Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own The Walking Dead or anything affiliated with said series.
Natalie's party was the talk of Alexandria for several days, everyone agreeing it was the best they'd ever been invited to if for no other reason than to see a smile light up the little girl's face. And despite the fact that it took nearly that long to get things cleaned up and back to normal, Chelsea had to agree that it had been a great idea. Everyone seemed much more relaxed and friendly with each other now.
Of course seeing as nearly everyone had partaken in the alcohol at some point by the end of the night many of them were a bit more than tipsy so she figured that wasn't all that much of a surprise. It was hard to stay distant with someone you'd sang a love song with, or cried all over, or in one memorable case even gone so far as to give a lap dance to.
Oh the blackmail possibilities.
. . . not that Chelsea would even dream of doing something like that nowadays.
But if she did happen to mention certain situations whenever a perfect opportunity arose, well she never claimed to be a saint.
Chelsea was remembering a particularly hilarious moment between Mark and Nathaniel, two totally straight guys who were hanging all over each other after they'd managed to down half a bottle of Jack together, when she was brought out of her musings by the front door slamming closed.
"We're home!" Natalie's cheery voice echoed throughout the house.
"And we come bearing gifts," Miles added a moment later.
"In here," Chelsea called out from the kitchen as she resumed her task of making soup for lunch. "And if those gifts move in any way I'm throwing them, and you, outside." The last time Miles brought her a gift was when they were kids. She wasn't normally afraid of spiders, but when he dropped that gigantic furry creature on top of her head she'd screamed . . . and then promptly punched him in the face.
Good times.
"Not to worry sister dear," Miles continued as he and Natalie stepped into the kitchen. "These are edible gifts, from Rena."
Chelsea wasn't sure what she thought about Miles spending so much time with the redhead, but she supposed it was better than him chasing around Michonne all the time. At least Rena hadn't threatened to slice him up and serve him for dinner . . . yet.
Reaching across the counter to peek inside the bag he'd just set down her eyes widened when she saw what was inside. "This is all for us?" she asked in surprise.
Miles watched as she slowly pulled out the tub of chocolate dipped fruits and nodded. "Yep, said something about making up for 'something'. Not sure what she meant by that exactly but I wasn't about to kick a gift horse in the mouth so I said thanks and took it before she could change her mind."
"Can I have a banana one?" Natalie cut in as she popped her face over the counter and stared at the goodies like they were the most delicious things she'd ever seen.
"Not until after lunch kiddo," Chelsea replied with a shake of her head. Picking up the fruit she turned around and pulled open the fridge so she could put them inside. "No one's getting any until every bit of their food is gone."
With a pout Natalie climbed onto her seat and stared at the empty bowl in front of her in resignation. "Okay," she sighed at the same time Miles muttered, "Yes mother," under his breath and moved to join her at the table.
Making a mental note to thank Rena in person later, and possibly make her something nice in return, Chelsea removed the pan from the stove and headed over to dish out the food.
Lunch was a fairly typical affair. Natalie talked about school, Miles went on about . . . well, something, and all the while Chelsea sat there listening with a smile on her face.
And then came the knock on the door.
Seeing as her brother and niece were currently arguing over the last piece of toast Chelsea stood up and went to go check it out, figuring it was either Carol with their missing casserole dish or Nina with something Natalie had left at school.
Pulling the door open she froze when she came face to face with Aaron.
"Hey," he began with an apologetic look on his face. "I know it's barely been a week, but it's time to head out. We got word of another possible group about a hundred miles west of here and I'd like to catch them before they head into the mountains."
Frowning slightly, she'd thought she'd have a bit more time between trips, Chelsea squared her shoulders and nodded. "Alright, when do we leave?"
"How long do you need?"
Glancing back towards the kitchen she took a deep breath. "Give me fifteen minutes." When he nodded and turned to leave Chelsea allowed the door to slide shut behind him and leaned back against the hard wood to steady herself.
After taking several deep breaths she pushed away from the door and, deciding it would probably be best to get ready to go first, headed upstairs to pack. Quickly grabbing everything she'd need she tossed it into her bag and headed back downstairs.
Setting her stuff by the door she ran a hand through her hair before slowly making her way into the kitchen.
"Who was . . ." Miles trailed off when he caught the look on Chelsea's face. Knowing it could only mean one thing he took a deep breath and turned to his daughter saying, "Hey Nat, auntie Chelsea has to go on another trip so why don't you go grab that present you made for her, okay?"
Looking up from her nearly empty bowl Natalie furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "But she just got back a few days ago."
"I know, and I'm sorry," Chelsea said as she leaned over and ruffled her niece's hair. "But there are people out there who need my help. You understand, right sweetie?"
Setting her spoon down on the table Natalie thought about it for a second before nodding.
"Good girl. Now, what was that I heard about a present?"
At the reminder Natalie's eyes widened and she jumped down from her chair and raced out of the kitchen leaving the siblings alone together in silence.
"Any idea how long you're going to be gone?" Miles asked a short time later, rubbing a hand over his face in frustration when he saw her head shake back and forth. "Well be careful, and take care of yourself."
As he stood up and turned to walk away Chelsea reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him. "I'll be back soon, okay?"
Blinking back his tears he nodded, and then because he couldn't resist he jokingly replied, "Well there's a threat if ever I heard one."
Sharing a laugh they walked to the front door together and arrived moments before Natalie came racing down the stairs to join them.
"This is for you, I made it myself," Natalie said proudly as she held up a necklace made of macaroni noodles and beads. "It'll help keep the bad men away."
"Thank you, it's beautiful." Grabbing the necklace Chelsea slipped it over her head and leaned over to kiss Natalie on the forehead. "I'll wear it always." Pulling the little girl into a hug she held on far longer than usual. With one final squeeze she released her and stood back up.
Picking up her pack she tossed it over her shoulder and looked her brother in the eye. "You take care."
"You too."
Snagging one last quick hug from her niece Chelsea yanked open the door and stepped outside. "I'll see you guys later."
"Bye auntie Chelsea!" Natalie called out with a wave from where she was tucked against Miles' side.
Waving goodbye Chelsea sent Miles a mock salute which he returned by flipping her off. Shaking her head, that was usually her thing, she couldn't stop the small smile from forming on her face. So long as they could still joke around when she was leaving she knew everything was alright.
If the day ever came when that changed . . . she was done. As much as she liked helping people she wasn't going to do it at the cost of Miles' sanity. No one was worth hurting her family for.
Eyeing the minivan in the driveway, the same one they'd brought back with them the last time they'd gone out if she wasn't mistaken, she chuckled at the sight of Daryl sitting in the driver's seat. "From hunter boy to soccer dad," she joked as she pulled open the back door and slid inside. "You're moving up in the world."
Glaring at Aaron's snort Daryl jammed the car into gear muttering something under his breath that although the words were impossible to make out the tone was more than enough to get the point across. Pulling the van onto the road he ignored the stifled laughter coming from the backseat as he headed to the gate.
After a quick stop at the armory to pick up their weapons they found themselves waiting for the tall metal fence to be pushed out of the way.
When their path was clear the man on guard duty offered them a two fingered salute and Daryl drove off down the deserted road towards town.
Aaron pulled a map out and spread it across his lap, using his finger to trace an invisible line over several different possible route options as they left Alexandria behind. After a couple minutes of soft mutterings he pointed at a nearby road sign. "Follow Highway 901 north until you reach the old mill, then turn off onto West Briton Road. It's not the most direct route, but it should let us avoid most of the populated areas so hopefully we won't run into many walkers."
Getting a nod from Daryl he handed the map back to Chelsea. "You're going to want to start familiarizing yourself with this area," he offered by way of explanation when he saw her confused look.
Chelsea stared at the map for a moment as the gravity of what he just said sunk in before tipping her head and taking said object from his hand. She'd nearly forgotten that Aaron was planning on quitting the recruiting business and that she was to become his replacement.
Trying not to think of how different things would be when he finally did retire she flattened out a section of the map in front of her and began to follow the different roads that surrounded Alexandria.
ooooo
The ride was short, a little over three hours including a pit stop, and mostly uneventful. They'd avoided a couple groups of walkers, and had to stop to clear out the wheel wells of body parts after driving over the group they didn't miss, but otherwise they'd had pretty smooth sailing.
Unfortunately it also turned out to be a complete waste of time.
"Ya sure this is it?" Daryl asked for the third time in as many minutes.
Aaron pinched the bridge of his nose and took several deep breaths as he repeated his answer yet again. "Like I told you before, this is where they said they'd be." When Daryl opened his mouth once more he narrowed his eyes. "And before you ask, yes, I've already double-checked the map."
"Wasn't gonna," Daryl grumbled.
Chelsea watched the two in silence. She could understand their frustration, it sucked to get all the way out there only to find out that they needn't have bothered, but there was really no reason for them to continue discussing it.
One simply had to look around to know that the location was all wrong. First, the building had far too many windows to make securing the place worthwhile. And second, it was literally right off the road with most of the aforementioned windows facing the street.
All in all it was a terrible place to hide out; anyone with half a brain could figure that out.
Daryl, having finally had enough arguing with Aaron, started making his way around the left side of the building with his crossbow at the ready. They were already there so he figured he may as well have a quick look around to see if he could find anything useful to scavenge.
Chelsea followed after Aaron as he moved to take a peek inside the nearest window. "Looks as if that info you got was a little out of date," she said conversationally.
"It does appear that . . ." Trailing off Aaron cocked his head to the side as a sudden sound met his ears. Leaning closer to the window his eyes widened at the all too familiar groan he could hear coming from behind it.
"Back to the van!" he cried, spinning around as quickly as he could.
Not entirely sure what was going on, but trusting his judgment one hundred percent, Chelsea took off after him a moment later and saw Daryl doing the same a few dozen feet away.
As Chelsea passed him by and took the lead Aaron glanced back over his shoulder in time to see the door to the building burst open as a horde of walkers came stumbling out. When he turned back around, thankful that he'd figured out what was going on before the dead had been let loose, he tripped over a broken bicycle that had been left lying about and crashed to the ground with a pained yelp.
Ignoring the throbbing in his ankle and the blood he could feel dripping down his leg he forced himself to his feet and started hobbling along.
"Aaron!" Daryl shouted as he nearly slid to the ground himself in his haste to change direction so he could go and help his friend.
Chelsea heard Aaron's cry and looked over at the same time Daryl turned to make his way towards him. Since help was on the way she continued forward figuring she could get the van started and ready to go before they arrived.
Cursing himself for deciding to park the van a safe distance away Aaron looked out at the fifty or so undead trailing after them as Daryl was moving to pull his arm over his shoulder and came to a decision. There was no way the two of them would make it to the van in one piece, not with his ankle in the shape it was, the walkers were simply too close. "Leave me," he ordered, his voice filled with resignation as he pulled his gun out and aimed it at the head of the nearest walker. "Get to the van while you still can and get out of here."
"I ain't leavin' ya," Daryl snapped, wrapping his arm around Aaron's waist and pulling the other man tight against his side. "Now get yer ass movin'!"
Twenty or so feet away from the van Chelsea checked back on her friends and was terrified to see that the first of the walkers was practically on top of them. In an instant she played through her options, either continue to the van and hope she could get back to them in time or retrace her steps and draw the walkers away to give them time to escape, and in less time than it took her to blink she'd made up her mind.
Doing an abrupt about face she pushed herself as hard as she could and managed to cover most of the distance separating them by the time the two men found themselves starting to be swarmed. Slipping her machetes from her belt she reacquainted herself with their heft before diving headfirst into the fray.
"Back off," Daryl growled, pulling his crossbow up and shooting the closest walker between the eyes with his free hand.
Aaron blew the back of the head off another, tossing the gun aside when he heard the tell-tale clicking sound signifying it was empty, and told him through clenched teeth, "You need to go. I'll keep them occupied so you can get free."
"I already said I ain't leavin' ya."
"If you don't go now you're just going to die along with me!"
"Nobody's dying," Chelsea stated firmly, her blade taking off half a walker's face as she joined the two in their fight. "Now you two get the hell out of here while I draw them off. I'll meet you down the road that way about a mile or so once I get clear."
"Ain't no way I'm leavin' ya ta take 'em on yourself," Daryl said as he dropped another walker with his knife.
"He's right; you two should go while you still can."
Kicking at the walker next to her foot who'd crawled a little too close while she'd been otherwise occupied Chelsea shoved her blade deep into its skull and then sliced upwards when she pulled it free to take the head clean off the walker in front of her. With two quick swings she took out another three corpses which gave her just enough time to level Aaron with a serious glare.
"You, shut the hell up," she began before turning on Daryl. "And you, get him to the van."
Her voice left no room for argument and since he couldn't think of a better plan Daryl nodded and did as he was told. Taking Aaron's arm again he paused long enough to say, "We'll be waitin'," before dragging the other man off in the direction of the van.
As he lost sight of her amongst the walking dead Aaron shoved Daryl hard enough that he almost sent them both to the ground. "How could you leave her there to die?" he demanded. "I thought you two were close, but you must not care about her at all if you're willing to throw her life away so easily!"
"Shut yer mouth!" Daryl snapped, his eyes flashing with anger. "She ain't gonna die!"
Feeling the shaking body beneath his arm Aaron swallowed thickly as they neared the van and Daryl pulled open the passenger side door. "Forgive me," he apologized. "You know I didn't mean any of that, it was just the pain and fear talking."
Helping Aaron into his seat Daryl threw himself inside as well and cranked the key in the ignition seconds after he'd slammed the door shut. Dropping it into gear he peeled out onto the road and sped off in the direction Chelsea had indicated, his eyes keeping track of the numbers on the odometer.
When he remained silent Aaron reached over and placed a comforting hand on his arm. "She's going to be okay."
ooooo
Chelsea regretted her decision the moment the others were gone since not only did she have to fight to keep the ones closest to her from sneaking a bite, but she also had to keep the others from running off which was proving quite difficult as the group of undead spread out.
Hacking the arm off one and a good chunk of the head off another she spun around to see which ones she needed to take out next and narrowly avoided a little girl who'd managed to sneak between the legs of the other walkers around her.
Raising her arm to attack Chelsea was struck by how similar the child looked to her niece and she froze in shock.
That was all the opening they needed.
In no time at all Chelsea found herself half buried under several rotting bodies, the stench of which caused her eyes to water and her stomach to heave.
Twisting back and forth as their combined weight began to push the very breath from her body, she somehow managed to avoid the jaws of those closest to her and was extremely grateful she was wearing thick clothing as she felt their hands grabbing at her. With a jerk of her leg and a hard shove from her right arm she turned her upper body enough to shift the two walkers who were currently pressing her into the ground over far enough to allow her right hand the freedom it needed.
Smashing the handle of her machete into the base of the first one's neck she thrust upwards with enough force to tear its half rotted head from his body. As the head rolled off to the side the second walker began to climb over the headless corpse only to find the blade of that same weapon buried under its chin and deep into whatever remained of its brain.
Tossing the two creatures aside Chelsea jumped to her feet while grabbing her second machete which she'd lost during the fall, and with a hard kick the kneeling walker who'd been at her side trying to get to her through the bodies she'd just disposed of went flying backwards into the crowd.
Turning to face the remaining undead army she wiped the blood from her forehead, sank into a fighting stance and spat out, "Alright, which one of you assholes is next?"
Having heard the van leave some time ago and judging them well out of following distance by now, Chelsea looked around in search of the path of least resistance. Now that she was no longer needed to keep their attention she simply had to clear an opening so she could run off in the direction of the woods.
With one last shout of, "Come and get me!" to make sure all their attention was on her she let out a battle cry and took off running.
Dodging a stumbling man with his intestines trailing behind him she slammed the blade in her left hand through his head and spun around the opposite way to give herself the leverage to pull the blade free while at the same time allowing the blade in her right hand to find purchase in the neck of a walker just behind him.
Continuing on her way she jumped over a crawler, but miscalculated her landing and wound up slipping in a pile of some unidentifiable organs. Before she hit the ground she dropped the machete in her right hand so she could reach out and catch herself on the closest thing she could find, which just so happened to be another walker.
As she pushed herself away the creature reached out in return and tried to grab onto her, its fingers snagging in the material and tearing a jagged hole across the stomach of her shirt. Shoving herself backwards she tossed her remaining machete into her right hand and stabbed the walker straight through its open mouth, breathing a sigh of relief when it sank to the ground unmoving.
Before she started running again she considered going after her other weapon, but quickly squashed the idea. As attached as she was to the thing she wasn't about to risk her life for it.
Since the closest walkers to her had all been dealt with Chelsea picked up the pace and, making as much noise as she dared, lured the group into the forest behind her.
Leading them this way and that she headed deep enough into the woods to prevent them from following her out at anything other than a snail's pace. Five minutes passed, then ten, and she glanced back to see how her followers were faring. They were just far enough away that while she could still see them they weren't an immediate threat so she decided it was time to ditch them and head back to the meet-up place.
Ducking between two trees she came screeching to a halt when a walker suddenly appeared in front of her. Knocking it to the ground she quickly ended its existence before glancing about anxiously. It only took a moment for her to confirm her fears.
While she'd been leading the group behind her away from the road another group had been closing in from somewhere nearby. The addition of twenty or so more walkers had her cursing her luck, but thankfully the majority of them were still far enough away to give her a decent chance of escape.
Shoving her machete back into her belt she took off running using her now free hands to clear the branches that attempted to slow her down aside.
Ignoring the moans she could hear trailing after her she pressed on, calling forth every ounce of strength she had left to force herself to go faster. Jumping over fallen trees and ducking under branches she pushed herself even harder and when she finally allowed herself to look back a few minutes later she was pleased to see that both groups had fallen even farther behind.
Knowing she wasn't safe yet she maintained her hard pace and continued to duck and dodge around obstacles as the darkened area around her slowly gave way to the fading daylight beyond the trees.
The instant her feet hit the asphalt she found a new burst of energy and she took off down the road at a pace that left her feet pounding and her lungs on fire.
Knowing the walkers were following her towards the clearing, their moans were growing louder as each second ticked by, Chelsea ran on certain that the van had to be nearby.
After what felt like hours she finally spotted the familiar vehicle around a bend and she waved her arm above her head as she closed in on it to try and get their attention.
Daryl, who'd been nervously glancing from one window to another the entire time they'd been idling in their chosen spot in the middle of the road, caught sight of the waving body behind him and spun around in his seat to get a better look.
"It's Chelsea!" Aaron cried when he spotted her a moment later. "Get this things star-." Cutting himself off when the engine roared to life he pushed open the side door behind him as Chelsea came racing closer.
Seeing the opening Chelsea dove inside and slammed the door shut behind her while chanting, "Go, go, go!"
Not needing to be told twice Daryl dropped it into gear and pressed the pedal to the floor causing the tires to squeal as the van took off down the road.
Leaning back in the seat Chelsea closed her eyes and took several gasping breaths as she attempted to slow her breathing. It felt like she'd been running for days and she decided right then and there that she was going to start a rigorous training regimen as soon as she got back home.
Aaron looked her over as she sat there with her chest heaving and her eyes tightly shut, searching for any wounds or signs of damage. The first thing he noticed was the blood dripping from a small cut on her forehead, but that was so small as to barely warrant a second glance.
There was also a tear in her shirt over her stomach, but as there didn't seem to be any blood on the fabric he moved past that as well to settle on her leg where there was what appeared to be a bite mark on her calf.
Reaching around his chair he grabbed her right leg and began tearing at the denim covering it, causing the van to swerve to the right as he shoved Daryl to the side in his haste. "No, no, no," he cried, his voice filled with terror as he forced the bloodied article up towards her knee. "Please no."
"The hell's goin' on back there?" Daryl demanded as his eyes jerked back and forth between the road in front of him and the commotion behind. The panic he could here in Aaron's voice had him wanting to pull over, but they hadn't gotten far enough away yet so he forced himself to keep the vehicle on the road.
"What's gotten into you?" Chelsea asked in confusion as she tried to pull her leg free from Aaron's grasp only to have it yanked back twice as hard.
"Dear god, no," and "Please let me be wrong," fell from his lips as he finally managed to shove her pant leg past her knee. Seeing nothing but slightly tanned skin Aaron felt all his strength leave him as he gently ran his fingers over the area.
When silence fell over the backseat Daryl repeated his question with even more force. "Explain, now!"
Chelsea looked down at Aaron who was pressed between the two front seats with his head resting against her leg and she lifted her hand up so she could run her fingers soothingly through his hair. "Hey, it's okay," she said softly. "I'm fine."
Feeling his nod against her skin she looked up and caught Daryl's eye in the review mirror. Not wanting to voice out loud the real reason behind Aaron's behavior she grinned cheekily instead. "Our friend here seems to be a bit sexually frustrated," she joked. "We should probably get him back before he decides that maybe he's not really that gay after all."
Aaron let out something that sounded like a cross between a whimper and a laugh and forced himself up so he could attempt to return to his seat without injuring his ankle anymore than he already had.
Not entirely sure what she meant by her statement Daryl glanced back over his shoulder and caught sight of Chelsea pulling her pant leg back down. It didn't take long for him to put two and two together.
Running his eyes over what little he could see of her he raised an eyebrow in question. When she smiled reassuringly he released the breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding and allowed himself to turn his attention back to his driving.
ooooo
The trip back to Alexandria seemed to take twice as long as the initial journey, despite the fact that they took the exact same route.
After barely more than an hour of driving they stopped on the side of the road so Chelsea could wrap up Aaron's ankle and get him settled across the bench seat in the back, at which point Daryl refused to get back in the car until he'd taken care of her injuries.
Then of course came the argument of who was going to drive. Aaron was out for obvious reasons so Chelsea decided that seeing as Daryl had already driven for awhile it was her turn. He naturally argued that since she was the one who'd done the most fighting she needed to rest so he was going to continue.
When it became apparent that neither was willing to back down Aaron suggested a coin toss, which Chelsea won, but before she could take the wheel Daryl picked her up and tossed her unceremoniously in the back near Aaron. By the time she'd gotten over her shock they were already back on the road.
The rest of the drive was made in relative silence as Aaron had fallen asleep soon after they'd started up again and Chelsea refused to so much as look at Daryl.
When they finally reached the gate Chelsea nudged Aaron awake as the guard on duty allowed them inside so she could do a quick check of his wrappings. Once she was certain that it wasn't going to come undone when he moved to get out of the van she sat back and watched the houses roll by.
In no time at all the van came to a stop outside of Aaron's place of residence and she opened the door and crawled out, reaching back in to offer Aaron a hand as he shifted his way around to join her.
Eric must've heard them pull up because he was at Aaron's side the moment he stepped out of the vehicle, his arm wrapping protectively around his other half. "Just look at you," he said with a forced smile. "I leave you alone for a day and you go and get yourself all beat up. What am I going to do with you?"
Chelsea pretended not to hear Aaron's very explicit reply and prayed she'd be able to burn the image his words brought on out of her mind.
When the two men turned to head back towards their door she called out, "I'll stop in tomorrow and see how you're doing." Returning their waves she leaned back into the van in search of her pack while muttering, "Jackass," under her breath just loud enough for her intended target to hear it.
Daryl had been watching from his seat as Aaron was transferred inside and gave both men a nod before they disappeared out of sight. He'd considered getting out to help until he'd spotted Eric coming down the walkway. No way was he getting between those two.
Instead he waited for them to get inside before turning around to glare at the woman hanging half inside the vehicle. "Get in," he ordered when he heard her muttering. When she raised her head to glare at him he added seriously, "We need ta talk."
"No, I need to go home," Chelsea snapped as she grabbed the strap of her bag and began to pull it towards her.
Throwing his hands up in frustration he growled. "Why the hell ya gotta be so damn stubborn? Ya never listen!"
Shoving her pack over her shoulder Chelsea narrowed her eyes at him, but to his surprise she kept her mouth shut. Without a word she turned on her heel and stormed off leaving him staring after her in shock.
Climbing out of the van Daryl took off after her only to come to a screeching halt when she spun around and poked him in the chest with her finger.
"Listen? Ha!" she spat, jabbing him harder with each word. "You don't want me to listen, you want me to obey! Well sorry mister caveman, this girl ain't rolling over for nobody!"
Staring into her fury filled eyes Daryl opened his mouth to reply before deciding that anything he said in his current mood would probably only make things worse. Coming to a decision he reached out and wrapped his arms around her instead, pulling her tightly against his chest while murmuring, "'m sorry, I ain't tryin' ta make ya feel that way. I just worry 'bout ya."
Huffing out a breath Chelsea stopped fighting against his hold long enough to bite out, "Well newsflash, I'm not some porcelain doll. I can take care of myself. And I sure as hell don't need you deciding what I can and cannot do."
"Yer right," he grudgingly admitted as he allowed his arms to fall to his side and took a couple of steps back. "If I could take it back I would."
Thrown by the unexpected statement Chelsea ran a hand over her face with a sigh. "Look, we both know you'd do it again in a heartbeat so don't pretend otherwise." He shifted guiltily at this and she shook her head before continuing. "But if we're going to continue working together we need to get a couple of things straight. I don't mind you looking out for me, in this day and age it's a good thing to have someone you can trust watching your back, but that doesn't give you the right to make my decisions for me. I am more than capable of deciding what I can and cannot do, and contrary to what you seem to think I am aware of what my body is capable of handling."
When he opened his mouth to cut in she narrowed her eyes. "No, you wait until I'm finished." Pleased at the wide eyed nod she received Chelsea continued. "You can voice your concerns anytime you want and I'll take them under advisement, but if you ever try to pull a stunt like what you did back there again you can be damn sure I'll put you in your place. Is that clear?"
Daryl nodded but refused to look her in the eye and Chelsea couldn't help but feel a bit bad for taking out her frustrations on him like that. He really was only looking out for her and she knew he didn't mean any harm by his actions, but she couldn't allow it to continue. She'd seen the same behavior in Miles when they'd met back up a few months ago and his need to keep her safe, to take care of her, nearly got him killed.
She'd already been through that once, she was not going to let it happen again.
"Hey," she began when he remained silent. "I'm sorry I went off on you like that, but then you did sort of force me into it so I can't take all the blame."
Her voice had taken on a joking tone and Daryl finally lifted his gaze up to meet hers. A part of him wanted to shake her until she came to her senses and accepted his help, but hearing her throw everything back in his face like that he had to admit that he might've taken things just a little too far.
In his defense though when he'd seen her looking like she'd just gotten run over by a bus he hadn't cared about anything other than making sure she was properly cared for. So he'd patched her up and then tried to get her to see reason so she'd sit back and rest.
He should've known better than to argue with her, the moment he did any chance of her taking the backseat willingly flew right out the window. Admittedly, tossing her in the back and rushing to the driver's seat before she knew what was going on was probably not the best of ideas.
Mumbling another, "'m sorry," under his breath he relaxed somewhat when she smiled up at him.
"Let's just forget it and move on." And then to make sure he understood that she wasn't mad at him anymore she added, "Besides, now that you know I'll kick your ass if you ever try anything like that again we're all good." Grinning wider when a smile tugged at his lips Chelsea covered a yawn behind her hand. "And on that note I think it's time for us to part ways. I'll see you later hunter boy, enjoy the rest of your night."
Returning her wave Daryl headed back over to the van so he could return it before heading back home.
As soon as that first yawn passed her lips Chelsea found herself fading fast and by the time she reached the front door of the house she shared with her brother and niece she was practically dead on her feet.
Pushing the door open she dropped her pack on the floor, kicked off her shoes and tossed her jacket into the corner. The light was still on in the living room and she forced herself to take the few extra steps in that direction so she could let her family know she had returned.
To her surprise Miles and Natalie were sprawled out on the couch fast asleep and she smiled at the adorable image the two of them made. Sneaking in the last few feet she grabbed the blanket at their feet and spread it back over their sleeping forms.
Leaning over she whispered, "I'm home," before kissing them both gently on the forehead.
As she turned to leave she heard a mumbled, "Everything okay?" and she paused in her retreat.
"Everything's fine," she replied softly. "Get some sleep; I'll see you both in the morning."
"Night sis."
"Goodnight."
When the snores resumed Chelsea crept quietly out of the room and tiptoed up the stairs where a hot shower and a nice comfy bed awaited her.