"You've gotten very close with Maggie since you first got here. That's good."
Al was lost in her mind, standing in front of Glenn Rhee's grave, until she heard the voice of Paul Rovia, a man who was nicknamed Jesus by most who knew him. His soft smile held no silent judgment against her. "Glenn Rhee's memory can be either a dark cloud or a guiding light. Whichever it turns out to be for you is your choice."
"Maggie told me about him. I am not jealous. I only know I have big shoes to fill."
"Glenn was a good man with a better heart than most. It broke Maggie to watch him die in front of her. That doesn't mean Maggie doesn't have it in her heart to love another. It's not the same as what she shared with Glenn but it's enough."
Al looked at Jesus, who smiled kindly at her. "From the first time you saw each other, I saw something in between you and Maggie. Perhaps it was instinct but I began to believe you would be the one to pull her out from the clearing. She may have walked out of there in the physical sense, but Negan trapped her there."
Al frowned at the mention of where Abraham and Glenn's brutal murders at the hands of Negan took place. It took a lot of restraint, along with a hard sell from Rick on the future they were trying to build for everyone, to keep from killing Negan in his cell.
"The war against the Saviors was brutal for everyone, Al. Lives were ruined and lost on both sides. It was hard to weed out the huddled masses desperate to survive from the cold-blooded thieves and killers who robbed and preyed upon others."
"When I was at Alexandria, I saw Negan with my own two eyes. He didn't shed a tear about bashing Abraham Ford's head in anymore than when he did the same to Maggie's husband." Al remarked.
Though she only knew him for a short while, Al was fond of Abraham. The closer she got to Maggie, the more Al learned about Glenn. All these things served to illustrate why Negan was condemned to die in that prison cell with only a window and a shit bucket as his creature comforts.
"How do I keep Maggie from becoming him? Or something worse than him?" Al asked.
"Be there for her. Love her. Remind her of the ideals Glenn stood for so she does not lose her way. You'll honor Glenn's legacy, soften Maggie's hardened heart and help her to live rather than just survive."
Al's attention was drawn to Carl pushing Enid around in her wheelchair. It was touching to see Rick's one-eyed son showing such care and attention to the young girl.
"How are you taking to not being at the Sanctuary anymore?" Tara asked as she and Daryl took in the fresh air and sunshine while looking at the vast crops growing.
"It's good to be surrounded by friends instead of enemies." Daryl replied as he relished the open space and the fresh air Hilltop offered him. "How has Maggie been doing lately?"
"She's doing better, especially since Al showed up. Honestly, I thought she would have split by the third day. I didn't expect her to practically move in." Tara was not blind. She saw right away the attraction Al had for Maggie and it was certainly clear that Maggie had an equal attraction for Al.
"Have there been any times where she remembers?" Daryl did not need to spell it out. Tara knew what he meant. "All the time. She's less cold to others. The times when she's screaming into an empty room are fewer. Most of all, she's not crying herself to sleep."
Tara reached into her pocket and pulled out a letter. "If you're going by Alexandria, could you give Rosita this for me? It's been too long since the last time I saw her."
Daryl smiled as he took the letter. "I have to take Carl back anyway. Sure. I'll get your love letter to Rosita."
Tara laughed. "We haven't gotten to that yet."
"Don't wait too long."
"I'm going inside to check on Hershel. The kid can't nap all day and I'm sure he'll need something by now." Tara said, going towards Barrington House.
On the way around Barrington House to the front gates, Daryl happened to show up just as Maggie and Earl emerged from the cells beneath the building. They shared a silent look with each other before Earl walked away.
"What did you decide to do with Earl?" Daryl asked.
"Tomorrow, he goes back to work as Hilltop's chief blacksmith. For now, he's going to spend the day with his wife."
"And you? How are you holding up?"
"There are bad days." Maggie remarks. "There are also some good days. I'm glad when those come along."
"Would those good days have anything to do with Al?" Daryl remarked. It was not lost on him how Al and Maggie became inseparable at times.
Maggie smiled at the mention of Al. "She helped me feel something I thought I lost."
"It's been too long since your face lit up. If Al had anything to do with it, I'll love her as much as you do." Daryl said as another thought came to mind.
"Did you mean what you said after you hanged Gregory? That it wasn't the start of something?"
Stopping in her tracks, Maggie looked Daryl in the eye. "We can't go back to the way things were during the war and before that. At the same time, everyone here knows Gregory was a two faced, spineless, self-serving rat that deserved what he got. If he did not hang that night, he would have tried again to have me killed."
"I would have put a bolt right through him, whether or not anyone was watching."
Maggie hugged Daryl. "Never forget that I love you and that you are loved by many." Daryl tenderly hugged Maggie back in a silence they both understood. Once they let go of each other, they spotted Al and Jesus talking with Carl and Enid.
"Do you think those two will live long enough to be where Glenn and I were?" Maggie asked.
"What you and Glenn had is different than what those two have. None of us know what will happen next. All we know for sure is who we are and where we are right now."
"Are you sure about this, Carl? It's a big commitment." Al didn't expect to hear such a thing from a teenager. However, the world being what it became and things being what they are, the younger generations had no choice but to grow up fast.
"My dad didn't bring it up before but I know we are one of the communities without a blacksmith. I figured I ought to take the chance and provide that for Alexandria. It helps that I'll be able to see Enid more than once a week in between trades and supply runs." Carl said, giving Enid's shoulder a gentle squeeze.
"If your dad and Maggie say yes, it can happen."
"What could happen?" Maggie and Daryl arrived in time to hear the last remark made by Jesus.
"Carl wants an apprenticeship in the forge here at Hilltop to give Alexandria it's own blacksmith. It's a bonus that he gets to see Enid more often."
"Do you really want to take this up for real, Carl? I have no problem with you wanting to learn something vital. It would help me to know that this decision you're making is not a knee jerk response to what nearly happened to Enid and myself."
"I wasn't happy at all to hear what happened. As for learning how to be a blacksmith, I was thinking about that since much earlier than that." Carl said, his hand on Enid's shoulder. "I need to be able to create something with my hands instead of just killing walkers and killing."
Maggie smiled at Carl. "Did you talk with your dad and Michonne?"
"I'll talk with them when I get back." Carl answered.
"If they agree to it, you'll have to decide whether you want to sacrifice time with Judith or time with Enid. Most of all, if you do end up here at Hilltop, you will have to listen to and follow what Maggie tells you. Her rules are the law." Daryl instructed.
"Carl, why don't you take Enid around and stretch your legs? You can get a feel for the place and decide for yourself what you want to do." Al suggested before turning her attention to Maggie. "Maggie, there's something we ought to talk about inside when you have the chance."
Daryl and Jesus were glad Carl and Enid opted to go off on their own instead of sticking around to see what was between Maggie and Al play out in front of them.
Daryl was right. Maggie's face lit up and her smile was a bit brighter when she and Al were together. He couldn't fault her for it. Though Al was a bit of a tomboy, she was still an attractive woman.
After the teenagers went their way and Maggie walked into Barrington House with Al at her side, Daryl asked Jesus, "Did you ever expect something like that would happen?"
Jesus smiled. "Even now, given the current state of the world, I can still be surprised."
The moment they were behind closed doors in the study, Maggie and Al were passionately kissing each other and energetically fondling each other. "Do I even need to tell you how much I want you?" Al asked between gasps of air and intense kisses.
"Your hands and mine are doing all the talking for the both of us." Maggie said as she wrapped her legs around Al's waist.
After they both stripped down and got each other off multiple times, Maggie and Al sat together in the old study nearby the office. "What did you want to talk to me about?" Maggie asked, leaning into Al's embrace, allowing her arms to wrap around her body.
"Oceanside has a fresh catch of fish to trade for produce from here at Hilltop." Al said, tracing her fingers up and down Maggie's arms. "I offered to go down there and make the trade tomorrow. They kept insisting on seeing you there."
"What does it matter to them that I show up with you?" Maggie asked.
"It's no secret how you feel about Negan. They are still raw over their men getting murdered by the Saviors. My gut tells me they are going to give you the hard sell on payback. Chances are that they will know which buttons to push." Al held Maggle tenderly. "I don't want to see you consumed by anger and vengeance."
"For someone who always stood behind a camera, you are very sentimental when you want to be." Maggie leaned back and kissed Al.
"We'll go to Oceanside together. Apart from the trade, we can have a beach day before we head back."
"Sounds like fun." Al remarked, turning Maggie around so they were face to face while keeping Maggie sat on her lap. "Have you ever felt like this for women, Al?"
Al ran her fingers through Maggie's long hair. "For other women, not really. For you, definitely. What about you? As far as women go, am I your first?"
"Yes." Maggie leaned in and kissed Al, pressing her body against Al's. "I love you, Al."
"I love you too, Maggie."
A/n: If you actually like this story and want to review it, no problem. If you are going to completely dismiss the whole story and talk about something that has nothing to do with it, don't troll me with the review section.