Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own The Walking Dead or anything affiliated with said series.
It was hardly surprising that the women they'd rescued kept to themselves for the first few days after Deanna had welcomed them to Alexandria and shown them to their new home. Nor was the fact that rumors were going around about several of them being pregnant. No, Chelsea expected something of the sort to happen so neither of those things were entirely unexpected.
What she hadn't anticipated was that three days after they'd gotten back, while she'd been outside shooing her brother and niece down the road so they wouldn't be late getting her to class, the strong-willed redhead -whose name she'd learned was Rena- would come stomping over to her with a furious look on her face.
"You disgust me," she spat and Chelsea took an involuntary step back at the venom in the other woman's voice. "I thought you were one of the good ones, someone the younger girls could look up to, but come to find out you're screwing around behind your husband's back. If I wasn't so grateful to you guys for getting us out of that hell hole I'd tell him all about your little boy-toy right this second. I'll keep my mouth shut for now, but know this . . . I'm watching you. And if I even think you're stepping out again I'll be back over here in an instant!"
Chelsea stared openmouthed at the chastising finger that was aimed at her chest and tried, unsuccessfully, to say something in her defense. Instead she continued to remain frozen in place long after Rena had spun on her heel and stormed off.
"Well that was interesting," a humor laced voice said from behind her, finally snapping Chelsea out of her daze as she forced herself around to face its owner.
Carol watched as the furious redhead disappeared inside her house and shook her head with a chuckle. "There's a bit of fire in that one, misplaced though it may be."
"Please tell me you know what the hell that was all about," Chelsea began slowly. "Because I've replayed her little outburst over in my head and it's just not making any sense."
Chuckling at the bewildered look on the younger woman's face Carol placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "That right there is what one might call a misunderstanding." When Chelsea continued to look thoroughly confused she continued with a small shake of her head. "I'm sure she saw you and Daryl hanging around each other on the way here and assumed you were together. Then she finds out that you're already with another guy, and have a daughter no less, so she comes over here to warn you to quit your cheating ways or else."
". . . wait, are you trying to tell me that she thinks me and Miles are . . ." Waving a hand around she searched for a word that wouldn't make her want to throw up.
"Married, a couple, sleeping together," Carol finished helpfully, laughing at the look of disgust that fell across Chelsea's face.
"Yeah, uh . . . that."
Carol nodded her head. "Like I said, a misunderstanding."
Rubbing her hand over her face with a groan Chelsea glanced over at the door across the street that Rena had retreated into. "Great, now I'll have to figure out how to convince her that she's got the wrong idea. Why me?" she finished with a whine.
"Don't worry, I'm sure whatever you come up with will work out just fine," Carol replied soothingly. "Now if you'll excuse me I need to go and hunt down Daryl. That man is always sneaking out when there's cleaning to be done."
Watching as she walked away Chelsea sent one last look across the street before turning to head back inside. This morning when she'd woken up she'd planned on spending the whole day curled up in front of the fire with a good book.
So much for relaxing.
ooooo
By the time Miles had gotten back from dropping off Natalie, a trip which usually took at least a half hour since he'd stop to chat along the way, Chelsea had already considered -and rejected- several ideas and hadn't managed to come up with anything that wouldn't just end up causing more problems.
At first she'd thought about simply dragging Miles over to explain in person, but as his mouth tended to work without his brain's permission she figured that was probably a really bad idea. He'd more than likely say something out of context and screw things up ever worse.
The next two plans all centered around sitting the four of them -herself, Rena, Miles and Daryl- down together to talk through things, but seeing as Daryl was nearly as bad as Miles when it came to saying what was on his mind those were also scrapped before they'd had a chance to completely form.
She was seriously considering begging Aaron to have a chat with the woman so he could work things out for her when Miles' voice broke through her thoughts.
"We are in so much trouble," he began seriously and his tone had her instantly on alert. "Natalie has invited everyone over here for dinner tonight and we've only got seven hours to get things ready!"
Throwing the nearest pillow at his head after her heart rate returned to normal Chelsea rolled her eyes. "You just took ten years off my life you ass. Next time, do me a favor and skip the ominous intro."
"But don't you see how horrible this is? There's no way we'll ever be able to have everything ready so quickly!"
Pushing herself to her feet Chelsea walked over and flicked her brother on the nose. "First of all, this isn't like those corporate parties you used to suffer through for work, it's just a gathering of friends. And second, what all do you think needs to be done exactly?"
Lifting his eyes skyward Miles starting ticking things off. "There's the food, of course, and drinks as well. The house is, obviously, going to have to be cleaned from top to bottom. Oh, and we're going to need to move the furniture around so there's enough seats for everyone. Then there's the yard which needs some serious tlc, and I'm pretty sure one of the lights in the hallway is out."
When he stopped talking long enough to take a breath she cut in with a smirk. "You know, someday you're going to make someone a wonderful wife."
"And we'll also . . ." Her words finally sank in and Miles snapped his mouth shut with a glare.
"Relax," Chelsea grinned while patting him on the cheek. "I know you just want to make sure everything's perfect since this is Natalie's party. Now, what would you like me to do first?"
ooooo
Growing up Chelsea had never really minded doing her chores so long as she could space them out over several days, so when she wound up doing the equivalent of two weeks' worth of work in only a couple of hours it wasn't really a surprise that she found herself wanting to strangle her baby brother with one of the many cleaning tools he'd thrust at her when they'd gotten started.
The only thing that kept her homicidal desires from being acted on was the fact that he was working even harder than she was. It also helped that soon after lunch Natalie had come home and joined them as well giving them not only another pair of hands, but an adorable ball of energy that kept them both smiling with the many details of her adventures at school.
By the time the first person knocked on their door many hours later the house was spotless, the yard was in order, the food was just coming out of the oven, and there were bouquets of flowers strewn about for color.
All in all the trio were quite proud of their accomplishments.
"Auntie Chelsea, auntie Chelsea," Natalie called out as she bounced up and down next to the front door. "Can I let them in now?"
Chelsea stepped out of the kitchen wiping her hands dry on her jeans as she joined her niece. "You know you have to wait for an adult, sweetie."
"So now can I?" Seeing her nod Natalie pulled open the door and beamed up at her first guests. "Hello, and thank you for coming!" she chirped excitedly.
"Hey there little one," Maggie said as she leaned over to ruffle Natalie's hair. "Thanks for inviting us."
"Yeah, I've been looking forward to that apple pie you mentioned all day," Glenn added with a smile.
Putting on a serious look Natalie shook her finger at him. "No pie until after dinner, mister. That's the rules."
Maggie laughed at Glenn's pout. "Don't worry; I'll make sure he keeps his hands off dessert."
Certain she could trust the older woman Natalie nodded her head and pointed over her shoulder towards the kitchen. "Daddy says to make yourselves a plate and find a seat." And then in a whisper only marginally softer than her normal speaking voice she added, "He'd tell you that himself but he accidentally caught his shirt on fire while he was cooking so he's upstairs changing."
Chelsea just barely managed to smother the snicker that threatened to break out at her niece's admission. "Speaking of, why don't you go and see what's taking him so long."
With a bob of her head Natalie disappeared up the stairs and Chelsea, sensing their curiosity, explained. "It wasn't too bad really, just a little grease fire. His over-shirt got a little too close to the stove while he was frying onions and he caught the edge of it on fire. It never even touched his skin, but with the way he was flailing around you'd think he'd been being burned at the stake."
"It sounds like you guys had an exciting evening," Glenn chuckled with a shake of his head.
Stepping aside so they could go grab some food Chelsea waved at the familiar faces she could see heading down the street. "That it was," she agreed. "And the night has only just begun."
By the time Natalie came back downstairs a few minutes later with Miles close on her heels it seemed to Chelsea as though she'd let in three-quarters of the whole neighborhood. Along with Glenn and Maggie there was the rest of their gang, including Sasha who'd decided to take some time off watch duty to say hello and Rick who'd brought along his son Carl.
Carol had brought over a casserole with her and Aaron had managed to snag a bottle of whiskey from somewhere. Even Deanna had come bearing gifts, although most people avoided her lumpy cranberry sauce like the plague.
Along with Natalie's teacher and several of the other kids' parents there were also quite a few people she barely knew, having only met them in passing a few times, but everyone seemed very cordial and as the house continued to fill up Chelsea couldn't help but feel a sense of normalcy wash over her.
The world had gone to hell and yet here they were having a party with all their neighbors. Times sure were strange.
When dessert came out a short time later Chelsea excused herself from the conversation she'd been having with a man named Peter about the community's expansion and headed over to where Natalie was pacing back and forth near the door. "Hey kiddo, what are you doing?"
Without pausing her steps she muttered a reply of, "Waiting."
Since she didn't appear interested in elaborating Chelsea placed her hands on her niece's shoulders and slowed her to a stop so she could look her in the eye. "Waiting for what?"
"For everyone else to show up."
Glancing around at the rather large crowd, it had spilled outside onto the porch quite some time ago, Chelsea looked at her curiously. "I don't know about you but it seems to me that everyone is already here."
"No, they said they'd come but they're not here yet."
"Who?"
A knock on the door interrupted them and Natalie spun around excitedly. "They're here!"
Chelsea opened her mouth to repeat her earlier question when the door was pulled open and she came face to face with Rena. It was only thanks to months of practice that she managed to keep the choice words she'd been tempted to snap out from slipping past her lips.
Instead she forced a smile onto her face and said through clenched teeth, "Welcome, come in and make yourselves at home."
The glare that was sent her way had her wanting to reach out and strangle the woman, but seeing as her niece was standing not two feet away waving at the small group of women and ushering them all inside she clenched her hands at her side and forced the cheery smile to remain on her face.
"So this is the kitchen," Natalie pointed out as she led them further inside. "Please make yourselves a plate. The living room is through there and if there are not enough seats just tell daddy and he'll grab more from outside."
"Well aren't you just the perfect little hostess," an older woman with ashy blonde hair cooed.
Chelsea watched as Natalie beamed up at the woman and then her niece disappeared behind the other two women who'd come along. Since the others were busy for the moment she quickly turned her attention towards Rena who'd moved just inside the kitchen, keeping herself between Chelsea and the three women she'd come with.
And the glare was still on her face.
When the others filled their plates and filed out of the room after Natalie Chelsea crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. "Are we going to have a problem here? Because if you're just going to stand around trying to disintegrate me with your eyes the entire time you're here I'd like to know now so I can find somewhere else to be."
Ignoring the question Rena mimicked Chelsea's stance while saying, "You know, when that little girl came over earlier with an invitation to a party I was ready to slam the door in her face."
Chelsea's eyes narrowed even further when she heard that and she opened her mouth to snap at her for even considering doing such a cruel thing to her niece, but Rena held up her hand for silence and continued.
"Then I realized that it isn't her fault her mother is a two-timing hussy so the girls and I talked it over and a few of us decided it would do us good to get out and meet some of our neighbors."
"Now wait a minute, I am not a hu-."
"But," Rena pressed on. "Make no mistake, this changes nothing."
When she closed her mouth Chelsea opened hers to try and finally set things straight, which of course was precisely the moment Daryl chose to join them in the kitchen.
"Hey Chelsea," he said with a small smile. "Been lookin' all over for ya.
Rena growled out some rather unpleasant words and stormed out of the room at that and Chelsea beat her head against the wall with a groan. "Of all the . . ." Trailing off she peaked over at Daryl through her hair. "What do you want?" she grumbled. "Besides to ruin my life."
The confused look on his face had her pinching the bridge of her nose as she forced herself to calm down. "Ignore that. Now, let's try again. What's up?"
Looking back and forth between Chelsea and the empty spot Rena had once occupied Daryl scratched his head in confusion before pushing it out of his mind and getting down to business. "Miles sent me ta find ya. Said they're runnin' low on snacks out there and ya should bring in the rest of the bags."
"And why, pray tell, can he not do that himself?" she asked. "Wait, don't tell me. His legs have fallen off, right? Or maybe he's been inflicted with some sort of virus that makes him incapable of doing anything remotely helpful."
"Um, ya feelin' okay?" Daryl asked worriedly as he eyed her closely. He was used to her being mouthy and sarcastic, but usually she did it with a smile. Right now she looked about ready to kill someone and he had to force himself to remain where he was for fear of setting her off.
Taking several deep breaths, she'd obviously not been as in control of herself as she'd thought, Chelsea tried again. "Sorry about that, didn't mean to take my anger out on you."
Pleased to see her returning to her old self Daryl gave her a half shrug. "Ain't no problem, we've all been there." When she didn't say anything in response he continued. "So, ya want me ta tell 'im to deal with it 'imself?"
"No, I'll take care of it. Thanks for letting me know." Waving him off she watched as he hesitated at the doorway so she smiled and added, "I'm okay, really."
Giving her one last long look Daryl nodded curtly before stepping out of the kitchen.
Now that she was alone Chelsea wondered just why she was allowing this to get her so worked up. I mean sure it was a little disturbing that Rena thought her and Miles were a couple, but what harm was there in the woman believing that? It's not like anyone else thought that way around Alexandria.
As she wandered around the kitchen grabbing the bags of snacks she continued to mull over the issue but nothing seemed to stand out. That is until she started looking at it from the other way.
The heart of the matter hit her like a ton of bricks and she nearly dropped everything in her hands as she sank against the counter. It wasn't the whole 'Miles' thing she had a problem with, though that did bother her, it was what all this was going to do to Daryl.
If Rena had been talking with the rest of her group about this then they all not only thought that she was having an affair, but that one of the men who'd helped rescue them was knowingly sleeping with a married woman.
He didn't deserve a reputation like that, especially since it was all a load of crap.
Clenching the bags in her hands so tightly she was probably crushing some of the food, she pushed herself to her feet and decided right then and there that she would set things straight as soon as possible. No way was she going to allow those women to think badly of Daryl for any longer.
Her mind made up she stormed out of the kitchen and into the overcrowded living room in search of her brother so she could hand her packages over to him before she went off to find Rena.
As she neared her target, having dodged at least half a dozen questions about everything from her last trip outside the walls to the recipe for one of the dishes, Chelsea came to an abrupt halt when she spotted not only Miles but Rena as well.
She hadn't counted on them being together and was a little worried about what he was saying to her and how much worse he was making things, but quickly decided it didn't really matter. She was going to end this . . . now.
Coming to a stop in front of the pair Chelsea held out her arms and dropped the bags into Miles' lap. "Here you go dear brother," she began, stressing the word as she looked Rena right in the eye. "Anything else I can do for you this fine evening?"
Miles, completely used to her sarcasm as he'd been putting up with it his whole life, tapped his chin in thought. "You know, now that I think about it we could do with some mo-." Whatever he was going to say was cut off by a blonde haired blur barreling into his chest.
"Daddy, daddy, Tracy and Vivian said I could spend the night sometime! Isn't that great?"
Wrapping his arms around his little girl Miles grinned down at her. "That's wonderful, how about we talk about it later though sweetie. Maybe after everyone goes home."
Natalie pursed her lips in thought and then held out her hand seriously. "It's a deal."
After shaking hands Natalie hopped back down to the floor and reached up to grab onto Chelsea's hand, shaking it to get her attention. "Auntie Chelsea, Carol wants to know if she can finish baking the other pie. Oh, and she also said she can make a cobbler if you're interested."
Crouching down so she was eye level with her niece Chelsea tapped the little girl's nose with her finger. "Yes and yes," she replied before turning serious. "But make sure you let her know she's not allowed to cook in the kitchen without your supervision."
With a whoop of delight Natalie spun around and raced through the throng of people disappearing from sight in seconds. Chelsea shook her head and stood up to find Miles already dishing out the remaining snack supply. When she finally allowed her eyes to fall on Rena she raised an eyebrow at the look on the other woman's face and asked, "So, we good?"
Rena looked like a fish out of water, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly with no sound coming out, until eventually she managed to squeak out, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know."
Running a hand through her hair Chelsea stared at the woman who couldn't have looked more ashamed if she'd tried before shaking her head. Grinning, she gave her a friendly pat on the back. "No harm done. Let's just forget about it and move on."
The two fell into an easy conversation after that. They weren't quite friends, not yet anyway, but at least they were no longer enemies.
Although when Rena started asking about how long she and Daryl had been together, and refused to believe they really were only friends, Chelsea began to think that fighting was a much better alternative.