Fighting to Survive: The 3rd installment to Daring to Feel

Chapter 17: Alexandria

"So she wants to meet with all of us?" I ask after Daryl comes out of Deanna's house.

"Yup" he mutters as he comes over to me. We've all had to hand over our weapons. Daryl and Michonne held onto their bow and sword, but the guns are being kept somewhere for safe keeping, or so they say. We we're given 2 houses and I was amazed at how well kept up they both were. Rick didn't like the idea of splitting us up into two different places, even if they were next door to each other. Daryl didn't either, and the rest of us agreed so we all stayed together in one home.

"How long was I in there?" Michonne walks out of the bathroom.

"20 minutes" Rick responds to her.

"all yours, Sadie" She calls out to me, "God, I could not stop brushing." She laughs.

I go to leave the room to get cleaned up but a knock on the door stops me. Rick answers it and Deanna stands behind it in a sweatshirt, "Rick, I-- Wow." She stops and looks at the clean cut man in front of her. She smiles, "I didn't know what was under there. Listen, I don't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to stop by and see how you were all settling." She tells him. Her eyes turn to inside the house, "oh, my. Staying together. Smart."

Rick answers, "no one said we couldn't."

"You said you're a family. That's what you said. Absolutely amazing to me how people with completely different backgrounds and nothing in common can become that. Don't you think?" She beams loudly for all of us to hear.

"Everybody said you gave them jobs." Rick comments.

She nods, "mm-hmm. Yeah. Part of this place. Looks like the communists won after all." She laughs again.

"Well, you didn't give me one." He says to her.

"I have." she eyes him, "I just haven't told you yet. Same with Michonne." She looks at us all as she says their names, "I'm closing in on something for Sasha, Sadie. And I'm just trying to figure Mr. Dixon out, but I will." She informs us all, "you look good" she says to Rick before leaving.

The next morning everyone stirs awake around the same time. I can tell Daryl didn't sleep much and his eyes droop when he looks at me, "you gon' go explore with everyone else?" He asks me.

"Are you?" I ask him. He shakes his head, "then me neither" I tell him, "besides, I have a meeting with Deanna after Carol, don't wanna go to far."

"So, you started with Rick and the group?" Deanna asks me once she turns the camera on. Carol was done with her interview by early afternoon and then it was my turn.

"Actually it was Rick and I only at first. We stumbled onto the group where his wife and son were." I explain to her.

"How long was it just the two of you?" She asks.

"Not long, we met another man after we got out of the hospital, then us for a bit, then the group." I go back to the beginning of this world, to when everything started.

She nods, "and the other man?"

I shrug, thinking back to Morgan, "haven't seen him since. Maybe he's off in another community somewhere else." I offer and hope at the idea. Rick told me about the time he ran into him, how he lost his son and that he wasn't doing well. He was crazed but still managed to stay alive.

She nods again before asking another question, "and what is it you are good at? What is it you can offer us here?"

I think, not sure I have an answer for her, "I'm not too sure.." I hum out as I try and think of something.

"You also had a bow when you arrived, you a good shot like Daryl?" She questions.

I chuckle, "I don't think anyone will be as good as him. I'm trying, he's a good teacher" I swoon over him.

"Oh" she sits up just a little, "are you two--" she drifts off letting her silence finish the sentence.

"I don't know what we are, but yes" I tell her, not feeling the need to hide anything.

She nods, "alright, I can respect that. So I figured out a job for you. I would like you to help out in the infirmary. Assist our doctor as needed. You and Rick found each other in a hospital, you worked there, a nurse?" She raises her eyebrows wondering. So she already knew about the hospital, I wonder why she wanted me to tell her more.

"No. I only temped in the hospital for a few weeks before everything happened. Witnessed more then I did participate. Maggie's father taught me a few things when he was alive" I explain to Deanna.

"Hershel, I heard he was a wonderful man" she smiles softly, "well, let's see how you do before jumping ship. It was a pleasure talking to you Sadie-Mae." She stands and offers her hand for me to shake. As I take it though she asks, "can I ask about your name? It's very unique."

I smile, "Sadie was the women's name who helped my mother give birth to me and Mae was what she was originally going to name me." I tell her. No one here has ever asked me about my name before, it was nice that she cared enough too. She smiles and shows me out of her home and I make my way back to ours.

"You look ridiculous!" Daryl snarls towards Carol as I pass by her in the road. I eye her strangely, the clothes she is wearing are like nothing I've seen her in before but leave it be and walk up the steps to the house.

"How weird" I comment to him.

He shrugs, working at something on his bow, "you get a job?" He asks without looking up to me.

"She wants me to work along side the doctor here. Guess she thinks my temping time in a hospital was enough training." I trail off.

"You've done more than just that" he tells me looking up to look at me. He stands up and we walk inside together.

I shrug, "I guess. Why was Carol dressed like that?" I ask him as we get to the bathroom door.

"Beats me, she's off to go cook dinner or somethin' for old people" he looks confused as he says it.

"oookay" I mutter out. I sit down on the closed toilet seat, and he turns the shower on for me, "what are you gonna do?" I ask him as he stands there.

He shrugs one shoulder up, "nothin'" he says while looking down to me.

I smile "that sounds nice, to do nothing for a bit." I sigh, thinking of the idea. Everywhere we've gone since the breakout, we've always had to keep watch, to stay on edge and protect ourselves. This place seems like somewhere we can maybe just relax every once and while.

Daryl asks me, "everything alright? okay?"

"what?" I ask, looking back to him, "oh no, it's more than okay" I return to him choking up a bit. He looks at me, not believing me because my eyes are just a bit watery. "It's nothing, it's just-- we're actually here, behind walls." my head shakes like it's too good to be true. He wipes a falling tear off my cheek, "the jail was one thing, but this-- this is a place people called home before the world went to shit. It's like nothing bad ever happened here."

"You've seen more than you're fair share of shit Sadie-Mae" he says lowly with a toothless grin coming down to my eye level, putting his hands on either side of my legs as he squats. He leans in and kisses me, just barely. I let him,and when he pulls away our heads rest against one another, our breath connecting. I go lean in to kiss him again, but pull away before our lips touch. I stare into his eyes, and he stares back at me with tenderness and concern. I lift my arms up, a gesture for him to remove my shirt. He blushes a bit and chuckles, but takes his hands and puts them on the edge of my shirt.

He stands up after it's off, removing his angel winged vest. I stand up now, putting my hands on his shirt and lifting it as high up over his head as I can, our eyes staying connected to one another's. He helps me lift it off of him when it reaches his arms and after it's off we laugh together lowly. He puts his lips to mine again, more forceful then before and his hands wrap around my waist pulling me into him. I put my hands to his head, kissing him back. We find ourselves climbing into the shower together, letting the water rinse off the blood, the dirt and the past.