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The sisters embraced. They hadn't seen each other since Beth's visit last fall. It had been too long. Weather is as always a contributing factor and she couldn't just leave her garden for very long especially if things were as dry as they were last summer. Still, it had been too long.
And truthfully Beth still felt the sting of Maggie leaving the cabin for the community. Only coming back long enough to gather a few things and to tell Beth she was staying. She met a guy, wanted to see where it went like she'd met someone at a bar and wanted to spend the weekend with him. Essentially she chose Glenn and the community over her own sister.
But that wasn't very fair. Beth couldn't rightfully expect Maggie to live out her life in a cabin in the mountains with her spinster sister. And Glenn is a good guy. Treats Maggie better than any of her other past boyfriends. He was solid and dependable. He kept his temper when Maggie flew off the handle - something that was very important.
Beth pulled back. There was something noticeable in between them, her eyes went to Maggie's protruding belly. "What's this?" She asked, her eyes lighting up.
Maggie rested her hands on her stomach through the many layers of clothing. "Well, this is your niece or nephew." Her green eyes sparkled with excitement. Maggie, who tried to play everything so cool, looked genuinely happy.
"Oh, Maggie," Beth's hands joined Maggie's. Something pushed against Maggie's stomach, rolled against Beth's palm. "Whoa."
"Crazy, isn't it?" Glenn asked, appearing as happy as Maggie.
"'Bout the craziest thing I've ever seen," Beth said with wonder. "To think there's a whole human being in there..." She'd known pregnant women before, even felt the baby's movement. It was an entirely different experience when it was your sister's baby. She could say with certainty, just like that, she already loved that baby.
"Congratulations, Auntie," Maggie said to Beth.
Daryl watched the whole thing play out. Beth's sister was alive apparently. He hadn't bothered to ask and he felt like an asshole for not knowing. She told him about her dad. About her mother and brother. Vaguely, in not so many words, just that they had died. He had no idea about her sister or that she was living at the community with a boyfriend. Beth didn't seem to know her sister is pregnant. He couldn't be faulted for that at least. Not that Beth would be angry with him for not knowing, he just felt he should somehow have known.
He stood by patiently waiting with Beta and Lydia when Beth finally turned her attention to them. "These are friends of mine, Beta, Lydia." She paused, he noticed, before saying his name. "And Daryl."
"Nice to meet you," Glenn said and shook their hands. Bonus points in Daryl's mind, not that he was keeping track, that he was willing to make physical contact with them even though they looked worse for wear. Maggie did the same thing; she was mostly interested in her sister.
"We're hoping Deanna would let them stay," Beth told Maggie and Glenn.
Them. Was he a part of that? They didn't talk about what would happen once they got there. They were too busy wrapped up in each other the night before. And the night before that…
"You know how it goes," Maggie said. "Gotta talk to her."
Just then Aiden appeared and directed them to follow him. Beth told her sister she'd find her later, that she was going with her group. Her group.
As they followed Aiden he explained what would happen next. Daryl wasn't really listening, he was too busy taking in his surroundings. People made eye contact. Smiled at their group. "Welcome," they voiced. A few greeted Beth welcoming her back.
There was a crew building a house in the distance at the end of the row of matching houses, adding to the town. No sound of power tools hummed in the air, only the thwack of hammers. And voices carrying, joking. Laughing. Laughing.
Aiden was saying they had to go through 'intake'. A check-up with the doctor. A meeting with Deanna and finally if Deanna okayed it, they'd be given temporary lodging as well as food and basic necessities. There was a provisional time period to see if they were a good fit for the town. If they were, they could stay on for an extended time. If someone had a special skill set like carpentry or cooking then it would be put to good use.
Everyone had jobs. Everyone was expected to pitch in.
That's how Daryl found himself in a nice house in a den with decorations and paintings and even a bowl of tiny rocks on the table. It confused him, rocks in a bowl? Nice furniture and white walls and a sofa that had pillows. Frigging pillows.
He volunteered to meet with Deanna first to get a feel for things. He paced the room not wanting to sit down and get anything dirty. He was sure his boots were doing that well enough on their own.
"You're welcome to sit down, Daryl. I don't bite," the woman said. Being inside the walls of a house still made him nervous. Funny, he didn't feel that way in Beth's cabin once he was well enough to go outside on his own. Of course, her property wasn't blocked in by walls.
"I'm alright," was his gruff reply, always leery of new people. The woman was dressed nicely in clean clothes. Not a single wrinkle to be seen. Her hair was freshly washed, trimmed to her shoulders. He, on the other hand, looked like he'd been on the road for a couple of days, which he had.
"Daryl, do you want to be here?" She asked.
He continued to pace. "My friends, they deserve a roof." How quickly he grew to consider Beta and Lydia his friends.
"Tell me more about your friends," she prodded. Curiously pleasant, leaning back against the couch as though she has all the time in the world.
"What do ya' wanna know?" He was beginning to lose patience. What did any of this matter?
"Well," she smiled warmly. Knowingly. "How about Beth? How did you come to know her?"
He rolled his shoulders, turning his back on her. He looked at the books that were tucked into a shelf, mostly about psychology. She was analyzing him. It didn't take a genius to figure that out. It pissed him off and not too long ago he would have told her to fuck off. But he had to play her game if that's what it took to help Beta, Lydia, and Chubs.
Facing her again he said, "She saved my life." He had nothing to hide and wasn't ashamed of the fact he wouldn't be here without her. She went to all that fuss just for him when the average person would have left him for dead. It was against her nature to just leave someone that needed help.
Matter of fact he got a pleasant warming sensation through his body when he thought about it. When he thought about Beth forcing his dead-weighted body up onto that rickety wood cart, then pushing it to the house over the uneven frozen ground. Then dragging him over the floor into the living room and finally flopping him onto the mattress in front of the fire. She had been determined. If he was asked to describe her in one word (and he wouldn't be surprised if this fake shrink would ask him to do as much) that word would be determined.
Deanne's pencil-thin eyebrows rose, wrinkling her forehead. "Oh? I'd love to hear about that."
He pointed to the books on the shelf. "You a shrink?"
"No," she chuckled, apparently not offended. Maybe she wasn't so bad, Daryl conceded. Maybe. "Before, I was a congresswoman."
He rolled his eyes. Great, a politician. He sighed before he spoke. "Beth found me in the woods by her cabin. Near dead. Helped me get back on my feet." He gave her the Cliffs Notes version.
Yes, he'd play her game, keeping his and Beth's story to a bare minimum. He was under no obligation to tell her everything. He found he didn't mind talking about it so much. Talking about Beth brought out another side to him.
"What Beth does, taking strangers into her home is quite generous. She has a special heart."
Daryl nodded, he didn't disagree. Deanna obviously knew, or gave a good guess, about him and Beth. While he didn't mind talking about Beth he didn't want to talk about him and Beth. That wasn't this lady's, or anyone else's, business. He could hear the questions now. Why is she with him? He's so much older, so much rougher. Blah, blah, fucking blah.
"Some people find us on their own, others she directs to us. She's sent many good people here. She's also directed a few people away from us. She's like our own," Deanne gestured with a hand in the air, searching for the right words, "guardian angel."
Daryl's head snapped up meeting Deanna's gaze. He didn't know Beth served as a sort of protection for the community. That added another level of danger to what she does.
"Can I speak honestly?" She asked.
"No, lie to me," he sassed before he had a chance to think better of it.
She chuckled a laugh before going on. "So, you and your friends wouldn't be here if Beth didn't vouch for you. Ultimately it's my say if you all stay but I trust Beth's judgment immensely. She acts as a quasi guardian for us. You must understand I want to protect her in return."
He didn't like where this was heading. He knew Deanna wanted to say more about Beth and protecting her and what that meant. Frankly, he didn't want to hear it or any warning she might give him.
He spoke up before she had a chance to say any more.
"Listen, I'm not planning on staying so don't worry, I won't muck up your town. I'm not interested in what you have to say about me and Beth." He waited, making sure she understood him. She nodded and he went on. "I'm sure Beth told you but Beta and Lydia - they're good people. Lydia's real skittish. Gotta be careful with her. She's protective of Chubs. Doesn't mean she doesn't want to be here," he warned gruffly. If she had another panic attack in front of them it might affect their ability to stay. "Believe me, she wants to be here, needs to be here."
Instead of being put off by his demeanor, she seemed to appreciate his candor. "Yes, I was told she has a baby. Thomas?"
"Chubs," Daryl corrected. Deanna wrinkled her nose at the nickname, the corners of her mouth lifting in a small smile. "Our doctor says he's in very good health considering what he's been through."
"Considering? Is there something wrong with Chubs?"
"No. He's in good health, I assure you. He's just been through a lot in the short amount of time he's been earthside."
"Lydia's a good mom," Daryl said. Defensiveness coiling in his gut. "She's done the best she can. Just a kid herself..."
Deanna held up a hand, yielding to Daryl. "I apologize. You're right, I'm sure she has done her best. I didn't mean to imply otherwise."
He backed down a notch at her apology. She seemed sincere. She studied him a moment longer and then changing the subject she said, "You're welcome to stay. I assume you'll be heading back home with Beth."
It was a statement but her voice rising at the end of the sentence told him she wanted an answer. Daryl didn't reply. He couldn't. Not when he, himself, didn't know the answer to that very question.
By the time he got out of his meeting with Deanna, it was getting late. The sun setting behind the little town, silhouetting the houses against the backdrop of an orange-red sky. He was instructed to go to the house two doors down. It was where they housed their "newcomers" until they decided if they were staying.
He stood on the porch of a two-story white house with an actual white picket fence and black shutters. He debated about knocking. He had no idea who was on the other side of the door. That's when he heard Chubs squeal and he knew he was in the right place.
He stuck his head in the doorway, hand automatically going to his knife. He relaxed when he saw Beta looking as clean as Daryl had ever seen him walking down the hall toward the entryway.
"Hey. Ya' found us. Thought maybe you left," Beta said.
"Not yet," Daryl mumbled entering the house, shutting the door tightly behind him, flipping the lock. Beth might trust these people and Deanna seemed genuine in her approach, that didn't mean he did.
Beta looked to be wearing new, slightly used, clothes. His hair was wet and he carried a pair of clean socks in his hand with no apparent holes, though there were a few spots that had been mended.
"We're in here," he said pointing to the living area to the right. He walked past Daryl and he cautiously followed him. This house was less decorated than Deanna's office. Still, there were a couple of pillows, and a blanket folded on the back of the couch. Two upright uncomfortable looking chairs faced the couch with a table in between. A fire was lit in the stone fireplace on the far wall.
Lydia was sitting on the floor, a colorful area rug underneath her, playing with Chubs. He was sitting up, a plastic red ball in his chunky fingers, trying to get it in his mouth.
"There he is," she said of Daryl, talking softly to Chubs. Chubs' face lit up when he noticed Daryl. It made his heart warm and he wasn't sure what to do about it. He kneeled down and ran his head over his fuzzy head.
"This a new trick?" He asked him about sitting up.
"Yep, he'll be crawling in no time," Lydia said proudly. "I'm glad you didn't leave," she said with a smile. For the first time, her smile actually spread to her eyes. "There's food in the kitchen. Some lady with short gray hair dropped it off. Then another woman dropped off a basket of clothes and some soap and shampoo for us and fresh cloth diapers for Chubs."
"I swear that's what she's most excited about," Beta said, sitting on the couch. "Diapers."
"Well the diapers he's been using are getting pretty rank. You can only wash them so many times before they just stay gross," she laughed. Daryl noticed her attitude was markedly better than when they first arrived a few hours ago.
"They have running water. You can take a shower if you want," Lydia told Daryl. Her hair was damp. Her skin held the milky shine of being scrubbed more than once.
"Then get some food," Beta chimed in.
"You trust these people?" He asked standing again, leaning on the rounded alcove separating the living room from the entryway.
"Not like we got a whole lot of other appealing options. We can't expect Beth to take us in long-term," Beta said what Daryl already knew.
"They checked Chubs out and said he's healthy. Is a good weight. They gave me some rice cereal for him to try. I'm still leery," Lydia said, her eyes turning serious. "But so far. I feel comfortable. Like Beta said, we cant expect Beth to keep us forever. Here we can be a member of a community. We can have a life here."
Daryl didn't share Beta and Lydia's feelings. In his world, no one gave anyone anything for free. They always expected something in return. The question is what did this community want? Could it be that they just wanted to rebuild civilization? Or remake it into their own twisted version?
"We're sticking together," Beta added on to what Lydia said. "Till we get the lay of the land a bit better. But it doesn't seem so bad. And if Beth is comfortable here…" he let the sentence go. "I trust her."
It was what Daryl clung to. Beth would not have brought them here if it wasn't safe. Unless she just didn't know.
"Where is Beth?" He asked, trying not to seem too eager. He saw it though, the slight little glance Lydia gave Beta. A smirk playing on her lips.
So they knew. So what? They weren't being exactly sneaky. Had no reason to be secretive.
"She said she'd be back later. She wanted to spend time with her sister. Did you know her sister was here?" Lydia asked.
"Na', I didn't know." Wanting to be alone for a while, he said, "Maybe I will get a shower."
"Back there," Beta said, pointing down the hall to the bathroom.
It took three washings before the water finally ran clear. He wrapped a towel around his waist and wiped at the fogged mirror with a handtowel. Looking at himself in the mirror was something he hadn't done in a long time, if ever. He looked rough, he admitted that with no qualms.
Lines framed his eyes and the corners of his mouth. His beard was sprinkled with grey. More grey than not. His hair was long and shaggy, also laced with shiny strands of silver. He had a few more scars marring his torso and chest. A pink blemish just below his collarbone from Beth.
At the thought of Beth, the nervousness coiling through his body eased slightly. He had no idea her sister was still alive yet he was glad for Beth that she was. Actual bloodline familial connections are almost unheard of these days.
He decided to sleep on the couch rather than take one of the bedrooms. He didn't trust these people as much as Beta and Lydia, who were tucked into a room upstairs, appeared to. He didn't think he'd be able to sleep but must have dozed off because he woke to Beth crawling onto the couch with him sometime later. The fire was banked low, shadows covered the room. Her blonde hair glowed.
"Ya know there are like three other beds in this house," she whispered, nestling her face into his neck. She lay on her side, throwing her leg over the side of his legs. "It's safe here," she told him, knowing he'd have his reservations.
He made a disapproving grumble, burying his face in her hair. It was damp and smelled slightly of lavender. "Ain't no place completely safe."
"Yeah, I know," she said with a regretful sigh. He brushed the hair off her face and placed a kiss to her forehead. The few hours she was gone was the longest they'd been apart from each other since he'd gotten to her cabin. He was glad she was back in his arms.
"I didn't know your sister was here. Didn't know she was alive either."
"After we'd been at the cabin for a while, we came here to check it out. She decided to stay longer. She and Glenn hit it off I guess and then decided to stay permanently." As she talked she traced a hand from his bare shoulder, down his arm, resting on his stomach.
"And that pisses you off, don't it?" He asked with a chuckle, pulling her closer.
She playfully shoved at his shoulder. "Am I that readable?" She asked. He eyed her knowingly. "Okay, maybe. At first, it definitely did make me mad. But they're happy and having a baby so that's all that matters." Her eyes were downcast, mournful. She missed her sister. She was the only family she had left as far as Daryl knew.
She abruptly changed the subject to Lydia, a smile returning to her face.
"You shoulda' seen Lydia. She really stuck up for herself and Beta. And she didn't let Dr. Denise touch Chubs unless he was sitting on Lydia's lap so she could watch the doctor's every move. And then she somehow convinced Deanna to let Beta stay."
Daryl humphed. "She's tougher than she realizes."
"I think they'll be happy here. I'll miss them though. And Maggie. And Glenn. And my little niece or nephew."
"Does it make you want to stay?" He asked, wanting with all his might for her to say no and feeling like a selfish dick for wanting to keep her from her family for his own reasons.
The silence of her thoughts echoed in his ears. If she wanted to stay he wouldn't blame her, definitely wouldn't try to make her leave. What's left of her family is here. She'd have a niece or nephew in a few months and she'd probably want to be here for that.
Why couldn't he just open his mouth and say how he felt, that he wanted to be wherever she was. Whether that be here, at the cabin, or somewhere else. What if she didn't want him in return? He didn't want to go back to the life he had before, wandering around alone after they lost Rick. She showed him a better way. He needed her in his life.
"No. I don't belong here. I belong at home. With you." Her eyes went to his, questioning. "If that's what you want?"
He wound his arms around her tighter. Excited relief ran through his veins, something he'd never quite experienced before. "You're all I want. Fuck everything else. You're all I need in this crazy-ass world."
When he entered her that night, there was more power, more feeling between them. She stood and shed her clothing in front of him and straddled his lap, lowering herself onto him. If he didn't know he wouldn't have guessed she wasn't experienced. To him, she did everything right. Every touch about drove him over the edge. Every kiss was an experience he'd never had before.
Her perfect body arched, baring herself to him, riding until she came hard and long, milking him with her inner vibrations. He slid out and moved behind her, sliding back in again. Pressing her back to his chest, grasping her hips, he exited completely before entering again. From here he was able to go deeper, able to rub her already sensitive clit, and bring her back up again until they came crashing down together. Together- just as they both wanted it to be.