Fire With Fire // D. Dixon

chapter twenty-six

It made Chloe feel better, knowing that her father supported her relationship with Daryl.

They'd known each other for so long now, Rick had seen him as his own brother. Rick had also seen how Daryl had interacted with Chloe, even at their Atlanta camp. The southern hunter had managed to be a little more soft-spoken with her, treated her with a little more care than anyone else. He hadn't noticed anything more until the prison, watching as they'd steal glances at each other when the other wasn't looking. He'd thought nothing more of it than a schoolgirl crush, like a protective feeling.

But when Rick had seen Daryl step up to take care of her, his little girl, he'd stepped up to protect her after she had been raped...It had made Rick appreciate those things more. Daryl had been so gentle with her, so very careful and watchful over her. Daryl had watched over her while she slept or when she had attempted to get sleep, whether she knew he was or not. When she had woken up screaming night after night, he'd be there for her to lull her back to sleep and comfort her when she cried.

Rick knew they'd grown attached, he just didn't understand what exactly it was until he had discovered them kissing. That was when he knew for sure, his suspicions had been confirmed. Either way, he was glad that it was Daryl. There was no other man that he could trust to love her, to take care of her, and to respect her.

All the while Glenn, Tara, and Noah had gone out on a so-called 'dry run' with Aidan and Nicholas. Aidan was one of Deanna 's sons as was Spencer. They hadn't officially met Chloe, but they had heard of each other. For now, that was plenty enough interaction for Chloe.

They said they'd be gone for a bit so Chloe and Daryl hung back again. Rick had gone outside the walls, both to investigate the area and check on his gun he'd stowed away. Chloe hadn't seen Carl, but figured he was off with other kids or maybe Enid and Ron.

Either way, Chloe didn't want to leave too much. She felt much safer at their house, sticking by Daryl's side like glue. She was still adjusting to Alexandria, and it had proven to be a very difficult task, not just for her but for everyone in the group. Besides, she hadn't felt the best for the past week or so.

For the last week, Chloe had been waking up to an overwhelmingly nauseating feeling that made her dizzy. She had always been an early riser, even before all of this started, but she was thankful that nobody was ever up at the ungodly hour she usually was. Nobody knew that she'd been throwing up every morning and she desperately wanted to keep it that way. At least until she knew what was going on, if it was anything to worry about at all.

She had been very confused, wondering why she was feeling so terrible. She thought about what a doctor would say, what Hershel would have told her to do. But when the thought, that terribly horrifying thought, had crossed her mind, it made her stomach turn and her skin grow cold with chills.

No, she thought, that can't be it.

It had been eight weeks. Eight weeks since she had been raped. She'd been keeping track. It also had been longer than eight weeks since she'd had her period. Could she be pregnant?

No, she thought more anxiously this time, that absolutely cannot be it.

The fear she felt in her chest had risen, making her wonder what the hell she was going to do.

-X-

Chloe walked towards the gates, waving as the group had returned from their run, hoping to get her mind off of everything for a while. Once she got closer, Chloe noticed that they seemed to be quite angry, strutting in the gates like they had seen something stupid.

"You three need new gigs!" Aidan shouted, clearly angry at the trio for something, "You're not ready for runs yet."

Chloe stopped, very confused at that statement. Chloe scoffed at her thoughts, they weren't ready? Is this guy kidding? She had decided to stick to the sidelines, watching the whole situation play out in front of her. She'd step in if she was needed, but she wanted to know the full story before jumping to any conclusions.

"Yeah, pretty sure you've got that backwards." Glenn scoffed, hurrying into the streets of Alexandria. Aidan seemed pissed, quickly grabbing his shoulder to turn him around. The move was so clearly aggressive, Chloe swallowed and knew this could get even worse.

"Look, we've got a way of doing things around here-" Aidan explained, getting in Glenn's face angrily. Chloe stepped forward, ready to defend her friend.

"You tied up walkers!" Glenn retorted, his voice getting louder with fury. Chloe was stunned, these people had survived for so long and yet know so little about them. They had tied one up? Jesus, she thought.

"It killed our friend!" Aidan shouted, louder than Glenn this time, "Look, I'm not having this conversation. You obey my orders out there."

"Then we're just as screwed as your last run crew." Glenn spat, not moving from his spot on the Virginian pavement.

"Hey!" Chloe shouted, feeling the tensions rise, "Put your dicks away, let's handle this like adults." Chloe looked between Glenn and Aidan, anxious to calm the two down. Getting into a fight was not good for them.

"Say that again." Aidan challenged, getting way too close to Glenn. He pushed him, making Chloe get closer. If necessary, she'd handle him.

"No one's impressed, man. Walk away." Glenn spoke to him directly, lowering his voice.

"What's going on here?" Deanna asked, watching the situation between her son and Glenn closely. She could sense the tension and felt the need to intervene, but words couldn't stop this.

"This guy's got a problem with the way we do things..." Aidan spoke to his mom, "Why did you let these people in?" Chloe didn't miss the venom his voice was laced with, and that angered her. He was going to be an issue, an issue they'd have to fix.

"Because we actually know what we're doing out there." Glenn spoke, watching as Aidan went to throw a punch. Glenn ducked, quickly knocking Aidan to the ground.

Chloe was quick to defend Glenn, making sure Aidan stayed on the ground. Nicholas lunged at the girl, making Daryl grab the man by his shirt and toss him to the ground. Within a second, Rick had his hands on Daryl's shoulder, pulling him away from the man.

"I want everyone to hear me, okay?" Deanna announced, her voice echoing, "Rick and his people are part of this community now in all ways, as equals. Understood?"

Deanna's gaze passed over everyone, making everyone nod their heads. She clearly wasn't messing around this time, she had a stern look on her face, one that said everything her mouth hadn't. She meant business.

"Understood."