This Night
Chapter 243
Author's Note: I'm going off script. Really? Me? Do something like that? Yep, just to keep you all on your toes. Plus the people in Alexandria are bugging me to introduce them. I wish they had shown Alexandria before Aaron pops out of no where, kind of like they did with Woodbury. Chapter before this is all Alexandrian people (OC's included) plus named red shirts. My biggest question while watching the scenes in Alexandria were OK so you're near Washington? Where are the Vets? Park Police? You know useful people? So I didn't add park police, but there are a vet or two. Useful people. People that Jes won't want to shoot and be done with it. Not everyone will be introduced. I like Eric, they just don't show enough of him, so I decided to give him a kid sister (about 22) who he can harass and tease. This takes place about a month before our group arrives, right about the time Nicholas and Aiden lose three people.
Quinn Monroe-Bledsoe and Aiden POV:
Aiden knocked on his older sisters door early in the morning and waited. He was surprised when the door opened and it wasn't Quinn who answered it. "You having sleepovers with my sister now Gus?"
Gus Alverez blocked entry into the house as he leaned against the door, just wearing a pair of sleep pants. "Don't see why that would be any of your business, Aiden. She is your OLDER sister. What do you want?"
"I want to talk to Quinn," Aiden told him.
"She doesn't want to talk to you, Aiden. This isn't the time," Gus told him calmly.
"Just because you're sleeping with her, doesn't give you the right to speak for her. Let me in," Aiden told him.
Quinn sighed as she came down the stairs. "Porch, Aiden," she said as she grabbed a cup of coffee.
"No I don't want any, thanks for offering," Aiden said as he went out on the porch. "This is a private conversation, Gus."
"You want to talk to me Aiden, you'll do it in front of Gus. What do you want?" Quinn asked as she sat down on the porch swing.
"I want to speak to Chloe," Aiden answered.
Quinn peered over her coffee cup. "Why?"
"I think I owe it to her to say sorry about her brother not coming back from the supply run," Aiden answered.
Gus shook his head. "You've had three days to do that. You should have been the one to tell that twelve year old girl that her brother, her only living relative in this world wasn't returning. But you and Nicholas seemed to have made yourself scarce. Quinn told her, she also moved her into her house, with her own thirteen year old daughter. We moved her stuff, we held her while she cried, we put up a cross in Will's memory, because we didn't have a body to bury. But three days later, you decide to come over here and demanding to see her. It doesn't work that way," he informed him.
"I don't have to listen to the man who is banging his dead best friends wife," Aiden said.
"Aiden, enough. Cam has been gone for two years, if it wasn't for Gus getting Bri and I out of Washington, we'd be dead. I won't let you talk like that to Gus, we aren't doing anything wrong. He's right, you're not going to talk to Chloe, until you're ready to tell her the truth of what happened," Quinn told him.
"I've told the truth about what happened," Aiden told her.
"No, you and Nicholas told the version of the truth that you have to believe to live with yourself. I've watched both of your tapes, Aiden. Over and over in three days, just to try to get some understanding how you and Nicholas both came back, and Will, Jenny and Charlie didn't. Until you can look me in the eyes, Aiden, and tell me exactly what happened out there, you aren't going to see Chloe. She's going to want answers to questions, and I want her to hear the truth, not some version of the truth, Aiden. So, until you can do that, please get off my porch," she told her brother.
Deanna stopped in front of the house with Reg. "You know, I remember you telling me that they would stop fighting when they stopped being teenagers. I'm still waiting," she told her husband.
"Anything we can help with?" Reg asked. "Good morning Gus," he greeted.
"Morning sir," Gus greeted. "I'll just go inside and get my shirt, refill your coffee for you Quinn?" he asked.
"No, I'm good," Quinn answered as he went inside. "Nothing you can help with dad. I'm keeping Bri home from school this morning, she was up late with Chloe," she said. "I'll be working on some of the designs for the greenhouses later dad," she said.
"Is Chloe doing alright?" Deanna asked.
"Her only living relative died three days ago mom, so no she's not," Quinn answered. "I need to get inside," she said as she shot a look at Aiden before going inside.
Eric and Emily POV:
Emily looked out the window as she drank her orange juice. She held up a glass to Eric as he came down the stairs. "Aiden and Quinn are at it again."
"And you haven't went outside to eavesdrop? What kind of gossip hound are you?" Eric teased his little sister.
Emily rolled her eyes. "It's not a gossip magazine, Eric. It's a newspaper," she corrected him.
"Right," Eric said with a grin. "All about who is seeing who, who got more pears this week," he said.
The youngest Raleigh looked out the window and frowned. "This month, it'll have obituaries," she said softly.
"They were good people," Eric told her.
"I'm going over to Quinn's later, we're having a paint party for Chloe's room. Girls only," Em teased.
Eric pouted. "Now that just isn't fair, I want you to know that I have a wonderful decorating sense."
His sister laughed. "Oh I know, trust me, Eric. You bedazzled dad's football," she said. "I think that's when they figured out you were gay," she teased.
"Like I was hiding it," Eric said. "So, I'm being the big noisy brother. How are you and the youngest Monroe getting along?"
"Spencer? We're just friends," Em answered as she turned around to look at him.
"Mrs. Neudermeyer doesn't only talk about that pasta maker she wants," Eric told her. "She was quick to tell me that Spencer was seen leaving this very house on several nights, very late at night, sometimes early mornings the last time Aaron and I was gone."
"Mrs. Neudermeyer needs to worry about her own business," Emily said.
"I'll go and get Aaron and we'll both gang up on you, until you tell us all the details," Eric warned.
"There's nothing to tell, Eric," Emily said. "Spence did spend a couple nights while you were gone. But nothing happened, I mean OK 2nd base, almost 3rd base," she answered as she went as red as her hair. "OK, this conversation is ending, now."
"You know Aaron and I are planning on going on another recruiting mission in a week or so, further out," Eric said as he followed her. "I think I'll make sure to ask Spencer to keep a watchful eye on you," he teased.
"You do and I'll hide your favorite baking pan," Em warned.
"You like my chocolate muffins to much," Eric reminded her. "OK, so what's the real reason you are keeping yourself unemotionally unavailable?"
Em shrugged. "I always thought that when I fell in love, it would be like you and Aaron. I knew that summer I came to stay with you after I graduated, that the two of you were head over heals for each other. You set the bar to high big brother."
"You don't feel like that with Spencer?" Eric asked.
"I guess it could be like that," Em answered.
"But the sparks aren't there huh?" Eric asked.
"Physically, yes, emotionally not so much," Emily responded truthfully. "Not that there's a lot of choices. All the good men are taken, gay or walkers," she answered.
Eric laughed. "So, Aaron and I'll look for a group with young handsome men."
"You wouldn't," Em said. "Yes you would," she responded as she laughed. "I love you, you lug," Em said as she hugged him.
Aaron and Phoebe's POV:
Phoebe dropped her nephew off at school and spotted Aaron. "Hey, you got a minute?"
Aaron turned around and looked at her. "Of course," he said. "What's up?"
"Heard you and Eric are going out recruiting in a couple weeks," Phoebe stated.
"We are, going further out this time, see if we have better luck," Aaron answered. "What's up?"
"I want to come with you," Phoebe answered.
"Phoebe, I'm not sure if that's such a good idea," Aaron answered.
"Why not? I was out there, you and Eric brought Liam and I in last year. I know what it's like out there, what the people are like. No offense, Aaron, but if I had any bullets left in my gun I would have shot you on site with the whole 'I've got good news for you," Phoebe told him honestly.
"So maybe I need to work on the approach," Aaron admitted with a laugh. "Liam is the reason I don't think you should go. You're his only family, and after what happened with Chloe, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with you leaving Liam."
"It was Liam's idea," Phoebe told him.
"It was?" Aaron asked.
"My nephew saw his parents torn apart right in front of him out there. Unlike a lot of the kids here, he knows what it's like out there. He thinks that I could be useful out there. He knows like I do that anyone that's been out there this long is going to need someone to understand, someone that's seen the horrible shit that people do. No matter how much you want to help Aaron, there are things you'll never understand, things that I hope you'll never need to understand. You're good at reading people, you're good at seeing the good in people. If I had been you, I would have never approached me, but I know you did because of Liam. This place needs people that know how to survive out there, know what it's like. This place needs survivors, GOOD survivors, you know that. That's why you go out and help. That's why you approach people with your whole 'I've got good news for you spiel. I want to help, I can do more for this community then teach school twice a week. I need to do this, for me, for Liam. If I suck, then I'll never ask again," Phoebe told him.
"You aren't going to suck, I know that, you know that," Aaron said. "We could use a third car, in case we run into a big group."
"That's a yes, isn't it?" Phoebe said with a grin.
"You have to clear it with Deanna," Aaron told her.
"Already did, last night," Phoebe answered.
"Of course you did. What about Liam? Where will he be staying? We might be gone for a couple weeks?" Aaron told her.
"With Noel. I've already cleared it with him and they are already planning on some science project that will probably explode, that I probably don't want to be around for," Phoebe said.
"Alright, come over to the house tonight, we'll have a meeting," Aaron told her.
"Thank you!" Phoebe said as she hugged him.
Author's note: Not all the OC's got to be the star of the show, but will show up when our group gets to Alexandria. What do you think so far? Next chapter will be back to our group.