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Safe Haven in the Chaos	By : IdrilsSecret Category: S through Z > The Walking Dead Views: 6520 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the walking dead or any of the characters. No money is being made from the writing of these stories

Chapter List
- 55
- 56
- 57
Chapter 56 Life, Loss, Love

It was over, at least for now. Negan, the Saviors, and the Scavengers were gone. The town of Alexandria worked the rest of the day, disposing of the dead. Michonne and Rosita, thankfully, weren’t amongst them, but they had both suffered injury and were at the infirmary being treated. Father Gabriel, Morgan, Jesus and Maggie were outside the walls looking for Sasha. She hadn’t been found amongst the bodies, so it was assumed she still roamed as a walker. Eventually, she was found by Jesus and Maggie, and Maggie had been the one to put her to rest. Later, a small service was held for Sasha, and she was buried in Alexandria’s graveyard. That’s where Aaron and Daryl were now, standing amongst friends to finally mourn the loss of another brave soul. As Father Gabriel gave his sermon, Daryl took Aaron’s hand in his and squeezed. Aaron did not respond. He wasn’t sure what to feel at the moment so he focused on his sorrow for Sasha. When the ceremony was finished, and the people disbursed to tend to other chores, Aaron fell in line like the rest.

“Hey. You okay?” Daryl asked from behind. He followed Aaron around to the street.

“I don’t know what I am right now,” Aaron said honestly. “I think I just need some time to myself.”

Thinking this was about Sasha, Daryl nodded and patted Aaron’s shoulder. He let Aaron walk away with no more questions. “I’m gonna meet up with Rick and see where we go from here,” he commented, and that was it.

Aaron walked around, finding ways to help out. The town was full with Maggie’s Hilltop people and Ezekiel’s Kingdom. Despite all that had happened, there was a comfortable comradery amongst the three communities. They had finally agreed that they needed each other in order to see to a future for everyone. It was what would have been known as a historical moment, the joining of the three powerhouses. There was still a bigger battle ahead of them, but their confidence levels were up, and that’s just what everyone needed right now.

The last thing Aaron did before he went home for the day was to make sure their visitors had something to eat and somewhere to rest for the night. As he worked, Caleb caught up to him, a big smile on the young man’s face.

“I’m glad you and Daryl are okay,” Caleb said as he took a basket of apples from Aaron and started handing them to people they passed.

“I’m glad you’re okay too,” Aaron smiled at him. “Have you eaten?”

“Yeah, I’m good. I … uh … I shared something to eat with Sheila.” As Caleb spoke, his face flushed.

“Sheila? Not sure I’ve met her yet,” Aaron said, sounding like a curious father.

“She’s from the Hilltop,” he said, and his cheeks flushed pink. “Sheila’s just finished training. This was her first fight,” Caleb told him. “We kind of ran into each other. Actually, we were hiding behind the same car and backed into one another. She aimed her gun at me, and I had my bow on her. We didn’t know each other, didn’t know which side we were with. It was kind of a problem, you know? Everyone looks alike when we’re fighting. Anyway, she told me to identify myself. I told her I was with Alexandria. She said she was with the Hilltop. Once the introductions were done, we turned back to the fight, and watched out for each other out until it was over.”

“Fighting Saviors, escaping capture and sharing a meal. I’d have to say that sounds like a date,” Aaron teased.

“Come on. I hardly know her,” Caleb said, bowing his head.

“But you made a connection right away,” Aaron hinted around, and Caleb nodded. “What about her?”

“I think she might like me. It was really easy talking to each other. And when we were fighting, we’re like Riggs and Murtaugh, Carter and Lee, Kay and Jay. It was friggin’ awesome,” Caleb said excited with his new discovery.

“Cagney and Lacey,” Aaron added.

“Who?”

“Never mind,” Aaron laughed to himself. “I’m glad you found the Starsky to your Hutch.”

“I’m still lost,” Caleb said. “But you know what I mean.”

“I do know,” Aaron said, thinking briefly back to when he met Daryl. It had been a similar connection. “Well, don’t rush into any–”,” Aaron started to say, but with the world the way it was now, that sentence didn’t ring true. “You know what? If you like her, you should let her know, but don’t be too aggressive about it. Kind of ease into it, test it out, see if she likes you too.”

Caleb bowed his head again, and kicked at the ground. Aaron had seen this behavior before. There was something more to Caleb’s story. “I really like her, Aaron. So I was thinking that maybe … when all this business is over with … I … I might move to the Hilltop.”

This was completely unexpected, and Aaron didn’t know what to say. First of all, Caleb wasn’t his son. Aaron couldn’t tell him what to do or not do. He could give him advice and hope the kid listened. “Caleb,” Aaron said, easing into the conversation. “You can do what you like. You don’t need my permission.”

“I know, but … you and Daryl have been like family to me. There’s no one else I can go to for advice, at least no one I’m as comfortable with as you two. And I know, I just met her and all, but I can’t get to know her if we live in two different places. That’s why I said I’d wait until after things calm down. I’m with Alexandria all the way, but when it’s over and it’s safer out there, I want to see if my hunch is right,” Caleb said with a smile. “And I don’t want to do anything without your approval, so I was hoping that … in the morning before everyone leaves … you and Daryl … might like to meet Sheila.”

Aaron thought his heart would burst. Caleb was very special to him. They’d been through a lot since they met, and to know that Caleb considered Aaron like family was the second best thing to come out of this messed up world, second only to meeting Daryl. Aaron put his arms out to the side, welcoming Caleb in for a hug. Caleb moved in and Aaron surrounded him with his arms. “I would love to meet her.”

“You promise you won’t give her a hard time or embarrass me?” he asked.

“I’d never do that.” Aaron released Caleb, but he kept his hands on the boy’s shoulders. “I can’t say the same thing for Daryl,” he teased.

“Thanks Aaron. This means a lot to me,” Caleb smiled. “Just make sure you tell Daryl to be chill. Okay?”

“I will. What are you going to do now?” Aaron asked.

“I planned a quiet dinner with just the two of us, and I thought I’d show her around Alexandria.”

“That sounds nice, especially after the day we had.” Aaron thought a moment about that. They started the day with battle and deceit. They lost people. They killed people. They mourned the death of a friend, and they made new alliances. But at the end of the day, life went on. People continued to do those things that made humanity special. Young kids fell in love. Parents tucked in their little ones with bedtime stories and snuggles. This was life now. Move on, count your losses, and keep going.

“Well, I better get going,” Caleb said. “I’ll see you in the morning?”

“Yes. In the morning. Sheila of Hilltop,” Aaron joked. Caleb rolled his eyes, and Aaron hugged him once more. “I’m just kidding. I’m doing it now so I won’t have the urge to do it in the morning.” Caleb shook his head and went off to get ready for his date. Aaron watched him go, and thought about how far the kid had come since first meeting him. Caleb was a remarkable young man. He deserved to find someone, and experience first love. That’s what this battle was about. They were setting the future to live together peacefully, even if there were some who wouldn’t agree. They didn’t all have to get along, but they had to set boundaries and rules so that there would be no more killing. Unfortunately, to get to that place, people would indeed die. Just as long as neither of those people were Aaron or Daryl. He gave a sigh and headed on to pass out the rest of his apples before finally making his way home after a long and busy day.

The house was dark and quiet when he got there. Daryl hadn’t been home yet. He was probably still working out a plan with Rick. Either that, or he was trying to figure out a way to hunt down and kill Dwight. Today didn’t go as planned. Alexandria had been tricked by the Scavengers, who were working with Negan the entire time. He wasn’t sure what to think about Dwight yet. Aaron knew the man did as he said and blocked the road to Alexandria to slow the Saviors down. Would he have done that if he was a Savior spy? How far would he go to convince Alexandria that he was on their side, not Negan’s?

Aaron went to the kitchen and poured a glass of water. He didn’t know why. He wasn’t really thirsty. Maybe he was just trying to find something to do so he didn’t have to think about what happened earlier today. He couldn’t shake the vision of Daryl holding a gun to his own head. There had been no thought on his part. Daryl was going to die and take nothing else into consideration.

He heard the front door open, and Aaron turned to find Daryl had come home. “Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” Daryl answered as he came to the kitchen.

“You hungry?” Aaron asked, and he turned back to the cabinet and opened it, looking to see what they had left. “I’ve got some canned chili in here that’s not too far from its expiration date. It won’t take long to–” He didn’t finish the sentence because Daryl slinked his arms around Aaron’s waist, pulling him in. His grip was tight and demanding. Hands roamed over his stomach and down, squeezing Aaron through his pants. “What are you doing?” Aaron asked. He was thoroughly confused by these actions.

“What do you think I’m doing?” Daryl said as his lips assaulted Aaron’s neck, sucking and nipping.

“But it’s been a long day. Aren’t you exhausted?” Aaron said to stall.

“No, I’m as horny as a three balled tomcat.” As Daryl spoke, his hands fumbled with Aaron’s belt.

Aaron turned to face him, but Daryl’s mind was set. He got the buckle undone and was working on the button. “Daryl, wait a min–”

Daryl’s mouth covered Aaron’s and his tongue demanded passage. Aaron pushed on his shoulders and they separated. “M-maybe I’m too tired,” Aaron retaliated.

Daryl huffed a short laugh. “When are you ever too tired?” He started on his own belt and button, now that he had Aaron’s taken care of. “Besides, I know just what you like and how to drive you mad.” He reached out and took the waistband of Aaron’s pants in his hands, trying to push them down.

“Just wait a second,” Aaron complained.

“I ain’t got a second. I got a hard on like steel and I got you all to myself, but if you won’t cooperate, I’ve got another way of doing things.” Daryl pushed him against the counter and forced Aaron’s pants down enough to expose him. Daryl looked down and gave a fiendish smile. “I’m guessing you’re not as tired as you claim to be.”

It was true. Although Aaron’s mind was preoccupied with the day’s events and needing to talk to Daryl about his dangerous choice to toy with the Saviors, his body had other thoughts. It didn’t help things when Daryl dropped to his knees. He tried to keep him at length, but Daryl was being very insistent.

“I need to–” Aaron was suddenly engulfed by wet heat and a demanding tongue. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. “We have to talk about–” Oh shit. The way Daryl used his tongue was. . . No, he needed to get this out in the open first. “Something happened today that–” He sucked in air as Daryl’s teeth lightly grazed his straining cock. “Daryl, would you listen? I need … I need you to–” He could no longer form words. There was no use fighting it. Aaron got weak in the knees and gave in as Daryl worked him with his mouth. Aaron’s fingers twisted into Daryl’s hair as he held him in place. “Ah … Daryl … Shit, that’s incredible.” He was relentless with only one thing on his mind, and Aaron could no longer resist. Daryl’s lips slid up and down Aaron’s shaft. His tongue licked and flicked, caressed and encouraged response. “You need to … to stop. I’m … I’m close. You need to … to … oh Daryl, yes … fuck yes!” Daryl didn’t stop. He didn’t release Aaron or move from the line of fire. Daryl took it all and swallowed, and continued to milk him from every last ounce until it was almost painful.

Aaron managed to push him away, but Daryl got to his feet and kissed Aaron wantonly. He pushed his body against Aaron. “Let me inside you. Please?” Daryl begged submissively. It was a complete switch from the demanding lover he’d just displayed. “I need you, Aaron.”

Aaron could only nod as he gazed at Daryl. It was such an insanely provocative moment, Aaron would do anything Daryl asked of him. He started to lower his pants the rest of the way, but Daryl stopped him. “Not here.” He tipped his head toward the couch in the living room, and that’s where they went.

Aaron stopped at the back of the couch, placed his hands on the top edge and glanced over his shoulder. Daryl came up behind him, placed his hands at Aaron’s hips and kissed the back of his neck. Aaron felt Daryl push his pants down, and Aaron played along, stepping out of them. Then, Daryl eased Aaron’s shirt off over his head. Aaron waited as he listened to Daryl undress.

“Do you have something?” Aaron asked, and he was answered by the sound of a cap popping open. Daryl prepared them and entered. He took Aaron hard and fast. Aaron draped himself over the back of the couch. He felt Daryl’s hands clenching the edge to gain better purchase as he slammed into his lover over and over. It didn’t take Daryl long before he was moaning carnal sounds, pumping fast, bodies slapping together. Then he stopped, pushed deep, arched his back and spilled. He pumped a few more times, but slowly, and then pulled away. Aaron immediately turned and surrounded Daryl with his arms. He kissed him and they held each other a moment. Aaron admitted to himself that he favorited this side of Daryl, the aggressively seductive man who always got what he wanted while giving in return. However, when Daryl was in this kind of salacious mood, there was usually a much darker reason that fueled his behavior.

The sun had set a while ago. Aaron sat on the couch with Daryl’s head in his lap. They were covered by a couple throws that they kept in a basket by the couch. Aaron played with Daryl’s hair, twisting in between his fingers. Daryl snuggled deeper into Aaron’s lap, and draped an arm over his knees. They’d been quiet ever since making love, but it had been long enough. Aaron was still bothered by Daryl’s behavior earlier that same day.

“Daryl, I … I have to ask you something,” Aaron started.

“No you don’t. We can just stay here and forget about the world outside,” Daryl resisted.

That wasn’t enough to stop Aaron. “When we were caught by the Saviors and you had that gun, were you … bluffing?”

Daryl sighed deeply, wishing to avoid the conversation, but he knew Aaron wouldn’t let it go easily. “I don’t know what I was doing. I was a desperate man in a desperate situation.”

“Seemed to me you were a trapped man with nowhere else to go,” Aaron said.

“You really think I’d go out that way?” Daryl asked.

“You had a gun to your head and your finger on the trigger. Yeah, I thought you meant to do it,” Aaron pointed out.

“You heard that woman. There was a price on my head. I didn’t think she’d let me do it.”

“But what if she didn’t stop you. What would have happened if Hilltop and the Kingdom didn’t come when they did?”

“But they did come,” Daryl retaliated.

“But what if they didn’t,” Aaron pushed.

“I don’t want to talk about it. This is all hindsight,” said Daryl, frustrated. “Just drop it.” He sat up.

“You told me to look away,” Aaron yelled. “I can’t get that out of my head. I thought you really meant to do it.”

“Maybe I did. Or maybe I just wanted them to believe that. It doesn’t matter now. We’re here. We made it another day.” Daryl stood from the couch and snatched his pants from the floor, hastily putting them back on.

“That’s the thing, Daryl. We’re getting ready to head into a hell of a war with a community that wants nothing but to kill us all. If you get caught again–”

“I’m not going to let that happen,” Daryl said.

“Oh? And how are you going to prevent it?” Aaron snapped.

“I’m going to kill them all,” Daryl seethed. He grabbed his shirt and put it back on, and then his boots.

“Where are you going?” Aaron asked with disappointment in his voice.

“I’m gonna check the gate, make sure we have enough people on patrol. I’ll be back later.” Daryl stormed out of the door.

Aaron pulled the extra throw over him and laid down on the couch. He sighed as he stared up at the ceiling. “This war is going to change him. It already has, but in a way that I don’t want it to.”

He dozed a bit on the couch, but when Daryl didn’t return, Aaron gave up and went upstairs to sleep. It didn’t take long. He was spent in more ways than one. Still, he didn’t sleep as deeply as he would have liked. It was for this reason that he felt the air move around him, and startled awake to find Daryl had finally come home.

“You’re back,” Aaron announced.

“Yeah,” Daryl said tersely. He took his shoes off and his shirt, and then laid down beside Aaron. Daryl rested his head on Aaron’s chest and curled into his side. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have bailed earlier. You know how I get sometimes. I’m trying though.”

“You’re here now. That’s what counts,” Aaron said sweetly. He kissed the top of Daryl’s head.

The room was dark and quiet as Aaron and Daryl laid in each other’s arms. It was Daryl who broke the silence. “You asked me if I would have done it, but I couldn’t answer because the truth is, I don’t know. But one thing was for certain. I wasn’t going to let them take me from you again. I guess I felt that if I’m going to be taken from you, I’m going to do it on my own terms.”

“Not like that. Never like that,” Aaron said, holding Daryl tighter to him. “Don’t you know? If something like that ever happens again, I will find you and bring you home. They can’t have you. No one can because you belong to me. You belong with me. So, please, don’t you ever fucking scare me like that again.”

Daryl looked up at Aaron and kissed him gently. He cupped the side of Aaron’s face and simply gazed into his eyes with unspoken love. And then the moment was gone as he quickly rolled over. “Oh, hey, I found something when I was at the gate.” He reached for his shirt, and fumbled around until he pulled something from the pocket. He handed it to Aaron.

It was a little, carved, wooden figure. Aaron examined it. “What is it?” he asked.

“Look on the back,” Daryl told him, and Aaron did. Someone wrote, ‘didn’t know’ on it. “It’s Dwight’s.”

“How do you know?” Aaron asked.

“I’ve seen him with it before. And it’s something he knows I’ll recognize as his.”

“So, he didn’t know about Jadis and her people working with Negan,” Aaron said.

“At least that’s what he’s claiming. I still don’t trust the bastard.” Daryl took the figurine back and laid it with his clothes. “I’ll go to Rick in the morning.”

“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I talked to Caleb today. Seems as though he’s got himself a potential girlfriend.”

“Yeah?” Daryl said with brows raised in surprise. “Who?”

“We’ll find out in the morning,” Aaron answered. “He wants us to meet her. I thought it was a sweet suggestion.”

“Meet her?” Daryl questioned.

“She’s from the Hilltop. They met today and fought alongside each other.”

“Nothing like a little gunfire to bring out the romance. The Hilltop, huh? That’s a long way from here. How are they going to make that work? They just going to see each other on the weekends?” He was only half joking.

“Actually, Caleb came to me to ask for our consent to move there.” Aaron put it as lightly as possible.

“He wants to live there?” Daryl seemed surprised. “When?”

“Not until everything settles down.”

“Hmm,” Daryl grunted.

“I think it’s a good idea that he sees how another community lives.”

“Or is he just wanting to get in some girls pants,” Daryl said. He seemed skeptical.

“Caleb isn’t like that,” Aaron argued.

“All boys his age are like that.”

“Were you like that? I know I wasn’t. Of course, I did have a huge crush on the high school quarterback, but that was a lost cause. He was straight,” Aaron reminisced.

Daryl was quiet a moment as he looked up at the ceiling in the dark room. “You and I were the exception I guess.” Then he sat up quickly, seeming panicked. “Oh shit. Are we supposed to have the talk?”

Now Aaron sat up, a look of dismay on his face that mirrored Daryl’s. “Do you think his mom ever did it?”

“Highly unlikely. That kind of thing lost its importance when the dead started walking around. He’s still a virgin you think?”

“I don’t know. Never came up in conversation before.” Aaron realized how they sounded and laughed. “Look at us. My two dads worried about their boy going out into the world.”

“You laugh now, but last thing we want is for him to knock up the first girl he thinks he’s in love with,” Daryl said with serious tone.

“Yeah,” Aaron agreed. “Although, would it be so bad? Imagine it. They’d come around with the kid every other weekend,” Aaron said jokingly. “What would that make us? Grandpas? Uncles?”

Daryl lightened up and allowed a laugh to escape. Then he gave it some thought. “I guess we are kind of his dads, huh?”

“We’re more than mentors, not exactly friends. I’d say dads fits the description best. Caleb’s a great kid … young man. All right, when this war is over, we’ll talk to him, give him sound advice, and hope he takes it to heart. Then we’ll send him off to the Hilltop. I’m sure Maggie will keep an eye out for him, and make sure he stays busy.” Aaron laid back down.

Daryl rolled onto his side and draped a leg across Aaron’s thighs. “You know, that’s one of the perks of being gay.”

“What’s that?” Aaron smiled.

“I can fuck you all day, every day, and I can’t knock you up.”

Aaron laughed. “All day huh?”

“All day, all night.” Daryl crawled on top of Aaron. He looked toward the bedroom window. “Until the sun comes up.”

“Is that a challenge?” Aaron teased.

“Just a suggestion,” Daryl said, and he kissed Aaron until they were both breathing heavy and shedding their clothes.

Daryl prepared them and slid into Aaron slowly, taking his time. It was much different than earlier in the kitchen and living room. It was the kind of careful seduction that Aaron found irresistible, and which elicited a satisfied moan from his lips.

“You like that?” Daryl whispered as he started moving, his hips making gyrating circles.

Aaron exhaled every time Daryl pushed inside. “Oh yeah.”

Daryl kept his rhythm and waited until Aaron’s vision caught his own. They looked steadily into each other’s eyes with great intensity. “I love you,” Daryl confessed as though it was the first time he had. He captured Aaron’s mouth to keep him from answering or adding to his admission. Then he increased his rhythm, and both men became lost in a sea of pleasure.

>>------->

In the morning, they got up, dressed, and went to the front of town to meet Caleb’s love interest, Sheila. As they approached, Aaron and Daryl saw the new couple standing face to face, very close, smiling, the girl laughing. He whispered in her ear and she pushed him away, playfully.

“Well, would you look at that,” Aaron said.

“I thought you said they just met,” Daryl commented.

“Yesterday,” Aaron answered. They watched Caleb steal a kiss, and how she didn’t refuse.

“Looks like it might be too late for the talk,” Daryl said.

Aaron looked on a moment longer, and observed Caleb’s hands roaming dangerously close to her rear as they had yet to break their kiss. “No,” he said, drawing out the word with doubt and denial. “Not our Caleb. Why, you don’t think they . . .”

“I’d bet all the moonshine in Hilltop that they did … last night,” Daryl said, and he reached behind to squeeze Aaron’s ass as they walked side by side. “We did. I bet everyone with a better half did. We’re on the brink of war. Makes people horny.”

“I think that’s just you,” Aaron replied. They were almost to the gate, and Aaron dashed in front of Daryl to stop him. “Okay, listen. You need to be on your best behavior for Caleb. Don’t embarrass him or his girl.”

“Would I do that?” Daryl jested.

“Yes you would, and Caleb knows it too. That’s why he told me to tell you this.”

“Just one little innuendo?” Daryl begged.

“Absolutely not,” Aaron berated. He straightened the collar of Daryl’s shirt to hide a red blotch on the side of his neck, a hickey Aaron gave him in the throes of passion last night. “We want to make a good impression.”

“I see. So I shouldn’t use this love bite on my neck as an ice breaker?” Daryl was being irritatingly funny. “I’ll just tell them it’s an allergic reaction … to the lube we used,” he said with a straight face. He waited for a reaction from Aaron. He received a raised brow and a glare that should have knocked him to the ground.

“Come on, Daryl. We’re the first ones to meet his girl, so what does that tell you? Caleb trusts us and thinks of us as his family. If you tease him or give him a hard time in front of her, he won’t be open and come to us with advice any more. Got it?”

“I’m just playin’,” Daryl said. “But you’re cute when you’re flustered.”

They finally reached the gate, and Caleb gave a huge smile when he saw them. “Hey guys! I want you to meet someone.” Caleb took her hand and gazed at her. “This is Sheila. Sheila,” he said looking from Aaron to Daryl. “This is my … adopted family, Aaron and Daryl.”

“Hi,” Sheila said shyly. She was a pretty thing, slender, long blond hair, dressed in blue jeans and a blue and white flannel shirt that was a couple sizes too big. Aaron noticed a slight scar on her left cheek, and wondered what the story was. He offered her a hand to shake and she took it. “It’s so nice to meet you, Sheila.”

“It’s nice to meet you too,” she said sweetly.

Daryl leaned forward and wiped his hand on his pants before he gave it to her to shake. She did as before and shook it. “Hey,” Daryl said in his usual terse manner.

“Nice to meet you Mr. . . .” she hesitated.

“Just Daryl,” he replied.

“Daryl,” she repeated with a smile and turned to Aaron.

“Aaron is fine,” Aaron said when he saw she was waiting for proper names to this introduction.

“This is a very nice community you live in,” Shelia mentioned.

“Thank you,” Aaron answered. “Hilltop is quite the place too.”

“It is now that Maggie and Jesus are running things.” Shelia’s smile disappeared and she bowed her head. “I was very sorry to hear about Sasha. She trained me on how to use my knife, and we were starting on the gun when she . . .” She let her words die away quietly.

“We lost a dear friend and a great fighter. Sasha will be dearly missed,” Aaron added. “But that’s what this is all about.”

Sheila stood straight and looked back and forth to Daryl and Aaron, meeting each one in the eye as she spoke. “I want all of this to end. I want to see Negan and his men dead for what they’ve done to us, and I’m willing to do what I must for the cause.”

Caleb took her hand and squeezed it. “Sheila’s brother was killed by Simon.”

Aaron’s breath hitched. “Jesus told us about a boy they killed. That wasn’t–”

Sheila nodded her answer. So the sixteen year old the Saviors used as an example to force the Hilltop to submit to their demands was Sheila’s brother. “I’m sorry for you loss,” Aaron said sincerely.

“We’re gonna make them pay. We’re gonna make them all pay for what they’ve done,” Daryl seethed. Amazingly, he was no longer the playful, sexy Daryl that Aaron had just been flirting with. This was the one he’d seen in battle, the one willing to die, and it worried him a little that Daryl could flip so easily.

“So … uh … did Caleb get to show you around the town?” Aaron said to bring the conversation back to a lighter subject.

“Yes, he showed me the food pantry, the infirmary, and the lake with the gazebo,” she said, smiling at Caleb when she mentioned the gazebo.

“Did you get a look at the solar panels?” Daryl asked.

“He told me about them,” Shelia answered.

“Didn’t get back that far?” Daryl said, his tone slightly accusatory, but in an easy manor.

“Daryl. Aaron. I need you both at my house,” Rick called out to them. They turned to see Rick talking with Maggie and Ezekiel across the way. “We need to have a meeting before they leave.”

“Sure thing,” Aaron answered. He turned back to Caleb and Sheila. “Well, it was very nice meeting you, Sheila, but I’m afraid duty calls. I hope we see you again.”

“Yeah, maybe when this mess is all taken care of, we’ll come visit you and Caleb at the Hilltop,” Daryl added.

Sheila looked confused by the comment. “Uh, me and … Caleb?”

“Oh yeah … um … we didn’t quite get to that yet,” Caleb said to Daryl, talking from the side of his mouth. He laughed nervously and looked back at Sheila. “Yeah … uh … I was kicking around the idea of moving to Hilltop … you know … to get another perspective on how other communities live.”

“You would leave this place to come to Hilltop?” Sheila asked. She sounded hopeful.

“Well, to train with M-Maggie, and … to uh … to . . .” Caleb stammered.

“Just to train?” Sheila asked, the corners of her lips trying to form a smile she was hiding.

“And … to um … to be … c-closer … to you. But only if that’s okay with you,” he added for good measure.

“I would like that,” Sheila said, and she took Caleb’s hand in hers.

“Aaron! Daryl! Now please,” Rick called out again.

“Gotta go,” Daryl said. He turned to leave and grasped Aaron’s shoulder to drag him along.

“Okay. We’re going. Caleb, gather up some fruit for Shelia’s trip back to Hilltop. Again, nice meeting you,” Aaron rushed to say as Daryl pushed him along.

“She seems nice,” Aaron stated as they made their way down the street to Rick’s house.

“They definitely did it last night,” Daryl said.

“You don’t know that. What makes you think–”

“They only got as far as the gazebo. That and the way she was looking at him when she mentioned it. Yep, they sealed the deal.”

“You’re impossible,” Aaron laughed.

They arrived at Rick’s house and went inside. Everyone was in the living room, Maggie, Ezekiel, Carol, Jesus, Tara, Morgan and Rick. They discussed what happened the previous day, and they talked about Dwight. Daryl had shown Rick the wood carving, and said he wasn’t convinced Dwight was on their side. Rick argued that Dwight’s plan to disable the Sanctuary and then take the outposts was not such a bad plan after all.

“It needs some tweaking, and it all needs to happen without a hitch. First, we have to figure out what we do with the Sanctuary. There’s too many of them, even with the Kingdom and Hilltop. We can’t fight them all, but we can keep them occupied,” Rick explained.

“How do you propose to do that?” Carol asked.

“We use a heard,” Maggie said. “We somehow lead it there, and trap everyone inside. While they’re dealing with walkers, we take out the outposts.”

“We need to do more than that. We need to take their weapons,” Jesus said. “We know they store them at these outposts.”

“We need specifics if we’re going to pull this off. There won’t be much time. Negan has the firepower at the Sanctuary. He’ll be able to clear a path through the heard and send his army. We have to have control of the outposts and the weapons before he can do that,” Rick said.

Daryl listened to everyone’s ideas of how to go about this massive movement. There was one key to it all, Dwight. “First thing we gotta do is contact Dwight. He’s our insider. We need maps of these compounds, where weapons are stored, how many people occupy each one, and where all the guards are stationed. We go in fast and hit them hard.”

“And we kill everyone that gets in our way,” Tara said in a dark tone.

Jesus jumped in with this concern. “We don’t kill them all. What about the workers Dwight mentioned? There are people amongst the Saviors who are only there because they are scared. They aren’t fighters. Dwight seems to think we can get these people on our side.”

“We can’t trust a single one of them,” Tara said, and Daryl had to agree.

“Being scared makes them dangerous,” Daryl added to Tara’s comment.

“For now, let’s figure out a plan,” Rick said to steer everyone back to the subject. “Daryl, you get a message to Dwight. Tell him what we need from him. We’ll wait until he sends us the information, and then we start sketching this thing out.”

When the meeting was through, Aaron pulled Daryl to the side. “How are you going to get a message to Dwight?” he asked with concern.

“I have to go to the Sanctuary. That’s where he is,” Daryl said.

“I don’t like this,” Aaron stated. “If they catch you –”

“They won’t. Dwight’s waiting to hear from us, and he probably can’t get away from the Sanctuary right now. Things are too heated. Negan’s on edge. I have to go to him.”

“I’m going with you then,” Aaron told him.

“No, you’re not and that’s final,” Daryl countered.

“You can’t tell me what I cannot–”

“This time I have the say in this, and I say you stay here. I’m taking my bike. If I have to get out fast, or if they come after me, they can’t catch up to me on my bike.” Daryl cupped the side of Aaron’s face. “But the odds are they’ll never know I was there.”

Aaron agreed. He had no choice in the matter. All he could do was nod. “When are you going?”

“Now. This needs to get rolling quickly before Negan is done licking his wounds.”

Aaron’s hand moved to the back of Daryl’s neck. He pulled him in and kissed him. “Be careful,” Aaron said, stressing the words.

“I will. I promise.”

>>------->

It was the end of the day by the time Daryl came home. He’d had no incidents. No one saw him. He met with Rick and the rest, and told them how he saw Dwight outside working on his bike and waited until he was alone. Then he shot an arrow with a note taped to the shaft. He waited for Dwight to send back an answer. He agreed to give Rick all the information he needed. It would take some time. Dwight asked for a week, and he would have a map of each outpost, including guards.

In the meantime, Rick and the others started forming a plan. They knew there was a very large herd near the Sanctuary, and they knew there were three main outposts heavily guarded. First, they would confront Negan at his home, distract him from what was coming his way. The herd would be drawn to the Sanctuary, trapping Negan and his men inside. That would buy Rick and his people enough time to carry out the second phase of the plan, attack the outposts and take their stocked weapons. Once Negan dug he way out, Rick’s people would have control, and the majority of Negan’s weapons in their possession. The Sanctuary’s numbers would be depleted. Rick and the three communities would have the numbers and the weapons, forcing surrender. No one expected Negan to surrender, though. There would most likely be a final battle, but he wouldn’t win. Once Negan was thrown out of power, the workers or those not loyal to the Sanctuary would be given the chance to either join one of the three positive communities, or make peace and settle somewhere else.

“This is going to be one hell of a feat to pull off,” Aaron said to Daryl as they went home after the meeting.

“There’s only one thing I don’t agree on,” Daryl said, deep in thought about the whole plan laid out.

“And what’s that?” Aaron wondered.

“I don’t think we can trust any of them. They’ve been under Negan’s rule for too long. And there might be others that will try to take over where Negan left off.”

“So you want to what, kill all of them?” Aaron wasn’t surprised by Daryl’s mistrust. “There are families, women, children, husbands who were only trying to keep their loved ones safe.”

“All I know is that if they shoot at me, I will shoot back … and I won’t miss.”

“This isn’t just about killing, Daryl. It’s about having to find a peaceful way to live in the same vicinity as them. They’re not all going to die, but they must live by and respect our rules.” Aaron was trying to convince Daryl to see things his way. “We will end up neighbors with some of these people. We can’t keep fighting with them.”

“If they’re dead, there’s no threat,” Daryl said.

Obviously, Aaron wasn’t going to convince Daryl of anything tonight. “Well, I guess we’ll worry about it when we come to that point. Right now, we have a lot of prep work to do. Tobin and some of his workers are going to gather up extra metal from the wall. We’ll fortify the cars with it, and use that when we go to the Sanctuary to confront Negan.”

“I can’t wait to see the look on that bastard’s face,” Daryl said, a maniacal huff of a laugh escaping his lips.

“That’s one man I have no trouble seeing dead on the ground in a pool of his own blood,” Aaron added.

“So violent,” Daryl teased playfully. “And sexy.”

“You like that, huh?” Aaron said, one brow raised.

Daryl jumped in front of Aaron and walked backwards. His eyes scanned Aaron from head to toe as he moved. “I like you naked … beneath me … writhing … calling out my name.” He stopped walking, making Aaron stop too.

Aaron reached up and flicked the collar of Daryl’s black shirt. “I think that can be arranged.”

Daryl grabbed the front of Aaron’s jacket in his fist and pulled him close. Their eyes locked in challenge, but it was Daryl who kissed him first. Aaron could feel the need pulsing in Daryl’s veins. “We better hurry then,” Daryl said quietly, and they rushed to get home.

They would spend the next week or so working diligently during the day, making preparations for the war, and making love through the night. Aaron forgot about Daryl’s suicidal episode with the Saviors, and he didn’t mention how to handle any Saviors who surrendered during the fight. Right now, they just needed to be together whenever they had a quiet moment, and spend this precious time in the comfort of each other’s company. They were both confident that they would make it out of this alive, but neither one could shake the nagging feeling that these could very well be their last moments together. It was for this unspoken reason that they rediscovered their love every evening, and reassured each other that they would live to see an end to the Saviors rule.
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Safe Haven in the Chaos