended up at the cabin. I don't know what I was thinking."

"I think a part of you wanted to go back there. You still wonder what happened to Will, apparently," Maggie offered. "You're looking for closure."

"I don't need closure," Daryl grumbled. "Those days are far behind me."

"Not far enough. Believe me, I know."

"Did you ever . . ." Daryl paused before he asked his question. It was personal, and he didn't want to overstep his bounds with Maggie.

"Go on," she said when the silence went on too long.

"Did you ever meet someone since … you know, since–"

"Since I lost Glenn?" she said, finishing Daryl's thought. She bowed her head, her tread slowing only slightly. "No, and I don't know if it's because I just haven't, or that I've never tried. Or maybe I just don't want it. My life since then has been about Hershel. At first it was the pregnancy, and then it was raising a baby. Now it's about keeping him safe and teaching him how to survive. Everything I do is for my son, and for a better and safer future for him, and ultimately a new generation of children that only know this life." Realizing she was focusing too much on her own story, she turned her attention back to Daryl. "So, you showed Aaron the cabin, and I'm guessing he knew nothing about Will before then. And now he feels you were keeping secrets from him, but I still don't see what would have angered him."

"There was a note hidden beneath a floorboard in the cabin. I'd left it there before I abandoned the cabin, hoping Will would come back and find it. Aaron found it instead."

"Oh," she replied, not knowing what else to say, and afraid to ask any more questions.

"When Will wasn't there, I knew it was really over between us. I tried not to care. I was ready to go back to my camp and let bygones be bygones. But … I don't know. I felt something I'd never felt with anyone but Aaron. I was sorry it ended the way it did. I regretted my decision to leave to look for Rick. A part of me wanted Will back, wanted to know what might have been. At the time I had nothing. I'd been away for a couple years, hadn't seen anyone but Carol, on occasion. Everyone had moved on, and it wasn't until I lost Will that I realized I needed to move on too." Daryl ran his hand through his hair and shook his head in frustration. "It was only a few words scribbled on a scrap of paper, but I guess to Aaron it was much more."

"I imagine it came as a shock, especially if he didn't know you'd met someone else. You probably should have told him about Will when you got back together."

"I didn't think I had to. It's been five years since that time. And Aaron knows how much I love him," Daryl tried to justify.

"All the more reason to come clean about your past. I'm sure Aaron opened up about his relationship with Jesus, didn't he?" she asked.

"He told me if at any point I had asked him to come back, he would have," Daryl said, exposing the truth.

"And what about you? If the story was reversed, what would you have done?"

Daryl hesitated. He hadn't given any thought as to how he would have reacted.

"If you responded like this to Aaron, I see why he's upset. Your pause speaks for you. But then, I guess you've never played out that scenario. And it seems that you might have cared for Will much more than you let yourself believe. There's nothing wrong with that. Like you said, everyone else had moved on but you. Will gave you that chance."

"And I threw it away to look for a dead man," Daryl said quietly.

"Looking for Rick was your connection to your previous life, to Alexandria, to all of us … to Aaron. Will was your road ahead. Finding Rick was your path back."

"And that note was me making my mind up about which way I wanted to go." Daryl shook his head. "Shit. I get it now." And he really did understand how that note played out in Aaron's head. It was Daryl giving up on his family to start over somewhere new and far away from his mistakes and regrets. He knew he couldn't have done that unless he was really and truly in love with Will.

"You both need to sit down and seriously talk this through. You can't move on as long as this is between you," she said.

"You're right," Daryl said, giving her a shy smile.

"I know," she joked. "Okay, let's get going. We've got a lot of people waiting for this food."

Another two-day journey led them home only to find people arguing over rations. Carol handed off her bag to Daryl and rushed over to help a woman struggling to keep order. She was losing control of the line of people as more of them began arguing. Daryl watched as Carol put on her happy homemaker face and calmed the hungry people.

"We need to get these MRE's out," Daryl suggested.

"We need to take inventory first," Maggie said, still taking charge of the situation.

"The hall is this way," Rosita said, and the group, with their haul, walked to one of the few buildings still intact.

They gathered around the long table where the counsel usually sat. That's when Daryl noticed who was missing. "Has anyone seen Aaron or Gabriel?"

"Daryl?" came a quiet voice from the doorway. He looked up to find Gracie, Judith and R.J. standing just outside.

Daryl rushed over to them, hugging each child in turn. Gracie looked sad, and this worried Daryl. "Where's your daddy?" he asked.

"Him and Father Gabriel left right after you did," she informed.

"Left? Where to?" Daryl said with a calming voice. He didn't want to worry her any more than she already was.

Judith spoke up for her. "There was a fight at the pantry. Things got really crazy. Gabriel broke it up, but the people were still mad about not having enough food for everyone. That's when Aaron and Gabriel decided to leave. They had a list of places to look for food and supplies."

"I made that list," Maggie spoke up. "They're places I'd seen, but didn't have the time to inspect. I thought that maybe you and Aaron could go, but I guess Gabriel decided to go instead."

Inside, Daryl was seething over Aaron's decision to leave before he got back, but he couldn't let his anger show in front of Gracie. He pulled her in for a hug. "You know your daddy only leaves because he has to."

"I know," Gracie said with disappointment. "It's part of his job. I just wish he had a different job, one where he didn't have to leave all the time."

"I'm sorry, honey." He held her a moment and then pushed back and tucked some stray hair behind her ear. "I bet he'll bring you something. He always does, right?"

"Yes," she said with a frown. It was clear that she'd choose to have her father at home over a stuffed animal any day.

Daryl looked over Gracie's shoulder to Judith. "Why don't you three go and get cleaned up. We brought some food back, and the children will eat first. Okay?"

Judith gave a nod, took Gracie's and R.J.'s hands, and led them away. "That's code for, the grown-ups need to talk. Come on. Let's go."

Daryl approached Maggie. "What are these places on the map you gave them, and where are they?"

"There's a boarded up grocery store and a warehouse, like one of those wholesale clubs people used to go to. A few houses, and some other buildings I thought might still have supplies. I just made a note of places that looked untouched. None of them are near here, though. Did they take horses?"

Jerry shook his head and answered. "When I went by the stables, I didn't see any horses missing. They must have gone on foot."

"Of course they did," Daryl mumbled. "They left the horses here to help with the wall construction."

"Then I'd say they're gone for at least two weeks, maybe more. Depends on whether they find anything or not." Maggie moved closer to Daryl and whispered. "I'm sorry. I know you wanted to talk to Aaron."

"It'll just have to wait. No worries," he said.

Just then, Cole, one of Maggie's people, walked in. "I heard you were back," he said as they hugged.

"I see you are too," she answered. "Any luck out there?" Apparently, he had left on Maggie's orders, but Daryl didn't know what he was looking for until Cole moved aside to allow some new people to enter.

Maggie smiled. "You found them," she said with delight.

Her son, Hershel was on the shoulders of a large black man. He ducked way down as he entered the hall, and Hershel giggled. "Watch your head, little man."

Next walked in a woman with dark hair and a man of Hispanic origin. Maggie introduced them. "This is Agatha, Duncan and Frost. They're some of my best fighters." She turned her attention to her people. "I thought we'd lost you guys."

"We thought we lost you too," Frost, the Hispanic man said.

"We were hiding out looking for you and the others when Cole found us," Duncan said as he lowered Hershel to the ground. Agatha rattled off some names of people who didn't make it. Maggie told them about the people they'd found outside of the burnt out building where they found Hershel. Everyone took a moment to silently honor the dead. Meanwhile, Rosita and Jerry were taking inventory of the food they brought back.

The meeting started, and everyone either took a seat or stood around the long table. As they discussed plans for distributing the food, Jerry spoke up. "Dudes, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but after doing the math, there's only enough food here for about a week."

"What? A week? That can't be right," Daryl complained.

Carol looked at the stacks of tan pouches. "Don't forget, we just took in two new communities. We don't have any crops or backstock. Even if we tried to stretch this out, we might get a day or two more, but that's it."

"We've got scavengers out looking as we speak. And Aaron and Gabe are out there too," Daryl reminded them.

"And right now, we have people working on empty stomachs with broken tools. Morale is low. I just had to break up a fight between two women who I've never seen lift an eyebrow toward each other," Carol commented from her seat at the table.

"Frost and I are excellent hunters," Agatha chimed in cautiously, since these weren't her people, and she wasn't sure if they would appreciate an offer of help from outsiders. "We could scour the woods, hopefully bring back some protein."

Daryl shook his head in defeat. "The grounds around here are spent. The herd that destroyed this place either killed or scared off the animals. I've been out there many times. There's nothing around for miles."

Maggie gave a long sigh and spoke. "I know one more place," she said, gaining her people's attention. "The place where we lived, Meridian, has food, water, crops, animals–"

"And it's gone," Cole reminded her. "It's not ours anymore."

Everyone grew silent. Daryl and his people were curious about this new place they called Meridian. Maggie and her people looked as though it wasn't even an option. They had given up on the village they had once called home, and from what was said, they'd lost a hefty number of good people as they all tried to escape.

"What happened, Maggie?" Rosita said, breaking the silence, and asking the question they were all thinking. Until now, Maggie hadn't wanted to speak of it. Now, she could see she had no choice.

"We were out on a mission, leading walkers away from our village. Duncan, Agatha and Frost had relieved us, taking the herd further out. Me, Cole and Elijah were making our way back home, but things kept going sideways. Looking back on it, I don't think it was an accident. We were close to home when we heard screams. We raced back, but by the time we got there it was too late. Most of our people had been slaughtered. The rest barely made it out alive. We call them the Reapers, and there's only two things to know about them. They come at night, and by the time you see them, you're already dead." Maggie stood and looked over to Daryl. "We came across one. That was a Reaper that attacked us."

"There was just one of them," Daryl said. Surely there would have been more, he thought.

"That's because there aren't many of them. We lost our home because we didn't know we were under attack until it was too late. Their numbers are small, but they are smart and they are stealthy. Most of my people weren't fighters. But now, we have the numbers." She looked around the room but no one seemed too keen on her story or her plans. "Look, Meridian was attacked because of what we had. There's plenty of food and water to take care of Alexandria until it's up and running again. It's time to take back what is ours."

"So, you're saying you want fight ghosts. I'm not sure I like that idea," Daryl said. He worried about going up against an enemy he knew nothing about. That lone Reaper they came across had killed three more of Maggie's people, and almost killed the rest of them when he blew himself up with a grenade. They almost didn't survive one person. What would it be like going up against more?

"Do you have a better idea?" she challenged him.

"Maybe we need to concentrate on getting Alexandria shored up first. The walls aren't stable. Walkers will get in, and with a majority of our fighters gone, it leaves this place vulnerable. We have to keep the safety of Alexandria in mind."

"Don't forget that my son is here too. I've got skin in the game. If we don't make a move, they'll eventually find Alexandria and do here what they did to Meridian. It's what the Reapers do. They kill and they take, and when they've spent Meridian, they'll eventually find this community. If we go after them now, we're seeing to it that Alexandria stays safe, as well as bringing back precious supplies."

"Sounds like a suicide mission," Rosita said with little enthusiasm.

"If we don't have food, it won't matter. We'll all die from starvation before the Reapers find us. I say we go with Maggie. Who else is with me?" Daryl asked.

All of Maggie's people agreed, but Carol and Rosita looked skeptical. "Someone has to stay behind to protect this place," Carol said.

"I can't leave Coco again, not so soon," Rosita said, making up her mind.

"I'm with the women," Jerry announced. "Someone needs to stay at home and be the heavy, especially with Gabriel and Aaron gone."

"Then it's settled. We'll take a day to gather supplies and map out a route. Then we'll head out tomorrow," Daryl agreed.

In the end, it was a large group they gathered together. Daryl managed to recruit a couple more people, a kid named Gage and an older man named Roy, as well as Alden. Maggie had most of her people, Elijah, Cole, Agatha, Duncan and Frost. This time, Daryl took Dog with him. There was just one more person they needed to recruit, someone they wished they didn't have to deal with. As they plotted out a route, they discovered that navigating the subway system would give them the cover they needed to travel undetected by the Reapers who monitored the roads. However, no one knew the subway tunnels except for one person. Daryl was on his way to talk to him now.

"Negan, you're needed for a mission," Daryl said with authority as he came up behind him.

Since returning to Alexandria, Negan had been helping with the cleanup. He stayed out of the way, and kept to himself. Most of the time, people forgot he was there, or they just ignored him. He turned to the voice who spoke and gave Daryl a speculative stare. "I'm sorry, I don't remember signing the volunteer list."

"I'm not asking," Daryl said. He glanced around at the women who had been working near Negan. They got the cue right away and left the area to give Daryl and Negan some privacy. "You lived in DC, right?"

"Yeah," Negan said with a raised brow. "What of it?"

"We know where there's a large haul of food and supplies, but to get there, we need to go through the Metro," Daryl said with as little information as possible.

"You want to go underground?" Negan asked. "There's no telling what you'll find down there."

"That's why we need someone who can show us the shortest route."

"How about you grab some horses and stay above dirt level," Negan responded.

"We're taking the tunnels because we have to stay undetected. There are marauders at this place. They watch the roads and they're deadly. It's gotta be a surprise attack and the subway is our best shot," Daryl told him.

"Okay. Get me some paper and something to write with and I'll draw you a map," Negan smiled.

"You're coming."

"What?" Negan looked startled. "I finally get to go somewhere, and that's where you want to go?"

"No one's keeping you here. You could have left already. Hell, you didn't even have to come back, but you did, and now we've found something for you to do besides pick up trash." Daryl turned from him and started to walk away. When he didn't hear footsteps behind him, he called over his shoulder. "Let's go."

"When are we leaving?" Negan asked.

"Now."

"How long are we gonna be gone?"

"A while."

"I need to pack some supplies."

"Already did. Now, let's go … asshole."

Negan looked around at the ruined buildings and burned crops. He dusted himself off, and gave a smirk of a smile to no one in particular. "It's good to be needed again," he commented and followed Daryl to the gate. As soon as he saw Maggie was part of the group, his smile faded to a frown, and real concern washed over his face. He stopped in his tracks, shook his head and called to Daryl. "Nope. I ain't going."

Daryl stopped and spun on his heel. He walked back toward Negan. "I didn't give you the choice, but if you feel the need to negotiate . . ." Daryl paused and pulled his knife half way from its sheath.

Negan submitted by raising his hands shoulder high. "No need, but you better keep your lioness in check," he said, gesturing toward Maggie.

"You're the one who needs to tighten the reins. Maggie's leading this one, so shut up and do as your told so there won't be any trouble," Daryl commanded.

With that, Negan didn't say another word, but he had a bad feeling about this so called mission, and he felt rather confident that he wouldn't be coming back. "Not if I can help it," he murmured quietly as he straightened his spine and joined the group just before they left the gates.