A/N: Hello everybody. Sorry for the delay in updating but I lost my motivation to write for a little bit but after some rest and less stress I was able to finally complete the next chapter.
I want to give a little warning Jessie will be in this chapter but she won't appear until the end. So I hope you enjoy this update.
Michonne and her group followed Daryl the short distance to a two story Colonial style home with gray and white exterior and a wraparound porch. As they enter the home, they saw that the inside was as impressive as the outside. The home had mahogany wood floors all throughout the open floor plan concept. The walls were a light blue color with white crown moulding throughout the home. The house was sparsely furnished, but the pieces of furniture that were in the home gave it a warm and inviting feel. The living room was to the left, and it had a small light grey colored sectional couch and a window seat near the front bay window. Several large bookshelves were heavy with books. To the right was a roomy and spacious kitchen with white traditional style cabinets and dark granite countertops. In the center was a large island countertop with seating for three. In the corner of the kitchen, there was another bay style window and window seat with a modest dining room table nearby.
"Fancy," Noah whistled as he, Sierra and Colton enter the house fully first.
All three teenagers were in awe of the extravaganza of the home. They each set out to a different part of the house to see what else it had. Michonne, Ila, Luna and Carl were the last to enter the home.
"Well at least no one will be complaining about the lack of space," Ila said sarcastically. Ila was impressed with the size and design of the home. It reminded her of one of the many dream homes she had always wanted.
"Yeah, some rich folks planned out this community before everything went to shit. They got solar panels and everything. So ya even got hot water." Daryl mumbled as he leaned against the door frame of the entrance with his arms crossed.
"So everyone's house looks like this," Ila asked as she walked further into the home heading towards the kitchen.
"Yeah for the most part," Daryl watched Ila as she ran her fingers along the marble countertop of the island.
Daryl was pulled from his awkward gawking by Michonne "How many people live here?" she smirked as she noticed how he was staring at her sister.
Daryl cleared his throat and averted his eyes to the nearest wall "Don't know but Deanna can tell you tomorrow."
"Who is Deanna?" Ila had returned to stand in the main entryway with her sisters unaware of the awkward situation that occurred a moment ago.
"She's the lady who runs this shit hole place, but I think she wants Rick to take over," said Daryl.
Luna gasps "Look there is a piano!" She walks towards the piano that was against a far wall inside in the living area. She lightly runs her fingers over the top of piano and smiles at the thought of being able to play again. She eagerly pulls the bench seat out and starts to play a few notes.
"Luna, hey come on this is not the time for that" uttered Michonne.
Luna pouts and rises from the bench and trudged back to stand with her sisters. "We need come up with an exit plan in case they try to pin us in here, "said Michonne
"My dad is not going to do that. He knows how much y'all mean to me." Carl objected his forehead creasing at the thought that Michonne still did not trust his father.
Ila sighs "Carl we are doing this for you, but we still have to be ready for anything."
"You should listen to the kid" Daryl stated as he straightens up from leaning on the door frame and stepped into the home. "We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Rick. Yeah, he screwed up, but that was a call he made. Look, when Rick sees his mistakes, he will be standing there with a shovel."
"Standing there with a shovel..? What does that even mean" scoffed Ila
"It means when he fucks up he tries to fix his mistake" Daryl stated as he set his eyes on Ila. He suddenly turned and walked out the front door closing it behind him without saying anything else.
Michonne began rubbing the sides of her temples to help alleviate some of the stress that was building. She was exhausted, and all she wanted to do was lay down and rest.
"Alright in the morning we will get the truck. Let's just find our rooms and get some rest," Michonne declared. She was ready for this conversation to end. No more discussing Rick and how sorry he was or talking about giving this strange place a chance.
Noah raced back into the living room followed close by Sierra and Colton
"There are three bedrooms upstairs with two bathrooms and just the one master bedroom downstairs," Noah beamed although slightly out of breath he was excited that he soon would be laying his head down on an actual mattress for once.
"Well I know where I'm going," Ila began moving in the direction of the master bedroom.
Michonne placed her hand out to stop Ila "Uhm no you can stay upstairs with the kids. The master is mine."
Ila's entire face scrunched up as she realized that Michonne was claiming the master bedroom for herself "Oh hell, no. Let me have the master," she pleaded.
"Nope, Plus with you being upstairs with the kids. You won't be able to sneak anyone in the house," Michonne smirked as Ila sneered at her.
"Who in the hell am I going to sneak in here? There is no one here I want," she threw her hands up frustrated.
Luna rolled her eyes "Yeah right. We've seen how you were looking at… Carl, what is the name of the guy Ila hogtied?" she inquired
"Shane..?" Carl stated
Luna snapped her finger "Shane, yeah that's it!" Luna's eyes flashed playfully at her sister.
"I'm not interested in him that was just flirting,"
"Well, what about our tour guide… you were staring at him for sure," Luna continued her teasing of Ila because she knew her sister would never admit to liking someone openly.
"I am not going to stand here and discuss who I have and have not been checking out. Just for your info I was not looking at the tour guide," Ila headed toward the stairs to get away from the continued teasing
"His name is Daryl by the way," Carl chortled. It was rare for Carl to see Ila being the primary target for a good harassing, so he was going to take full advantage while he could.
"I didn't ask Carl," Ila sneered at him as she began to ascend the stairs.
Carl smirked his blue eyes twinkling mischievously "Just trying to help you out. Don't want you to get them confused."
With that everyone began to laugh. Ila knew the badgering was all in fun and at her expense but still didn't change the fact that she did not like it.
Ila opens her mouth the give Carl the tongue lashing of his life, but there was a knock at the door before it opened. It was Daryl. Ila inwardly groaned as the man who she was just being teased about walked back in.
"Hey I just wanted to let you know me and my brother will be on guard duty till Deanna give the ok,"
"So we are prisoners," scoffed Luna. Ila descend back down the few steps she previously walked she wanted to get a clear understanding as to why she and her group were confined now to this house.
"Nah, anything you need or if you wanna go somewhere. .. we will take you,"
"That sounds like prisoners to me," Michonne stated matter of factly as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Definitely… prisoners " stated Luna. She began walking back towards the piano in the living room with Sierra and Colton following close behind. She was eager to play something, anything to help her relax.
"Look I'm not happy about the situation either. You think I wanna be a damn babysitter," he scoffed, switching his stance from one leg to the other. "I got better shit I could be doing." Daryl adjusted his crossbow strap that he now had slung over his chest.
"Well, excuse the hell out of us for keeping you from your better shit you could be doing. Mr. Mighty king of doing shit," Ila voiced. She was becoming agitated at Daryl because he wasn't giving a clear answer as to why they couldn't leave the house without escorts.
"You ain't got be an ass about it," Daryl mumbled. He didn't like the situation just as much as they didn't, but Rick wanted him to keep an eye on them and make sure they didn't try to sneak off with Carl. Daryl adjusted his crossbow again feeling kind of flustered at how he was acting around the group.
"Says the man who just complained about babysitting," Ila said as she glanced at Daryl standing there looking as if he wanted to bolt out the door at any second. They made eye contact for a brief moment, but Daryl quickly averted his eyes towards the ground.
"Look if you need to go somewhere one of us will walk with you," His voice lowered as he turned to leave.
Carl came to stand next to Daryl as he was heading out the door. "Hey, I'm going to head back to my dad's place, but I will be here in the morning to show y'all around," he announced
"We are still doing our morning routine," Michonne reminded Carl.
Everyone collectively groans at the thought of getting up early in the morning.
Ila closed her eyes and loudly sighed in frustration, "Can we have one day of rest from the morning routine."
"No,… so be here 6 am sharp," Michonne snapped looking at Carl, she began to head in the direction of the Master bedroom.
"How the hell are we going to tell the damn time," Ila called out. She was not looking forward to the idea of getting up early in the morning. She wanted to sleep in especially with the promise of being able to lay in bed. Ila wanted to spend as much time as she could letting the bed just suck the life out of her.
Michonne was at the door to her room. "I brought my watch," she turned the knob and headed into the room closing the door firmly behind her.
Ila shook her head at the knowledge that only her wacky sister would attempt to keep track of the time during the end of the world "You would," Ila jeered.
"Come on Carl I'll walk you home," Daryl pats Carl on his shoulder to lead him out the door.
Carl hugs everyone goodbye. He hugs Sierra last which leads to Ila and Luna snickering at him. Carl turns a bright shade of red from being embarrassed in front of Sierra. Sierra tugs on his sleeve and smiles as he turns to leave.
"Goodnight Carl!" Luna and Ila stated loudly. Carl ignores them as he turns to walk out the house hurriedly.
Daryl shook his head and chuckled at how beet red the young man turned. Daryl could only imagine the amount of teasing he was privy to with these women.
"The welcome crew should be by in the morning with some things y'all can use or need,"Daryl stated.
"We have our things in our vehicle that's hidden not too far from here,"
I'll let Rick know, and we can take yall to get your stuff," Daryl nodded to everyone and walked out the door with Carl following close behind.
The next morning Rick was up early. He heard Carl return home last night much to his relief. Daryl gave Rick the update on how the ladies did not like the idea of having to have an escort. Daryl also voiced his frustration with being a babysitter for 3 grown ass women.
The escort was normal protocol for newcomers, but Rick asked Daryl to do it because he knew the man would suspect something faster than others would and throw in his brother Merle, and there was no way they would be able to leave without them knowing.
Rick was leaning against his kitchen counter top nursing his first cup of coffee and his untouched breakfast of toast and some egg sitting on the table. He wasn't able to sleep much last night due to the troubled thoughts that continued to creep in and leave him searching the darkness of his room for answers as he laid in his bed.
Rick was still deep in thought about the situation with Michonne and hes sisters when he heard Carl's bedroom door open and quickly close. Carl came scurrying into the kitchen with his t-shirt around his neck. Rick was able to see the drastic change in his son's physique. He was no longer the cute pudgy face twelve-year-old child he remembered. Carl was now taller and more muscular all over he even had the beginnings of a six pack popping up. Carl grabbed a quick piece of toast off of Ricks plate.
"Hi, dad... Bye dad," He mumbled between bites of toast.
He turned to head to the front door. Slipping his arm in his t-shirt as he went.
Rick sat his cup down on the clean countertop and followed as Carl was about to head out "Hey ... Hey where are you going this early in the morning?" he asked slightly concerned but also curious.
"I'm late for morning practice with Michonne," he stated as he finished adjusting his t-shirt into place and stepping into his tennis shoes that were right by the front door.
"Morning practice?" Rick repeated.
"Yeah, you should come try it. You would like it plus it will help you get to know them better," Carl affirmed as he finished putting his shoes on.
"Bye, dad. I will be back once we are done" Carl said as he ran out the house.
Carl jogged the short distance to the house Michonne, and her sisters were staying at. He did not want to deal with the consequences if he was late.
The morning routine consisted of Tai Chi and yoga, and Michonne was very serious about making sure that everyone did it every morning, no matter what. Tai Chi was always first, and Carl preferred it that way. Tai Chi was a very gentle and slow paced exercise that helped reduce stress and relax the mind. Carl found this extremely helpful when his mind was in turmoil. He just couldn't understand doing yoga. All of those poses in the beginning sometimes made him feel uncomfortable, but he has gotten better as time has passed but he still had his moments. As he approached the house, he saw Daryl sitting on the porch smoking a cigarette. He nodded at Daryl who returned the head gesture. Once at the front door Carl didn't bother knocking he just walked right in.
"Well look at who is on time this morning," Luna sang as she was coming down the stairs. She proceeded to tousle Carls hair as she walked past him heading towards the kitchen
"I don't feel like doing push ups today," irritated now that his hair was out of place Carl walked into the kitchen glaring at Luna who was now sitting on one of the stools that lined the island counter. Carl notices Noah sitting at the dining room table reading a small paperback book. They greet each other with a slight upward head nod.
"Neither do I that's why I'm up even before Michonne,"
"Are they all still in the bed?" Carl
"No I heard Michonne moving around, but I think Ila is up. I don't know about Sierra and Colton,"
"Well, you better tell them to hurry up. You know how she gets when she wants to get started,"
"Yeah, I will be right back," she rises from the chair and makes her way to the stairs to go wake everyone else up. The last thing she wants to do this morning is to get on Michonnes evil side or do pushups.
Michonne emerges from her bedroom still dressed in last night's clothes but without her shoes. Her dreadlocks were hanging loosely around her head.
"Morning," she yawned as she slowly mad her way into the kitchen
"Good morning. How did you sleep?"
Michonne moaned in disgust at the question. "Not very well. It takes time getting used to a new place," she spent most of the night tossing and turning unable to relax or quiet her mind, which was running through scenario after scenario if they had to escape from this place. When she was finally able to sleep, she dreamed of Rick for some reason. In the dream, he was reaching his hand towards her waiting for her to take hold but she kept pulling back at the last moment.
Michonne walked towards the stove where she found a small pot of oatmeal still warm. She turned and faced Noah who was still engrossed in the paperback he was reading.
"Did you cook ?"
Noah raised his head and glanced around before realizing Michonne was speaking to him "Yeah there was some oatmeal and a few apples, so I cut em up and put em in the oatmeal," Michonne nodded her approval.
"Thank you for that,"
"No problem," Noah smiled at the small kudos. He once again returned his attention to the book he was reading.
Michonne went to the cabinet to look for a bowl when Luna strolled into the kitchen with everyone else following close behind. Ila plopped down into the chair at the island and placed her head on the cool marble countertop.
"I don't know about you, but I didn't sleep at all last night. I got maybe 2 hours max. Can we please skip this? Just this one time. I am running on fumes here," Ila complained.
"No it will help wake you up, but I will let Noah have a pass this morning."
Noah perked up at this news and looked at Michonne slightly confused although happy.
"Noah I need you to get an early start and go get our bags. I can only go so long without a bath," Michonne said as she grabbed one of her locks and rubbed it between her fingers.
Noah chuckled because he knew all too well the slight OCD tendencies each sister had. He closed his book and stood "Alright. I will go now."
"You better ask the warden first if it's ok for you to go," Ila scoffed as she was now sitting up in her chair massaging the back of her neck.
Michonne ignored Ila as she addressed everyone else "The rest of y'all head to the back yard I will be there in a sec."
Luna glanced toward the pot that was still on the stove "What about breakfast?"
"Later…," she stated over her shoulder as she headed to the front door with Noah.
Ila stood from her chair and walked around the center island to push her way through the idle bodies that were just standing around "Get out my way. I am not doing anything on an empty stomach."
Ila removes four spoons out of a nearby drawer and gives everyone one. "You better hurry before she gets back in here," Ila said as she scooped a spoonful of the still-warm oatmeal. Everyone soon followed her lead.
Back on the porch, Michonne was speaking to Daryl letting him know what they wanted to do. Daryl agreed to go with Noah to retrieve the truck and bring it back.
Michonne entered the house ready to get the morning started. As she passed the kitchen, she saw the now empty pot with four spoons inside sitting on the stove. She just shook her head and continued to the back yard. I guess breakfast will have to wait then for me she thought
Michonne didn't mind because she was looking forward to this. Tai Chi always brought a sense of calm to her, and she tried her best to remain consistent with her morning routine.
As she made her way to the backyard, her mood lighten. Michonne stepped through the back door onto the porch where she was greeted by the sight of a modestly sized yard that had the typical white picket fence surrounding the back of the home. Along the fence line was the remains of what used to be flowers that were now brown and wilted due to neglect. As she continued looking she couldn't help but see the potential the back yard offered. There was plenty of space to start a modest garden and water catching system. She wondered why something so beneficial wasn't already in place in this community. She made a mental note to ask the leader Deanna about this. Her eyes continued to survey the back yard and came to rest on the so-called wall that surrounded the community. It was such a stark contrast to the homes it surrounded. Although the structure was sound looking in some places, it was still very vulnerable in many others.
Michonne made her way further into the back yard stepping off the porch her bare feet sinking into the surprisingly soft grass. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath appreciating the feel of the soft, cool grass between her toes and the slightly cool crisp morning air. She saw that everyone was lined up facing the wall and waiting for her to begin. She made her way to the front of the group
"Alright, let's get started."
Halfway through the second round of simplified Tai Chi Michonne suddenly felt as if she was being watched. Determined to shake the feeling she took a deep breath and slowly released it as she moved into "single whip" movement. The feeling continued, and Michonne opened her eyes to find out where this feeling was coming from as her eyes searched the yard she suddenly stopped her movement as she spotted Rick standing on the side of the house watching her. Her brown eyes met his blue ones that were staring intently at her. Slightly taken aback she averted her eyes from his and lowered her head for a moment to shake the effect of his intense scrutiny. When she raised her head to look in the direction where she saw him, he was gone.
After Rick finished his breakfast and checked to see who was on guard duty, he found himself in front of the home Michonne and her sisters were staying. Merle was currently on watch in front of the home since Daryl was out with the young man named Noah retrieving their car.
Merle let Rick know that everyone was in the back "doing some damn Chinese bullshit." Rick just rolled his eyes at Merles continued refusal to let go of his prejudicial ways. Rick was hoping that being in Alexandria would be the push Merle needed, but he was still a restless beast who sometimes snuck out of the ASZ at night and wouldn't return till the following day. The people of Alexandria have all become accustomed to Merle's inappropriate outbursts, but nerves and patience were wearing thin. Deanna recently mentioned to Rick that if Merle continued they would be forced to ask him to leave. Rick knew that if Merle were made to leave then Daryl would leave with him and that was something Rick couldn't let happen.
Rick didn't mean to spy on them, but curiosity got the better of him, and he felt it would be an excellent opportunity to see how they were doing in their new surroundings. As he rounded the corner of the home, he stopped short at the scene in front of him. Rick immediately recognized the slow, flowing movements as he had seen many people in the park where he would jog before the turn doing the same thing. Rick immediately looked for his son amongst the group. Once he found him in the middle of the group he could see Carl completely focused on what he was doing. Rick smiled at the fact his son was doing something that Rick himself would be quite uncomfortable with. Rick continued to glance over the group in front of him and as he was going to turn and leave he spotted Michonne. She was upfront in the middle of everyone and leading the flow of the movements. Rick couldn't help but stare at how different Michonne looked. She looked happy, relaxed and in her element. He continued to observe as she went from one movement to the next. He found himself staring at the way her muscles flexed and moved; her entire body glided and moved as if she was a cat slim, strong and deadly. He couldn't help that his eyes began to travel the length of her body from her firm chest down to the curve of her hips. She moves like water he thought. As if she heard his thoughts Michonne turned and looked in his direction. They held each other gaze till Michonne looked away. Rick immediately turned and headed back towards the front of the house. His face was now slightly red from the embarrassment of being caught. He headed back to his home ignoring Merle as he went.
Once the morning routine was completed everyone headed back into the house to wind down for a bit.
"Is Noah back yet?" inquired Ila as she began stretching her arms above her head.
Michonne brows creased as she was also wondering the same thing "He should be I know we didn't stash the truck too far away."
As if on cue there was a loud pounding at the door. Luna answered it and opened the door wider to let Noah in as his arms were loaded down with three big duffle bags. "Thanks for the help Luna, "Noah panted as he glared at her.
"Anytime," she smirked and made her way back into the living area. Noah dropped the bags at the door in a huff and began rubbing his arms to get the blood circulating back in his semi-dead limbs. Ila walked to where Noah deposited the bags and started searching for the one that contained her personal belongings.
"What took so long?" stated Ila.
Noah frowned at once again being ignored for what he has done. "Well let's see I had to walk all the way from the front gate with your bags that are heavy as hell so sorry if I took too long," he said sarcastically.
"Noah," Michonne soothed. Noah turned his head to face her as she walked towards him. "Thank you… ok... Thank you for what you have done this morning," she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and gave him a small squeeze. Noah nodded his head in acceptance of the acknowledgment.
"Yeah, thanks, Noah. You know we appreciate what you are doing and have done kiddo. So don't ever forget that "Ila praised as she saw the slight hurt look on his face. Noah has been with the group for some time now. He joined Michonne and her sisters after they found him in a dilapidated old hospital with ten other people. Michonne and her sisters brought Noah and his group to Ezekiel who welcomed each of them with open arms. Over time Noah has sought to prove his worth time and time again for the community, always being the first to volunteer to be a runner for needed supplies. Lately, he has expressed his desire to go out more with Michonne and her sisters and to learn more survival skills.
"Well the rest of the bags and things are still in the truck, and I am not bringing all of that stuff back by myself, "Noah announced catching the attention of Sierra and Colton who are currently hovering over Luna at the piano.
"Sierra, Colton go help him with the rest of the stuff. You to Carl there is a bag in there full of you stuff," Michonne directed. Sierra and Colton hurriedly headed towards the front door. "My stuff? Why do you have a bag of my stuff with you," Carl inquired slightly confused as to why they would have a bag of his things with them. Michonne shook her head at his naivety.
Luna scoffed as she began to play a few notes " Remember we were going to kidnap you. That big thing that happened just yesterday us sneaking in here. Ila hogtying her future husband," chuckled Luna.
Carl began to laugh as well " Oh yeah that," Carl hopped off the couch and headed towards the front door while avoiding the glare that Ila was now giving him.
"You can all kiss my ass," Ila fumed
"No. No, I think that will be Shanes job from now on," Luna snorted as she bent over the piano laughing to her heart's content.
Carl snickered "or maybe Daryl," as he quickly made his escape out the front door before Ila ripped him to shreds.
"Once again like I said you could all kiss my ass," Ila pointed and glared at everyone even Michonne who raised her hands to show she had no part in the teasing. "So keep laughing… enjoy it while it last. I am going to go take a nice hot shower and get out of these clothes." With that Ila grabbed her duffel bag and stomped up the stairs to her room slamming her door to punctuate her irritation even further. Michonne looked at Luna and smiled before she too began laughing unable to hold it in any longer.
Jessie Anderson was the resident newcomer greeter. It was her job to bring over a welcome basket and find out if there was anything new residences needed. She lived in Alexandria with her husband Pete and two sons Ron and Sam. The blond haired green eyed modest beauty was unhappily married to the only doctor in the community. Her husband was an abusive alcoholic who took his frustrations out on her. She tolerated her husband's abuse for the sake of her children. This was her secret that she has tried to keep hidden while in Alexandria but as time passes it was becoming harder and harder to fake her happiness. But today was different for Jessie today she was smiling and feeling great. Something wonderful was happening to her she was falling in love with a man who she prayed every night would come and take her and her children away from her current life. This man made her feel alive and sexy again. He was making her feel things that she long thought were dormant from her sexless marriage. He was so intense when they were together that she was always left breathless and spellbound.
So it was no surprised that when she approached the gray and white colonial home, she almost skipped up the stairs. Jessie approached the door and was raising her hand to knock when she heard someone speaking to her.
"Hey can I help you?" stated the young man who was now approaching Jessie. He looked to be about 19 years old and about 5'11 to 5'12 in height. Jessie was caught slightly off guard by the young man. What caught Jessie off guard the most was his vivid blues eyes which seemed to shine brighter due to his dark shoulder length hair. The young man had a very handsomely chiseled face. She blinked a few times as she knew she was staring at this young man too long.
"Excuse me,"
"Can I help you?" he stated again this time a look of agitation was beginning to form across his face.
"Hey, Colton man she's cool. She is the welcome party Daryl talked about last night, "Carl called from the wicker chair he was sitting in across from Noah. Carl and Noah were currently playing chess on a small wooden table, and Carl was determined to beat Noah this time.
Jessie took this awkward opportunity to speak to Carl "Hi, Carl. How have you been?" she leaned to the side trying to look around Colton to make eye contact with Carl.
"Fine, "Carl stated plainly as his attention remained on the tense game in front of him. Colton at this time made his way back to the chair he was sitting in so he could also continue watching the match.
Jessie continued to stand at the door for a moment before clearing her throat and once again raising her hand to knock on the door. After a few brief seconds, the door open and Jessie came face to face with what she could only describe at that moment was an ebony beauty. She had an oval shaped face, full lips and prominent full nose that lead to brown colored almond shaped eyes. This beauty was standing at the door in a pair of tight grey jeans and a white tank top. Her feet were currently bare, and her hair is wrapped in a blue cotton towel.
"Hi, I'm Jessie I brought you your welcome basket, "she greeted slightly embarrassed for once again staring too long at someone.
"Oh, ok. Come in, "Michonne said as she opened the door wider to allow Jessie in. Jessie entered the home and immediately smelled the scent of vanilla and cinnamon. "Oh that smells wonderful," she commented as she headed towards the island in the kitchen to set down the basket.
"Thank you, "Michonne followed Jessie into the kitchen and watched her placed the huge cardboard box down on the counter.
"You will find some food and necessary hygienic products in here but if there is something else you are needing don't hesitate to ask. I just live in the corner house up the road. So you can always stop by, and I will be happy to help," she beamed. Michonne was now standing near the stove with her arms across her chest watching Jessie intently.
Jessie cleared her throat again nervously as Michonne continued to keep an eye on her as she looked around the kitchen. "So is it just you and your sisters who are going to be staying here," Jessie queried as she took the opportunity to look towards the living area where Luna and Sierra could be seen sitting on the couch.
"Uhm hmm," Michonne answered as she narrowed her eyes at the woman in front of her who she could only describe as the nosey neighborhood snitch.
Michonne and Jessie attention was moved towards the staircase as Ila was now coming down the stairs in a pair of black tights with a black "I Literally Cannot " crop top with her hair also wrapped in a blue cotton towel.
"Chonne, I'm going to need your help edging up the side of my hair… Oh, ok … Hi," Ila stopped right before she made it to the bottom step as she was caught slightly off guard by Jessie currently being in the home.
" Hi, I'm Jessie. I was dropping off your welcome basket," Jessie gave a friendly enough wave to Ila who just nodded.
"Oh ok, that's cool, " said Ila. Ila looked at Michonne who just shrugged her shoulders as she was also confused on why Jessie was still there and trying to make small talk.
"I heard what you were saying about needing the sides of your hair edged up. I was a licensed beautician before everything happened at SupaCuts. So I would be happy to cut your hair for you."
Ila was getting ready to respond when she snapped her mouth shut. Michonne saw that her sister was struggling with remaining civil with Jessie, so she took this moment to step in. "That's is sweet of you to offer Jessie maybe you can do something with Carls' hair. He is long overdue for a haircut," Michonne said drawing Jessie attention away from Ila.
"Oh really, I guess I could ask Rick if he will be ok with Carl getting a haircut," Jessie stated. And with that statement, Michonnes smile slipped as she dropped her arms to her side and she balled up her fists.
"Hey, ladies! Are you decent in here!" bellowed Shane as he opened the front door not bothering to knock. As Shane entered the home further, he spotted Ila standing at the bottom of the staircase. "Well hello there beautiful," he crooned in his thick southern drawl as he removed the baseball cap he was wearing. Ila couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. Shane began walking towards her when he stopped short after spotting Jessie off to his right.
"Oh, Hey there Jessie. I didn't see you there," he nervously chuckled and began running his hand through his short black curls.
"Yeah I was just dropping off their welcome basket, but now I think I'm going to leave," Jessie quickly made her way out the front door and down the porch.
Shane sighed "I will be right back, don't you go nowhere," he winked at Ila as he too went out the front door.
"What the hell was that all about," Michonne wondered out loud. She was glad the woman was gone. It was evident that she was blind to basic social cues or she just chose to ignore them altogether. Michonne was still agitated at Jessie saying she would ask Rick first about cutting Carls' hairs but she had to remember that the people of this community didn't know or understand her relationship with him.
"Supacuts and her boyfriend," Ila snickered
"I think her name was Jessie."
"Nope, her name is Supacuts from here on out," Ila laughed once again as she turned to head back upstairs.
A/N: Once again thank you for reading. The next chapter the women will have their meeting with Deanna and there will be a small time jump also.
Please follow/favorite even leave comments. We live for comments good and bad.
Also, shoutout to Yellehughes and TheBaeTide for listening to my constant doubts and frustrations with writing.