Chapter Thirty-seven: Alexandria
Walking forward, I took in the few broken down homes that were between us and the gate. It looked like fire had been involved. Some in ruins and others nearly there. I felt fingers against my hand and I looked at Carl. He was looking at one of the houses and I looked up to see a figure move from sight. Wrapping my arm around him, I pulled him to me, moving us forward as an inner gate was opened. There was a noise to the side, making us all jump. Daryl loosed an arrow, hitting a possum through its head. Letting out a relived breath, I smiled at Carl. We all stopped when the gate was fully opened. It was large and metal and looked sturdy.
Daryl held up the possum, "We brought dinner."
There was a guy standing there that looked taken aback by the sight of us. His eyes were too close together, his hair slightly long and scruffy, and looked a little on the nerdy side. There was something about him that made me instantly distrust him.
"It's okay. Come on in, guys." Aaron told us as he stepped forward.
He took the lead and the main gate was closed behind us, my stomach turning, feeling a little trapped. But I wanted this. I wanted to be here. It was just hard to be closed in. Though I was sure that I would be able to get used to it. I had to. We had to. We needed to make this work. That thought solidified as I took in the neighborhood that was in front of us. The well-kempt grass. The clean siding. The sound of children and the bark of a dog. It looked like the world hadn't ended here. There were solar panels meaning that that had power. With power came all the amenities we'd been living without. This was…everything. Everything we could have hoped for.
"Before we take this any further, I need you all to turn over your weapons." The guy told us. Even his voice was grating on the ears. "Stay, you hand them over."
"We don't know if we want to stay." Rick stated.
"It's fine, Nicholas." Aaron told him.
"If we were gonna use them, we would have started already." Rick added.
"Let them talk to Deanna first." Aaron told him.
"Who's Deanna?" Abraham asked.
Aaron looked at him, "She knows everything you'd wanna know about this place." Then his eyes were on our leader. "Rick, why don't you start?"
There was the sound of growling from behind us. We all looked to see a walker outside the fence.
"Sasha." Rick said.
She stepped toward it and shot it. The inner fence was closed.
Rick looked at Nicholas, "It's a good thing we're here."
Smirking at the man, Rick started to follow Aaron, the rest of us behind him.
"This is Deanna's home." Aaron told us. "I'll take you in one at a time to meet with her. She likes to meet with the new comers. To hear their story."
"What if we're not willing to share?" I frowned at him.
He smiled, "I know how you feel, Linny. But I'm hoping you'll feel differently when you meet her."
Frowning, I still held tight to Carl, turning him against me, wrapping my arms around him as he did the same.
"Okay." Rick said and handed me Judith.
"Hey, sweet pea." I smiled at her. Rick nodded and moved away from us. "Rick." I said making him stop. He looked back, smiled and nodded at me before he followed Aaron inside.
As soon as the door was shut, I kept standing there, staring at the door. I wasn't sure what I was hoping would happen but I stared none the less. When Carl finally pulled away from me, I stepped off the curb, taking a look at the house my man had just entered. It was safe to say that it was extravagant. It was a very big and impressive home. There was a large front porch and was two stories high. This was the type of home that rich people lived in. I imagined how fancy it smelled inside. How many belongings they had. I was already envious of them. Whoever this Deanna was. Whoever her family was. They had been living the high life while the rest of us were dying. We were slowly being starved to death. Dehydrated and sleep deprived. We were dying and there were people who were living like this. I wanted to blame it on dumb luck but they had to have brains to go along with it. They'd been surviving. They had to have brains in order to survive this long like this. There had to be more too it.
Taking in as much as I could, I finally turned away, taking a deep breath as I paced up and down the curb. Shaking my head, what we were seeing was almost impossible to believe. This was a neighborhood. This was a residential neighborhood that had survived a world that was mostly dead. Within these walls people were living a normal life.
"This isn't possible." I whispered to myself as I tried to wrap my head around what I was seeing. "Not anymore." Looking at Judith, bouncing her on my hip, I bit my lip to attempt not to cry. "I don't know what to believe." I told her. "This is a lot."
"You doing okay?" Maggie asked me, making me jump. "Sorry." She smiled before she repeated, "You okay?"
I nodded, "Sure."
"What are you thinking?" She asked next.
"I'm thinking that this is impossible." I replied. "This is impossible, Maggie. People don't get to live like this anymore. And the fact that these people do and we've been out there dying…" I paused, shaking my head. "I am unsure. I am both terrified and excited to see what this place has to offer our family." I told her honestly.
"It'll be worth it." Aaron told me.
I nodded at him, "I hope so. Otherwise we'll be coming for you."
He faltered, forcing the smile to stay on his face, "Well, when you put it that way…"
"You'll be fine." I smiled at him. He look relieved, laughing lightly. "I like you." I told him. "No matter how this pans out. You did your part."
He nodded, "I believe in this place. We need you here."
"Why?" I frowned at him.
He looked around before he stepped closer to me. "We're not fighters. Most of us have never been out there. We haven't seen what you've seen or done the things you've done. We haven't had to survive the way you've survived. In the end it's that lack of knowledge that is going to get us killed. We need you to help teach us to survive. We can be the future. We just – we need help in order to see it happen."
Keeping his eyes for a long moment, I smiled and nodded, "We'll see."
"She's beautiful." Aaron smiled as he touched Judith's hand. "Tell me about her."
Smiling wider, I couldn't help but feel calm and safe with him. It was nice. Telling him about Judith – only the good parts – we were still talking when the door opened and Rick came out. He frowned at Aaron as he stepped toward us, his arm moving around my waist as he put his hand against his daughter's back. Looking up at him, I wasn't sure what he was thinking.
"I was just seeing how things were going." Aaron told him. You could hear the uncertainty in his voice. "You know – with Deanna."
"It's going fine." Rick replied, as he just stared at him.
"I'm going to go – you know – stand over there." Aaron smiled at him before he looked at me. "It was nice talking with you."
"You, too." I told him. Watching him walk away until he was out of earshot, I looked up at Rick, rubbing his side, "You okay?" He nodded, pressing his lips to my forehead. "Baby." I whispered to him, hugging his shoulder to me.
"Yeah." He said and nodded at me.
"Do I dare ask for a kiss?" I smiled up at him.
He smirked at me, "Later."
"I'll hold you to that."
"Caroline." Aaron said gently, making me look at him. "You're next."
Rick sighed and took his daughter from my arms. "It'll be okay."
"I know." I smiled up at him. Moving to Aaron, he lead me up the stairs. "Why am I next?"
"You're co-leader." He smiled.
I laughed, "I think I already said 'no' to that."
"Doesn't mean it's not true." He told me, opening the door. "Just around the corner to the right." He told me.
Nodding at him, I put my hand against his arm as I stepped into the house. Yup. It smelled as fancy as I thought it would. Holding myself high, I rounded the corner, crossing my arms as I stood in the doorway to a study. A woman was standing in the middle of the room. She was middle-aged, was short with auburn hair, and skin that was slightly wrinkled. She looked wise and the smile on her face seemed genuine. Though she could also be full of bullshit. I guess I was going to find out.
"Hello, Caroline." She said gently. Her voice was strong and yet kind.
"Hello, Deanna." I smiled at her.
"Care to take a seat?" She asked motioning to an arm chair. "And would it be okay if I filmed our meeting?" I stayed where I was, unsure about stepping into the room. If something happened I wouldn't have as many exits. "I can understand that you might be unsure about all of this. A new place. New people. But I can assure you that you are perfectly safe."
Slowly stepping forward, I stood behind the chair, "Can I just stand?"
"Of course." She said moving behind the couch. She turned on the camera and came back around, sitting on the couch. "How long were you out there?" She asked.
I ran my fingers through my hair as I leaned over on the back of the chair. "Since the beginning."
"And what did you do before?" She asked. I just looked at her for a long moment. "I'm not looking for information to use against you. I simply want to know a little about the people we let into our community."
Sighing, I moved around the chair, sitting on the edge of it, resting my forearms on top of my knees. "I worked as a veterinary technician in Atlanta."
"Were you ever with any other groups?" She asked next.
"I was with another community for little over a month." I told her. "It wasn't a good place. I met Rick and his people during that time. I chose them and have been with them ever since."
"When was that?" She asked.
Scoffing, I leaned back in the chair, crossing my legs, resting my arms along the arms of the chair. "Are these real questions or are you just fishing for something in particular? What do you really want to know, Deanna?"
She just smiled at me, "In this moment I really want to know about you."
"Knowing me is knowing Rick and our family." I stated.
"Rick got very quiet when I asked about you." She smiled.
I froze, meeting her eyes, not sure what reaction she was expecting from me. "Rick has more reasons than anyone to not want to share too much."
"Sounds like you do, too." She stated.
"You don't know me."
"You get defensive quickly." She smiled, leaning toward me.
I did the same, rubbing my hands together, "Listen, I want this to work. I've seen and done things you can never imagine. There was a time where I considered myself a bad person and never wanted to be trusted or let in. I didn't want to be with people."
"Why?" She asked.
"Because loss does that to people." I frowned at her. "And don't ask about what I lost because it's none of your damn business." I added with disdain.
"I wasn't going to." She smiled.
I bowed my head, still rubbing my hands together, "Good."
"Are you and Rick together?" She asked.
"Did you ask him that?" I countered.
"I did." She smiled. "It was the only time I saw a genuine smile from him."
I smiled, "But I bet he didn't say anything."
She laughed lightly, "No, he did not."
Grinning, I shook my head, "Yes. Rick and I are together."
"You can't be too bad if you won a man like him over."
"It's a long personal story." I stated.
"So you've been with him for a while."
"With his group, yes. The relationship we have is relatively new."
"What's relatively new?" She asked.
"Why does the length of our relationship matter to you?" I shot at her.
"Just curious." She smiled.
I looked at her and smiled, "It's been a month. Give or take a day or two." She just grinned at me. "What?" I grinned back at her.
"The puppy love stage is always the most exciting." She replied.
Laughing, I shook my head at her, "We've been on the run since we made it official. We haven't had a lot of time to be in any stage."
She nodded at me, "You're here now, Caroline. You get to go through all the stages in a place that is safe and where you are most welcome."
Smiling at her, I couldn't help but trust her. Not only did she seem to be trustworthy, but she had just told me something I had been longing to hear. I was so ready to just be with him. I wanted to be happy. I wanted to help raise his children. I wanted him and if we were here I could be with him without all the fear and blood and running and…everything else that came with being on the run.
"Thank you." I told her.
"Can I ask you a few more questions?"
"Of course."
"What do you want out of this place?"
"I want to feel safe. I want the security that Aaron said this place was about. I want to find a sense of normalcy with my family and finally find purpose other than just survival." I replied. "I want to watch those two kids grow up in a safe environment and watch us all flourish. I want to help repopulate the world with that amazing man out there." I grinned at her, getting her to laugh a little. "I want to not worry about my next meal. I want to know that the idea of safety is real in a community that works together to make this world the best it can possibly be." I paused, taking a slow deep breath. "Aaron made it sound attainable here. That's what I want."
She just grinned at me, "I want all that for you as well."
"Thank you."
"What can you offer us in return?"
"I'm good at hunting. I am skilled with knives and guns. I'm a good shot. And as a vet tech I know things when it comes to tending wounds and dealing with infection and helping with swelling and pain. I can do sutures and wraps. I can be an asset. And I'm hoping there's a dog or two around here for me to help."
She nodded, "There is."
"Yay." I smiled at her.
"I think you are already an asset."
Smiling, I just couldn't seem to stop, only then it did fade and she frowned at me. "I just want you to know that Rick is an amazing man and an amazing father. We're all alive because of him. He has his ups and downs but at the end of the day he's who I trust most. I'll support him in everything, even if I don't agree. So I do want you to know that whatever you do to him, whatever befalls him, comes with me too. I'll defend him with my last breath. I'll stand with him until the end. I need you to know and realize that."
She nodded at me, "I understand, Caroline."
"Good." I told her. "Because I am a pretty happy person. But if you mess with my family I will bring all the levels of hell down on your head." My tone turned dark and serious. Making sure she heard every word.
She smiled at me, "I'd expect nothing less."
"Then we'll get along just fine." I smiled at her, my tone light again.
She just looked at me again before she stood. "I think we're done here."
"Okay." I said doing the same.
"It was nice to meet you, Caroline." She said holding out her hand.
I took it, "You as well, Deanna. And you can call me Linny."
She just shrugged a little, "I think I like Caroline better. It's a beautiful name."
Laughing, I nodded, "Thank you. And whatever you feel comfortable with." Going to the door, I stopped and turned back to her, "It do realize that I didn't ask a damn thing about this community. You asked what I wanted out of this place but I – I didn't ask anything actually about it."
She just smiled, "Rick can fill you in."
"Okay." I smiled.
Turning again, I let myself out, all eyes immediately looking up at me. Going down the stairs, Rick was there a second later, followed by everyone else.
"What?" I asked them.
"You were in there a while." Rick stated.
"Felt like five minutes." I replied.
"It was longer."
"Not any longer than you." I smiled.
"Yeah you were." Carol, Maggie, and Daryl all said together.
Laughing, I nodded, "Fair enough. But you all know how I can get a little wordy."
"One of the things we love about ya." Daryl smirked and wrapped his arm around me.
"Ha-ha." I smiled doing the same. "You're lucky I love you."
"Daryl." Aaron called.
We all looked at him, knowing it was time. Nodding, I smiled up at him, "Go get 'em, Tiger."
"Yeah." He said and momentarily buried his face in my hair before he walked away.
"It's not so bad." I called after him.
He just frowned at me over his shoulder. Smiling wider, I just shrugged at him. After him it was Glenn. Then Maggie. Carol. Sasha. One by one our family was interrogated in hopes of Deanna accepting us into her community. Honestly, it was a brilliant way to run a community. If you let just anyone in there was a good chance that someone would bring it down. Looking at Rick, I knew that he would do anything for our family. No matter the cost.
"What are you thinking?" I asked him as we waited.
He was bouncing Judith in his arms, "I'm thinking that I'm not sure."
"I'm sure, Rick." I replied. "I really do think that this might be the answer to all our prayers."
"You still pray?" He asked.
I nodded at him, "Every day. Even if no one's listening."
He sighed, "No one's listening."
My stomach sank at that. We were still alive and I had to believe that there was some higher power to everything. Even if some of us died. The ones that were left were left for a reason. We were fighters and yet we were still human. Something led us here and we were going to have a life like we used to. It might be hard but we could do it. We just had to believe. I needed Rick to believe.
When the last of us had gone in and come out, there was a sense of accomplishment. None of us seemed any worse for wear so whatever she was saying to them wasn't enough to spook them. A good sign. A very good sign. The only one seemed remoting unsure of things was Rick. It would take time but I knew he would come around. I'd help him.
"Alright." Deanna said coming out as well. "Let's move next door to the armory. We do not allow anyone carrying with the walls."
That made me nervous but we all followed her. There was a heavyset woman there with a kind face and glasses, looking awfully uneasy about us being there. Staying close to Rick, he was at the front of the group, watching with wary eyes as she pushed a cart toward us.
"They are still your guns." Deanna told us. "You can check them out whenever you go beyond the wall. But inside here, we store them for safety."
Rick looked at me. Smiling at me, I pulled my gun out and put it on the cart. I kept my knife in the sheath at my side and no one said anything to me. Other than that I'd been unlucky with how much weaponry I had. But I was more than capable of defending myself with a knife versus a gun.
Rick followed next and then everyone else stepped up and started to empty their pockets, pulling the guns from their shoulders and put them on the cart. They were ours and I hoped that that still meant something. I didn't want anyone else checking out our weapons just because we weren't using them. Not to mention that there appeared to be plenty of guns in there.
Watching the others, everyone looked okay with what was happening. When it came to Carol, I couldn't help was watch closely as she emptied her load. She was acting weird. It was like she had reverted to the simple housewife that she used to be. I'd never seen that side of her but right now that was all I was seeing. I wanted to say something but Rick nudged my arm and I looked up at him. Erasing the look from my face I just lowered my gaze.
"Hey." Aaron said stepping up to us. "Come with me." He smiled.
Rick and I looked at him before we followed, Carl coming as well, my eyes finding Judith in Carol's arms. No longer worried about her, I paid attention to where we were going, frowning as Aaron stopped in front of two houses. The left one was blue and the right was cream colored. The blue looked bigger and nicer. Both had a nice yard and were big enough to house our people.
"They're yours." Aaron told us.
"Both of 'em?" Rick asked.
Aaron nodded, "At your disposal. I'd call dibs on that one." He pointed at the blue one. My face hurt from the grin that was on it. "It's got more curb appeal." There were no words for this. Rick looked skeptical. "Listen, I know you're still feeling us out, but I'm glad you came. Anyway, Deanna's asked everyone to give you your space so they aren't all coming at you at once. Take your time. Explore. You need anything, you call me. I don't – we don't have phones. I – I meant…I'm four houses down." He said and started to walk away.
"Thank you." Carl told him.
"So…" Aaron said and kept walking.
Jogging after him, I gently gripped his arm. He turned toward me and I swiftly wrapped my arms around his neck. "Thank you so much."
"You're welcome." He said hugging me tightly.
"Welcome to the family." I grinned and was racing back to Rick, launching myself at him, shrieking with excitement.
I looked at Carl and then was racing up the stairs. I was in awe as I walked down the porch. There were three doors to it. The front door, another side door, and then a set of patio doors. Who needed this many doors? At the same time I could already see us coming and going as a warm breeze swept through the house. Going back to the main one, Rick was already walking through, Carl behind him as I gripped his shoulders.
"This is outstanding." I grinned.
The entryway was small with a bench. There was still plenty of room for shoes and jackets. Right now there were empty picture frames on the bench. Touching them, I could see my family's smiling faces in them. Moving forward, I took in the open floor plan, the living room opening up to us on the left with a couch. There was a coffee table and a fireplace.
I could hardly breathe with how surreal this felt.
It was fully decorated with lamps and artwork on the walls. There was a nice floor rug that covered the beautiful hardwood floors. Then we were moving into the dining room and then the kitchen. There was a big island in the center of it with a small sink built in. Carl stepped up to it, turning on the water. It worked. Grinning, I spun and jumped, dancing around the kitchen, laughing as I turned back to Rick. He was grinning at me.
"This is it, baby." I told him. "This is our home. We have a home." He nodded, taking my head in his hands. "I know you're still unsure, but seriously, baby, this is amazing."
"It is." He told me.
Then I was around him. "A bathroom." I said looked at the full bath. "A shower. A toilet." I went on, flushing it. "No more leaves." I grinned and laughed.
Carl moved upstairs and I swiftly followed him. There was a room to the left and right and then at least one more down the hall. Maybe a fourth. Carl opened one and it was small but still more space than we'd have to ourselves in a while.
"This one is totally yours." I told Carl, shoving him in and shut the door on him.
Going to the next one, it was huge with multiple dressers and a big bed. Stepping inside, I touched the bed, grinning. Looking around there was even an attached bath, making me laugh with excitement. I was literally mesmerized by this place. Then I heard the shower downstairs. Rick. I wanted nothing more than to join him, but at the same time I wanted to see this place.
Our home.
Home.
Moving down the hall there was another bedroom and another full bath. Not to mention a linen closet. It was already more than I'd ever had. Going back downstairs, I looked in every door, finding a basement. Going down, there were two more bedrooms and another half bath.
"This place is huge." I told myself. "Babe!" I yelled as I went back upstairs. Letting myself into the bathroom, I started to undress. "Baby, this place is fucking gorgeous. And huge! If the other house is even half this size there is plenty of room for the whole family. Maybe we'll even get another house. I mean, there is 15 of us."
In the next second I was yanked off my feet and into the shower, shrieking before I was pinned against his chest. "Just shut up and kiss me."
Laughing, I didn't hesitate to press my lips against his, kissing him passionately. Then his hand was between my legs and I was moaning, my breath shuttering as I opened my mouth against his. His lips moved to my neck, making me lean further into him. He pressed me against the shower wall, his fingers making me quiver. His lips found mine again, supporting me as I climaxed, my head spinning. The happiness that was flowing through me was untouchable.
Meeting his eyes, I grinned at him, rubbing the line of his goin, feeling his hardened penis. "My turn."
He grinned as I trailed my lips down his body as I lowered myself to my knees. Taking him into my mouth, I grinned as I heard him moan. He was still shuddering as I trailed my lips back up his body until his lips were against mine. He grinned as he kissed me with more passion than I had kissed him.
"One room down." I told him. "Several to go."
He laughed and spun me under the water, his lips once again against mine. Running my fingers through his hair, I rubbed myself against him. He felt amazing and I just wished we had started this sooner. There were several fun places in the prison that we could have explored each other in. We finally slowed down, washing each other as I rambled on and on about this house, claiming the room upstairs next to the one I already claimed for Carl. We could pass Judith from one room to the other.
Getting out, I felt a little tainted as I put my dirty bra and underwear back on. Rick did the same, keeping his shirt off as he found shaving supplies in the drawer. I found some as well, happily getting rid of all the unwanted hair on my body. I felt like a whole new woman when I was done. Then I stood behind Rick, watching the transformation from the mountain man to the handsome man that was underneath it. I had never seen him clean shaven before. I thought I was prepared for what I was about to see. I wasn't. All I could do was stare at him. I'd felt his beard and the skin beneath it but I had been imagining it wrong. His chiseled jaw. The way his lips looked without hair surrounding it. The baby face that was hidden under all that hair. I couldn't help my lips parting as my jaw started to drop.
He grinned at me in the mirror, "Like what you see?"
I nodded, "Um – I mean – yeah, baby. I don't mind the beard but…damn."
He rinsed his face and turned to me, wrapping his arm around me as he kissed me passionately. It was different kissing him without his beard, laughing as I took his face in my hands, rubbing his now bare skin.
"You're laughing at me?" He smiled.
"No, Rick. I am definitely not laughing at you." I smiled at him. "I am just so fucking happy right now. This is like a dream come true in a world where horror is the norm." He nodded. "You're gonna try, right?" I asked him.
"Yeah, baby. I'm gonna try." He told me, running his thumb across my lips.
"I love you." I told him.
"I love you, Linny."
Hearing knocking on the front door, Rick looked at me before slowly moving from the room. I swiftly pulled on my jeans and shirt, following him to see a woman at the door. She was pretty with dirty blond hair. She was holding a basket of basic necessities.
"Hey. I work in the pantry." She told him. "Deanna asked me to bring these over for you and your friends." He took the basket from her. "Hey." She smiled as I came up behind him.
"Thank you. We're just cleaning up." Rick stated.
"I can see that." She smiled. "You still have some shaving cream on your chin. I'm Jessie."
"Rick." He nodded. "And this is Caroline."
"Caroline." She smiled.
"Hi, Jessie." I smiled back.
"You know, I used to be a stylist. And 12 other things. I could give you a cut if you want." She told Rick. "Both of you."
Rick frowned at her, "You don't even know us."
"I can take care of myself." She smiled.
Rick looked at me. I shrugged at him, "You could use a cut."
"If I can than you can." He smirked at me.
I laughed, "And I am more than happy to let her. I like her." He frowned at me. "What? She's a good person. I can tell." I told him.
He nodded, "Alright."
"I'll be right back." Jessie said and disappeared.
Taking the basket to the kitchen, I was grinning, dancing in place as I took it all out. Happy to see more toilet paper and even happier to see the formula and bottles. "This is so amazing."
"You're amazing." He told me, his lips against my neck. "Are you sure you want to cut your hair?"
"Baby, it's super frickin long. I can lose a foot and it'll still be long." I told him.
He groaned and put his face in my neck. Grinning, I brought my hand to the back of his head, pressing a kiss against his forehead. Hearing the door again, I jogged to it, opening it for Jessie.
"Thank you for your offer. It's been so long I can't help but be overly excited about it." I told her as I followed her into the kitchen.
"You're welcome." She replied. "I gotta admit that it's nice to have a new woman around." She added. "Someone who isn't a housewife."
"Yeah, I'm definitely not that." I grinned at her.
"Okay, you first." She told me. Sitting in a chair, she combed her fingers through my wet hair. "How much would you like cut off?" She asked.
"How about just above my shoulder blades. Not too short. Not too long." I replied.
"Sounds good to me." She smiled.
"And layers!" I said excitedly. "I used to always layer it. All choppy like."
"Even better." She replied, feeding off of my excitement.
Grinning at Rick, I held still as she started to cut my hair. It felt so good to feel such a normal act as getting my hair cut. I shut my eyes, relishing the feeling. She might be a stranger, but if we were going to stay than she was just as much a part of the family as everyone else. She was putting herself out there for the new comers and I was going to accept her hospitality with open arms. She scrunched and cut, the silence not bothering me at all.
"So what did you do before all of this?" She asked.
"I worked as a vet tech in Atlanta."
"That sounds fun."
"It was. I loved it."
"There's a black lab, Cuppy, that Robbie owns. He walks him three times a day." She told me. "I'm sure he'd love you to give him a once over. He cut his paw a week or so ago. Pete fixed him up but animals really aren't his expertise."
"Like humans aren't mine." I smiled and laughed. "But I'd absolutely love to take a look at him. It's been a while since I've touched a dog. I started this new world with one." I told her. "He was a big beautiful German Shepard. His name was Mozzie. He was the best friend I could have ever asked for."
"What happened?" She asked.
"He died in a fire." I told her.
She paused, "I'm so sorry."
"It was a long time ago." I replied with a light tone. "And I've never come across another dog that wasn't savage from being out there too long. It doesn't just happen to people."
She cut my bangs and then pulled the towel from around me. Going to the bathroom, I looked at my reflection, grinning at the lightness of it. She re-layered it, my bangs the perfect length. Rushing back out to her, I threw my arms around her.
"Thank you." I told her.
She laughed, "You're welcome."
Turning to Rick, I took his head in my hands and kissed him. "Your turn."
He grinned and sat down, "Your excitement might be contagious."
"Good." I told him. "Because when we're done here, we're definitely going to go have a look around."
"You can go without me if you'd like."
"Shut up." I told him with furrowed brows. He just smiled at me. "I'm not going anywhere without you."
"Your kids are beautiful." She smiled at me.
"Thank you." I replied, not bothering to correct her.
"I have two boys, Ron and Sam." Jessie told us. "Ron's my oldest boy. He's about your son's age. I could introduce them. If that's okay with you and Caroline."
"No, that'd be – that'd be great." Rick replied.
"Good." She smiled.
"Electricity, showers, haircuts – I never thought I'd see those again." Rick stated.
"Come on. Haircuts were never going away." She teased. "It's okay if you're not okay with this yet." She added, running her fingers through his hair. "That's better."
"Thank you." He said and rubbed the back of his head.
"Really, Jessie, thank you." I added.
"You're welcome." She smiled. "I'll let you keep settling in."
I walked her out and turned to see Rick gone. Going to the bathroom, I smiled, crossing my arms as I leaned against the doorframe. He was taking himself in. He looked pretty damn amazing. I was a little bit shocked at his transformation, almost forgetting the stage between what he looked like this morning and what he looked like now. He was…everything.
He did a double-take as he looked at me, "What?"
"I'm just kind of in love with you." I told him softly.
He smiled and stepped up to me, gently taking my face in his hands as he kissed me. It was slow at first, deepening it as he slid his hand down and around to my lower back, pulling me tightly against him. Smiling, I gently rubbed his cheek with the back of my fingers.
"I love you, too." He told him.
Then the door was open and our family was coming in, checking everything out. Grinning at Rick, I turned and moved toward the door. Stepping out onto the porch, Daryl was sitting on the steps, cleaning the possum.
"Daryl." I frowned at him.
"What?" He asked.
I sighed, "These are our brand new steps and you're making a mess." He looked up at me with confusion. "This is home now. We need to take care of it."
He looked at Rick before me again, "I'll clean it up."
"Thank you." I said with slight annoyance.
He just grinned and shook his head. "Not even a day and you're already falling into this life."
"We've earned it, Daryl." I replied. "We wanted this. We need this."
"Yeah, yeah." He said pulling skin from the possum.
Sighing, I moved down the stairs, "Men."
"Women." Daryl shot back at me.
Turning, I grinned at him, seeing Rick looking a little uneasy, "What?" Then Carl was down the stairs with me. "Unlike you, we need to look around." I told him, putting my arm on top of Carl's shoulders. "We'll be back in a bit." He just nodded at me. I grinned at Carl. "Ready?"
"Ready." He grinned.
Then we were running down the road, taking in the neighborhood. It was the typical neighborhood with the typical neighborhood sounds. It was so surreal. The grass was cut. The houses and windows were clean. There were the sounds that anyone could expect to hear coming from any normal house. This was…insanely normal.
People were walking in and out of houses and down roads. They were laughing and talking as if there was nothing in the world to worry about. There was the sound of a dog barking, making me want to be the creepy person who seeks it out. Instead, we found ourselves back at Deanna's, looking at the garage that acted at the pantry.
"Hello."
"Hi, Olivia." I smiled at the woman from before.
The armory was attached to the pantry and she was in charge of keeping track of everything. That was all I knew, but I wandered in, looking at the sheet on the clipboard that was hanging at the entrance. Paging through it, they actually kept a really nice log of everything. Putting it back, I moved to the shelves, looking at all the various goods they had, smiling at several of it. A lot of it was the same as what was in the RV. Then I moved to the freezers where there was meat and chocolate and even ice cream.
"This place is amazing." I said softly as I took another loop.
"Mom!" Carl called.
"What, sweetie?" I said and turned toward him. He was walking from the pantry. "Hey, wait up!" I called after him.
"Caroline." Olivia smiled.
"I gotta get my kid." I smiled at her.
"Here." She smiled and tossed me a rucksack.
I caught it, surprised at its weight, "What's this?"
"We know what it's like to be a girl. Jessie stopped by and thought it would be nice. Deanna had already talked to me. As a nice gesture."
"Are you giving these to all the girls?" I smirked.
She smirked, "We're supplying you all with everything you could possibly need."
"So why do I get a bag?" I offered.
"Aaron mentioned something about –"
I swiftly held my hand up, interrupting her, "If you mention something about being co-leader I might just have to freak out on you and I feel like it's a little soon for that." She just smiled at me. "Thought so. But I don't see Rick getting any bags." I told her. She just kept smiling at me. "See you later, Olivia." Stepping out, I looked in both directions. My stomach dropped and my heart started to race. "Carl!" Nothing. "Carl!" I called again. "Get your ass over here!" He appeared around the corner. I pointed at the ground in front of me, "Now."
"Sorry." He told me.
"Just because we're inside the walls and with people who appear to be genuinely good, does not mean you get to just wander off and do whatever you want." I frowned at him.
"Sorry." He repeated. Sighing loudly, I ran my fingers through my hair. "I thought you trusted these people."
"I'm not saying I don't." I replied. "But none of us should be alone right now. We need to stick together until your dad makes his final decision."
He frowned, "What are you talking about?"
"I'm saying that I will still follow his lead. But he's going to try." I replied.
"Do you want to stay?" He asked.
I nodded, unable to suppress a smile, "Very much."
He nodded, "Okay."
"Come here." I smiled and pulled him into me. He wrapped his arms around me, pressing against my chest. "I love you."
"I love you."
"Caroline." Deanna called to me, seeing her walking toward us.
"Hey." I smiled at her.
"May I have a word?" She asked.
Keeping my arms firmly around Carl, I nodded, "Sure."
"He can come." She stated.
I smiled, "Good."
Taking his hand, I picked up the bag. Carl put his arm around my waist following me without complaint. She started to lead me down the road and to a nice home, opening the door into a homemade office space that had then been transformed into the infirmary. There was a nice island, beds, room dividers, IV poles, cupboards with supplies in it, and a couple doors. Otherwise, it looked like nothing else really happened here. I would think the rooms upstairs were there for patients if needed. Though monitoring them would be difficult and there was more than enough room in the main room we were in. There was a tall man there with sandy brown hair. I could tell by the way he was standing that something was off. He turned toward us with a broad smile on his face.
"Hello." He smiled and held his hand out.
"Caroline, this is Pete. He's our local doctor." Deanna told me.
"Hello." I smiled at him, taking his hand.
"It's nice to meet you." He replied. "Deanna tells me that you have medical background as well."
As soon as his breath hit me, I had to hold mine, attempting to keep the smile on my face, "Not quite the same as you but it's something."
"I'm giving you a job." Deanna told me.
I couldn't help but think of Hershel. Everyone has a job to do. "And what job is that?"
"You're going to assist him here at the clinic." She replied, clearly happy about this. "Rosita as well but I've given her a couple days to get settled."
"You don't think I wouldn't mind a couple days?" I frowned at her.
"Something tells me you don't like to sit on your hands if you don't have to. You're a hit the ground running kind of person."
"So is she."
"Well, let me put it this way, Pete is a doctor, you are a nurse, Rosita is an assistant."
"Harsh." I told her.
"But true." She smiled.
Nodding, I smiled, turning my attention back to Pete, "I look forward to working with you." He just nodded at me. "Thank you." I smiled at Deanna.
"No, thank you, Caroline." She smiled. "Well, Pete, we'll leave you to it. Expect her tomorrow."
Smiling, we left, Carl moving against my side. "Did you…?"
"Sure did." I told him, gently playing with his hair.
"I think you are going to do some real good here." Deanna smiled at me.
Nodding, I smiled back, "I plan to."
"See you later?" She asked.
"Sure." I replied, waving as she walked away.
Heading back home, I glanced over my shoulder to see Pete watching us. It made me feel very uncomfortable. Gripping Carl tighter, I didn't loosen it until we could see the house; feeling relief knowing that our family was right there within shouting distance.
"What are you gonna do?" He asked.
"I'm gonna take it one step at a time." I smiled at him. "Can't judge a book by its cover, right?"
"Right." He nodded.
"I know you've read some good books that had a shitty cover." I went on.
"And some that were exactly what I expected." He replied, stopping us.
Sighing, I nodded, "Yeah."
"That's what worries me." He stated.
Looking at him, I couldn't help but smile, "When did you get to be so grown up?"
He just smirked at me, "I don't know."
Laughing lightly, we kept moving, going up the stairs when we reached the house. I watched him go inside before moving to the railing, setting the bag at my feet before looking up and down the street as I listened and watched. Jessie and Pete lived on the other side of our second house and I couldn't help but wonder if she was as okay as she seemed. After smelling her husband's breath, I wasn't so sure. A pit forming in my stomach that told me I needed to worry about her. About her boys. It also made me think of Carol. Rick had told me about her past and if something was going on I was completely confident in saying that she wouldn't stand for it. She couldn't. Not after everything she'd been through.
"Hey." Rick said coming up next to me.
"Hey." I replied not looking at him.
He waited a long moment before asking, "What's bothering you?"
"Pete."
"Why?"
"He reeks of alcohol."
He nodded and looked down toward their house. Following his line of sight, Jessie was now standing on her porch with a mug, a small smile on her lips.
"I'm sure she's fine." He finally replied, leaning on the railing.
I laughed lightly, doing the same, "No you don't."
He smiled and nodded, "We don't know enough to pass judgement."
"I know." I told him. "I start helping in the clinic tomorrow." He jerked his head toward me. "I guess I'll keep an eye out for any signs that he's a bad guy." He nodded. "You know I can handle myself."
"I do."
"Have you got your job yet?"
He shook his head, "No. Neither has Michonne."
Sighing, I nodded, "We should all stick together tonight."
"Yeah." He said straightening.
Everyone filtered into the house, settling in in the living room. I'd gone upstairs taking the bag to the bedroom. Opening it up, there were several rolled up shirts and a pair of jeans. There was also deodorant, a large pick comb, and the best part being the toothbrush and paste that was with them. Taking them out, I ran to the bathroom, consciously not overdoing it as I squeezed the paste onto the brush. It didn't take long for someone to come in and I swiftly yanked Michonne to my side. She laughed as she held up her own brush, starting to brush with me.
"You know, before the end, I was a diligent two brushes a day kind of person." I told her, my mouth lathered with paste.
"I was three." She smirked at me.
Laughing, I nodded, slowly brushing, feeling like a whole new person. We were clean. Our teeth were clean. We had a roof over our heads. This was it. This was what we had been waiting for since the world fell apart.
I finished long before Michonne, going back downstairs to where everyone was. Walking to where Judith was in a playpen, I couldn't help the happiness that was radiating off of me. Feeling hands on my hips, I leaned against Rick, shutting my eyes as he pressed his lips into my hair. Looking at Maggie, she was smelling the clean blankets as she helped get everyone a spot for the night. Turning in Rick's arm, I kissed him before he could stop me, moving to where Maggie was, wrapping my arm around her as I rested my head against her shoulder.
"We have a home." I whispered to her.
She grinned at me, "We do."
"How long was I in there for?" Michonne asked as she came back in.
"20 minutes." Rick smirked at her.
"God, I could not stop brushing." She stated. Smiling at her, she was staring at Rick. Most had already seen his new look. "Huh. I've never – I've never seen your face like that."
"That's what I felt before and after."
Laughing, I gently tossed a blanket to where Rosita was sitting on the floor, "I almost miss the beard."
"Look…I get why we're playing it safe. We should." Michonne told us. "I just – I have a good feeling about this place."
"Well, I hope you're right." Rick told her.
Michonne looked at him sadly, "Yeah. Me, too."
There was a knock on the door and you could feel everyone go on edge. Looking at Rick, I moved toward the door only to have him grip my arm, moving in front of me. I sighed but he nodded at me, holding up his hand as he opened the door. It was Deanna.
"Rick, I – wow." She said as she took in his face. He simply grunted at her. "I didn't know what was under there." He smirked and I couldn't help but laugh. I was sure he was already sick of hearing that. "Listen, I don't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to stop by and see how you were all settling." He stepped past the entryway and her eyes moved to the rest of our family. "Oh, my. Staying together. Smart."
"No one said we couldn't." He told her with slight defensiveness.
"You said you're a family. That's what you said. Absolutely amazing to me how people with completely different backgrounds and nothing in common can become that. Don't you think?"
"Everybody said you gave them jobs."
"Mm-hmm. Yeah. Part of this place. Looks like the communists won after all." She told him.
He smiled, "Well, you didn't give me one."
"I have. I just haven't told you yet." She told him. "Same as Michonne. I'm closing in on something for Sasha. And I'm just trying to figure Mr. Dixon out, but I will. You look good."
She looked from one of us to the next before she left. It took a few minutes after she left for everyone to start to settle down and start to fall asleep. One by one, the room got quieter and quieter. I was sitting against the wall, able to see all of them. Rick was standing with me before he went into the kitchen. When he remained silent, I stood and followed him, seeing him holding a knife.
Smiling, I walked up to him, putting my hand over his, "You don't need that."
"Just in case."
"Baby, nothing bad is going to happen. We're safe here. Deanna seems genuine and I truly think we can trust her."
"What if we can't?" He asked.
"Then we'll kill her and take over this place." I smirked at him.
He nodded at me, "Yeah."
"I was kidding." I told him, now slightly concerned. "Rick." I frowned.
"I want to be prepared for every scenario."
"That isn't one of them." I shot at him as quietly as I could muster. "These are good people. Aaron is a good person. We don't get welcomed in and then slaughter everyone because we might not agree with everything that's going on." He nodded at me. "Like you said, we don't know enough yet. You need to promise me that you're going to try to give this place a chance."
He met my eyes, "I promise, Caroline."
"Good." I said but wasn't convinced. "Don't make me do something that I don't want to do."
"Like what?" He smirked, setting the knife on the counter as he snaked his arm around me. "Are you going to move against me?"
"No." I replied, picking it up and slid it back where it belonged. "But I will stop you from doing something stupid. I will protect you. Not only you. I will protect our family from something horrible happening because one or more of us can't wrap our heads around this place. We need to make this work, baby. Plain and simple. But a lot of that falls on you. You are our leader and we will fall in line but…"
"But?"
I sighed, "I need you to try, Rick. I really, really, really need you to try."
He nodded, "I will, baby."
"Thank you." I said and kissed him.
"What about Pete?" He asked. "What are you gonna do if he turns out to be the bad guy?"
"I'll do what I have to do." I told him. "Just like always."
He smiled, "I love you."
Smiling, I pressed myself against his chest, bringing my hand to his hair, tangling my fingers in it, "I love you, too."
Going back into the other room, I settled down where I had been; my head against Rick's chest as he laid with me. It took a long time for me to fall asleep, listening to all the new sounds of the world around us. I knew Rick was going to get little to no sleep. But if I could at least keep him with me, then he wouldn't have a choice but to try.