Better Days

Chapter 260

Author's Note: Let's see how far we can get them to on the way to Alexandria. There's a whole lot of stuff in this episode. Man. I'm seriously not looking forward to the introduction of Hilltop and other people. I'll have to go find OC's. Review please.

Jes and Phoebe's POV:

Jes threw her bag over her shoulder and glanced over at the younger woman. "What? You've been staring at me for longer then I feel comfortable with."

"We could wait for them here. Aaron would have made contact, and you know that Rick isn't going to trust what he says, so he's going to send people here," Phoebe told her.

Jes glared at her. "I'm sure that's exactly what you people want."

Phoebe looked at her. "You didn't tie me up last night."

Jes arched an eyebrow. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It means you don't see me as a threat. It means that somewhere deep inside, you know I'm telling you the truth. You watch, you listen, you are a good judge of character, that's what you do. You probably did something in the Army that made you like that. If you saw me as a threat, you would have tied me up while you were asleep," Phoebe insisted.

"I don't sleep, so I didn't have to worry," Jes informed her. "I'm not giving you a weapon, so obviously I don't trust you that much," she told the other woman. "You're going to walk in front of me," she told her.

"I'm not going to run, Jes. Does the idea of finding somewhere safe terrify you so much that you can't even admit it's a possibility? Isn't that why you're all out on the road?" Phoebe asked.

"Open the door, and go out," Jes told her.

"Noticed you didn't take all the food. Why not?" Phoebe asked as she took a step outside. "You left if for my other friend. You know why you did that? Because you're a good person, Jes," Phoebe informed her.

"You talk to much. Seriously, you need to shut up before I gag you," Jes warned her.

"You and I are going to be good friends one day, Jes. Just you wait and see," Phoebe said.

Jes stared at her. "I don't see that happening in any scenario, ever. Shut up and start walking," she ordered again.

Glenn's group:

Glenn walked with the group down the empty road. "Eyes open, everybody. Weapons up. You see anyone other then Jes coming toward us, you fire," Glenn instructed.

"Copy that," Abraham responded.

"So if we see someone, we just shoot them?" Michonne asked.

"What if that person is with Jes?" Summer asked.

"Good questions," Maggie responded.

"What if they're someone like us? What if Aaron is telling the truth? What if they're someone who has nothing to do with this?" Michonne asked.

"Yet another good questions," Joey responded.

"We're seven people walking with guns, no one's going to come up to say hello," Glenn said.

"That's what Aaron did, with Sasha and I. We were sitting with our guns down, unguarded, and he came up to us with his hands up. He never made a move for his weapon, or never signaled for anyone. He didn't protest when Sasha took his bag or his gun. What he said about if he wanted to pick us off, he was right. He could have started with Sasha and I. But he didn't, and that has to mean something right?" Summer asked.

"Just means he could be planning something," Abraham answered.

"Maybe he is someone like us," Michonne told them.

"He said he was watching us, right? It means he saw us yesterday. And after everything we've done, why would he want us to join his group?" Glenn asked.

"People like us saved a priest. Saved a girl who rolled up to the prison with the Governor. Saved a young man who was running away from the first battle with the Governor. Saved a crazy lady with a sword. He saw that," Michonne answered.

"People like us save a strange man in a Sherriff's uniform that hid in a tank," Summer told Glenn as she looked at him. "That one move, that one decision, saved a whole lot of lives, made us a family. Maybe Aaron and the others, maybe they are a glass half full of people. Maybe they still see the good in us, even if we can't," she told him.

"I don't know what he saw," Glenn said as they turned down a road.

Jes came out from the bushes making no noise with Phoebe. "Guess you met this one's counterpart?" she asked.

"Jes," Joey said as he went to hug her. "Are you alright?"

"Joey, we've discussed the whole hugging thing," Jes responded. "I'm alright."

"Is Aaron still alive? You didn't shoot him did you? I mean he can be a little chipper all the time, and always seems to be able to smile about everything," Phoebe answered. "You should have a little trust, I told you that they'd be coming out."

Glenn looked at Jes then her. "Is there another person with her? Aaron said that there was three of them."

"This is Phoebe. She was the one who left the water. I snuck up on here right before the storm came, no way to get back to you. We spent the night in an RV. Stocked with food. I took some, left some more," Jes said as she handed them her bag. "Haven't seen anyone else."

"Where are the cars?" Summer asked.

"Bout a five minute walk," Jes answered as she turned to go with him.

Phoebe stopped and looked at them. "Excuse me? I'm not going anywhere, not until you answer my question about Aaron," she said.

"We have the guns," Joey told her.

"Yeah, I can see that perfectly well. You were worried about your friend Jes, well there she is. All safe and sound. I wouldn't have done that if I was a foe. I'm worried about my friend. I've been there, right where you were standing, except I was alone with my nephew. I just want to know if Aaron is alright, that isn't to much to ask. I'm not a threat, not to the eight of you. Hell, of all the people that had to sneak up on me, it had to be Jes? I think I'm more scared of her then any of you have to be with me," Phoebe told them.

"She talks. A lot," Jes answered.

"Aaron's alive," Rosita told her.

"Thank you Rosita. See now I'll be quiet, that's all I needed to know. We can walk now, show you all that we're not bad people," Phoebe told them.

"If only you'd keep that promise to be quiet," Jes told her as they started walking.

"She's not tied up," Maggie pointed out.

Jes glanced at her. "I think she may be telling the truth."

Joey blinked and looked at her. "Jes, you don't trust anyone. Did you get hit in the head?"

Jes rolled her eyes. "Look, I know that we need to be on alert. I live on alert, even before this. I trust my instincts, it's what kept me alive in a whole lot of situations. I was on alert when we got to Woodbury, didn't trust the Governor from the first minute. Knew your father was a sheep, knew what I had to do to get Jewel back to her family. I used my instincts at Terminus and I played the game. I knew from the moment Eugene opened his mouth about Washington, that he was lying about something. I didn't know he was lying about the whole cure thing, but he was lying about something. I don't get that from her," she said as she stopped in front of the cars and RV.

"Hell's Bells, she was telling the truth," Summer said as she put her hand over her mouth in amazement.

"You just channeled your mother again," Michonne said as she looked at the cars and RV.

Rick and Jewel's POV:

Mika bounced Judith and kissed the top of her head. "Shh," she said. "She's hungry," she told them.

Rick took Judith out of Mika's arms. "Alright, it's alright, shh," he told her as he bent down to use his gun handle to crush nuts for her to eat.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get her to quiet down," Mika told them.

"It's not your fault, Mika. She's just a little person who has no idea how to express her feelings any other way then to be quite loud," Jewel said as she handed Mika Hope. "This one is asleep."

Aaron looked toward the door of the barn then back at them. "You did see the jar of applesauce in my bag, right? This isn't a trick. This isn't about trying to make you like me. It's self-preservation. Because if the roamers hear her and come this way, I know I'll be the first to go," he told them.

Jewel looked at Rick then at Aaron. "He's right, he would be the first to go," she told Rick.

Rick nodded as he put the gun back in his belt and walked over to the applesauce. "Jewel, can you get the lid?" he asked.

Jewel looked at Mika. "Stay here," she said as she opened the jar of applesauce and took the spoon and got a bite out and handed the spoon over to Rick. They both walked over to Aaron as Rick held out the applesauce to him.

Aaron looked at them. "You think I'm trying to poison your baby daughter? I'm tied up and you've already expressed a willingness to stab me in the head. Jewel's threatened to throw knives at me. How would cruelly killing your daughter in front of you in any way help the situation?" he asked.

"Maybe she doesn't die. Maybe she gets sick. Maybe you're the only one that can help her and we just lose," Rick told him as he put the spoon closer to Aaron's mouth.

"I am the only one who can help her because I have applesauce and we all win. I hate applesauce. My mom used to make me eat foods I didn't like to make me more manly. Salmon patties, applesauce, and onions. She was a very confused woman who tried her damnedest. I just bring the jar to show that we have apple trees nearby," Aaron told them.

"I hate spinach, but if you sat a bowl of spinach in front of me right now, I'd eat it because it would save me from being hungry and maybe save my life. I know that bite of applesauce will either save your life or kill you," Jewel told him.

"Like you said, you'll be the first to go," Rick told him.

Jewel looked at him. "Take the bite of applesauce, one bite and I'll give you water to wash it down with," she told him.

Aaron made a face as he took the bite that Rick was holding up to him.

Mika giggled. "You knew that was only going to end one way right?" she asked.

Rick took a bite of applesauce and stood up and adjusted Judith in his arms as he went back to get the applesauce to feed to Judith.

"The community is big enough. We can find a place for you to live where even when she cries, when the baby cries, no one, nothing can hear it outside the walls," Aaron told them.

Jewel glanced at Rick as she went and got the bottle of water.

Rick glanced at his watch. "You've got forty three minutes," he warned him.

Jewel walked over to Aaron. "Open up," she told him as she poured a few sips of water in his mouth.

Aaron swallowed and looked at her. "Thank you. It must have been difficult for you, having two babies so close together," he told her.

Jewel glanced at him as she sat down. "Your math is a little off there," she told him as she glanced back at Rick. "I'm fine," she told him. "I don't have to have given birth to Judith to love her as my own, or for her to be my daughter. She is, just like Mika is, just like Carl is my son. It's what we do," she told him.

"You've all been through a lot, I can tell. I'm just trying to help," Aaron answered.

"You keep saying that," Rick told him.

"You won't believe it until you see it," Aaron told him.

"We've been told a lot of things by a lot of people that say they had good intentions, and do you know how it always ends? Badly, usually with us losing someone. If you have lived behind walls this entire time, then you don't truly know what's out there," Jewel said as she stood up. "We'll talk more when our people get back."

TBC

Author's Note: Well, next chapter they'll all be heading to Alexandria? That's a plus!