Rendezvous

Daryl and Carol slept in the back seat while Morgan drove. He chatted with Elijah who was sitting turned around in his seat watching for someone following them. They had pulled off several times and hidden the vehicle to see if anyone was following them. The last thing they wanted to do was to give away their rendezvous point to the General's army.

Morgan knew that they were getting close to the rendezvous point because it wasn't that long ago that they had traveled here after Terminus had fallen. That seemed a million years ago. He was with Michonne now and they were expecting a child or as Carol insisted children in a few months. Just thinking of Michonne made him long to take the road to the mountain.

Morgan turned off the highway on to an access road that would take them to the out of the way hotel/resort that they had stayed in last fall. Daryl and Carol were beginning to wake up in the back seat and he waved to Abe who what standing guard with two mountain men and two men who must be from Allanvale.

The hotel was a quarter of a mile from the watch position and he saw that they were using radios to communicate. The hotel's golf course looked like just another overgrown meadow by now. The swimming pool was a luscious shade of green instead of blue but it still looked surprisingly inviting in the afternoon sun. The azaelas were blooming and the roadside were covered with wild flowers. There were big army trucks parked on the lot and all sorts of other vehicles. Morgan turned to Carol and Daryl who were still trying to wake up fully. "Time to make a grand entrance".

Carol shook her head at him, "Time to find out if we did any damage or not and how much damage they did to us". They all got out and stretched. The weather was warm and sunny. The leaves were fluttering in the gentle breeze and there were flowers everywhere they looked. There were children playing on the hotel veranda and their voices were high pitched and happy. The lobby had a few people milling around but most people had gravitated to the bar. Most the chairs were filled and Carol could see that at least a few people were celebrating with alcohol. Rick, Jesse, Emily and Gabriel were sitting at a table talking quietly and Gabriel stood up as Carol came to the table. He held the chair out for her to sit beside of him. Daryl took the chair beside of Carol after nodding at Rick. Morgan and Elijah sat down too. "How did everything go?" Carol asked.

"Better than I expected. We got the supplies, buried the soldiers, and got out of Dodge. We lost two men today. We have some wounded but they could travel here with us," Rick answered, "How did your mission go?"

"We got it done and out of there, we heard the explosions from the other side. Sounded like you hit them hard." Morgan commented. He knew that later they would tell the stories in detail and probably embellish the facts just a little.

"John and Greg kept the walkers interested enough to limp along after them for all those miles. They managed to pick up a few more along the way too. We got the containers placed in there and those boys aimed that truck at the barricade and set it to go. They ran like the damn wind to shelter and there were enough deer hunters in our crowd to keep the soldiers from firing at them. The truck hits the barricade and it goes off and that attracted the walkers to them. Tara filmed it all so you can see it if you want to watch. You can hear and see all of us running for the trucks to get out as fast as we could." Jesse was pleased with the way things went and he was staying positive. He was talking to the others later about Bob who was drunk as a skunk.

Emily and Carol exchanged a look that gave the signal that they needed to talk. Both women left to go to the restroom which worked because the resort had their own water supply. The water would flush the commodes anyway. They used the restroom and walked outside to the veranda of the hotel. Carol wanted to walk further because she had been in the car for a while, "So what is up?" Carol asked as they strolled along the front of the hotel.

"Bob got drunk before we got here. Must have had booze hidden in his medical supplies. He's a mean drunk by the way and when Sasha tried to get him to give her the bottle he got angry and smacked her. Gabriel grabbed him before he could do anymore damage, but Sasha confessed that he has been drinking lately. I think that romance is definitely over and I am glad. She deserves better than him." Emily had been there for the whole scene and she saw a different Bob than the smiling man who she had thought she knew.

Carol winced, "I am sorry to hear that but Bob is the only one that can keep him sober. Anything else happen?"

"We need to get dinner organized. Some of the Allanvale people are going with us tomorrow and some are going to settle around here. Gabriel will take the rest with him. Most of the mountain men went on home. They divided up the supplies so that they could take some with them and got in the truck and headed to the mountains."

"We'll go home tomorrow morning but we need to get organized first. I want to talk to the ones that are staying here. Let's go cook dinner and we can talk as we work". Carol knew that the Allanvale people were tough enough to survive the ZA and had the months after but losing their home was another shock. They were probably hungry and confused and at least she could help with the hungry part.

There was a stove in the supply truck that worked on propane and they soon had the burners blazing. The women of Allanvale stepped up to help cook mountains of food and dinner was served in the early evening to everyone. Carol and Emily had talked with the women as they cooked together. They talked about their home in the mountains and the women talked about their farms along the river. Carol listened to them talk and she understood their anguish but the vision of that ditch lingered in her mind. It was a dangerous world and they were all safer together than apart.

The men washed the dishes after dinner while the ladies sat in the bar area and talked. There may have been some wine involved in the conversation. The men joined them after their work was done. Somehow just working together to create a meal and cleaning it up had made them closer. The children sat close to the adults and listened to their stories. Carol watched the children and wished that they would come to the mountains.

Sasha sat at the back of the bar with Tara and Eugene. Carol had noticed that the three had eaten dinner together too. Bob had passed out and Jesse was rooming with him tonight. Carol noticed that Gabriel's eye's kept straying back there. Gabriel had been in charge of emergency services in the county before the turn. He and his sister and his sister's son had lived in a house in Allanvale when this all happened and they had moved to a farm afterward.

Daryl had found them an empty room and moved his run bag in after dinner. Emily had loaded Carol a few articles of clothing and given her a toothbrush. Carol had left her bag when they ran from the motel. She had her weapons and nothing else. She smiled at Daryl, "Are you ready to go to our rooms?

He stood up and held out his hand. Carol told everyone good night and that she could use some help with breakfast in the morning. Emily had a room beside them with John and Greg on the other side. Emily left with them; she was missing her family. Jesse was still talking to some men from Allanvale as they left.

TWDTWDTWD

Daryl had opened the window of their room and had taken the bedding off and let the place air out a bit so it didn't smell too musty when they got to the room. There was a container of fresh water so Carol could wash her face and brush her teeth. The water in the commode was a suspicious color but it flushed and she was glad. Daryl had snagged a couple of blankets somewhere and Carol smiled and thought to herself. Daryl Dixon has become the inside cat.

He was spreading the blankets on their bed as she came back. He had lit a candle and the room was almost cozy. Daryl went into the bathroom while she changed into an old t shirt of Daryl. She was tired of sleeping in her clothes. The room was cool and she closed and locked the window. Carol sat down in the chair and waited for Daryl. It was time to talk about what had happened while they were apart.

Daryl came back in and took off his boots and socks. "You have that look. You want to talk, don't you?" He sighed elaborately to tease her.

"Are you angry with me? Be honest now." Carol had explained yesterday but that conversation had been mixed in with some many emotions that she wasn't sure if Daryl had understood or he just didn't want her to know how he felt.

Daryl frowned, "I ain't angry with you." He took the other chair. "I wouldn't be angry at you if you had sex with him. I am angry that in this shitty world there just seems to be too many Governors and Generals. I am pissed because what you were going to do was the best thing to do for you and Rick." He looked at her steadily and she saw that he really had accepted it. He went on, "What was last night all about? Like you had to have sex even when it wasn't all that damn romantic in that falling down shed."

"I don't know what it was. I think it just hit me that I could have been somewhere being used by that man. I had been saved from that but I was afraid that you would not understand. Being with you, feeling pleasure and feeling … sexy. That is all wrapped up in how I feel about you. I know I might never conceive another child but I always think it is possible after we are together. I was terrified the whole time that I might get pregnant and I wouldn't know who the father was. He never touched me, but I just had some strange need to be with you to blot out the thought of what could have happened." Carol wasn't sure she could explain the compulsion to have sex last night. It was just a need instead of a desire.

Daryl nodded, "I'm not complaining you know about your constant need for sex". He looked serious but there was a glint in his blue eyes.

Carol smiled at him, "Pookie, you are really hot in that uniform. I couldn't help myself". She was rewarded by a slight blush from Daryl but he looked at her so seriously that she leaned forward to listen to whatever he needed to say.

"Sometimes when you are teasing me about something and being so damn playful. I am so fucking happy. I think that we were probably always afraid to trust anyone else to not hurt us. You trust me enough so that you can tease me and call me "Pookie" and all kinds of shit like that. I love that. You are just a cute little kitten and I get this silly grin on my face when you are flirt with me. Nothing that could have happened would change how I feel about you. I don't know how to unlove you". Daryl wasn't sure that they were talking about the same thing but he wanted to tell her that he loved her.

"Please don't ever unlove me," Carol said. She got up from the chair and got in bed. It didn't smell like their bed at home but it was way better than the barn. Daryl took off his clothes and slid in beside her.

"Will we ever get to a time and place where we can just take care of each other and our children?" Daryl asked.

Carol was silent for a bit. She answered honestly, "Probably not, but maybe we can make our children's life better."

Daryl ran his fingers up her arm and back down again, "So you think you could get pregnant every time we have sex. Grandma Lydia told me that you were going to have a baby. So I would hate for that old lady to be wrong in one of her last predictions. So I'll overlook how tired I am and how much stress I am under and put out for you one more time if you want to have some sexy times".

Carol snorted which always made Daryl laugh because it sounded like a kitten sneezing to him. "You had a long nap this afternoon and sex is a great stress reliever. So yeah, put out one more time if you can possibly rise to the occasion".

Daryl laughed, "How can I resist you when you make it a challenge?" He rolled closer to her and kissed her neck. Carol shut her mind off from what she had done this day and what tomorrow might bring. She just wanted all of her to concentrate on being here right now. She stroked his back as he bit gently on her shoulder and felt her body react to his touch. It was time to play now.

TWDTWDTWD

Gabriel walked back to Sasha's table and asked if she wanted to get some fresh air. Tara and Eugene jumped up to go and Sasha just sort of went along with them. Tara and Eugene sat down on two rockers that were on the veranda and Sasha and Gabriel had walked on out.

"Well, you didn't save me today." Tara wasn't jubilant and she said it quietly. The wager was over.

"The day isn't over yet. A walker might lurch along in a bit and I would put him down with my handy knife and you would be forced to honor our contract and have sexual congress with me". Eugene liked to tease her too.

Tara's voice was hesitant, "You were cool out there today though. You might have saved all of us by being so careful when you put the final chemicals in. You did look heroic."

Eugene stared out into moonlit landscape. "I don't feel like a hero. I managed to make a bomb that killed men doing what they thought was their duty. I would do it again but I take no pleasure in it."

Tara remembered the battle at the prison when she had followed Brian into combat against the people living there. She had not been heroic that day. She had panicked. Alisha had fought that day and been killed in a battle that ended with destruction for both sides. "You did what you had to do. Those men want to kill or enslave everyone they meet."

Eugene nodded, "Albert Einstein said that "Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind". I would edit that in this way, "Racism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind. Humanity should be beyond racism."

Tara had been as frightened today as she had at the prison battle. She had filmed it and watched it over and over again. The walkers following the boys and the careful way Jesse and Eugene had moved the containers to the truck and the way Eugene had ignored everything around him to finish creating the bomb. The way he had stood on that truck and put the last chemicals in gently. The boys running for their lives while in the background the truck keeps moving toward the barricade. Then the explosion and the confusion of everybody running for the trucks.

Tara was lonely. Rosita had dumped her for Tyreese declaring that he was her true love. There wasn't anyone who wanted to hold her and make her feel better tonight but Eugene. She had looked at the new arrivals and she didn't have a lot of prospects there. She wanted comfort and Eugene wanted sex. The solution was of course to just spend the night with Eugene but she didn't want him to think that she was changing her basic sexuality. She didn't want him to think that they had any future. She didn't want to hurt him. She just didn't want to be alone tonight.

Eugene looked at her suspiciously. She had been nice to him all day and that wasn't her usual style. He was feeling depressed over the events of the day; he had used science to kill people. That wasn't his usual style either. He wanted to be home. He wasn't cut out to be a fighter.

"Eugene, I believe that you did save me today with your bomb. I have to honor my wager. You do realize that this is a one-time shot. You tell anybody and I will cut your heart out. I am still going to be gay tomorrow." Tara had made her move.

Eugene grabbed her hand, "Okay, let's go before you change your mind." He had a room on the second floor all to himself. He didn't want to give her time to change her mind.

Tara said, "We are going to my room so I can throw you out when this is over". She held his hand as they climbed the stairs to her room which turned out to be just across the hall from her room. He went into his room and brushed his teeth. Eugene hoped that she didn't back out of the deal. That would be too cruel.

He knocked on the door and she opened it wearing a tshirt and panties. Eugene gulped, "You look beautiful". Tara groaned and not in a good way.

Tara would have backed out but he looked so hopeful. She led him to the bed. It would like kicking a puppy. She had stripped off all the old bedding and put her own blanket on the bed.

"Take off your clothes, Eugene". She had had a couple of boyfriends in high school and they were always so awkward at getting their clothes off. And everything else as she remembered it.

Eugene took off his shirt and he was way too hairy and more muscled than she would have expected. He hung his shirt up on a hanger and took off his shoes and socks. He took off his pants and placed them over the chair. Nothing on display because he had his boxers on.

Tara was starting to enjoy this in a perverse way. "Take it all off, Eugene". She was in charge of this and she was going to show this guy how to please a woman. So when he found some straight woman who liked him enough to let him in her panties he would know what to do.

Eugene nodded and pulled off his boxers. Tara was not an expert but it did appear as if Eugene was well endowed. That didn't mean much to her but the future Mrs. Eugene would not be cheated in that area anyway.

Tara decided to take her clothes off and was rewarded /dismayed by Eugene's reaction. She sat down on the bed and he sat beside her and kissed her. She gave him a five minute discussion about how she wanted to be kissed and he tried again. Eugene wanted to keep the candles lit and she let him have his way. Lots of instruction happened and Eugene was an attentive student. They managed to forge some sort of bridge between what she liked and he wanted.

Afterward they both collapsed back on the bed. "You don't have to tell me that you are gay for the 100th time, but that was wonderful for me". Eugene smiled at her. "You aren't going to throw me out now, are you?"

Tara frowned at him, "I was scared shitless today and I didn't want to be alone tonight. So no I probably will let you hang around a while". It hadn't been great but she had had worse. "You still have a lot to learn".

Eugene smirked, "That sounds almost promising. Let me hold you while you critique my performance. That should repress my sex drive for a while and maybe forever. I have a blanket in my room, Can I get it and put over us while we sleep?"

Tara nodded. He got up and put on his boxers and went out in the hall. He was back momentarily with a blanket. He peeled off his boxers and spread the blanket over Tara and slid into bed beside her. He went to sleep and Tara shook her head. It was a one shot deal but she hadn't hated it. She went to sleep hoping that tomorrow morning wouldn't be awkward.

TWDTWDTWD

Gabriel and Sasha walked just a little way and then were surprised to find Tara and Eugene already gone. They talked about their lives. She had worked as a fireman before the ZA and she and Tyreese had hidden in a bunker for seven months. Then they had joined a group that had dwindled to just a few people. Eventually she had been at the prison and they had built a viable community there. It had all been lost because a madman called the Governor had brought it down with a few fighters and a tank. Then they had wandered to Terminus which had been a death trap and then finally to the mountains.

Gabriel had listened. He was a good listener and he asked good questions. He called her "Sojourner" because she had traveled so much. He gave no advice though. Sasha had survived by her strength and her wits. She probably knew a lot more than he did about killing the groaners, and she would have to decide for herself if she was going to stay with Bob. He wanted her and so he couldn't really judge what she was going to do about Bob.

They were still sitting on the veranda talking when Jesse came out looking annoyed, "Have you seen Bob? I went upstairs and I can't find him." Gabriel went with her to look for Bob. They had lots of help searching for him but they didn't find him that night. Finally, they went to bed figuring they would find him curled up with some bottle the next morning.

TWDTWDTWD

Bob had woken up still somewhat drunk. He had hidden a bottle on a truck and he went out to the truck and found the bottle labeled, "saline solution". He decided to take a walk to the golf course and drink out where no one would find him. There was a set of stairs that went down to the clubhouse. Bob missed the first step and fell head first onto the bricks below. He had a brief moment of pain and then he felt nothing but peace. He never knew that a small portion of his brain revived and staggered around for hours that evening until he wandered down to the two guys on watch that night who put down the walker and threw his body into the ditch.

The next morning Jesse identified Bob's body and they buried him on the golf course. Sasha had wept for him, but she had already made her mind up that she was through playing rescuer before she found out he was dead. She grieved for the funny and charming man who she had liked but never loved.

They left after the burial. In the end the entire Allanvale group joined the pilgrimage to the mountains.

AN

This was a long chapter but I wanted to get a lot in. Some Caryl, some Eugene-Tara as buddies, and the start of Sabriel.