Better Days

Chapter 258

Author's Note: A new beginning for Team Family (Or Jicks) needs a new title. Did you know there's two songs called Better Days? One by Breaking Benjamin and one by Goo Goo Dolls. We're using the one by Goo Goo Dolls. I don't own the song, I don't own the characters (except my OC's) Not gonna promise we'll get to Alexandria in two chapters-these talkative people. But we're getting on our way! Review please.

Lyrics:

And you asked me what I want this year
And I try to make this kind and clear
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
'Cause I don't need boxes wrapped in strings
And designer love and empty things
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

So take these words and sing out loud
'Cause everyone is forgiven now
'Cause tonight's the night the world begins again

I need some place simple where we could live
And something only you can give
And that's faith and trust and peace while we're alive
And the one poor child who saved this world
And there's ten million more who probably could
If we all just stopped and said a prayer for them

So take these words and sing out loud
'Cause everyone is forgiven now
'Cause tonight's the night the world begins again

I wish everyone was loved tonight
And somehow stop this endless fight
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

So take these words and sing out loud
'Cause everyone is forgiven now
'Cause tonight's the night the world begins again

'Cause tonight's the night the world begins again

Summer and Sasha's POV:

Summer held out her knife as her and Sasha walked outside and looked at the down trees and the walkers' that were caught under them.

"Look at this, this should have torn us apart," Sasha told her.

"But we're still here," Summer told her as they walked. "We're still standing to see another day, still standing to watch the sun coming up over the horizon," she said as she sat down on a log.

"We here to watch a sunrise?" Sasha asked.

"When was the last time that we've been able to just watch the beginning of a new day? Just take a moment to reflect that we're still here," Summer stated.

"Noah…that kid, he said he didn't know if he was going to make it. That's how I feel," Sasha told her as she got fought back the tears.

Summer put her arm around her. "You're going to make it, so am I. If either one of us really wanted to give up, really wanted to die, then we would have stood back last night and not helped with the doors. You and I were one of the first people to jump up to help Daryl. That tells me we want to live, for ourselves, for those we love. Deciding to live, remembering the ones we have lost, well that's the hard part. Maybe the hardest part of all this. Ty, Bob, Uncle Merle, Hershel, they wouldn't want us to give up. And that's what we would be doing. We'd be giving up and letting them down but also hurting those around us. Lexi, dad, mom, Uncle Daryl, Carl, everybody. Heard what you told Abraham, about you two not being friends. That was just plain mean," she told her.

"Mean?" Sasha asked as she arched her eyebrow.

"The two of you were locked in a train car together, if that's not a friendship making bonding experience, I'm not sure what is," Summer said with a smirk. "Cutting people out while we're still kicking, it's just gonna make it worse. Worse is the last thing we need right now," she told her friend and looked down at the music box. "Uncle Daryl fixed it," she said as she opened the music box. She stared down at it and broke out laughing. "Can't even get good luck with a music box," she told Sasha as they started laughing.

"Hi, hello," a strange male's voice came as both girls jumped up and pointed there guns at him as he came out of the shadows. "I didn't mean to interrupt," he told them.

Summer looked at him. "Yeah that's why we're holding guns at you, because you interrupted a girls gossip session," she told him.

The man took a breath as he kept his hands raised. "I know stranger danger. My name is Aaron and I'm a friend," he said. "I think maybe one of your friends is with a friend of mine. They are probably making there way back here now. I..I'd like to talk to the person in charge. Rick right?"

Summer glared at him. "How do you know that?"

"Why?" Sasha asked.

"I have good news," Aaron told them.

Summer and Sasha both turned there heads at the sound of the music box starting up as they both looked at him. "I can either put a bullet or an arrow in your head, your choice," she told him.

Sasha looked at her. "Maybe we should hear him out."

Summer glared at her. "So he can trap us? There is no way in hell I am taking him back to where Hope and Judith are."

"You're a good big sister," Aaron said as Sasha approached him. "Your mother? Is she alright? I mean being on the road while she should be recovering after giving birth, it must be horrific. I come from nearby, a safe place. A place where you wouldn't have to worry about your sisters' cries attracting anyone or anything Summer. There's even a couple boys there your age, you could be a normal teenager," he told her

"Yeah, that's my biggest concern," Summer said as she rolled her eyes.

"My friend and I are only here to convince you to come back with us, to audition for membership," Aaron told her.

"Anything?" Summer asked.

"He's only carrying one weapon," Sasha said as she took his bag. "We should take him back."

Summer glanced at him. "Yeah, he still hasn't decided if he wants an arrow or a bullet in his brain.

Group POV:

The group sat mostly silent cleaning there weapons or having there eyes shut. Jewel leaned against Rick as he rubbed her back with his eyes closed. Mika and Mitch were entertaining Judith, who was sitting up on her own. They all raised there heads when they heard the sound of Summer's voice.

"Dad? Um, this is Aaron," Summer said as everyone jumped up pointing weapons at him. Sasha stood behind him with a gun. "We took his weapons and his gear. He said there was at least one more person with him, that she was with Jes," she told them.

"Is she OK? Where is she?" Joey asked.

Daryl checked outside and checked him for weapons.

Jewel touched Judith's hair as she started crying. Rick motioned to Carl to take her as Jewel handed Lexi Hope. "Are you two alright?" Jewel asked.

Mar put a hand on Mitch's and Mika's shoulder motioning them over to where Carl and Lexi were.

"Yeah, he didn't approach us with weapons drawn or anything," Sasha answered.

Aaron reached out his hand and started to move toward Rick as he heard guns being readied to fire at him. "It's nice to meet you," he told Rick and Jewel.

"You said he had a weapon?" Rick asked Summer.

"Yeah," Summer answered as she walked over and handed it to him.

Rick touched her face. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"We're fine dad," Summer repeated. "He's been watching us, he knew your name. Knew my name," she said.

Joey and David both moved closer to Aaron as Rick inspected Aaron's gun and put it in the back of his pants. "Joey asked you if Jes was alright."

"She got caught in the storm, with Phoebe. If anything, Phoebe is probably scared to death of Jes. Phoebe will know that I came to make contact with you, they'll be on there way to you," Aaron explained.

"Is there something you need?" Rick asked in a lowered voice.

"He has a camp, nearby. He wants us to audition for membership," Sasha told them.

Aaron looked back at her. "I wish there was another word. Audition makes it sound like we're some kind of a dance troupe. That's only on Friday nights," he told them nervously.

"Um, and it's not a camp. It's a community. I think you all would make valuable additions. But it's not my call. My job is to convince you all to follow me back home. I know. If I were you, I wouldn't go either. Not until I knew exactly what I was getting into," Aaron told them. "Sasha, can you hand Rick my pack? Front pocket, there's an envelope. There's no way I could convince you to come with me just by talking about our community. That's why I brought those. I apologize in advance for the picture quality. We just found an old camera store last…" he said as Daryl stepped closer from him behind.

"Nobody gives a shit," Daryl told him.

"Daryl," Jewel warned as Sasha brought him the pack. "I'd apologize for my brother's interrupting, but we've been through a lot," she said as she bent down beside Rick to look at the pictures.

"It's alright," Aaron told her. "That's why I think you'd all be an amazing additions. You all stand up for each other, protect each other. Your daughter was very hesitant to bring me back here. She was very polite in asking if I wanted an arrow or a bullet to the brain. I'm glad that she held off on that," he said.

"Summer's nice like that. I wouldn't have given you a choice," Joey warned him.

Aaron took a breath. "You're absolutely 100% right about no one caring about the picture quality. That's the first picture I wanted to show you because nothing I say about our community will matter unless you know you'll be safe. If you join us, you will be. Each panel in that wall is a 15-foot-high, 12-foot-wide slab of solid steel framed by cold-rolled steel beams and square tubing. Nothing alive or dead gets through that without our say-so. Like I said, security is obviously important. In fact, there's only one resource more critical to our community's survival. The people. Together we're strong," he told Rick.

Rick glanced back at Michonne, then to his left at Jewel who both nodded.

"The next picture, you'll see inside the gates. Our community was first construc…" Aaron said as Rick got up and walked up to him and punched him.

Jewel looked at Michonne then at Rick. "What was that Rick?" Jewel asked as he walked back to them.

"That was me protecting our family," Rick answered.

Michonne looked at him. "I don't know what Jewel's look was but my look wasn't a "let's attack that man" look. It was a "he seems like an okay guy to me" look."

"I certainly didn't mean for you to punch his lights out," Jewel told him. "If you're suddenly having trouble reading my looks after all this time, then we're going to have a problem."

Rick looked at her as he squeezed her arm. "We got to secure him," he said as he looked at Carl. "Dump his pack. Let's see what this guy really is," he told them.

"Rick," Michonne said.

"Can we calm down for one minute Rick? Take a step back? Please?" Jewel asked as she touched his face. "If he wanted to attack us, then he certainly wouldn't have approached Summer and Sasha. He wouldn't have told us Jes was with another member of his group."

"How do we know we can believe him about Jes?" Axel asked.

"I was thinking the same thing," Joey stated.

Rick looked at Jewel. "We can't let our guard down. Not now," he told her as he squeezed her arm. "Everybody else, we need eyes in every direction. They're coming for us. We might not know how or when, but they are," he told the rest of the group.

Jewel took a breath as she took Hope from Mika. "He's just trying to keep us safe," she told Michonne.

"I don't think this is the way to do it," Michonne told her.

Summer watched as Daryl and Carol tied him up. "Dad, we didn't hear him and we didn't see him. If they were out there, if he wanted to get us, then he would have had the perfect opportunity."

"Maybe he's telling the truth about this community, Rick. We took people in at the prison," Beth said.

"They also took people in at Woodbury, Terminus and Grady. Look at how well that worked out," Joey told her.

"Anybody see anything?" Rick asked.

"Just a lot of places to hide," Glenn answered.

"Keep looking," Rick said as he went over to Carl. "What did you find?"

Carl handed him an orange gun. "Never saw a gun like that before."

"It's a flare gun. Dad kept one in an emergency pack in our vehicle when we went out of Florida, into cold weather places. He always said that like hell was he going to get caught on some icy road without some way to signal someone," Lexi said. "Remember Sash?"

"Yeah I remember," Sash told her as they all turned there attention to Aaron moaning.

"Easy," Ronnie told him as her and Maggie were looking over his head.

"That's a hell of a right cross there Rick," Aaron told him as he laid on the ground.

"Sit him up," Rick ordered.

Ronnie looked at him. "Rick that's not…" she told him.

"It's better if…" Maggie said.

"No it's alright," Aaron told them.

"He's fine, sit him up," Rick told him.

Jewel stepped in front of him. "Rick, if Ronnie, the one with the MD after her name says she doesn't think it's a good idea to sit him up, then it's probably not a good idea to sit him up. There's a line between being cautious and being careless."

"It's alright, I'm alright," Aaron insisted as Michonne and Mar sighed as they sat him up.

"If you get dizzy, see stars or anything, you tell me," Ronnie said as she glared at Rick as she stood up.

Jewel handed Hope to Summer and went over by Aaron. "Since I was the emergency room nurse, I'm just going to sit right by him and watch for any signs. He isn't going to do anything, he's tied up," she said as she looked at Rick.

TBC

HA! Jewel is there to keep Rick in line. But man, Aaron was talkative. That chapter got a little out of control. So sorry it'll be a couple more chapters to get to Alexandria! But it'll be worth the wait. Please review.