Better Days

Chapter 273

Author's Note: Brain is interested in seeing the Hilltop so it can fit more OC's in. Yeah, my brain is ODD, but I'm stuck with it! I'm not going to show Rick running over Random Hair Cut Woman's Owl, not important. Please review.

Daryl and Jewel's POV:

Jewel came out on the porch and sat down beside Daryl. "You didn't go with the rest of them to explore?"

Daryl looked at her. "Neither did you."

"Hope's giving sleeping in the basinet a try, didn't want to disturb her," Jewel answered.

"That it?" Daryl asked.

Jewel looked straight ahead. "Merle would have hated this place," she said, ignoring the question.

"Not the only one," Daryl told her. "Stop avoiding the question."

Jewel sighed. "I don't belong in a place like this. That woman I told you about, Jessie. That's more Rick's type then I am. She reminded me of Lori."

Daryl huffed. "He was divorcing Lori. He's not like that, you know he's not. You're letting the insecurity of before get to you. Mar told me what happened, she's worried bout you."

Jewel sighed. "Everyone's worried about me. Everything just hit me like a freight train….alright maybe a train isn't the best thing to say," she admitted. "Being in a pantry, looking at diapers, it felt so odd, like a out of body experience. I got a chance to think about everything we've been through, everyone we've lost, and it got to me. These people don't have a clue. You thinking about leaving?"

"Nah, got Mar, got Mitch. Got Summer, Lil Asskicker, and Hell Raiser, you and Carl to look after. Not like that, not anymore," Daryl told her.

"You're antsy, feeling like a trapped animal," Jewel noticed.

"I'm not the only one," Daryl answered as he playfully hit her shoulder with his. "How long do you think you're going to last sitting in this house, with a baby? That aint you. Please don't try cooking, I don't think we'd want them out there with us after you burnt down the place."

Jewel glared at him. "I could learn."

Daryl laughed. "Yeah, how many times did Jane try to teach you? Let the other's do the cooking, you find something else to do. Something that doesn't entitle you with any cooking utensil in your hand."

"Really Daryl? You think that's funny?" Jewel asked.

"May not be funny, but it's the truth," Daryl pointed out. "Why don't you go find Rick? I can keep an ear out for Hell Raiser."

"You're going to make me go out there? With those people?" Jewel asked.

"One of us needs to, and I'm older," Daryl told her. "Plus you said last night, that you were going to go check out everyone after they got there jobs."

"Right, but everyone hasn't yet," Jewel answered as she sighed. "Fine, but when I get back, you're taking a shower," Jewel said as she stood up. "I'm sure Mar will be extremely grateful," she said as she walked off the porch. She sighed as she walked down the street and saw Rick talking to Jessie. "Hey, everything OK?"

Rick smiled as he kissed her. "Yeah, I lost track of Lexi, Carl and Judith and in the process knocked down something Jessie was making. I was in the middle of losing my mind," he said as he kissed her again.

"It was an Owl, something I was making with my boys. Where's Hope?" Jessie asked.

Jewel smiled as Rick put his arm around her waist. "She finally let me put her down in the basinet and was sleeping and I didn't want to disturb her. Daryl's watching her."

"Daryl? That's the guy with cross bow?" Jessie asked.

"My brother, yes," Jewel answered. She glanced over at where Lexi, Carl and Judith were. "Who are they talking too?" she asked.

"That's Natalie and Bob Miller. They had five kids and 12 grandkids. It's been a long time since anyone around here has seen a baby. She's gonna have to put up with some pinched cheeks. I'm sure that when they meet Hope, Natalie is just going to be over the moon," Jessie told them.

"Thank you for helping Rick find them. We're used to knowing where all the kids are at all times out there. It's going to take us a while to be comfortable," Jewel said as she turned with Rick to go up the stairs.

"Hey, guys? Would it be okay if Carl came over now? Ron really wants to meet him. Lexi can come too of course," Jessie told them.

Jewel glanced back at her. "We'll ask them," she answered as she walked up the stairs. "Heard you guys gave Rick a scare," she said. "You know better to let us lose track of you all," she scolded.

The older woman smiled. "You must be this young man's mother, that's something I would tell my children. I'm Natalie Miller, this is Bob," she introduced.

"I love Carl and Lexi as if I gave birth to them," Jewel answered. "Jewel Grimes, this is Rick my husband."

"Nice to meet both of you. Carl, Lexi, Jessie wants to know if you two want to go over to her house, meet her son. You don't have to if you don't want to," Rick told them.

Lexi looked at Carl. "Should we?" she asked.

"Yeah, might as well give it a try, right?" Carl told her.

"I'll be at the house, so if either one of you need to come home, I'll be there. I'll tell Sasha where you are, Lex," Jewel told her.

"If she even cares," Lexi answered.

"She cares, Lexi. She's mourning," Jewel assured her. "Go on, be good," she told them as Rick took Judith. "Thank you for watching them."

Mrs. Miller smiled. "Anytime sweetheart. Why don't you bring over this one and that little one of yours. I have so much yarn that I have no idea what to do with. You can keep me company while I make blankets and baby socks for your little bundle of Hope."

Jewel glanced at Rick then gave a small smile. "I will, once we get settled. Right now it's just getting settled. Come on Judy, time for a nap," she said as she kissed the top of your head. "It was very nice to meet both of you," she said as Rick politely nodded and walked down with her.

"I'll walk home with you, get Daryl," Rick told her.

Jewel nodded as she kissed him as they headed back to the house.

Jewel's POV:

Jewel sat nursing Hope on the floor as she handed Judith a solo cup. "What's that Judy? Is that a cup? Yes you're favorite thing in the whole wide world," she said as she touched Judy's face. "This isn't a bad setup, being able to spend time with two of my favorite girls," she said as Hope finished nursing. "We aren't going to let them drop our guard though are we? No, we're to smart for that huh?" she asked Judith as she burped Hope. She turned her head to the door as she heard a knock. "I swear if that's Random Hair Cut lady, she's getting punched," she said as she stood up with Hope and went to the door and proceeded to open it.

Quinn smiled as she held a bag of clothing. "I'm Quinn….Deanna's daughter. I don't mean to intrude, I just brought baby clothing and toys. I can leave them if you want," she said.

Jewel looked at her then back at where Judy was playing. "No, it's alright, come in. I'm Jewel Grimes."

Quinn smiled as she came in. "I know, I watched your tape last night."

Jewel looked at her. "What did your mother do pop popcorn and have a viewing party?" she asked as she went and sat back down with Judith.

Quinn laughed. "No, nothing like that. Phoebe came over and was telling me about your group, and these two are the talk of Alexandria," she said as she smiled at Judith. "I wanted to learn more about the woman who gave birth out there."

Jewel looked cautiously at her. "I'm nothing special, just a mother doing what she can," she said as Judith's cup rolled away. "Oh no! Where did it go Judy?

Quinn grabbed it. "I remember when my daughter was this old, bought her all these toys and she wanted the box. Is this what you want sweetheart?"

Judith giggled and took it. "I remember Deanna saying something about having a grandchild."

"Bri, she's thirteen. And anxious to meet Mika and Lexi. Along with Chloe, she's twelve. Just lost her brother a few weeks ago. You lost a brother out there, right?" Quinn asked.

"Yes," Jewel answered.

"Was he bit?" Quinn asked.

"No he was killed by a dangerous man while protecting me. It happened before we left Georgia," Jewel admitted.

"Chloe's brother was on a supply run. A supply run led by my brother Aiden and Nicholas. They came back, the others didn't," Quinn replied. "Mom told me that your oldest daughter wants to go on supply runs," she told her.

"What are you trying to say?" Jewel asked.

"My brother and Nicholas are cowards. I know for a fact that the reason I have a twelve year old in my house that refuses to even go to school, is because they sacrificed Will and the others. My mom refuses to see it, she refuses to admit it's even a possibility. But, Aiden…he's been a momma's boy since the day he was born. I guess because I was the oldest, and the only girl, I got held to a higher standard," Quinn stated. "Was it the same for your brother?"

Jewel laughed. "Merle was the first one to get beat by our father. But there was no standards in our house. All three of us were treated equally, like shit."

"I'm sorry about that," Quinn stated.

"Are you telling me that my daughter isn't going to be safe? That I shouldn't let her be part of the supply team?" Jewel asked.

"I'm telling you that my brother isn't safe. You've been out there, any one of you are more capable then Aiden's thumb is," Quinn told her.

"Heard you stood up for Jes last night at the gate. I thank you for that," Jewel told her.

"I would have loved to see Nicholas's face as that dummy came over that wall. I bet it was priceless. He's a prick," Quinn told her as she looked at Judith and Hope. "I'm sorry, I have to watch my mouth."

"Oh they've both heard worse, trust me," Jewel told her. "I've said worse. You've been here the whole time with your family?"

Quinn shook her head as she smiled at Judith. "We were in Washington for my husband's funeral. He died in Afghanistan. My parents thought Chloe and I were going to head back home, but I decided we should stay with Gus. He was Cam's best friend, he was in the same convoy as him. We were staying at a different hotel then my family, and I just wasn't ready to go back home and face all the other military wives and the sympathetic looks. The world went to hell pretty quickly, Gus showed up with an ambulance, some supplies, and a few other people that were injured or worked at Walter Reed. We took as many as we could from the hotel, but they didn't last long. Either they wanted to find there families, or they were scared, reckless. We started out with seventeen people, we wound up with five making it here. We were held up right outside a shopping mall in a store room and we heard people. I thought I was hallucinating when I heard my brother Spencer's voice and dads discussing what they needed. I stumbled out of the store room and right into dad's arms without saying a word. We helped them get what they needed for the walls, came back here. Dad called mom out and said 'Deanna I found something better than things for the walls. The look on her face when she came out and saw Bri and I," she told her with a smile. "We were out there for a couple months, and even then the people were getting worse. I'm sorry that all of you had to live through that. All of you have what it takes to show us what we need to do to keep surviving. I've had arguments with my mother over this very thing more times then I want to think about," she told her. "You and I want the same thing. We want to raise our children in the safety of home, where we don't have to worry about where there next meal is coming from. Where we don't have to worry about what happens if the wrong people get hold of our daughters."

"Or sons," Jewel told her.

"Or sons. We've made this home, but I know that we've got lucky. That's why I want you to work with me," Quinn told her.

"Work with you? Your mother said my top priority is Hope," Jewel told her.

Quinn smiled as she smiled at the baby. "It is, and you can bring both Judith and Hope with you. It wouldn't be full time, and it certainly wouldn't take you away from little ones here. But it also would give you an adult to talk to. If you don't feel like working one day, it's fine."

"What exactly do you do?" Jewel asked.

"Every town needs a history, every town needs a list of the people in it. That way, we make a difference, we survived. These two have the right to have there birthdates recorded," Quinn told her.

"You mean like a census? I don't think that is the most important thing in a world like that," Jewel told her.

"I think your wrong. You all lost people before they got here, don't they matter? They all had some kind of impact on your life. Those stories matter," Quinn told her.

"What did you do before this?" Jewel asked as she arched an eyebrow.

Quinn laughed. "I worked at museums as a historian," she said with a grin. "So how about it? I work with dad sometimes with plans for the greenhouse and like I said, it's no big deal how often you do it."

Jewel nodded. "Alright, but I'd like to make sure everyone is settled first."

"Of course," Quinn told her.

Jewel and Quinn both looked up as the door slammed and Lexi ran up the stairs. "Lexi?" Jewel called after her. "I'm sorry, I need to check on her."

Quinn nodded and stood. "Whenever you think the girls are ready to meet my girls, they'd love it. It was very nice to meet you," she said as she stood to leave.

TBC

Author's Note: We'll see what happened with Lexi in the next chapter.