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Safe Haven in the Chaos	By : IdrilsSecret Category: S through Z > The Walking Dead Views: 6517 -:- 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
- 91
- 92
- 93
Chapter 93 Old Friends, New Futures

As Daryl, Maggie, Carol, Kelly, and Maggie’s companions walked along a forest path, Daryl questioned her about where she’d been these past several years. Maggie told him how she went with Georgie and the twins, people that she’d come across years ago. She said she just couldn’t live in the same place where Negan was. It had become too much for her to take, especially since she felt that letting him live was more than he deserved. Georgie had been on a mission to restart communities that were trying to build something positive, and Maggie thought it was a noble cause. Unfortunately, it didn’t always turn out that way, and more often than naught, these communities fell. The last group they settled with was in Knoxville. When all seemed to be going well, Georgie got wind of a community out west. Maggie decided to stay where she was, feeling for once that this was a new beginning. That was the last time she heard from Georgie and her twin companions. But like with everything else positive in the world, Maggie’s new group was eventually destroyed. When Daryl tried to get her to tell him more about it, she clamped up, and told him she couldn’t talk about it. Maybe someday, but not now.

Eventually, she met up with the people she ran with now. At that point, she introduced her traveling partners. Cole was a tall, dark haired, well-muscled man. He was a warrior, always alert of their surroundings. Elijah was the masked Ninja, as Aaron referred to him. Daryl wondered what his story was, but didn’t ask.

“So, I thought I’d bring them back here and settle down at Hilltop once again,” she said, finishing her story.

Daryl and Carol shared a look that didn’t go unnoticed by Maggie.

“Why? What is it?” Maggie asked.

Daryl thought it was best that the news come from him. “Hilltop is destroyed,” he said somberly.

Maggie said nothing, only moved at a quicker pace now that they were close to the place she once called home. Daryl and Carol shared a look and followed her. They knew this was something she needed to see for herself. When they got to the walls, everyone became deathly quiet. Maggie gazed at the blackened walls and beyond to the great house, now charred and desolate, uninhabitable. The entire place was colored in black. The gardens were nothing but ash, as well as the outbuildings and the old FEMA trailers. It was gone … all of it.

“The Whisperers did this?” Maggie asked.

“And Negan. He was here that night, fighting alongside them,” Carol admitted.

Daryl’s head swiveled quickly. He was shocked that Carol would tell her this. But before he could stop her, Carol pushed away from him.

“It was you,” Maggie said accusingly. “You helped him escape.”

Daryl stood by nervously waiting to see Carol’s response. She didn’t have many friends these days, even after risking her life for the community. A lot of people still blamed her for the escalated attacks from the Whisperers. Daryl, himself, still blamed her for what happened to Connie. But the fact was, what people saw as a lack of good judgement on her part was what led to their defeat over the Whisperers and Alpha. What he wasn’t convinced of was that they couldn’t have had the same outcome without Carol’s so-called help.

“We needed to take Alpha out and I saw an opportunity. I knew Negan could infiltrate their group, and work on the inside to destroy her. And it worked. Alpha’s dead,” Carol justified.

“But at what price?” Maggie whispered as she gazed somberly at the charred remains of the place she used to call home.

“Nothing comes without a price anymore,” Carol responded softly as Maggie turned and walked away, her companions following.

Daryl and Carol stood a moment longer. He waited to see what she would do. “You didn’t have to tell her now.”

“Yes, I did. She needed to hear it from me. It’s better this way. Now she knows why Negan is still with us, still alive.” Carol turned to look at Maggie walking away and shook her head. “I think it’s best if I don’t go with you this time. She’s going to need some time to sort this out, and she doesn’t need me as a reminder. I’m going back home. They’ll need me there anyway.”

Daryl knew there was no changing her mind, and she was probably right. He gave her a nod and headed off with Maggie and the others. He glanced back and watched Carol turn for Alexandria, and hoped these two women, his friends, would eventually sort this out.

>>------->

Aaron approached Alexandria with the rest of the group, and was stunned by what he saw. The walls were down in several areas. The smithy, the stables and several other outbuildings were burnt and destroyed. Their crops were trampled, and their food stores were obliterated.

Alden came up next to him, a look of devastation on his face. “I don’t understand. When you and I left, the herd was walking away through the front gate.”

“It wasn’t the herd that did this,” Aaron said with anger. Then he heard someone say something about the houses, and he took off at a run to see if his home was still there.

Some of the houses closest to the destruction were partially burned, but not demolished. They could be fixed and made livable again. And as he rounded the corner to his street, he could see that none of them were touched. What the Whisperers had done to Alexandria was an afterthought, but they hit them where it hurt most. The food was gone, and their numbers were now more than doubled with Hilltop joining the community. Hilltop was at full capacity when the Kingdom settled down with them. Three communities all living in once place, and the important parts of their livelihood destroyed. Where were they all going to live? How were they going to feed all these people? It was too much to think about right now.

Gabriel had called an emergency meeting with the council, or what was left of it. He also invited a few of the leaders from Hilltop to join in as they tried to figure out where to start. “First things first. We need to get the walls back up,” Gabriel started. “I want guards stationed outside to take out the threat of any walkers so we can get the walls up as quickly as possible. And then, I need everyone to go to their houses and collect whatever food they have. Bring it to the infirmary. We need to take stock and start rationing it out. Anyone skilled in hunting, now would be a good time to put that to use. We’ve almost tripled our numbers, and as you all can see, we no longer have the ability to feed them as we would have before. Crops can be regrown. The kitchen and the mess hall can be rebuilt, but it’s going to take time. We’re still in the growing season, but we won’t have enough to get us through the winter. I want to establish teams of scavengers to go out and see what they can find. We’ll get through this, but we all have to do our part.”

When Gabriel was finished speaking, people gathered in their different groups. Not one person wasn’t assigned to some sort of task. It would take everyone to do this. Aaron told Gabriel he would head up the first group of scavengers, but Gabriel asked him to stay for now. “If you’d organize a run, that would be great, but I’d appreciate it if you stuck around and helped us with the construction. We need to get these walls back up first and foremost.”

Aaron agreed and set off to gather those who he knew would be most efficient to make a run. He gave them some locations of places to try, but they were mostly on their own. The days of scavenging had been behind them. After all these years since the fall, most places were empty. Alexandria had cleaned out a lot of them over the years, and he couldn’t imagine there was much left, if anything, that wouldn’t be spoiled. However, they had to try.

This was a devastating blow for their people, especially after all they’d been through. Fighting the Whisperers had taken a long time. It had cost them many people’s lives, and now Hilltop was gone. No other war they’d fought in had cost them this much. It made their war with the Saviors look like a scuffle.

Speaking of Saviors, Aaron glanced over his shoulder and watched Negan helping clean out one of the outbuildings. He didn’t know what to think about that. Actually, he wondered why Negan hadn’t slipped away during the night one of these times. He was no longer a prisoner. No one really cared if he stayed or went, but here he was, helping Alexandria back on its feet. Did he actually give a shit, or did he have ulterior motives? Only time would tell.

Lydia came out of the building where Negan was. Aaron watched as she stopped to talk to him. Her head was bowed as she spoke, and he wondered what she was saying. Negan laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and gave her a nod as he responded. Then she slipped her arms around him. Negan held her with care. When they separated, he gave her a sympathetic smile and watched her walk away. Aaron knew they had a connection. He and Daryl didn’t like it, but there wasn’t anything they could do about it. Lydia and Negan were the outcasts. They were the ones who never really fit, even after everything Aaron and Daryl did to help Lydia integrate into the community. She was more accepted now than ever before after proving her worth recently, and leading the horde to the cliff. Negan hadn’t done anything to regain any honor. A few people would have liked to see him gone, but most just ignored him. As long as he pulled his weight, they didn’t care. They were the ones who hadn’t been there when the Saviors attacked. They hadn’t been there that night in the woods, on their knees, waiting for that barbed wire bat to come down on their heads, and fearing for their loved ones to be the recipient of Negan’s punishment. Whenever Aaron started to feel the slightest bit of sympathy for this man, he remembered that night. He remembered watching Daryl bleeding as Dwight stood behind him with a gun to his head. He remembered how their eyes met across the way, fearing that it would be the last time either of them would see each other alive. Aaron remembered watching helplessly as Daryl was thrown into the back of that truck, taken away and not knowing what would happen to him. And all this after watching two of his friends brutally murdered by the same man that was now hugging Lydia like a father hugged a child. Could someone so evil really redeem himself after all these long years? Something told Aaron that the evil he had seen then could never be completely purged. Perhaps that’s what Carol had seen, and why she’d chosen Negan to take out Alpha. She knew that part of him was still buried inside, waiting for another chance. Better it was Alpha than one of his own, but it only proved that the old Negan still thrived somewhere inside.

“Hey Aaron, mind giving me a hand here?” Alden called, pulling him from his thoughts.

“Sure,” Aaron answered, and he got to work rebuilding the walls.

>>------->

Daryl kept an eye on Maggie from a distance. She pushed the group forward until late in the day. Elijah, the masked man, signaled to his partner, Cole, that they were quickly losing daylight. Cole informed Maggie that they needed to find shelter soon. When she insisted on continuing a while longer, Cole reasoned with her, and she listened. She said she knew of a fenced in lot that housed several shipping containers. Apparently, she’d been there before and used it for shelter. Daryl was impressed with her knowledge of the area. He also wondered how she’d only been a few days from home, but never came back.

When they got to the lot, there were a few walkers roaming around. They were tired and hoping to just find a place to get some rest, but they would have to work for that privilege. Daryl and Kelly glanced at each other, and with an eyeroll, they got to work. What they thought would be an easy job turned out to be more than they wanted. One of the containers was full of the dead, and they were about to make their way free of their prison. Maggie rushed over and pushed on the container door just in time, but the walkers inside were fighting like hell to get free. When Daryl heard Maggie cry out, he ran to her and saw blood on her hand.

“You alright?” he asked, fearing she’d been bit.

“I cut my hand is all. We gotta get this door closed.”

Daryl and Maggie pushed, but it wasn’t enough. Then Cole came to her aid. The three of them finally got the door closed and latched. The yard was secure for now. Everyone found a place to rest for the night. Kelly helped Maggie patch up her hand. Daryl, Cole and Elijah made one more pass around the lot before they settled in for the night. When he had a moment to himself, Daryl went to check on Maggie.

She was sitting inside one of the containers with Kelly. Someone had given Kelly some fruit. She was just finishing up when Daryl arrived. “We need someone to take first shift,” Daryl said. Kelly didn’t hesitate to volunteer. She stood and left the container, patting Daryl’s arm as she passed by him. Then Daryl sat down next to Maggie. “How’s the hand?” he asked.

“I’ve had worse. It’ll be okay,” she said with a forced smile. It was clear that her mind was on something else.

“What happened?” Daryl asked with compassion. “Why didn’t you come home?”

“I wanted to. After Georgie left, and after Knoxville, I started to come back, but I took a detour. My grandmother had a place near the ocean, so I went there. I wanted Hershel to see the ocean, and I needed time to decompress. It was good for a while, and Hershel loved playing in the sea. For a time, it almost felt … normal again. There were no walkers, no threats of any kind. It was unrealistically peaceful.”

“Why’d you leave then?” Daryl wondered.

“I was out gathering food when I came across some people who needed help, and I realized I needed them too. So, we left, found a place to settle down and tried to make something of it. What we didn’t know was that we weren’t alone. We were being hunted by a group we called the reapers. We moved on. I was hoping to eventually bring them to Hilltop. In the meantime, I remembered our mail system. I decided to contact Hilltop before bringing my group in, especially with the Reapers following us. So, we moved again, found a place and reinforced it as best we could. Then, I headed out with Elijah and Cole. When I found the letter Carol wrote, I was devastated. I couldn’t believe all the loss you’d suffered. Enid, Jesus, Tara, Henry … it hurt to read about it. The letter mentioned the Whisperers and Alpha. I knew it was bad, and that you’d need my help.” Maggie paused and smiled. “Aaron and Alden were the first ones I came across, and not a moment too soon. Then we went to the hospital, found Gabriel in trouble and saved him. The rest you know.”

“Are you gonna come home now?” he asked, hopeful that she didn’t need to run anymore.

Maggie was silent for a long while before she answered. “The reason I left in the first place was because I needed to get away from the burden of seeing … him. He was a constant reminder of what I’d lost,” she said, speaking of Negan. Her lonely, sad eyes rolled up to meet his. “I don’t know,” she said, finally answering his question.

“He’s helping out so we’ve kept him around, but he’s done his part. Alpha’s dead. Doesn’t mean he’ll be allowed to stay,” he assured her.

Maggie gave a nod and quickly changed the subject. “And what about you? Married? I almost can’t picture it. Daryl Dixon … married,” she teased.

Embarrassed, he bowed his head and pushed dirt around on the container floor with the heel of his boot. “It was spur of the moment. Gabe did it just before me and Aaron headed out after the Whisperers.” Daryl shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. Something came over me, and it just felt like something we needed to do. We’d talked about it a little before.”

Maggie glanced down at his hands. “No ring?”

“Like I said, spur of the moment.” He huffed a laugh. “Aaron wants a ceremony and celebration when I get home. You know me. I’m not much for being the center of attention, but it’s for Aaron.”

“It’s for you too. You deserve to be happy. I’m so happy for you both. Before I left, you weren’t even on speaking terms,” she reminisced.

“Yeah. That was a bad time. I lost my way for a while. Like you, I left. While I was gone, Aaron moved on with Jesus.”

“Really? I used to correspond with Jesus and he never mentioned it,” Maggie said as she remembered that time.

“They were pretty private about the whole thing, I think. They were still together when Jesus died. I was there when it happened, not long after I came back.”

“So, you were there for him during that time,” Maggie said and Daryl nodded. “What about you?” she asked. “Did you move on with anyone else?”

Daryl thought it was odd that she asked, but he didn’t mention it. He kept his head bowed and started picking at an old blister on his thumb. “I had Dog,” was all he said.

“Where did you get him, anyway?” she asked curiously.

“That’s a story for another time,” he answered. The conversation ended at that point. It was a difficult time to talk about, something Daryl had never spoken of to anyone, not even Aaron.

Maggie smiled. “Well, the important thing is that you and Aaron are together now.” She grabbed his upper arm and squeezed. “And married?” she said with pure joy.

“I hope you’ll at least come home for the celebration,” Daryl mentioned as a way of getting her to come to Alexandria after they found the rest of her group. “Even if you decide not to stay.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Maggie searched around in her bag and took out a pouch of deer jerky, handing it to Daryl. “So, will there be a honeymoon too?”

Daryl ripped a piece of jerky off with his teeth and slowly chewed. “Just being able to sleep in my own bed, and not have to do anything is honeymoon enough for me.”

“You know, if you really wanted to get away, you could always go to my grandmother’s place. It’s far, maybe a five or six day walk, faster on horse. But it’s quiet and it was safe while I was there, remote,” Maggie offered.

“Thanks,” Daryl replied, and he filed it away to ask Aaron about later. He stood and brushed the dirt from his pants. “Well, I’ll let you get some rest. Kelly volunteered to take the first shift.”

“I’ll relieve her in a few hours,” Maggie said. “You get some rest too.”

Daryl opened the container door and glanced back at Maggie. “I’m glad you’re alright. I worried about you when you stopped leaving letters. And I hope you’ll consider staying when we get home.”

“Thanks,” Maggie smiled. “Goodnight, Daryl.”

>>------->

Several days had passed since Aaron got home. He’d spent that time helping to clean up the mess the Whisperers left behind. The wall would go back up, and the buildings would be repaired, but their main concern was food. There were so many people in Alexandria now, and he worried how they would get through winter at this point. It was still a few months off, but that wasn’t very long. The groups that went on scavenging runs were coming back with barely anything. They even went back to Hilltop to see if something remained, but the fire destroyed it all. The crops were turned to ash, and the canned goods had boiled and broken due to the extreme heat of the fire. The only thing the scavengers came back with were some knives and spears they found in the burned out smithy.

Aaron was helping to install another panel of the wall, his shoulder braced up against the corrugated metal, when he heard people approaching. He looked up and saw Daryl with Maggie, Kelly, and a few others. One of them was a boy, the spitting image of Glenn, or Glenn when he was young.

“Oh my God,” he said to himself, and when he was done with the panel, he went to them. First, he pulled Daryl into his embrace. “I’m so glad you’re home,” he whispered into his neck.

“I’m glad I’m home too,” Daryl said back, but when they separated, his sight fell upon the devastation. “What happened here?”

“Payback from the Whisperers,” Aaron answered. “We’ve been working around the clock, but there’s so much to do. I’m afraid our celebration is going to have to wait,” he said somberly.

“That doesn’t matter for now,” Daryl said.

Aaron looked at Maggie again, and noticed she only brought her son, and the same two people she’d brought with her before. “I thought you said you were bringing the rest of her people here.”

“This is them,” Daryl said. “When we got to their hideout, it was burned to the ground along with two bodies. We found three more of her people in the woods, but a sniper eventually got them too.”

“A sniper?” Aaron asked, confused.

“This guy was full military. Maggie and I got to him, tried to get information from him, but he had a grenade and . . .” Daryl made a sign with his hands like something exploding. “He was part of some group that was following her and her people. They refer to them as the Reapers. That’s all I know about it. These people here, they’re all that’s left of her group. The dark-haired guy is Cole. The masked man is Elijah. He’s just a kid, about Kelly’s age.” After he debriefed Aaron, Daryl turned back to Maggie and the others, and lightened the mood for the sake of Maggie’s son. “Look who’s here,” he said to change the subject.

Aaron went to Maggie with a smile and hugged her. When he stepped back, he looked down at the boy. “And who do we have here?”

“Aaron, this is my son, Hershel,” Maggie said with such pride.

Aaron got down on one knee and smiled at the boy. “Hello, Hershel. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Maggie put a hand on her son’s shoulder. “This is Aaron and Daryl, two very good friends of mine.”

“Hi,” Hershel said with his head held high and a smile on his face. “Nice to meet you too. Mom’s told me a lot about you. And she said you have a daughter … Gracie. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a friend my age.”

Aaron looked up at Daryl, who was trying not to laugh or smile too big. “Yes, we do have a daughter, and I’m sure she’ll be glad to meet you too. There’s also Judith–"

“Judith and R.J.,” Hershel interrupted. “Mom told me all about them too. I can’t wait to meet all these people that I’ve only heard stories about.”

“Well, we can sure make that happen, can’t we Daryl,” Aaron said. He glanced up at Maggie to see if she had anything to add, but she wasn’t paying attention anymore. Her face was stone cold as she looked across the way.

Aaron followed her gaze and saw Negan standing in the doorway of one of the newly rebuilt buildings. He took his work gloves off and was about to get a drink of water from a pail, when he must have sensed he was being watched. His eyes fell on Maggie, and in an instant, the tension surrounding them was like none they’d ever experienced before. Maggie seemed visibly upset, but she reined in her emotions quickly before Hershel noticed something was wrong.

“Are we going to live here?” Hershel asked from her side.

Maggie drew herself up, squared her shoulders, and stuck her chin in the air. “Yes. We’re home.” She stepped forward with Hershel’s hand in hers, and Cole and Elijah in tow. “Come on. It’s time I introduced you to everyone.”

Aaron and Daryl watched her with astonishment. “She’s taking it quite well,” Aaron commented.

“She has no choice,” Daryl said. He gave Negan a hard look. “Shit,” he said when he realized something that probably triggered Maggie.

“What is it?” Aaron asked.

“Negan … he’s wearing the jacket,” Daryl pointed out.

“He’s been wearing the jack–" Aaron cut himself off when the realization behind its significance became clear. It wasn’t just any jacket. It was THE jacket, the one Negan was wearing the day he killed Glenn and Abraham. “Shit,” Aaron complained.

>>------->

Later that night, Aaron and Daryl went home for the first time in a very long while. They were both dirty and exhausted when they tucked Gracie in for the night. She complained that she was too old for tucked blankets and bedtime stories, but they did so anyway. Both men were just glad to be together as a family again.

Even Lydia was back home, downstairs in the office they converted into a bedroom. With so many added residents in Alexandria, now wasn’t the time for her to get her own place. Every spare room and empty garage in every house were needed. When the walls were fixed and food wasn’t an issue anymore, they would begin building new homes and start expanding the community to accommodate everyone. They wouldn’t be the luxury homes that already existed when the Safe Zone was first built, but they would be comfortable.

Aaron had already taken his shower, and was sprawled out on their bed. Daryl was in there now, washing away the dirt and grime from the past few days. The water turned off an a few moments later, Daryl emerged, skin glistening, wearing only a towel around his waist. Aaron observed him from the bed.

Daryl was pushing fifty, but he rocked the body of a thirty something. The life they led was very active and they were constantly pushing their bodies to their capabilities. It kept them both fit and muscular, perhaps one of the good things to come out of the apocalypse. Daryl’s body was very toned, especially his arms, Aaron favorite feature. Those arms could squeeze the life out of a foe, or hold him tenderly in an embrace.

Daryl approached the bed and collapsed next to Aaron. The bed bounced and creaked under his weight. He let out a long sigh and finally let go, becoming the man that only Aaron got to see when they were alone. Aaron turned on his side and draped his arm across Daryl’s chest. Daryl linked his fingers with Aaron’s, and they laid like that for a few minutes, unwinding, letting their minds empty of their concerns for a little while.

“You know,” Daryl said. “This is our first night as a married couple.”

“It is,” Aaron agreed, smiling against Daryl’s neck. He laid gentle kisses down to his collar bone. His fingers slipped out from between Daryl’s and moved seductively to the edge of the towel, pulling it loose. One edge fell away, exposing Daryl’s naked hip. Aaron’s fingers danced lightly down Daryl’s side, creating goosebumps on his arms and legs. A visible bulge appeared beneath the towel, and Aaron bit down lightly on Daryl’s shoulder. His hand moved beneath the towel, finding Daryl half-hardened and growing. The other edge of the towel slipped down, exposing all of his body.

“You are so fucking sexy,” Aaron whispered, his hot breath caressing Daryl’s ear.

Daryl allowed Aaron to seduce him a minute longer. He felt the weight of Aaron’s body pressing against his side, hard and heavy. Then he rolled over so that he was on top of Aaron. He gave a nudge to the inside of Aaron’s thigh, signaling for him to spread his legs. Aaron obliged and Daryl slithered onto his body. Aaron brought his legs up, wrapped them around Daryl’s waist and exhaled a moan from the anticipation of knowing what was to come.

Daryl moved slow and deliberate tonight, wanting their time together to last. Tomorrow might have them going their separate ways again. One never knew with the way things were right now. Alexandria was in disarray. But right now, it was just the two of them, and they would make this night count.

Aaron moaned as Daryl entered him, his legs squeezing tighter around his waist. Daryl pushed up on his hands so that he could look down onto Aaron’s face. Their eyes connected as they established a slow rhythm.

“I love you so much,” Daryl admitted in a whisper, pushing his cock deeper until Aaron’s back arched off the bed. Daryl’s arm snaked around behind Aaron’s back, anchoring him in place, as he made several fast deep thrusts. He looked down at Aaron’s thick swollen prick, ready to release, and he eased off. Aaron’s eyes opened, a look of disappointment falling upon him. But Daryl was just repositioning. He didn’t want Aaron coming just yet. “Move up some,” Daryl commanded, and they both scooted up on the bed until the headboard was close. Then Daryl took Aaron’s hand and moved it to one of the spindles. “Hold on to that,” Daryl said seductively.

Aaron started to anchor his legs to Daryl’s waist again, but Daryl stopped him and pushed his thighs down so that his legs were spread wide. Daryl repositioned and picked his rhythm up again. He was done with his slow seduction, and moved faster, in and out. Aaron’s body slide against the sheets, causing friction to heat his skin. He tried to steady himself by grasping the headboard tighter, but with only one hand, it was difficult. Still, he didn’t much care, because Daryl was pounding into him like a jackhammer. Then he leaned down and pushed in, his cock touching Aaron in that special place that made him see the stars.

“Oh yes, right there!” Aaron said aloud.

Daryl kissed his neck as he hips gyrated, pushing deep, deeper, driving Aaron to completion by the sound of his moans. Daryl felt himself build too. He reached between them, and wrapped his fingers around Aaron’s prick. “Come for me,” he whispered into Aaron’s ear.

Aaron released a long moan. “Oh yeah,” he cried, careful not to be too loud.

Daryl’s hand was pumping Aaron’s prick in rhythm with his hips. When he felt the wet stickiness of Aaron’s release between their bodies, he pushed deep once more and released. His body pulsated as it spilled within the hot tight space. If only he could stay there forever.

Aaron’s fingers weaved their way through Daryl’s hair as they laid connected, both softening together while they caught their breath. “You think we’ll ever get too old to do this?” Aaron said with a smile.

“Never,” Daryl answered without hesitation. “I could be ninety, and just the thought of you would bring me standing.”

Aaron laughed and slapped Daryl on the arm. “If we can still get hard at ninety, then I’d say we’ve done something right.”

“It was all those preservatives they used to sneak in our food. That shit would eventually make you limp. At least that’s what my brother used to say.” Daryl was surprised he remembered something from so long ago.

“Well, if we don’t find food soon, we’ll be wishing we still had all that junk food.”

Daryl slid off of Aaron and got up. He went into the bathroom to get a couple towels. When he came back, he tossed one to Aaron and they cleaned themselves up. “I can try the hunting grounds,”
Daryl suggested. “Just because there wasn’t anything there last time doesn’t mean it will be barren now.”

“That’s worrisome,” Aaron said. “What are we going to do? How are we going to feed all these people?”

“We’ll find a way. We always do.” A thought came to Daryl as he climbed back into bed. “On my way back yesterday, I saw a downed tree. I thought we could go see if we can use it for the wall.”

“I could use the break. I’ve been working on the rebuild every day since I got home,” Aaron mentioned, and Daryl thought of Maggie’s offer.

“Hey, how about you and me take off for a little while … after Alexandria is settled again,” Daryl asked.

“Where to?”

“Maggie told me about this place that used to be her grandmother’s. It’s close to the ocean, and she said it was quiet. Hardly any walkers around that way. But it’s four or five days from here. We’d be gone two or three weeks.”

“A honeymoon?” Aaron asked.

“That’s what Maggie called it. What do you say?” Daryl waited for an answer.

“Are you trying to get out of having our celebration and the recreation of our wedding ceremony?” Aaron cocked a brow in question.

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, especially when we’re having a hard enough time finding food to get us through winter.”

“We’re doing this one way or another. Come on, Daryl. You promised that–"

“I know. I know.” Daryl rolled onto his side and pulled Aaron against him. “We’ll have the ceremony. Might not have chicken or fish for the guests to choose from. It might be a choice of beans or rice.”

“I don’t care about all that, but it would be nice to repeat the ceremony, maybe with rings this time, and with our friends and family there as witnesses,” Aaron said in hushed tones.

“Alright. You’ll get your day.” Daryl kissed his forehead. “If it makes you happy, I’ll always do my best to give it to you.”

“Is that right?” Aaron said impishly.

“Absolutely.”

“Then how about you make me happy in the morning … if you catch my drift.”

Daryl kissed him tenderly. “Anything for my husband.”
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Safe Haven in the Chaos