New Acquaintances

The caravan left the mountain the next morning with John driving the lead truck with Carl riding shotgun. John had scrounged up the gasoline and Jesse realized that this outing was a bit of a treat for the teenagers. He did put Aryl and Bree in his vehicle. Teenage boys got distracted enough without putting teenage girls in the mix. John was less distracted than Carl and Aaron because his crush wasn't allowed to go. Jamela Oak was a cousin of Gabriel and Christie and her parents were still not happy with their only daughter being courted by a white boy.

Jesse agreed with Jamela's parents. Jamela was a tall, willowy beauty with dark soulful eyes and John would probably drive right into a tree if she was riding with him. This way he just had to keep an eye on Arya and Bree. Jesse remembered too well his teenage years to trust any teenage boy. Emily expected him to keep an eye on the youngsters and he intended to do just that.

Jesse's suv was next in line. He had Temperance, James and Cara, and in the last seat Arya and Bree in their assigned seats. He had checked to make sure that they had brought their weapons knew the game plan. He didn't give the girls a pass because they were young. Safety was everybody's business.

Morgan's family was in the third vehicle. Morgan drove and Eugene rode beside him with Michonne in the back between Josh and Amelia.

Aaron drove the last vehicle with Daryl on guard. Carol sat in the back with the children. They were looking forward to the trip. They had gathered a bouquet of flowers to give the sisters when they got there and Carol was feeling a little apprehensive. She was meeting the sisters for the first time and she suspected that they thought she was a bad wife and a worse mother. Carol wanted them to leave their home and move to the mountain but she was leaving the persuading to her adorable children.

John waved to Jamela who was working with her parents on splitting firewood. She waved enthusiastically and her parents gave a tepid wave. Jesse was glad to see that John managed to keep the truck in the road through all the waving. The parents would come around eventually.

John soon settled down to a slow and cautious pace. Carl had the window down and he was scanning his surroundings. They kept a little distance between them and the other vehicles.

Tempy was driving so that Jesse could keep watch. He had been back several times since they had brought everyone home to check on the sisters but hadn't convinced them to leave. He had a house ready for them. It had strong fences, a good well with a solar pump, and lots of room for their gardens and animals. They had left early so that they could have the day to pack up. Jesse had left a trailer there the last time he visited. He was past being subtle.

Eugene had his weapons ready and paid attention to his surroundings. The old Eugene who had expected everyone to take care of him was long gone. Daryl and Morgan had taught him how to fight, but Carol and Michonne had made him a warrior by loving him. They had made him part of their family and he had more than fighting skills now: he had a reason to fight. Morgan, Daryl, and Aaron were his brothers, Carol and Michonne his sisters, and the children were his children. He loved them with a fierceness that still surprised him. He had no reservations about killing anyone or anything that would hurt them. Alia had opened the door to his heart with her constant questions about the world around him, Matthias had slid in next with his Carol blue eyes and his quick grin. He had loved Josh and Amelia before they born from listening to Michonne talk about them. He had been as excited about Carol being pregnant as Daryl. He just wanted the pregnancy over and the baby here safe and sound. Christmas was going to be wonderful this year and he looked for presents on every run. This year's solar Christmas lights were going to be spectacular. Eugene had accepted that he might never meet his soul mate but he wasn't going to live his life unloved. He had a family to love and who loved him. It was enough.

They had left the main highway and were traveling on the narrow road that would lead them to the sister's home. Daryl knew that it was less than five miles from here to the retreat. Daryl looked back at Carol and smirked, "I still know how to get in the vehicle that you are riding in." He was feeling damn good this morning. Carol had made her wants known last night and had been receptive for an early morning romp. He gave her a full tongue wiggle just like Merle used to do to women that he liked.

Carol shook her head at him after a look to make sure that Alia and Matthias weren't watching. "And I still am glad when you do." She licked her lips and Daryl found himself staring at her lips and thinking about this morning when they had been together.

He shook his head at her now. "Better start watching the road". Carol wasn't sure if he was reminding her or himself but he winked at her before he turned around. She turned to check on Matthias who was asking for a drink of water when she felt the first twinges of a sight. Not really a vision but more like a feeling that there was something out there that was dangerous.

"Daryl, use the walkie and call Jesse. Tell him to be careful." Her voice was pitched low but Daryl caught the sudden change of mood in her. She was all business now. His wanton lover was now calm, cool, and collected. She gave Matthias a drink of water and a kiss but then she checked her rifle and her knife.

Daryl checked his crossbow, his rifle, and his knife and then he used the walkie-talkie to warn the others to be on guard, "The wife has the willies, so be checking the fine print out there." Daryl checked on Aaron's rifle and then looked back at Carol.

"Just a feeling and that wasn't until we turned up this road. It might just be because it is dark and desolate through here." Carol wasn't sure what it was but she wanted to get out of this dark hollow. Their road was traveling by a creek and there was just the road, the small stream, and the encroaching trees around them. She felt hemmed in and couldn't escape the thought that this was a good place for an ambush.

Jesse had alerted Arya and Bree to get ready for anything. John had gotten the message and he had increased his speed and Tempy was keeping up with John. The road left the creek up ahead and climbed the mountain to the hilltop retreat. They would be in there in a couple of minutes and his spider sense were telling him that they needed to move faster. "Go a little faster, Tempy. John is getting the message."

Morgan was keeping his full attention on the road and Eugene and Michonne had their weapons out and ready. "We're really close to the top now and then there are open fields."

Michonne had unbuckled her seatbelt and she leaned toward Morgan. "Eugene and I have this. You just keep this vehicle on the road, Black Knight."

"Will do, my Nubian Queen". Morgan had used that nickname when someone told him that was what Daryl's brother had called her. It did fit her. Merle must have been hell on wheels because everybody had a Merle story to tell.

John was glad to see open fields ahead of them. Carl saw movement in a copse of trees at the edge of the road and the glint of sun off a rifle barrel and he opened fire. He had survived this long by going with his instincts. John slowed down and Carl used the assault rifle to pour a volley of bullets at the men who were starting to fire back. John moved over on the road and let Tempy get around him. Morgan was next, and then Aaron flew past and then he picked up speed and headed toward the relative safety of the retreat. He wasn't sure what they would find there, but he figured that the marauders hadn't gotten there yet.

Jesse had fired a few shots and saw that Arya had gotten a window down on the other side. She James and Cara.

Miconne and Eugene didn't even shoot. They were traveling too fast and too close to John's vehicle to risk shooting. Daryl was watching the trees and saw at least seven or eight men and Carol was looking the other way.

Carl got out and used bolt cutters to open the gates. He pulled the heavy gates open and let all the vehicles in and then used the heavy lock that John had given him to secure the chair. He then ran to get behind a concrete bunker that had been erected here while the women and children stayed here. He wasn't surprised that Arya joined him seconds later.

The vehicles were parked and the children taken out as quickly as possible. Jesse had designed and build a safe room last summer and the children were carried there by their parents. Everyone else ran to defend the walls. The sisters had been outside working on firewood when the shots rang out and one ran to open the doors to the safe room while the others joined in to defend their home.

Carol just followed Jesse and Tempy carrying their twins. Daryl had Alia and Morgan had picked up Matthias. She had Joshua and Michonne had Amelia. They ran through the chapel and down into a basement room. It had some sort of automatic lighting. There was water and food stored along one wall. There were places to sit and sleeping bags along the wall. There were several baby beds on one wall and she set Josh down there. Michonne sat Amelia down with him. Daryl and Morgan thrust Alia and Matthias at her and she sat down close to the crib. Jesse put James down beside her and Tempy and the three men sprinted toward the door.

Michonne sat down in a chair beside Carol. "Nothing is going to happen too soon. They'll won't attack until they know what they are facing. I better introduce you to Sister Kathleen."

Carol's first impression of Sister Kathleen was a sense of how strong she was. Sister Kathleen was about her age and had short dark hair. Her handshake was strong and she projected an air of competence and confidence, but she had the kindest eyes that Carol had ever seen.

Sister Kathleen had shook her hand and then bent to Alia and Matthias, "It is so good to see you again. I missed you two when you went home."

Alia was immediately distracted from her tears, "Mattie and I picked you some flowers but we left them in the car. Our mommy came home like I told you she would." Both children hugged her and she gave them her undivided attention.

"I can read you a story later if you have time," Matthias said.

Sister Kathleen smiled, "I'll have time. I would love to hear you read to me. You are the best little boy."

Carol and Michonne worked to comfort the babies while Sister Kathleen talked to Alia and Michonne. Tempy moved James and Cara to a rocking chair and they were both in her lap and she was talking to them quietly.

Daryl and Morgan came back in a little while and brought food and water. Michonne fed the babies and they went back to sleep. Alia and Matthias ate a sandwich and entertained each other while Carol fixed food for those out on the walls.

Sister Kathleen left to go outside and she came back with two other women and introduced them to Carol. Sister Teresa was in her forties, stout and cheery. Sister Justine was younger, maybe thirty with short red hair and freckles. She was also pretty and Carol thought she looked more like a soccer mom than a nun.

Teresa volunteered to stay with the children and Carol and Michonne followed Kathleen and Justine outside. The sisters had told them that they did not need to add the "sister" to their name and just calling them Teresa, Kathleen, and Justine would be fine.

The vehicle had been moved farther from the walls and Carol saw that they were parked for a quick getaway. The defenders seemed to have situated themselves along the walls that defended the chapel and the large building that the sisters lived in and where visitors stayed when they visited.

Carl and Arya were along the front and John was by himself close by. Aaron and Bree were on his other side. She joined Daryl on a side wall. He didn't look terribly happy but he didn't say anything. She was good with a rifle and they needed warriors.

Morgan found a chair for Michonne to sit on. Eugene was close by and Justine was with him. Sister Kathleen and Jesse were holding down the back.

Daryl watched the fields but he pulled her into his arms, "Not the trip I thought we were going to have. What do you think of the sisters?"

Carol watched with him, "Not what I expected. I guess being a nun in the middle of the ZA forces you to be different. Sister Justine is young and pretty too."

Daryl snorted, "Eugene's got a bad case of hots for a bride of Christ too. I think she was here on some sort of retreat when all this went down and she joined the sisters then. I hate to think of those monsters out there if they got ahold of those women. They are like those men I got tangled up with after the prison fell."

"We got here in time to stop them. They were probably watching the place to see how many defenders they had. They were looking for a place to stay the winter and this must have looked good to them." Carol gazed out at the meadows that the sisters had cut hay from not long ago.

Daryl didn't bother to ask how she knew what she did. "Glad you warned us. We might have come in slow and they would have had time to get some better shots in." He pushed her behind him, and she knew that her being here was making him nervous.

"They aren't going to do anything until dark. We need a scout out there to check things out." Daryl spoke casually but she moved so that she could see his eyes.

Daryl would be the scout. He and Jesse were the best in the woods. They were both going and Carol accepted that without making a fuss. Men like Daryl are always going to step up and do what they have to do. Carol knew she had to use whatever she could to help even if it involved delving into the darkness in those men. She nodded at Daryl and then closed her eyes to see if she could learn anything about those killers. It came at her suddenly and she flinched before she could stop herself.

Daryl watched her and hated that he had to stand back and see the woman he loved come into any contact with those killers out there.

Carol was quiet for a long time. She had seen all she could bear to see. "They have some sort of vehicle with steel plates welded on. It has sharp metal poles on it. They are going to run that through the gates and at the same time they are going to come across the walls toward the back."

Daryl recognized that it was a good plan. They would be concentrating on the armored vehicle and by coming in one place they would be harder to fight off. "How many are there?"

She shook her head, "I don't know, maybe seven or eight out there but they seem to be waiting on the rest of them to show up. My guess is that there are about fifteen or so. I really don't know. I don't think they have much ammo so they aren't going to waste it shooting at us until they get close."

Daryl hugged her close, but didn't say anything. She closed her eyes and held onto him for a bit. thad to do and clutching him to her and crying might make her feel better but it made it worse for Daryl. "If we get out of this one, I am ready to put out again tonight."

Daryl laughed. Carol never failed to amaze him. She was the toughest person he knew. "Be prepared to bring your A game, Carol. I'ma thinking that I am hauling your skinny ass out of here before sundown so I can take full advantage of your generous offer."

They grinned at each other and he gave her the Merle full tongue wiggle and she laughed again and kissed him and he probed her mouth with his wet hot tongue and she met him with equal passion. Then, she pulled away. "Damn, we are on consecrated ground or I would find a quiet place for us to ... meditate together before you slip out. I'll stay here but you take Jesse."

Daryl nodded, "We're just going to check things out. See how many we got to face. There ain't a back way outa here. Take too long to go for help so we're going to have to do it ourselves. Do you reckon those sisters will be much good in a battle?"

Carol thought of the Kathleen's strong grip and the determination in Justine's face. "They'll fight, but I don't know how good they'll be."

Daryl said, "Walk with me back to the chapel. I want them to think I'm just going indoors. They are probably watching and counting people. Carol, I want you to be prepared because we need to shake them out of that plan of theirs. Too much territory to cover. We gotta make them come after us right now."

They walked back toward the chapel and Jesse met them at the door and the two men went out a back way. Carol went back to check on the kids and saw that Michonne had come back to feed her babies.

Michonne was complaining, "It's hard to get into battle mode when you have to stop and feed babies. Fortunately, these assholes have pissed me off big time and I am getting my rant on."

Alia and Matthias were helping Teresa. Carol gave them a hug and talked to Tempy and Teresa. They needed to be prepared for a battle fairly soon. She and Michonne took their weapons and went back outside.

Carol took a minute to tell John and Carl how much she appreciated their bravery in the morning skirmish. They had risked themselves to keep the road clear for the others. She hugged Aaron and told him that handled himself well this morning.

She warned Eugene and Justine that the battle might start soon. She took a position to the left of Morgan and Michonne was on his right. Kathleen was beside of her and she seemed to be praying. Carol gave a silent prayer for Daryl and Jesse and then just waited for the battle to begin.

AN

The Carol blue color of Matthias's eyes is a shout out to a fan fic by Rambling Rose in which an AU Daryl paints a car the color of Carol's eyes. Carol Blue indeed.

How do you like our new characters? Can Eugene ever find love?

I won't shortchange you on this battle, Reedus Rocks.

Please review.