Sadie's POV
"Thanks T, I'll take him back now." I told Theresa, who was still holding Alex, when we got done dealing with Aaron.
She smiled as she handed him back off to me. "Atta boy, go to Momma."
As I settled Alex into my arms, I took another quick glance back down the hall before nodding toward the front door. "Let's take this outside, I don't want him to hear us talk."
We all exchanged nods to each other as we made our way to the door.
"Alright, let's just be upfront here…" I stated after Theresa had shut the door behind her. "...who's buying a word of this guy's story, even for a second?"
Theresa glanced at Alex in my arms before looking back to me. "Sadie, he did have pictures of his place. Gareth saw 'em too."
"Yeah, and people have pictures of Bigfoot too, but I'm not exactly inclined to believe those either." I scoffed.
Gareth just kind of snickered at the remark.
"...and as faded as they were.." I continued. "..who's to say they're not from before."
"...and I didn't see any people in them either." Gareth added.
"...and yet the people are just sooo important to this little community of his." I scoffed again.
"Look, I'm not thrilled with the guy either, alright?" Theresa pointed out. "...but…"
"...But what?" Gareth asked.
"...but a lot of what he said sounded like it could be legit."
I shook my head. "...right, and so did Terminus, to anyone who saw our signs or heard our broadcasts. Hell, they've even been stalking us since before he approached us."
"Well, clearly not very well if he couldn't even remember at what point we got here." Gareth pointed out.
"Right, well that's the other thing I don't like." I turned to look at Theresa. "T, you said you've been here a week, right?"
She shrugged. "...thereabouts, anyway."
"...and when was the last time you hunted?" I asked. "...anyone since you got here?"
"Not for a couple weeks, at least." She recalled. "...as I mentioned, I've mostly been scavenging these houses."
I wanted to accept that, along with the possibility that Aaron and whoever he was with has only been watching since she got here, but I couldn't be sure.
"...and what if he's not telling the truth?" I asked. "...I mean, do you think he's really gonna come out and admit to oh well I've actually been stalking you long enough to figure out that you might be fucking cannibals? Of course not, he's gonna claim that he's just conveniently only been here since you resorted to scavenging, as you put it."
"Sade, don't you think that's a little bit of a stretch?" Gareth sort of chuckled.
"What? You think he wouldn't?"
"I'm just saying it's not likely." He tried to defend. "...and anyway, we didn't go to the trouble of collecting fake pictures and begging people to trust us enough to follow us, we just kept up the signs that were there since….since before it became what it was."
"...He made a point to remember our names too." Theresa added.
"...Ringleader, Archer, Samurai.. in THAT order…"
Gareth's words echoed in the back of my mind, as it flashed back to that fateful day only two years ago.
"...You're actually serious, aren't you?" I aimed the question at both of them, though mostly at Gareth. "...you'd actually go back to this guy's place?"
"Look, I don't know about Gareth.." Theresa defended. "...but what I'm saying is the guy deserves a chance to prove himself."
"...And what do you say, Gar?" I turned my focus to him.
"I saayyy…" He trailed off as stared back at Alex, who had a big grin on his little face for him.
I raised my eyebrows at him, urging him to get on with whatever point he seemed to have.
"...that I'm inclined to give him a chance, as Theresa just put it…..for Alex's sake, if not just for ours."
"Gareth…."
"...He deserves a shot at a….somewhat normal life. A safer place than this at the very least…" He chuckled a little as he looked back at Theresa. "...sorry, no offense."
"None taken."
"Gareth, need I remind you what happened the last time you insisted we needed a safer place?" I bounced Alex gently in my arm, hoping he wouldn't be too disturbed in my sudden raise in voice.
"Sadie, you were pregnant. What was I supposed to do? Let you give birth to our son on the road?"
"...and that wasn't a possibility after we found the house that we did? As I recall, it was just as safe as this one, which you just acknowledged probably isn't as safe as what Aaron says his place is."
"Okay, you're right." He sighed. "You're right, both placed were fine, but- "
"..but what?"
"...but they were fine for what they were...errr are, in…" He gestured toward the house. "...this case. But for how long? Theresa's already been here a week."
"...thereabouts…" She added.
"Look, you know probably better than anyone that no place that either I, or you, or Theresa, or all three of us finds is going to be permanent, but that doesn't mean it doesn't deserve a shot."
"...deserve a shot." Alex repeated with a giggle, as if he had any clue what any of us was talking about.
I pointed to Alex with a chuckle. "You see what you do? Is this the kind of influence you wanna have on our son?"
"Exactly." He chuckled, gently roughing up the kid's hair. "...say, I think Daddy has a point."
"More like Daddy's using you to bribe Mommy, and Mommy won't have it." I cooed to the still giggling child in my arms.
"You know I'm not wrong though." He insisted.
"...and you know you're not arguing fair.
"Never said I was." He smirked.
I exchanged a look with Theresa, who was getting way too much amusement from this interaction, before turning back to Gareth.
"...alright, fine…" I finally admitted. "...we'll go check it out…..I make no promises from there though."
"That's all I ask." Gareth snickered, stealing a kiss on my neck.
"Absolutely terrible." I snickered back, jabbing an elbow at him before pointing to Theresa. "...and you're no better."
"Duly noted." She laughed. "...so, how do you wanna do this then?"
"Well, we have the car that we drove here, so you'll take Alex in that…." I told Gareth before turning back to Theresa. "...and T, since this was your idea, you and I will ride with Aaron."
"Sounds like a plan." She agreed.
I handed Alex off to Gareth as I reached for my knife. "Right, so you take him, and T and I will go get Aaron."
"Alive?" Gareth chuckled, noting the gesture.
"If he's lucky." I chuckled, following Theresa back to the house.