We find out how Maggie came to be leader at Hilltop; Michonne gives Morgan a little Caryl themed history lesson and Daryl faces Negan's tests, both expected and not.
Wise as Serpents
"Behold I am sending you as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents." Matthew 10:16
Hilltop
"He's in there for his own protection." Maggie said, standing at the door to the trailer where Gregory was being held.
"What exactly happened, Maggie?" Claire asked. Rick had asked the psychologist to interview both Gregory and Maggie about the events that had led up to the Hilltop leader being deposed.
"He attacked her." Grayson said, angry and defensive.
"Grayson—you have work to do." Maggie said curtly, dismissively.
The young man looked ready to argue.
"I'll be fine, Gray." Maggie said more gently. "You can go."
His warm browns eyes looked troubled but Gray nodded and backed away, frowning at the door of the trailer before heading back down the track to the main square of the Hilltop complex.
"He's very protective of you." Claire observed, tilting her head at Maggie.
"He's a boy with a crush." Maggie said dismissively, but not unkindly. She sighed and watched the young man until he turned a corner and disappeared from their sight and then looked back at the other woman.
"He's not that much younger than you, Maggie." Claire said with a small smile. "And life does go on...you don't have to be alone."
"The only man I will ever love is dead, Claire." Maggie said simply, effectively ending that part of the conversation.
"Sorry to interrupt, Maggie, but have you decided on quarters for the rest of the Alexandria group?" Alex Carson, the other Hilltop doctor said as he walked up to them.
"Put the families in the two trailers at the east end—single people and couples can double up in the big house for now; and give Rick, Carl and Judith my place." Maggie ordered. "I'll bunk with Denise."
"Okay—and don't forget Jesus wants to see you talk about the trip to Kingdom." Carson reminded her.
"Give me..." Maggie looked at Claire speculatively. "...half an hour and tell him to meet me at my place."
"You got it." the doctor nodded and then went back along the same track as Gray had.
When he was out of sight Maggie finally turned to the therapist and rolled up her sleeves, showing her the fading but still livid finger shaped bruises there.
"He tried to rape me—Gregory did—and I stopped him." Maggie said, clear eyed, looking Claire straight in the eye. "I was in the Clinic, getting dressed after an exam and he came into the room. I'd heard rumors about him behaving inappropriately with some of the women here and told him to get out. Then he told me he was going to put me in my place. I had been questioning his decisions about how they'd dealt with Negan."
"How they dealt... wait... how have they dealtwith Negan before?" Claire said, frowning in anger.
"They pay him off—goods and services—at regular intervals." Maggie told her. "Jesus and some of the others had wanted to strike out and look for others to make alliances with against Negan for awhile now, but Gregory always overruled it. Turns out he had a special deal with the Saviors. Gave over any information Jesus and the other scouting parties brought back."
"He betrayed his own people?" Claire said, her anger growing.
"And ours. That's how they knew about Alexandria." Maggie nodded. "To make sure he stayed in power."
"That son of a bitch." Claire said, furious, thinking of Glenn's death and of the women who had been taken, of Daryl and the others risking their lives to go after them. "We need to tell this to Rick and the rest of them."
"Let them get the kids settled, have a meal first. This is going to take a lot of planning and we need to come at it fresh." Maggie said sensibly. "We also need to hear back from Aaron's group; find out what happened with Daryl." she looked at Gregory's prison trailer door and then back to Claire. "You still want to talk to him?" she asked, meaning Gregory.
Claire though about it for a few seconds,
"You didn't kill him..." The therapist asked.
"I wanted to." Maggie admitted. "I thought about it." and then she raised her chin, "It may come to it, but right now he's still useful to us."
Claire frowned.
"Negan doesn't know Gregory isn't running things any more. He thinks he still has Hilltop in his back pocket; that the deal is still in place. He's not going to suspect that we'd go behind his back to work with the other communities. When they come for their allotment we can trot him out to show that everything's just hunky dory." Maggie said smoothly. "Let Negan think we're still under his control."
"You think Gregory will play ball?" Claire asked skeptically.
"If he wants to keep his, yes." Maggie said with a cold hard smile.
Hidden Observation Post: Outside Sanctuary
"So how long have you known Carol and Daryl?" Morgan asked Michonne in a low voice. They were making a light meal of the jerky and apples that were part of the supplies they'd brought from Alexandria. He passed her the canteen and she took a long swallow before answering, her gaze focused somewhere in the distance as she spoke.
"I met them and some of the others at the prison where we lived—Rick, Carl, Judith, Maggie... Glenn..." Michonne sighed, thinking too of all those they'd left behind on the march from Georgia, so many now...Andrea... Beth...
"How long had they been together before that?" Morgan continued.
"They weren't; if you mean in a relationship...I mean they always had a relationship, but ...well, no one quite knew what it was..." Michonne shrugged. She explained that she'd been puzzled by the two of them initially. She'd felt a certain kinship with both, though for different reasons. Like Carol she was alone after losing her child and partner, but unlike her she'd initially turned from the domestic tasks and nurturing that seemed to be Carol's primary occupation at the prison when they'd met.
After Merle's death Daryl had been as bent on revenge as she was, and Michonne had enlisted him in her search for Phillip Blake. They had become friends on their travels, though never really talking about their pasts in any depth. The search was what drew them together; a mutual respect and need for justice bonded them. She knew it wouldn't last though. When the leads dried up she could sense Daryl's longing to return to the prison, to the family that he had become a part of since making the fateful decision to throw his lot in with them after Atlanta.
She knew Rick's decision to banish Carol for what she had done to try and thwart the spread of the illness would hit Daryl hardest. They'd all seen the closeness growing between the two, yet it wasn't until she'd seen Daryl run full tilt through the treacherous woods around Terminus and almost knock her down with the intensity of his embrace that she'd really understood what they meant to one another. Daryl loved all of his make shift family and would lay down his life for them—he'd proved that with the Claimers—but Daryl was in love with Carol. And that was a first for him.
"Man will do just about anything for a love like that... and his child..." Morgan nodded, taking a bite of one of the small apples and chewing thoughtfully before speaking again. "Risk all he has. Risk his life...risk other people's lives..."
"You don't have to be here." Michonne said, her basilisk stare cold as she turned to look at him.
"But I am." Morgan said, finishing the last of the small apple, core and all. "Couldn't save my own wife and son; figure it'll help my karma if I can help Daryl save his."
At that Michonne nodded, her stare thawing a bit.
A noise in the brush near them had them both standing and reaching for their weapons. Aaron appeared, a bit startled when confronted with the katana and bow staff armed warriors. He raised his hands in mock surrender.
"Just don't punch me in the face, okay?" Aaron joked at Michonne, alluding to what Rick had done the first time they'd met.
"You see anything?" Michonne asked, re-sheathing her sword as Morgan leaned on his staff and offered Aaron the canteen.
"They most all seemed to be moving to the arena area from what I could tell." He said and then took the water from Morgan for a long drink.
"No signal from Daryl yet?" Morgan asked.
Aaron lowered the canteen, shaking his head no as he swallowed.
"I just hope he's not the entertainment in any games like he told me that Governor ran down there in Georgia..." Aaron said darkly, sending a silent prayer to a God he didn't quite still believe in that their friends were still alive and finding a way out of the Savior's fortress.
Sanctuary: Savior's Compound
Daryl was glad of the black bandana around his forehead as he felt the sweat dripping down the curve of his spine under his collar from his nape. He blinked, squinted and then carefully sighted the small target at the outer range of his bow's capabilities.
The walker was a fairly recent kill; a still very recognizably human male, dressed in an old graying undershirt with the word "wolf" crudely printed on it. It also wore blood stained pants, the crotch brown with dried gore. It bobbed and weaved, trying to grab at a shorn lamb that was staked to the ground on a twenty foot lead fastened to a collar around its skinny neck. The animal cried pitifully, knowing it was in danger, its baa bleat sounding almost like a human plea for help.
"Take it out, Archer!" Negan shouted, "Protect the herd!"
The whine of release and sharp thunk of the bolt finding its mark seemed almost simultaneous. The walker's head snapped back and it fell, crumpling to the ground, falling on top of the rope holding the lamb, making the animal panic, wild-eyed, pulling back so hard on the collar it was choking itself.
Daryl quickly reloaded and the second bolt severed the rope, freeing the small white creature, which stumbled back from the walker's body and then stood panting with its head down.
That he had hit the first target, a moving walker's head, from that distance with such accuracy had been excellent shooting. The second shot, slicing through the less than an inch thick rope without harming the lamb had been miraculous. Even Negan sat with his mouth open.
"Are we done here?" Daryl asked, his voice calm, but letting his exhaustion show in how slowly he moved, lowering his bow and looking up at the leader of the Saviors. He tried not to frown again at the fact that the seat next to Negan had remained empty throughout his long skill demonstration, wondering why Carol had not appeared to witness it.
Negan stood and summoned him forward. When Daryl stood directly in front of him, the leader dismissed the crowd but asked the archer to join him, Dr. Carson and his guards. Daryl had to hand over his bow, which he tried to do with equanimity, but it rankled to be unarmed amongst these people.
Following after his host, Daryl was taken through a maze of corridors deep into the center of the complex. When he reached an ornate door he was ushered inside and felt like he'd fallen into some whacked out version of a James Bond film bachelor pad. A huge round bed covered in red velvet dominated the room. Expensive looking leather furniture was grouped in conversation areas around the suite, a giant screen TV was hung on one wall and there was an honest to god damned mirrored ceiling.
Negan dismissed the guards, telling them to wait outside and then went to the chrome and glass bar and poured himself a drink after carefully laying Lucille on the bar. He motioned to Daryl to sit on one of the leather sofas and Carson sat in a chair opposite. The two men exchanged a look, Daryl's curious, but all the doctor could do was to try and give him a reassuring small smile.
"What can I get for you, Archer?" Negan asked affably.
"I'm fine." Daryl said, wanting to keep his wits about him.
"Man won't drink with me, makes me feel like I been in for the rimming but not the fucking." Negan said a bit peevishly and then looked at Daryl with a half-assed knowing grin, "You know what that's like, don't you?"
Daryl's left eye ticked and his breathing rate kicked up. His eyes briefly went back to Carson's in accusation of the betrayal of his confidence, but then he looked up to Negan with a cold stare.
"No. I always got fucked." Daryl monotoned back.
"That why you learned to shoot so well?" Negan asked, taking a long swallow of his Scotch. "To take your revenge?" He came around the bar carrying the bottle and three glasses. Setting them down and filling them he motioned to Carson and Daryl to each take one.
"Did you kill him?" Negan asked, his gaze looking almost titillated at the thought. "The fucker who fucked you?"
"What do you want from me?" Daryl asked, refusing to respond to his baiting nor take the drink.
"You know who made the best harem guards for the Sheiks, Archer? Eunuchs—no balls, no interest in the women they guarded, but fierce warriors." he raised his glass to Daryl in salute. "From what Carson tells me your dick's on the blink because of your unfortunate past, but you shoot like a demon, so I think I got me an excellent new guard for my wives."
Daryl's eyes went wide and he frowned at the other two men, unsure he'd heard correctly.
"My wives are the primest pussy in the place. I need someone I can trust to watch over them, protect them and not to try and fuck them." Negan explained. "You've seen Dwight? That's what I'm forced to do when someone fucks one of my wives. I hate doing it, but we have to have rules, order! Am I right?"
"I just got here—you don't know anything about me—and you trust me with—" Daryl shook his head, unwilling to believe it could be so easy to get so close to Carol and the other women.
"Are you screwed up about fucking?" Negan asked, squinting meaningfully.
Daryl closed his eyes and dropped his head, thinking of the panic attack he'd had the last time he and Carol had tried to make love and then slowly nodded and muttered a soft honest "Yeah."
"Carol saw something in you and Carson here says you're a good man. That's two of the people here whose opinions I value most. You passed the weapons tests with flying colors—that makes you my man for the job—what do you say?" Negan held out the glass again.
This time after staring at it for a few seconds Daryl took it and drank deep, needing the burn to keep his utter relief from showing. He was in, not just to the compound, but to the inner circle, right where he needed to be; right next to Carol.
There was a knock at the door and Negan bade the guards to let whoever it was, obviously expected, enter. The ripe blonde woman who had brought him his clothes earlier and another, young and pretty in a hard way, with dark hair and a tattoo of a snake twining around her wrist came into the room. They wore short robes and at Negan's gesture discarded them, standing before the three men nude.
Their bodies were well made, the brunette tanned all over and curvier, her breasts firm but heavy, the serpent winding up around all the way to her bicep. The blonde was thin, ribs visible, and her too round breasts owed more to silicon than nature, but they gave her an hour glass figure that her "husband" obviously appreciated.
Negan came and stood between the two of them, putting one meaty hand on Sherry's ass, hauling her closer and the other palmed Kayla's right breast, rolling the nipple until it peaked and she gasped.
"One final test, Archer." Negan said affably, "This here is Sherry and Kayla, two of my beloved wives—we're going to be having a conjugal visit here while you watch. Dr. Carson's going to let me know if your cock takes notice of our little party or not."
"It's like live porn," Sherry giggled, putting her index finger between her teeth and biting it as she tilted her head at Daryl seductively, thrusting her chest out.
"It is live porn." Kayla said, rolling her eyes. The look she gave Daryl was more world weary and he found himself sickened, feeling sorry for her, for both of the women, required to perform sexual acts for such a reason.
"Is his cock really broken?" Sherry asked, pouting at Daryl and then looking up at Negan.
"That's what we're going to see." Negan nodded, caressing her ass.
"Then we need to see it, don't we?" Sherry asked, sounding innocent but there was an underlying tone of nastiness to the question. She hadn't liked being ordered out of the room and away from Archer by Carol earlier in the day.
Negan frowned thoughtfully and then motioned Daryl to stand.
Daryl narrowed his eyes at the woman, his jaw set. She had no idea of the humiliation and abuse he'd suffered at the hands of the Wolves. Even her best blow job wouldn't get a rise out of him. The trust and love he had with Carol was the only thing that gave him any sort of sexual response at all and only to her. Breathing heavily, feeling lightheaded, he none the less stood and reached for his belt buckle with trembling hands, swaying slightly.
"Archer... stop..." Dr. Carson said, quickly standing and then turned to Negan. "This isn't necessary—he hasn't responded to the women's bodies—that's fear, not desire on his face. He's having a panic attack, sir."
The dark haired woman, Kayla, made a sympathetic noise and looked up at Negan with tears in her eyes, but Sherry snorted in disbelief.
Negan smacked Sherry on the butt and told both women to go get in bed, releasing his hold on them. He stalked over to Daryl, suddenly grabbing his chin and forcing his head up so he could look in his eyes. With his other hand he cupped Daryl's crotch, slowly taking hold of his cock and Daryl shuddered and fought his every impulse to fight back, biting the inside of his lip so hard he tasted blood, furious tears filling his eyes.
Just as suddenly Negan leaned close and gently said something totally unexpected to Daryl, "You poor bastard." and released him.
Then he motioned at both Carson and Daryl.
"I want you watching Carol and the baby twenty-four seven. Anything happens to them; you get to meet Lucille more formally. Got it?"
Both men nodded.
"Get out. I need to fuck my wives now." Negan said curtly and started quickly undressing, walking back to his big round bed.
Carson ushered Daryl out of the room, closing the door behind them. When they turned the corner, out of sight of the guards, he stopped and looked back at Daryl who was leaning against the wall, working at getting his breathing under control.
"You okay?" he asked kindly, knowing being touched like that had to have been horrible for the man.
"Gotta be." Daryl said, taking a deep cleansing breath and wiping at the wetness in his eyes angrily.
"I'd say I'm sorry, but..." he shrugged, "He is what he is..."
"Why do you stay?" Daryl asked, sensing a possible ally in the doctor.
"I've got nowhere else to go." Carson admitted. "I had a brother, Alex... he was visiting friends in D.C. when it all went down—I came here from New York looking for him. Never found him. Negan found me, saved my life."
"Yeah, I had a brother too." Daryl said, but didn't elaborate when Carson thought he'd say more.
"We need to get you to Carol." Carson reminded him, "Boss's orders."
Daryl nodded and let the doctor lead the way. As soon as Carson turned away to start forward, the side of Daryl's mouth turned up with just a hint of a relieved smile.
The two doctor Carsons, one at Hilltop and one at Sanctuary, is straight from the comics, (though I changed the first name of Harlan to Alex.) Lecherous rapey Gregory is pretty much the same too.
Hopefully Daryl can use his new job to his best advantage without giving himself and Carol away.
Thanks for reading! Thank you for the kind reviews, I really appreciate hearing from people!
DD1