Better Days

Chapter 293

Author's Note: You guys are the greatest! Please feel free to PM to chat. Don't worry Sweetkitty, Pete and Rick are still going to fight. Not over Random Hair Cut lady, that's for sure. But yeah….*insert evil laugh* Pete will still get his just deserts served up by Rick. Please review, it motivates.

Glenn, Maggie, Noah, and Beth's POV:

Glenn came over to the small group with Summer. "Caught this one trying to sneak out, convinced her to stay put for a bit," he said as he looked at Noah. "Hey, you OK?"

"Yeah," Noah responded. "Yeah, just isn't my thing. I think I'm going to head out."

Summer arched an eyebrow. "Hey, if I'm staying, you're staying," she told him.

"She's right, you're not bailing," Glenn said as he gave a small smile. "We're in this together, man," he said with a laugh.

Maggie and Beth both nodded. "You're here with us now, you're here with family," Maggie said as he rubbed his back.

"Let's get out of this corner, get something to eat," Beth told him.

"Come on," Glenn said.

"I don't know why you guys think of me as family, haven't been with you all that long," Noah told him.

Beth and Summer exchanged glances. "You became family the moment you helped me in the hospital. You and Riley both. You escaped, you somehow found my family, you brought me back to them," Beth told him.

"You're family because you chose to do what's right," Summer told him.

"We wouldn't have Beth back if it wasn't for you. We wouldn't have known where she was, and she would have still been in that horrible place," Maggie said.

Noah looked at Glenn. "Are they always like this?"

Glenn nodded. "Always. And they aren't done yet. It's best if you just go with it," he told the other man. "I'm glad to have you on my side, dealing with these three alone hasn't always been easy," he told the other man as he got glared at by the three women.

Summer stuck her tongue out at Glenn. "You keep that up and the three of us aren't going to be talking to you much longer," she teased him.

Phoebe walked up to them and smiled. "I'm just checking on you all, I don't mean to interrupt. I know how uncomfortable these things can be. At least all of you have each other, and they are more intimidated of coming over to you all because of that. I had to spend three hours listening to Mrs. Neudermeyer talk about a pasta maker. I'm pretty sure she's just waiting to get one of you alone so you can all get the speech. That woman is going to harp on that pasta maker until after she dies. I seriously expect her be obsessing about it after she's dead," the young woman told her.

"Thank you for bringing us here," Beth told her. "We need this, all of us."

"So did I," Phoebe told them.

Rick's POV:

Rick glanced at Pete who was pouring drinks in the cup. "You have something to say?" he asked the other man.

"You're wife, she's a little big for her britches, don't you think?" Pete asked.

Rick gulped down his glass of whiskey then held it out. It was going to take a lot not to kill this man right here. "I think she looks just fine," Rick responded as he played dumb.

Pete laughed. "She does at that. What I meant is that she shows men no respect. She had the audacity to try and threaten me today in my infirmary, in my town. Actually the women in your group that I've met seems to have that problem."

"I thought this was Deanna's town?" Rick questioned not waiting until he got an answer to continue. "The women in my group, my wife included, have learned how to be strong, either before the world ended, or during it. There's nothing wrong with that," he told Pete. "There's something you should know about Jewel. I know what she said to you, we don't have secrets from each other. My wife doesn't make threats, she makes promises. You keep pushing her, keep acting like that every woman should be trembling in there shoes when you're around, you won't be around. She survived being beaten by her father, being raped and being a single mother for years, all while going through nursing school and not drinking. She ended the cycle of abuse, and made something of herself, and made a life for her daughter," he told her. "You should also know," he said as he stepped a bit closer to him and poured himself another drink, "that she's been hunting since she was a kid. I've seen her take down a deer and skin it herself, not leaving one piece of bone on the body. We had to kill three dogs not so long ago, they were wild, and between her, Summer and Daryl, there wasn't a piece that went to waste. And after they were done, they buried the bones, separately. It's something they do, I don't have to understand it. I mean, you're a doctor, but can you skin something so perfectly that there isn't a trace of what it was? If it was a dog, a deer, or even a person. She hasn't had to do it to a person, but I'm pretty sure that it could be done. But for her to do that to some body, it would have to be someone that she feels is a threat, not to herself, but to other people, her family. Her biggest pet peeve is men who put there hands on children. It just brings back painful memories for her. I'd hate for her to find out anyone here put a hand on a child. But nothing like that would ever happen here right Pete?" he said as he filled up a glass of water for Jewel. "We should be getting back to our wives, they'll start to wonder where we got off too," he said as he turned with a smirk on his lips.

Jewel arched an eyebrow as she saw Rick's smirk then looked at Pete, who was slowly walking back to them. "What did you do?" Jewel asked as she kissed Rick.

"Just told the man the truth," Rick answered as he touched her face and kissed her. "Where's Jessie?"

"She said she wanted me to meet someone," Jewel told him.

Pete snorted. "Probably Noel, the other one who can't hold his booze."

Jewel tensed as she looked at him. She felt Rick's grip on her arm. Jewel nodded as she took a breath. "We're the smart ones, Pete. We recognized that we had a problem and we got a hand on the situation. We realized our drinking was hurting the people we loved, hurting ourselves. For me, it was the thought of my daughter not having her mother, not having anyone other then my brothers. She wasn't there responsibility, she was mine. Maybe if my father realized he was just a mean, abusive, selfish bastard when he drunk, then maybe he wouldn't have beat the three of us almost to death," she told him as calmly as she could. "Rick do you mind if I take a breather out on the porch? I'll find Mika and take Hope."

"Of course not," Rick told her as he kissed her. "If you want to go home, let me know and I'll walk you home."

"I'm not abandoning you, just need a breather," Jewel assured him. "Pete, it was interesting, as usual," she said as she walked over to Mika as she took Hope.

Jewel's POV:

Jewel sighed as she sat down on the porch with Hope. "The world may have ended, but it didn't take all the bastards," she told Hope as she kissed her head. "I know you want to smile angel girl. It's right on the tip of your lips. Yes, you just are right on the edge of gracing us with your first smile. I bet you reserve it for your Uncle Daryl, Summer gave her first smile to him. I respectfully ask that you give me your first little smile. I did give birth to you, I think that calls for a smile doesn't it?" she asked as she tensed. "Whoever you are, come out and show yourself," she demanded as she felt herself being watched.

A man with salt and pepper hair stepped out of the shadows. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to interrupt," he answered.

"Who are you?" Jewel asked.

"Hello my name is Noel and I'm an alcoholic," he answered.

"You're the one that Jessie said I should meet. She didn't say your name," Jewel answered. "Pete thought it might be you, since you're the other one who can't hold there booze," she said. "Hello my name is Jewel and I'm an alcoholic. I'd shake your hand but we're just having a little face to face time, aren't we Hope?"

Noel put up his hand as he sat down on the stop. "No need to apologize. I'm glad you're here. Now we can actually have meetings, and I can stop talking to myself."

"You're the only one here that has a problem?" Jewel asked as Hope gurgled. "Yes, you can be part of this conversation too," she assured her.

Noel gave a small smile. "She's beautiful," he told her. "I'm the only one who admits he has a problem. I've been sober on and off for eight years, going on a two year stretch. You?"

"Fifteen years, give or take a few months," Jewel answered.

Noel let out a small whistle. "Here I thought I'd offer to be your sponsor," he said. "You surviving out there and not having a drink, that's something to be proud of, you know?" he questioned. He held up his hand before she could interrupt. "You're going to say that you were tempted, that you had moments that you could drink a whole bar. I'm not going to let you say that because that's undermining yourself, that's undermining how strong you are. You're stronger then I'd ever be out there for two years. I'm not to proud to say that I'd have a whole bottle of Jack Daniels and not be sorry about it until the next day," he told her.

Jewel glanced at him as she adjusted Hope so she could snuggle up to her. "So you've just met me and decided that I'm strong? You don't know a thing about me."

Noel gave a small smile. "I watched your tape, after Jessie talked with me. I've also heard that you don't have problems standing up to people, like Pete."

"I really have to get that tape away from Deanna," Jewel told him.

Noel gave a small laugh. "You can watch mine. It's all about transparency, at least that's Deanna's take on it. You know your strong and the love that you give to all those people that came in with you, well that's amazing. You're going to be tempted, that's the burden of being alcoholics. I think of the bottle like an old lover, you know the one who you want to be with that night, but you wake up in the morning hating yourself, but knowing you'll be back the next night. Her name was Val…very alluring, especially after I had a night or three of drinking. I'd wake up hung over and no money in my wallet because she stole it. Took me three times to realize maybe I should stay away from that bar when I was binging."

"I had one night stands. Most of them I knew the names of only because of the small town I lived in," Jewel responded as she heard the door open. "Rick, this is Noel, Noel this is my husband Rick."

Rick arched an eyebrow as Noel stood up. "We were having an impromptu AA meeting. It's good to have someone who understands, other than me talking to myself," Noel said as he extended his hand. "Welcome to Alexandria."

"Thank you," Rick said as he shook it.

"I better get inside," Noel told them. "Jewel I work at the school with Beth and Phoebe, if you ever need to talk, if you ever get the urge to pick up a bottle," he said as he walked inside.

Jewel laughed as she saw the look on Rick's face. "Rick Grimes, I thought your eyes were blue but I do believe that they are showing a tint of green," she said as she stood up. "I'm not Lori, I'd never cheat."

Rick smiled and kissed her. "I know that, but I'm wondering if he knows that."

"Rick all we did was talk. I miss having a support group of other alcoholics, people that know exactly how you feel when you say I could have taken a drink today and wouldn't have felt bad about it. I know you are there for me, 100% of the way. Jane used to say that no one will know how it feels to struggle unless they've been there," she said as she kissed him. "But that look does turn me on," she teased as she kissed him again. "Give it a a little bit longer then we can say we need to get the kids home."

Rick grinned. "I like the way you think."

TBC

Author's Note: I absolutely love Mark Ruffolo and knew he was going to be Noel. The green eyed comment was a nod to him being the best Hulk in the new franchise.