Better Days

Chapter 276

Author's Note: I want to just say thank you again for all the positive reviews. I know I have a bigger cast, and some chapters are OC driven, but I think that's what's fun about fan fiction, especially with a show like the Walking Dead, there's such a big cast of background characters that you can build them in. So there's a group of women in my condo building that I call the hens. They do nothing but gather outside waiting for the mail and gossip. I so see the women doing that at the pantry, to bad for them that Jewel's going to catch them.

OC's: C.C.H. Pounder as Noreen

S. Epatha Merkkerson as Geraldine

Sasha and Lexi's POV:

Sasha looked over at Lexi after breakfast. "Hey, let's take a walk," she told her younger sister.

Lexi looked at her then at Jewel then back at her sister. "Ok…" she responded hesitantly.

Sasha sighed as they walked outside. "I feel like I'm always apologizing to you now a days."

Lexi shrugged. "You're dealing with stuff. We all are. I want to help, I really do. We both lost Ty, but it was different with Bob for you. I know that, and I wish there was more that I could do to help you."

Sasha put an arm around her as they walked. "I don't even know how to help myself. But it's not your job to take care of me, Lex. It's my job to take care of you. I just…." she said as she sighed.

"It's alright not to be alright, Sasha. We're going to be OK," Lexi told her. "Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but we will someday."

"Heard things didn't go to well at Ron's house yesterday," Sasha commented.

Lexi shrugged. "Playing video games isn't reality anymore. It's just pretending the world out there doesn't exist. That everything we went through doesn't matter. The people we lost, we can forget because we can go back to the way it was before. These people won't make it, if the walkers' get in. I don't even want to think what would happen if someone like the people from Terminus….or the Governor. They're not willing to change, like Ty. People like that aren't meant for this world."

Sasha kissed the top of her head. "When did you grow up on me?"

"Somewhere in the two years out there," Lexi answered.

"So, you got a crush on Carl, huh?" Sasha asked.

Lexi looked at her. "What? Carl? Carl Grimes? Crush? On Carl? Carl Grimes? No! What makes you say that? Why would you even think that?" she asked as she stammered.

Sasha laughed. "That answered that question. You know it's alright, both of you are growing up…you two were the only ones around each other for a while," she said.

"It's Carl! My friend Carl, we're just friends, I can assure you of that!" Lexi protested. "Can we change the subject now? Please? Like to anything but this?"

Sasha gave her a kiss on the head. "You can talk to me when you're ready to admit that you have a crush on Carl. It's normal you know? I'm glad one of us can experience a somewhat normal experience," she told her. "Look, I'm not promising that I'm going to be alright right away."

"None of us are alright. But, we need each other. Jewel said that we all are going to be adjusting our own way, processing things differently. I get that, but we lost Ty, and I don't want to lose my big sister," Lexi told her.

Sasha hugged her. "I'm not promising I can be better….be here all the time, I'll need you to give me some of that Lexilogic you always seemed to have. Don't let this world destroy you any more then it has. Like you said, we'll be alright, it may just take time," she told her.

Mar, Carol and Daryl's POV:

Mar sat on the steps as she flipped through a few books as Daryl works on his cross bow.

"Ow," Daryl said as his thumb got caught.

"Let me see that," Mar said as she stood up.

"It's nothing," Daryl responded.

Mar took his hand. "Yeah, you could have three bullets in you, and you'd still say it was nothing," she said as she checked him out. She kissed his thumb. "There all better."

Daryl looked at her. "You realize I aint Mitch right?" he asked as he grabbed her around the waist and kissed her.

Mar laughed as she struggled to pull away. "Daryl Dixon, was that a show of public affection?"

"You complainin?" Daryl asked.

"No, not complaining. Just surprising," Mar said as the door opened.

Carol straightened out her vest. "Time to punch the clock and make the casseroles," she said.

"What?" Daryl asked.

"Carol, did you find a stash of ugly sweaters? That one is worse then the one yesterday, and I thought that one could have won the ugly sweater award," Mar told her.

"Oh hush," Carol told her. Make dinner for the older people- moms who need a break, people who can't cook. Get to meet a lot of the neighbors that way," Carol told them.

Daryl scoffed. "You forget that Jewel just had a baby and can't cook a lick? That's who you should be helping', instead of doing other people's biddings?"

"I'm going to be around. I asked Deanna not to give me a job just yet. Told her that Jewel hasn't had a chance to rest at all, since Hope's birth. She's going to need help with Judith, so she can rest. Plus Mika and Mitch will be home in the afternoons, so she shouldn't have to worry about feeding them. Plus, I can help get food ready for everyone while they are working. Rosita was willing to take over the nursing spot at the clinic. I told her that I knew you, Summer, and Jewel before the turn, and she helped me so much when I moved to Georgia, so I'd like to repay the favor," Mar explained.

"She bought that?" Daryl asked. "Thought her daughter asked her to work with her."

"Only when she feels like it. Jewel is going to be to worried about all of us settling to properly rest," Mar said with a shrug. "I might have thrown in if we left Jewel alone during the day and she got overly bored, she might actually try to cook, and then this whole community might be living on the outside. When she saw I wasn't joking, she changed her mind," she told them.

Daryl laughed. "Well it's the truth."

"See, it's taken care of Daryl," Carol told him. She looked at him. "Have you taken a shower yet? Mar you haven't made him take a shower yet?" Carol asked.

Mar looked at Carol. "I don't think anyone has ever made Daryl Dixon do a thing he hasn't wanted to do a day in his life."

"Take a shower. I'm gonna wash that vest. We need to keep up appearances, even you," Carol told him.

"Hey, I ain't starting now," Daryl told her.

"Mar and I are going to hose you down in your sleep," Carol said as she walked off the steps.

"Don't be involving me in that," Mar told her.

"You look ridiculous," Daryl told Carol as she walked away.

Mar laughed. "If they only knew," she said as she looked at him.

"What? Are you gonna start now?" Daryl asked.

"No," Mar said. "I'm just thinking that we've never taken a shower together," she said. "Never washed each other's back," she said with a smile. "I'm also thinking that we have three houses to choose from, and most everyone's out," she said.

"You are a very evil woman," Daryl said with a smirk.

"I'll even let you keep the keep the vest," Mar said with a grin as she turned around.

"Lead the way," Daryl said as he followed her into the house as they both laughed.

ASZ Hen Club POV:

Anna looked at Jessie as the other women gathered around. "Is it true that you went over to the house and had a door slammed in your face?" she asked.

"It was my fault, I startled them. I was being pushy and I really don't blame Jewel for her actions," Jessie explained.

"Olivia said that even the children had guns and knives. Can you imagine? Arming children?" Mrs. Neudermeyer asked.

"Are we here to gossip or are we here to do inventory?" Quinn asked as she opened a box.

"We're just interested in learning about them. Your mother has brought them to the community, given them jobs, expect us to live with them," Stacey answered.

The two older black women exchanged glances. The fraternal twins knew they needed to intervene before things got heated. Noreen took a box over to Stacey. "If you want to gossip, fine. But I expect your hands to be as busy as your mouth. That goes for all of you. My son and his team will be back in a couple weeks with more supplies, which means we need to have these unpacked."

Quinn shot an appreciative look at Noreen and Geraldine. The two women could put the others in there places, and everyone respected Heath for being a supply runner.

"If you all worked as much as you all ran your mouths, then we'd already be done," Geraldine told them.

Emily and Phoebe both bit there lips as they tried not to laugh as they unpacked boxes.

"Phoebe, you brought them in," Mrs. Neudermeyer said accusingly.

"Yes, and no I didn't ask if they had a pasta maker in there bags. Completely slipped my mind," Phoebe answered as she caught a wink from Noreen.

"Well fresh pasta is the best," the other woman countered. "What were you thinking? I mean I know you, Aaron and Eric want to help, but you saw those people."

Emily glanced at Phoebe as Phoebe turned around and looked at her. "Yes, I did see them. I also saw what I was a year ago. Did you all have this conversation when Eric and Aaron brought Liam and me in? Did you all think I was dangerous? Or when Enid came in? The poor girl didn't talk for three weeks. The longer people are out there, the more they lose themselves. I personally don't think I would have survived much longer out there if Aaron and Eric hadn't found me. That group, these people that you are all just ready to throw back out to the wolves, they are good people. Somehow they survived hell and came out from the other side stronger for it," Phoebe told them.

"It is hard out there, Bruce told me how it was," Betsy said as she put cans on the shelves.

"It's funny, they are part of this community now, taking our food, and yet I don't see any of them here," Anna said.

Quinn sighed. "Really? Our food? My God, maybe all of us need to spend a day, just a day outside those walls, without canned food, with weapons, and see if we could survive. You're all talking like YOU went out and got this food. That you risked your lives to bring it back to this community. Most of you haven't even left this place. We're living behind glass walls, and some time, maybe not today, maybe not this year, that glass is going to start cracking and when it does, there are very few people in this place that could handle whatever is coming in. Rick and his group can, with the help of Gus, Bruce, and Phoebe."

"Did Ron meet the older children of the group yesterday Jessie?" Geraldine asked to change subjects.

"Carl and Lexi came over. Lexi didn't stay long, she needs more time," Jessie answered.

"If I were her parents, I would have sent her back over to apologize. I mean rudeness has no place, not even at the end of the world," Mrs. Neudermeyer told the group.

"She doesn't have any, and she just lost her brother," Phoebe told her. "They need time to adjust. Not everyone can be a Stepford Wife right out of the gate," she said as she turned back to inventory.

"I think maybe we should go get a couple of them to help us, if they want to eat, it's only fair," Stacy said.

"Can we just finish this?" Emily asked. "No one is going to go get anyone. "They need time to adjust."

"Stacy, not another word about it. They've just been through two years of hell, a living nightmare that doesn't end when you wake up. They hadn't had real food in God knows how long, or showers, or the feeling of safety, and you're concerned because they aren't in here organizing food? That's the least of there worries," Noreen answered.

"Mom gave most of them jobs, a few she hasn't decided yet. But she's letting them adjust. It's only been a couple days," Quinn reminded them.

"I still can't believe that your mother let them through the gates, especially that woman Jes…the one who through the dummy over. She should have exiled them," Stacey said.

"Why? Just because she was proving a point about our non existent security protocols?" Phoebe asked.

"The point is that they still armed children, and that just isn't right. Maybe Deanna should exile them and take the children," Stacy told them.

"Stacy, my God, would you just shut up?" Emily told her as they all turned there heads to see Jewel standing there with Hope in her wrap.

"You want to take my children? Did I hear that right? Say it to my face," Jewel told Stacy as she glared at her.

TBC

Yeah that chapter got away from me! Long. Please review.