Chpt 18: Settling In
Aaron walks them through the big metal gates into a world they thought had long been obliterated. It's surreal and unimaginable and so completely foreign to Daryl. He has never known anything like this, not before or after the turn. The others stumble past him with their mouths agape, in awe that something like this still exists. Beth threads her fingers through his and gives him a little tug. His eyes slide to hers and her eyebrows lift, asking him if he is ready. He nods, and they fall in line with the others.
The family meanders through the picturesque streets while Aaron gives them the grand tour. They stop at the medical clinic to drop Eric, Aaron's husband as it turns out, to have that ankle looked at. A clinic… unbelievable. Aaron continues with the tour and explains a little about the supply store and the interviews they will be doing with Deanna. Daryl doesn't hear a word of it. He is too busy studying the structure of the wall that surrounds the community. Committing the layout to memory in case they need to hide or escape, mindful of the people on their porches waving and smiling. They stop in front of a storybook house in the cul-de-sac nearest the front gate. Aaron says this is where Deanna and Reg live. Where the interviews will be conducted. A petite woman and a tall, lanky man meet Aaron on the front porch. The woman, Deanna, welcomes them from her top step. Beth and Daryl are still in the back of the group. Daryl's hand is opening and closing into a fist at his side. Beth squeezes his other hand, and he takes a deep breath. Settles, but only by a degree.
Deanna and Reg welcome them with easy smiles and pretty words. They walk with Aaron and the group to the armory. The family will have to relinquish their weapons for now with the promise of their return once the interviews are done and decisions are made. Daryl doesn't argue when Rick hands over his guns, but he sure as hell doesn't like it. Looks physically ill at having to part with his crossbow. Beth doesn't offer up her buck knife and nobody asks her too. They underestimate her… Good.
Their tour concludes in front of three empty houses situated in a finely manicured row. They split into three groups, hypothetically, but end up all in one house by the end of the night. It feels like it did when they were on the road all those months ago. Daryl and Beth take the first watch of the evening. Pull two oversized porch chairs together by the front door. Abe and Rosita are on watch in the back.
Beth slides into Daryl's lap. Plays with his fingers the way she always does, and he relaxes. Bends his head left to right releasing the pressure between the vertebrae.
"What are ya' thinkin' about, babe?" Beth whispers.
"Iunno," he mumbles and shrugs.
"Don't give me that, Daryl Dixon. I wanna' know what you're thinkin'."
"I think this place is too good to be true."
"Could be," she says, but her tone tells him she's not in full agreement.
"What? You thinkin' somethin' differ'nt?"
"I'm thinkin' I'd like to give it a shot. I'm tired of runnin', Daryl. I'm ready to build a life… somethin' lastin'. And, I wanna' build it with you. This seems as good a place as any ta' start. Not like we have a lot of options, you know?"
He's chewing on the inside of his lip. Knows he'll do anything Beth wants. "Just can't let our guard down. Worse thing we can do is forget what it's really like out there."
Beth nods and cradles his face in her palms. He leans into her touch, turns his head and kisses her wrist. "We won't forget," she says and presses her lips soundly to his. Settles back against him, and they face the night, lit by streetlights of all things, and it passes quietly.
It's Day 2 and Deanna wants to get right to the interviews. Beth and Daryl are the last two to go. "Let me go first," Beth says when it is just the two of them left. Daryl nods, but a worried scowl crosses his face. Beth uses her thumbs to smooth the deep crinkles away. "The interviews have been quick. I won't be gone long," she promises. Kisses his forehead and trots up the steps, leaving Daryl to pace in the street.
"Hello, Beth. I'm glad you're here," Deanna says and leads her to the living room. She has a chair parked in front of the fireplace on the outside wall between two windows. There is a camera set up in front of the couch. Deanna motions for Beth to have a seat. Beth smiles and balances her bottom on the edge of the chair. It's a curious conundrum reconciling this house and this community with the world she has been existing in for the last two years. The idea of electricity and running water, shelter and safety are so foreign, yet innately familiar, it's enough to give her mental whiplash.
"You're Maggie's sister, correct?"
Beth tears her eyes from the shelves lined with books at Deanna's voice. "What?"
"I said, 'you're Maggie's sister'."
"That's right." She tries to keep her eyes on Deanna, but the books keep stealing her attention.
"You like to read?"
"Yes… I mean, I used to… before."
"You're welcome to any of these books, any time."
Beth's eyebrow arches at the thought of relaxing with a book. Is that what they do here?
"I'm told Rick's baby, Judith, is particularly fond of you?"
"I took care of her when we lived in the prison. Her mama died. We all take care of her now."
"If things work out, and you end up staying, do you think you would like to work with the children here?"
Beth hesitates. She doesn't want to be rude, but she most definitely does not want to work with the kids here. After being on the road with Daryl… after all she has seen and done… she knows she lacks the patience to take on that roll. "Well, you see, I also helped my dad in the infirmary at the prison. He was a vet. I used to work for him. Grew up on a farm. I'm good with my hands. Learned a lot from my dad. Even delivered Judith when she was born. I think I'd be of better service in the medical clinic. Or in the garden. Or both, if you have an opening." The Beth she once knew would have never suggested any job other than the one she was offered. She likes this new Beth. The one that stands up for herself, for her family, for what is right and decent. The Beth that is brave and self-confident. The Beth that loves Daryl and their life together.
Deanna smiles kindly, but Beth can see the disappointment in her eyes. "Good to know, Beth. I appreciate your honesty. I couldn't help but notice your exchange out there with, uh, Mr. Dixon, correct?"
"You should call him Daryl. He hates being called Mr. Dixon," she says with a quiet laugh.
"I'll keep that in mind," Deanna replies amicably. "The two of you are close?"
Beth hesitates again. She wants to shout it from the rooftops. Let everybody here know that Daryl is hers and she is his, but she isn't sure how much she should let these folks know, at least for now. She decides to keep it simple and a little vague. "Yes, we escaped the prison together when it was overrun. We take care of each other. Everyone in our family takes care of each other."
Deanna's knowing smile tells Beth that she may as well have gone ahead and shouted it from the rooftops, but Deanna doesn't call her on it.
"Anything else you think I should know about you? Anything you would like to share?"
"I don't think so, but thank you."
"Well, it was very nice to meet you, Beth. Oh! One more thing. How old are you?"
"Does that even matter anymore?" She isn't trying to be sassy, but the last two years have aged her well beyond the 365 days that defined each one of those years.
"Not out there, no, I suppose not. But here, inside these walls, birthdays and anniversaries, milestones that come with age, those things are all still celebrated for what they represent."
Beth nods her understanding. These people really have no idea what it's like out there. Daryl wasn't kidding when he said they can't let their guard down. She worries that, should a threat arise, she and her family are likely the only things standing between life and death for the people of this community.
"Anything else?" Beth asks.
"No," Deanna says with a pleasant enough smile. "I think that's everything."
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure! What is it?"
"If you decide to let us stay. And we decide that it's right for us to join your community, will we be allowed to come and go as we please or do we need permission? I'm askin' because me and Daryl like to hunt. We usually leave early in the morning, and we don't come back until we have something to show for it. I don't mean to be rude, but we don't always plan ahead. Daryl sometimes just wakes up knowing it's a good day to hunt. Might make askin' for permission a little difficult."
"You would be welcome to come and go as you please, of course."
Beth nods and thanks Deanna for her hospitality. On her way to the front door, she sees a box piano she must have missed on her way in. Deanna notices the pause in her step. "Do you play?"
"Yeah… At least I used to. It's been a while."
"Well, I would love to hear you play sometime. It's my hope that you can make time for those things you left behind like reading for pleasure and making music. I'm told you have a lovely singing voice."
Beth smiles, but she doesn't answer.
Daryl is waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. He looks her over, head to toe, like maybe Deanna tried to eat her or something while she was in the house. Beth assures him that she is perfectly fine and tells him she'll wait for him right here.
"Hello, Daryl. I'm Deanna. Beth said I should call you Daryl rather than Mr. Dixon."
Daryl hums his answer. He is pacing around the living room like he's scavenging the place. He touches the decorative stones in the plate on the coffee table. Runs his fingers along the spines of the books on the shelves. Picks up the knick-knacks and tosses them around, feels the weight in his hands. He is like a caged lion waiting to be released into the wild.
"Would you like to have a seat," Deanna says and holds her hand out to the chair in front of the camera.
"You recordin' this?"
"I am. I have everyone's initial interview recorded.
"Why?"
"Oh, posterity, I guess. Do you mind?"
He grunts, and Deanna takes that as permission to proceed.
Daryl sits down on the edge of the chair, much like Beth did. Rests his elbows on his knees and clasps his hands together to keep them still. His eyes, however, are in constant motion, landing on first one thing then another around the room.
"I understand that you are a skilled hunter and tracker. You use a bow? To hunt?"
Daryl lurches forward and grabs a handful of the decorative stones to roll around in his hands. Deanna isn't sure he even realizes he's done it.
"Crossbow"
"I'll have to learn the difference. You and Rick have been together from the beginning?"
"Pretty much."
He is up again, pacing back and forth in front of her from one side of the room to the other. He stops and draws the gauzy curtain to the side. His eyes land on Beth and he eases down. Leans against the window, ears on Deanna, eyes on Beth.
Deanna adjusts the camera, assumes this is where he will stay, at least for a bit.
"You two are close?"
"Brothers"
"I see. Can you see yourself settling down here in our community? See yourself as a contributing member?"
"If that's what the family wants, then yeah."
"Any job you would be particularly interested in having?"
"Could help with security, I suppose. Still wanna' hunt."
"Beth said the same thing, about the hunting, I mean." That earns her a quick glance. "I told her that should be fine. Daryl, do you think you could teach the people here how better to survive if, heaven forbid, this community was ever under attack or overrun?"
"Yeah, I could do that."
"Good. Can I ask you a few personal questions?"
Daryl drops the curtain and turns to face Deanna. Narrows his eyes at the petite leader.
"Nothing too personal, I promise," she says and holds her hand out toward the chair again.
Daryl sits, but he clearly isn't happy about it. Deanna adjusts the camera again, before continuing. "You and Merle are blood brothers. He said the two of you grew up rough."
"Yeah… so?"
"So, I want to assure you that, should you end up staying, you will be as much a part of this community as anyone else. Everyone here has a story, a beginning that in some way shaped who they are now and how they have survived, but a beginning is just that… a starting point. It's not the complete story. I want everyone here to feel equally at home."
Daryl rolls that around in his head. Thinks he gets what she's saying, but he isn't sure how to respond.
Deanna smiles patiently. "There's no judgement here, Daryl. We are all in this together. It's the only way we can all survive."
Daryl nods and makes his way back over to the window.
"Judging by what I saw outside, you and Beth have a special relationship?"
Daryl tenses. Drops the curtain and turns back to face Deanna. She is again adjusting the camera. He chews on his thumb cuticle for a second before surprising her with his answer. "She means everyhthin' to me. Ain't goin' nowhere without her."
A genuine smile graces Deanna's face. It's warm and tender, and it helps Daryl relax. He reaches over to the coffee table and drops all the stones back into the pretty little tray where he found them. "She's a lovely girl. I'm glad you two have each other."
"Yeah."
Deanna can tell Daryl has shared all he is willing to share for now. "Thank you, Daryl. I appreciate you coming to talk with me."
"We good?"
"Yes, I think we're good."
Weeks pass and the family starts to spread out among the three houses. One of the houses has a small upstairs apartment over a detached garage. Daryl and Beth claim that space for themselves. Aaron shows Daryl the motorcycle and all the loose parts in his garage. Tells Daryl he is welcome to all of it. Beth spends her mornings with Daryl working on the bike. Her afternoons are spent at the medical clinic helping Dr Denise and learning from the medical text books. Denise was finishing med school when the world fell apart. She is eager to share what she learned with Beth, and Beth soaks it up like a sponge.
Daryl spends his afternoons on the wall. Securing weak spots. Patrolling. He and Beth hunt early in the mornings at least once a week, sometimes twice. Carol brought the community together for a picnic on their block when Beth and Daryl came strolling through the gate with a buck hooked around Daryl's neck. The people here are becoming more and more comfortable with the family. More comfortable than Daryl is with Carol's suburban wardrobe, but whatever… They all begin to plant roots, some run deeper than others, but they all seem to be considering a future here in Alexandria.
They have been in Alexandria for three months when Daryl gets the motorcycle to run. He and Beth take it for a spin around the community before deciding to take it beyond the gates. Aaron has talked to him about becoming a recruiter. Says Beth is welcome as well. Beth decides to stay and work at the clinic when Aaron and Daryl take day trips to scout, but she will always go with them if they plan on being gone overnight.
Beth is singing in the shower late one evening when Daryl gets home from patrol. He leans against the door frame and listens to her sweet voice, lets it settle into his bones. When she quits singing and starts humming instead, he knocks his knuckles against the counter top and tells her he's home. She sticks her wet head around the corner of the walk-in shower and grins at him. "How was yer day?"
"Good. Yer's?"
"Better now that you're home." She flicks a handful of water at him and giggles when he ducks. "You look like you could use a shower, Mr. Dixon. Wanna' join me?"
Well, that's somethin' new. Beth reaches a hand out to him, and he starts peeling his clothes off on the way over to her. It's a tight fit, but they make it work. It's not like they need any space between them, anyway. Beth pulls him under the spray and grabs the soap. Gets to work cleaning his shoulders, his arms, and his back. Slides her fingers down to his waist and palms his butt cheeks. He can feel her pert little breasts pressing into his back as she leans into him. He shivers when she squats down behind him and runs hands slick with soap up and down his legs. When she stands back up, he spins around and traps her between him and the wall. She hisses when her back meets the cold tile, and arches into him. Daryl is on her like a predator on prey. Grabs the back of her thighs and drags her to his center. He spins again and presses her into the wall beneath the spray. This time the tile is warm, and she uses it as leverage. Locks her ankles at Daryl's back and lifts her hips so he can find his way in. There is nothing innocent or gentle when they come together this time. Something about being under the water together, slick and wet, ramps up the intensity. Neither of them is quiet as they barrel toward that sweet release. Beth calls his name again and again. Scrapes her nails across his wet scalp. Falls apart when his tongue swirls around her taunt nipple. Daryl is only a second behind, pulling out just in time to send his release down the drain with the water. They are both panting as Beth collapses forward on his shoulder still wrapped around him under the spray.
The water begins to cool, and Beth briefly wonders how long they've been in there. Long enough for her fingers to prune she notices. Daryl sets her down on shaky legs and turns the water off. He reaches for one of the towels and runs it over her hair. Dries her off and does the same for himself. Wraps the towel around his waist. Beth slips on her tiny little sleep shorts and loose tank. Rolls to her toes and kisses Daryl lightly on the lips. "Welcome home, Mr. Dixon." He barks a laugh, and Beth sees a flash of teeth when he settles that laugh into a smile.
"You're one lucky sum'bitch," he thinks to himself. And wonders how he ever survived without her.