I just realized today that I forgot to post this chapter on this site. I finished it almost two weeks ago! Sorry! Enjoy.

Chapter 3: Alexandria

*****Gates of Alexandria*****

When Xander stopped their SUV at the gates of Alexandria, he felt good. Somehow, he just knew that they would not travel much anymore. This was going to be their new home.

"I have a good feeling," Dawn said to him, echoing his thoughts.

He smiled at her as the gate opened, and he drove the car through. "Me, too," he said.

When they got out, Buffy and Faith were smiling. Faith pulled Willow against her.

"Now this is you finally taking me to some place nice," Faith told her.

Willow laughed. It wasn't as country as Hilltop, but it was clearly a real little village. The people were clean and happy. It seemed like a dream.

A black man wearing a priest collar greeted Rick. "Maggie's okay? You got there in time?" he asked.

"It was a nightmare," Rick said. He turned to Buffy and her friends. "They saved us."

The man smiled and held out his hand to the closest one, Buffy. "Hello. I'm Gabriel. Welcome to Alexandria," he said.

Several of the regulars in the community gathered around to greet Rick and the others. He told them what happened with Negan and how Buffy and Faith appeared, saving Abraham and Glen.

"Negan was one scary dude," Glen said, shuddering.

"You really saw a vision of their death?" Gabriel asked.

Buffy nodded. "That's how we knew to find them," she said. "Look, we're weird by anyone's standards, but we're very strong. We can help defend your community. Dawn can quickly get children to safety if there's an emergency. Willow is great with getting things to grow and helping keeping people healthy. Xander can build things and fix things."

Gabriel smiled. "God has surely blessed us," he said, showing them the warmth he was known for.

Rosita hugged him. "I knew you would be cool," she told him. "The house next to mine is open. Should we give it to them?"

"Do you want to stay together?" Rick asked.

"If it's a three bedroom, it will work," Buffy said. "We wouldn't know how to be apart."

"It has two bedrooms upstairs and a bathroom up there with one bedroom downstairs and another bathroom," Rosita said.

"Perfect," Buffy said, grinning. "The downstairs is mine."

Faith snickered. "Buffy doesn't like to know that we all have a sex life, and she doesn't," Faith said.

Buffy elbowed her. "Shut up," she said.

Rosita laughed, "Okay, let me take you to it," he said.

They followed Rosita down a sidewalk, and she pointed to a house. "That's mine," she said. "This is the one that's empty," she said as she gestured to the one next to it.

"So there's electric and water?" Buffy asked.

She nodded. "Yes, this was a community created to run on renewable energy like solar power before the outbreak. No one was really living here before the outbreak, so that's why everything's so nice. They were getting it ready for some political stunt of some kind," she shared.

"That's everyone's good luck," Xander said.

The houses were all a bit close together, but it made for a nice community.

"Wow! It's so nice and shiny inside!" Willow exclaimed.

"See, baby, I told you that we'd find some place nice eventually," Faith said, hugging her.

"Buffy's insane visions finally led to something good," Dawn said.

Buffy snorted as she wandered into the kitchen. There was an island, a microwave, and a stove.

"I'm sure that we can't use as much electricity as we want," Xander warned. "I'll find out what the water and electricity rules are."

"Sure," Buffy said. "It's really nice, though. I think this will be good for us."

It was great. Of course, Michonne still eyed them with suspicion, but it was really hard not to like Dawn and Xander. She was still as earnest as a puppy while Xander had the quips and the jokes, always making everyone smile. Once Buffy even caught Michonne smiling at him.

Gabriel pulled her aside after they had been in the community for two weeks and asked, "How are the two of them so unspoiled by the horrors of this world? It is a true miracle. Even Willow seems too sunny. I find it a breath of fresh air, but some are wary of their good natures."

Daryl was with her at the time as the pair were about to get Faith to go hunting. Daryl loved that the two women moved as light as he did in the forest—better really. Hunting with them always turned out well. They were natural born predators.

"Well, I'm not sure you would believe the reason," Buffy told him.

"Try me," he said.

"The town we were raised in, Sunnydale, was a truly evil place. Willow and Xander grew up in evil, unaware of the seedier underbelly until I came there. My nature as a vampire slayer attracted dark creatures. However, the first week I met them, the pair—along with their other best friend—were kidnapped by vampires. Jesse didn't make it, but he was turned into a vampire. So Xander's first vampire that he slayed was his best friend," she shared.

"And yet he jokes? I truly don't understand him. When this horror broke out, it broke me," Gabriel admitted.

"I guess it boils down to that old saying, 'you can get used to anything' because bad and scary things have been a part of our life for the past decade. Xander has never wavered or faltered except when he left Anya at the altar," Buffy admitted. "He stood next to me when an insane serial killer dressed as a priest threatened me—that's how he lost his eye. He just has never let anything get him down for long because death has been his companion for so long. Same with Willow. Once in high school, she and another friend of ours walked into the school to find several classmates slaughtered. Then she had the first woman she ever loved shot by a stray bullet meant for me. As for my sister, Dawn has grown up with me, so death and violence have always been a part of her world. One time, a crazy cult tried to use her in a blood sacrifice ceremony. She was only fourteen at the time. So the current world horror landscape is new to you all, but for us, it's just another day at the office."

"The killer was dressed as a priest? That explains why Xander gets this look in his eyes sometimes when he sees me," Gabriel said. "Thanks for explaining all that."

"Can you imagine having the destiny that was forced upon me and feeling utterly alone and then meeting Xander and Willow? Just two fifteen-year-olds with no special powers—Willow was normal then. Instead of running away from the monsters they fought, they stood next to me," Buffy said. "That's who they are. That's who they've always been. I would have been dead when I was sixteen if not for them. That's how old I was the first time Xander saved my life."

"God never gives us more than we could bear. He knew what you needed to survive the mouth of hell," Gabriel said with confidence. "Good luck with the hunt."

Buffy nodded and spotted Faith. "Faith, are you going hunting with us?" she asked.

"Not this time. Rick wants me working with some men on hand-to-hand," she said. "You get to work with the younger ones."

"Okay. When I get back, that's fine," Buffy said.

"You ready?" Daryl asked her.

"Let's take our car so we can carry our game much easier instead of the bike," Buffy said.

"Feeling confident, huh?" he asked.

"You know it," Buffy said, grinning.

"Are you letting Buffy drive?" Dawn asked, coming up to them.

"Don't say a word. I'm a lot better than I used to be," Buffy said, glaring at her sister.

"That's 'cause all the other drivers are dead," Dawn said, snickering.

"Not because of my driving! It's the zombie apocalypse!" Buffy said.

"The zombies saved the poor pedestrians and doomed drivers," Dawn teased.

"Let's go," Daryl said, knowing the two would bicker for several minutes. It was strange. The group had only been there two weeks, and he already felt like he knew them.

Each of them had such distinct personalities. Dawn was smart and sassy, clearly in love with her one-eyed joker boyfriend. Xander was unwavering in his clear love for all the women. It was strange at first, but Daryl was already getting used to it. Xander teased and annoyed Faith sometimes until she was ready to do violence (in her own words). He would just laugh and run to Buffy, insisting she protect him from the dark slayer.

From their loud comments and teasing of each other, Daryl had already figured out that Faith was Xander's first lover in high school, but it was nothing but sex. Willow was the one Xander was closet to. It seemed to Daryl that they were all closest to her. Dawn and Buffy both seemed to be very close to her. Daryl found the group's dynamics fascinating even if he didn't always understand them.

Buffy, of course, was the one that Daryl was most fascinated with, and she was the one he spent the most time with besides Xander. Xander seemed determined to make him a friend, and Daryl did find him amusing. His brother would've hated Xander, convinced that no man could ever be just friends with a beautiful woman. The fact that he was would have convinced Merle that Xander was either secretly gay or just stupid.

"Buffy, can I ask you a question?" Daryl asked as they drove down the road from Alexandria.

"Of course," Buffy said. "I've asked you like a million, and you've asked like three since we met."

She flashed him that smile of hers, and his heart sped up. God, she was so damn beautiful and clean in this broken and dead world. Sometimes, Daryl looked at her and felt like he was living in a dream—one he never wanted to wake up from.

"How come you and Xander never dated? You met him in high school a few years before Faith, right?" he asked.

She nodded. "Did you ask him this question?" she asked.

"Yes, he said that you just never saw him that way," he said.

"When I met him, Willow was crushing on him, and I wasn't about to hurt her as I knew she was going to be my new best friend," Buffy explained. "And I knew a guy who had a girl as his other best friend was the kind of guy I wanted for mine. Dating in high school messes up a lot of relationships, and I just never wanted to risk him. I'm glad I didn't. He's best of the best."

"Was it weird when he started dating Dawn?" he asked.

"It would've been more if the world hadn't changed so much," she said. "But we're together all the time, and she's all grown up now. She's crushed on him on and off since she met him as a kid, and I know she really loves him. I also know that she could never find a better guy, so I am happy for them."

"It really didn't bother you?" he asked.

"Maybe a slight pang that he wouldn't think of me first anymore, but I pushed it aside very quickly," she shared.

He nodded. "That make sense," he said.

They drove in companionable silence for several minutes, and then Buffy started playing music and chatting about memories songs brought to her.

Being with her was like coming out of a nightmare and finding out that his life didn't have to be just about survival and helping those he loves. He could take time to enjoy things; she had already shown him that.

He treasured every moment like the gift it was because Daryl didn't believe good things would ever stay in his life for long. This new world had taught him that. It had been a painful lesson to learn, but Daryl had learned it well. It scared him to think that he would have to watch this beautiful creature next to him one day be destroyed by this world. However, he knew it was inevitable.

Life was a bitch, and she was brutal mistress, determined to punish humanity for all its many sins.

*****Several Hour Later*****

Michonne was watching Buffy, who had returned from a successful hunting outing with Daryl. The woman made no sense to Michonne, so she just couldn't relax about the new arrivals in their community. Faith, she understood. That was a woman who clearly lived life to the fullest. She laughed loudly, played often, and loved fighting more than anyone Michonne had ever seen. There was a hint of darkness in her that made it clear that Michonne would be happy to have the woman watch her back anytime.

Buffy, however, was a paradox to Michonne. She seemed so utterly delicate, almost waiflike. At times, her sunniness really grated on Michonne. Dawn and Willow were sunnier than most in Alexandria. However, Buffy was the stereotypical California blonde that didn't seem to have a care in the world most of the time. Yet, Michonne saw her take down several grown men of Negan's. Of course, they might not have been good fighters. Other times, Michonne would catch a look on Buffy's face that said she was carrying the weight of the world, but then it would be fleeting. Michonne wondered if she imagined it the first time. Then she saw it again a few days ago.

Rick came up to her. "How's it going? Carl seems to really like Buffy," he said, watching Buffy teach everyone under seventeen how to fight.

"Of course, he does. She's like an exotic beautiful butterfly, flitting around," Michonne said crossly.

He laughed, putting his arm around her and pulling her against him. "Too much sunniness for you?" he asked.

"She just doesn't make sense to me," Michonne complained. "She clearly is dangerous and knows how to fight. Somehow, gets visions of people. At least that's the claim. We don't know if that's actually true or not. Faith seems like the badass we know she is, but Buffy. She is too blonde and perky."

"Daryl says that she is better in the woods than he is," Rick said. "You know how hard it is to impress Daryl."

"And that's another thing—Daryl," Michonne said. "The last thing we need is her to break his heart."

"How do you know that would happen? She's kind of like the third wheel in her group," Rick said. "They coupled up and left her the odd man out. Why wouldn't she like Daryl? He's a good man. A dependable man."

"I know how great the man is," Michonne said, glaring at him. "We would all have starved long ago if not for him. He is a gentle soul, though, at heart. He's not like you and me."

"The world has changed. It has made all of evolve," Rick pointed out. "Daryl has changed because he had to, and Buffy is more than the deadly butterfly we see. She's suffered a lot. Gabe was telling me about what she told him about Xander and Willow. We're grown adults, and it kills me that this is the world Carl is having to grow up in. However, that group wasn't much older than him when they began fighting monsters."

She scoffed. "You don't believe that, do you? It's insane," she said.

"We saw Dawn open a portal, and Daryl went through it. We saw Willow work magic," Rick reminded her. "How can some be true and the rest false? We know for sure that she saved Glen and Abraham's life. Negan wanted blood, and he was going to get it. She distracted him."

"He'll be back," she said. "They just put off the inevitable."

"Well, we'll be ready," Rick said confidently. "I don't think he'll find us easy marks. Not anymore."

"Buffy, are you better than Faith?" Carl asked her as they walked up to Rick and Michonne.

"I think they're off to a good start," Buffy told Rick, ignoring his question.

"Looked like it," Rick said, smiling. "I appreciate you doing that."

"It's fun," she said. "I used to train a lot of girls who were like me and Faith. It's nice training people who actually need my help."

"So, are you?" Carl asked, not going to be put off.

"Am I what?" Buffy said, looking at him with an innocent expression.

"Better than Faith at fighting," Carl asked.

Buffy shrugged. "I used to be," Buffy said. "I put her in a coma once after she tried to kill my boyfriend."

"No way!" Carl exclaimed in disbelief.

"I was young and dumb then. Barely eighteen," Buffy said. "She got me back by stealing my body in this weird body swap spell and sleeping with my new boyfriend and terrorizing my mom and sister."

"You two have that much bad blood?" Rick asked in surprise.

Buffy nodded. "She helped me save the world three years after that and had my back. We hadn't really spent much time sparring. She loves fighting more than I do, but I was a gymnast and ice skater before I became a fighter. That gives me a lot more creativity when I fight."

"You are a very forgiving person," Rick said.

"Life's too short to hold a grudge," she said with a shrug.

"I'd like to see you guys spar," Carl said.

"Maybe sometimes when we're really bored," Buffy said, gosling his hair.

Faith and Willow were walking by, and Faith heard her comment on boredom. "Bored, B? You should go ask the very cute hunter to take you for a ride," she said with a smirk. "It's been too long since you've had your bell rung."

Carl's mouth fell open at her comments while Michonne was torn between outrage and amusement. Faith was so bold.

Buffy, however, was not amused. "Willow, find a silencing spell for your girl before I break her face," Buffy said, glaring. She had Daryl had just started to get to know each other, and Buffy wasn't sure if he even liked her like that. Rick was practically the man's brother; they were so close. The last thing she needed was Daryl hearing gossip and start avoiding her. Buffy's face flamed just thinking about it, and she grew angrier thinking about it.

Faith laughed in amusement. "I'd like to see you try," Faith said.

Buffy hauled off and hit her in the face.

Rick was shocked at the violence and started to intervene, but Willow shook her head. He hesitated.

Faith grinned. "I see I hit a nerve," Faith said.

Buffy glared and stormed off.

"She was so mad!" Carl exclaimed.

"Nah, she wasn't that mad," Faith remarked.

"She punched you," Carl said. "In the face."

"Yes, but I barely felt it. If she was actually mad, I might have a headache," Faith said.

"Slayers like to hit," Willow remarked.

"I didn't know Buffy was like that," Rick said.

"Oh, well, she isn't often," Willow said with a cheerful smile. "But she's a slayer. They all are like to that to some extent."

"Hitting is like saying hello with us," Faith said. "Plus, she knows I would have kept running my mouth if she didn't hit me. So now I can infer that she must—"

"Shut it, Faith," Willow said, putting her hand over her mouth. "Let's not give her a reason to knock you unconscious."

Carl's eyes lit up. "Do you think she could? I was asking her to spar with you," she said.

"We haven't seriously thrown down in a while," Faith said. "Too busy fighting the dead."

"So she could beat you?" Carl asked, excited.

"Carl, we have enough to do without fighting each other," Rick told his son, worried she might get offended.

"It's okay," Faith said with an easy grin. "I don't mind. I love to fight, and Buffy does, too. The difference is, she doesn't like that about herself. It annoys her a lot when I remind her that we are alike in a few different ways. She is a smarter fighter than I am as I often get caught up in the joy of hitting. It doesn't mean she will win in a throw day. Depends on our moods."

"I think you two are both certifiable," Michonne said.

"You're not wrong," Willow said, leading her lover away.

"I gotta go tell everyone!" Carl said to his dad.

"Tell everyone what?" Rick asked.

"That Buffy hit Faith, and she just laughed!" he said like it was the best gossip ever.

"We so need to get the internet back," Rick said Michonne. "Poor Carl doesn't know what good gossip is anymore."

Michonne laughed.

*****Chapter End*****