Location, Location, Location
Carol talked to Lydia as together they made cornbread. The other three were looking around the house as if they expected goblins to come out of the walls and eat them. Carol let them be for a bit. "So there are no other McAllisters left?" Carol was just asking because she was a little curious, that was all it was. Curiosity left a trail of dead cat behind it.
Lydia smiled at her and patter her shoulder, "Nancy's husband passed a long time ago. Then her son was killed in some war zone. Her other children drifted away. There were grandchildren and they visited all the time, but only one stayed. Your cousin Emily McAllister married a boy she met here and they live just around the mountain on their own farm. Maybe there is another straggler on their way. I hope so".
Carol struggled to speak around the knot in her throat, "My father was killed in combat. I never knew him."
Lydia said, 'I'll show you a family album after we eat. I don't need any more proof. You found this place out of all the dead space in this world. You are getting the sight too. That is from the Coulter side. It gets stronger as we get older. I knew you were coming some time and I think another one will drag in. My husband and I had no children of our own but Nancy's were here all the time and the grandchildren too."
"How do you survive here all by yourself?" Carol wanted to change the subject but her mind flew to meeting Morgan and how she had trusted him so quickly. Not like her at all. And an another memory, I can handle Tyreese. Tyreese was filled with rage and could have killed her with one blow. How had she known that Tyreese would understand?
Lydia smiled, "I have friends who cut enough wood for me and who take care of things around the house. They are coming to dinner tonight. Your cousin Emily and her husband Brian McKenzie. They have two children Arya and John. Brian's sister live with them and her name is Temperance but we call her Tempy. You'll like her".
Carol's head was whirling, but her first thought was to tell Daryl. She crossed to the couches by the fire, "Lydia has company coming. It's impolite to kill dinner guests."
Daryl growled, "You are dropping your guard. Trusting everything that old woman is telling you. That ain't like you."
Carol smiled, "You need to trust me. Load your bow if you want. Go out and watch the fence, but don't shoot. One man, two women, and two children are coming to dinner".
Morgan and Daryl went outside and Michonne went into the kitchen to talk with Lydia. She reminded Michonne of her grandmother. There was an apple cake off to the side that smelled good. The whole place smelled good to Michonne. This house wasn't a Terminus. Terminus meant end of something; she had a notion that the journey here was just beginning.
Morgan and Daryl had just gotten to the fence when they heard a car engine coming toward them. They opened the fence automatically and the big Suburban parked behind their vehicle. The big man that got out of the car held his arms up to show that he didn't have a weapon.
Lydia came to the door, "Now you two close that gates and come in to dinner. Everything is ready." She used the tone that worked when she had been teaching first graders and Morgan grinned, "Yes, Miss Lydia". He put down his weapon and followed the others inside. Daryl stood for a second and followed Morgan inside. Daryl just couldn't quite trust this place yet.
Carol had seen the family come in. Emily was the one that looked like her and Carol dried her hands and tried to calm down. Lydia was still at the door to make sure everyone came in out of the cold and Carol watched to see that Daryl had come in.
Emily looked past the dark woman and saw a silver haired woman and headed for her immediately. "Grandma?" she asked. Emily's rational brain told her that her grandmother had died in her eighties and this woman was in her forties, but her longing heart wanted it to be grandma.
Carol said, "No, I am Carol and I think I might be your cousin." Emily stopped and then smiled and Michonne knew that smile. Emily moved closer to Carol and hugged her and Carol hugged back. This woman might not be her cousin but Carol wanted to believe that she was. Her mother had told her that her father's family hadn't wanted them. Carol had grown up believing that but Carol knew that her mother was no stranger to lies.
The house was full and Lydia had Brian to go upstairs to the attic and get the two leaves that made the dining room table big enough for all of them to eat at one time. John went with him and brought down some more chairs. Arya went to the big buffet in the dining area and began setting the table for ten. She looked like Emily though her hair was dark like Brian's.
They all sat down and the table. Lydia and Brian at opposite ends. Carol and her companion sat on one side and Emily's family sat on the other. Lydia said the blessing and they all dug in. Lydia looked around her table and smiled. They were her family and these new ones that just came along were too.
They finished the big pot of rabbit stew and cornbread and then the apple cake. The men went outside to check things out and the women did the dishes and talked. Then Lydia sat between Carol and Emily on the couch and they went through the photo album. Tempy sat with them. She was a quiet one, but she seemed interested in the old family photos. Carol didn't truly believe until she saw the photo of a young man standing in front of an army truck. He was smiling and so very young. Carol had carried that photograph with her from the time she was a teenager until she had lost it the night that the farm fell. Her tears fell on the album and mixed with those of Lydia.
Arya sat on the other couch and talked with Michonne. She was fascinated by her sword and kept asking questions about it. Michonne looked at her. She was tall and thin but Arya moved with grace and strength. Michonne volunteered to show her how she used the katana tomorrow. She was rewarded by that smile that was so much like Carol's.
The McKenzie family went home before it got very late. Morgan and Daryl opened the games to let them out and closed them back. Daryl had liked Brian. He had told the a good deal about life on the mountain. There were more people here that he had first thought. Their farms were off the main road and they kept to themselves most of the time, but Brian had told them that they were good neighbors.
That night Daryl and Carol slept on a four poster bed under a patchwork quilt. They talked about the day. Daryl still wanted to check out the other sites and Carol agreed to go with the next morning. She knew that Daryl didn't trust easily and that was a good attitude in this world. It was cold in the room but between the quilts and Daryl she was warm and comfy. She went to sleep cuddled close to Daryl and woke up to find him already up and gone.
Carol went downstairs to find Lydia fixing breakfast for Morgan and Michonne. Daryl had gone hunting early. Michonne laughed, "I don't think I ever saw you be the last one up." Lydia brought her a cup of something hot to drink and brought her eggs, bacon, butter, blackberry jam, and biscuits.
Morgan said, "If Carol doesn't want to be your kin, can I be? Ma'am, you really know how to cook."
Lydia laughed, "I already think of you as my family and I have a bunch of chores for you this morning." Morgan smiled and said, "Yes, ma'am."
They finished eating and Carol and Michonne did the dishes while Lydia gave Morgan instructions on the chores. Carol commented, "Daryl wants to check out the other farms". Michonne nodded; she knew Daryl was still wary.
Lydia came back in the house, "That is a very nice man you have there, Michonne. He loves you and he takes instruction well. Good qualities in a man." She smiled at Carol. "I fed Daryl his breakfast and talked to him this morning. He doesn't talk much and I think he needed to get out in the woods and fields and let the land talk to him. He won't feel comfortable here until he does. Just let him ease in gradually. Daryl told me that you all were going to check out other farms. He doesn't trust his own judgment. That is why he takes so long to close the deal."
Michonne wanted to take a walk. She had spent most of yesterday sitting in a vehicle. Lydia handed her the keys to Mountain Top Farm. "You might want to spend some more time looking at the other farm". Michonne nodded. She had decided that Lydia did have the "sight".
Carol and Michonne walked to the other farm. They both wanted to stretch their legs and see the mountain. The road wound back around behind the mountain toward the McKenzie place and the two woman walked the other way. The weather was cool but the brisk walk warmed them up. It wasn't long until they were back at the log houses.
"What do you think? Do you see us living here?" Carol asked Michonne. She knew Michonne had been a lawyer in Atlanta before all this happened. Maybe she wouldn't want to live up here in the mountains."
Michonne teased her, "You're the one with the sight. I think the whole farming business is a long way from our lives before the turn, but none of us can go back. The idea of growing your own food sounds good to me. There is enough room for a farm and Lydia said that there are two empty farms beyond this one. That would make a mega farm and we would have enough room for generations. Now pick out your house."
Carol looked over the four houses, "Daryl says there is another house in a barn that hasn't been assembled. I like the one with two bedrooms down stairs and two upstairs. I want Alia close by and I think Daryl and I are getting custody of Eugene. What about you and Morgan?"
Michonne considered. "I think we'll live with you. We'll just take the part that is in the barn and build an addition on. Maybe Eugene will fall in love and leave you someday. My grandmother would say that every pot has a lid, so maybe Eugene can find a brilliant eccentric woman who thinks a mullet is sexy".
Carol said, "Let's go look at our new house. I think the addition idea is wonderful." They prowled around the house and planned where they would start the new part. There were almost disappointed when Morgan and Daryl showed up with their vehicle to go look at the other farms. All of the farms were all fairly close together but the other two were down on the river and the main highway. There was still farming machinery in one of them and that is something they could use. They found walkers in the house and barns. It just didn't feel as safe as Mountain Top Farm did. Carol didn't say much. She wanted the others to make up their own minds.
They went back to their farm to look once again. Carol wasn't surprised to find John and Arya waiting for them there. John had carried a picnic lunch over here from his house. He wanted to shoot the crossbow and Arya wanted instruction with the katana.
They ate on the deck of the completed house. The teenagers were interested in the world away from their mountain and their group that was coming with them. They rarely left the mountain and their mother home schooled them. After lunch Michonne showed Arya a few basic moves with the kata and Daryl let John try his crossbow.
Carol and Morgan went through the house that they had picked out. Carol explained that they wanted to add an addition to the main house so that there were more rooms on the main floor. Morgan took a flashlight and went to the basement. He reported that it was dry down there and there would be plenty of room to store food in it. There was a side door that could be used to bring supplies in and out. "Do you want a place of your own, just you and Michonne?" Carol asked feeling guilty that she and Michonne had been planning their lives without asking Daryl and Morgan what they wanted."
"I lived alone a long time. So did Michonne. I think we both want to be part of a family. There won't be more than seven or eight people in that house. Practically empty," Morgan looked out at the mountains from the great room. "I don't know anything about farming but Brian and Emily do. I don't want to be scavenging cans of food for the rest of our lives. Michonne and I may have children and I want them to grow up around loving adults and find ways to earn their living. We have found our new home. Let's go see if Michonne has created a warrior goddess in Arya and if Daryl has gotten his crossbow back from John".
Carol watched Michonne with Arya. They were quite a team already and she saw that Arya was a natural with the long sword. Carol had been but practicing with the short sword that she and Michonne had found on the way here, and she could use it effectively but not like Arya. Michonne sat down beside Carol, "That girl picked the katana up and she threw it around like a boss, told me that she likes to swing a pitchfork around like it's a sword. She's skinny but she has some muscle. She is gonna be good with that. We have to find her a katana somewhere."
John had fared less well with the crossbow, but he had liked it. He teased Daryl that he would show him how to use the long bow. Daryl had razzed back, "Bring it on, sonny." John just laughed down at him and Daryl thought that Brian was a lucky man to have a son like John.
Daryl had a sudden sharp pang. He wanted a son. He wanted someone to teach hunting and how to use a cross bow. He wouldn't look at Carol. She saw through him too easily and he never wanted to hurt her in anyway. He had waited way too long to make her his wife; the chance for a child of their own was fading away. There was Alia though and Daryl realized that there might someday be a boy who needed a family.
Michonne saw a group of men heading toward them and automatically grabbed her katana. Daryl took up his cross bow and Morgan and Carol grabbed their rifles. John said, "Whoa, there. That is just the MMB, the McAllister Mountain Brigade. Dad is bringing them to meet you. Don't go all cray cray and wipe out the local populace."
They lowered their weapons when they saw Brian walking with some rough looking men. They were all carrying weapons but that was a practical reality in this world. Carol counted 19 men not counting Brian. Brian introduced them to the men as possible neighbors.
"How many fighters are you bringing with you?" one of the men asked. Morgan recognized a hopeful tone in the man's voice. He wasn't worried that they would take over; he just wanted more fighters to defend the mountain. "Every one of our people is a fighter but the three children. We have 17 adults and three children in all."
The men visited for a while, a couple so friendly to Carol that Daryl stayed beside her. He saw that he needed them to know that she wasn't available. There were volunteers to help finish the houses before spring. They would be busy after that with their farms. The question everyone asked was, "When are you moving in?" They didn't stay long; they had work on their farms and families to protect.
Arya and John went with Brian. The others went into the finished house and build a fire in the wood stove. There was dry wood on the back porch and they soon had the house warming up. Time for decisions to be made. Daryl started, "I think this is the place for us".
Morgan said, "We need to send part of our people up here now to work on the houses. The outside part is finished on all the houses. This house is the biggest. Five bedrooms in all."
"We need to add the outside wood furnaces. They provide hot water and lots of heat. It gets cold here and we need to keep the houses warm." Michonne was thinking about the babies that would be born. She had been thinking a lot about babies lately.
"We need to catch more rainwater from the roofs. We move it to the outside wood furnaces and we'll have plenty of water for cleaning, flushing the commodes, and showers. We save the spring water for drinking and cooking." Carol wanted to move in today, but there was work to be done before they could move the children in, "Rachel and Sarah have useful skills. So they should be here to make sure it is done right. Abraham, Eugene, and who else?"
"Glenn and Maggie and maybe Rick and Carl. We can move to one house and that will make it easier to guard. We'll do regular runs up here with things that we will need and little by little we'll move everyone in. The biggest problem right now is firewood. We have enough for our houses down in the foothills, but not enough to heat all these houses for the winter". Daryl was thinking out loud.
"When do we go back and let the others come up?" Morgan wouldn't mind staying longer, but he knew they should start working on the houses as soon as possible.
Carol said, "We need to start building the lists of things that we will need so that we can send some of that with them when they come. Then we will just start getting everything else". She saw Daryl brighten up and knew that their house would make Martha Stewart proud. There would be 1000 count pima sheets and a set of family silverware for special occasions. She suspected that he had watched HGTV back in the day. Well, so had she; she wanted to have some nice things to hand down to Alia someday.
Eventually they walked back to Lydia's house and talked with her over the meal of venison and vegetables. Daryl had killed a deer this morning and he hoped there would be enough meat to help supplement Lydia's food supply.
Carol talked with Lydia that night after the others had gone to bed. Lydia offered her house to anyone that wanted to stay. Carol told her that Sarah had a little boy that she probably would not leave behind. Carol suggested that Sarah and Rachel stay with her and the men would stay in the big log house.
Lydia wanted them to come now, all of them. "Listen to me, girl. You go back there and get your stuff together and get all of you on this mountain. You are weaker split up like that and I see danger all around you down there. You make your lists and fill those trucks and start moving up here. There is a big snow coming and you don't want to be off the mountain when it wood furnaces can be moved up here. I'll see that the kitchen and bathrooms will be done by the time you get up here. Brian and his merry men will see to that."
Carol smiled, "Lydia, can I call you grandma? I never had a grandmother. My mother's mother was killed in a car wreck before I was born."
Lydia smiled, "I would like that. Your Alia needs a grandma too. I'll have a talk with Daryl in the morning. He'll listen to me and I think you'll have to pry Morgan's fingers off the door post to get him to leave. I think I'll have him call me grandma too. Emily and Brian have a garage apartment that they don't use."
The next morning they left. Carol made them stop at a town before they got back to the house to pick up Alia's and Michael's Christmas present. She didn't want them forgotten in the tumult when they began moving.
AN