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The New Resident

Chapter 4

To help ease the agony of episode 616, I decided to post the next chapter early this week! Chapter five will be out this weekend too, so the double up will hopefully ease the agony of our sad, lonely Sunday’s.



If Rick had intended for his kiss to help her sleep that night, he was sorely mistaken. For the remaining hours until dawn came, Carrie was certain that she didn’t get another wink of sleep, her heart still pounding. As the two parted and went to their separate bedrooms, Carrie longed for the possibility that he’d join her, that he’d silently come through her bedroom door and slip into bed with her. A good romp in the sack would have definitely helped her sleep…even an only semi-decent romp would have been better than nothing. But Rick’s responsibilities kept them separate throughout the rest of the night, not that she blamed him for prioritising them.

Spending the rest of her first night in Alexandria alone in her bed, Carrie had restlessly awaited dawn, perhaps getting a little sleep in between her thoughts about Rick. It was nice to know that they were still on the same page, and when she finally arose the following morning, it was with a spring in her step. She rose early just before seven o’clock, though in comparison to the supply run this ought to be considered a sleep in. Little rays of light streamed in from the blinds, and after she dressed in the yoga pants and tank top she had worn yesterday, Carrie gladly opened them. There were four windows in her bedroom, each of them framing a different view of Alexandria, ones which she took the time to admire. There was no sign of activity outside, but the weather looked sunny and nice just as it had been yesterday.

With that in mind, she put on the bright orange and pink sneakers she had taken from Walmart, using her brand new hairbrush to fix her hair and tie it back into a pony tail. Going about her new morning routine, most of which she was still figuring out, she washed her face and applied a little moisturiser, and then in a state of disbelief she actually made her bed. This too was something she hadn’t done for quite a long time, and the simple act of straightening the sheets and tucking them under the mattress was soothing. No matter how busy her life had been, no matter how badly she was running late, Carrie had always made her bed with care. It was the only thing her housekeeper never had to do for her. Feeling warm with satisfaction, she took a deep breath before quietly opening her bedroom door and looking out.

Despite the early house, she was unsurprised that it appeared Carol and Michonne were awake already, their bedroom doors left open. Leaving her own bedroom door open too, Carrie crept across the threshold, not wanting to awaken anyone left sleeping in the master bedroom, whose double doors were the only ones left closed. Feeling surprisingly inquisitive, she paused and then peered into Michonne’s bedroom, amused to see she hadn’t yet unpacked her belongings from the supply run, and then peered into Carol’s bedroom. It was decorated just like her own and Michonne’s, the double bed neatly made and the few personal items neatly organised, but it was the personal item that sat on the bed pillows that caught her attention. It was a rag doll wearing a pink dress with two brown plaits that took Carrie’s interest. At the prison she’d seen Daryl taking it out of one of the cells, carefully wrapping it in a pillow case and then putting it safely into his own pack.

It didn’t take much to imagine that the doll must have belonged to someone Carol loved, most likely a daughter, but she knew better than to ask. These days, details of a person’s life were shared only when they were ready to…at least that’s how it ought to be anyway. Although she and Carol had made some small talk over a pot of tea the previous night, Carrie had learnt over time to limit her questions, to not pry. Looking away from the doll and ignoring her curiosity over it, she quietly slipped down the stairs, smiling as she detected the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Though she had politely refused all offers of coffee while they were on supply run, having an intense dislike for instant, the coffee Michonne had made yesterday had tasted absolutely divine. Eagerly making her way over to the coffee pot, she poured herself a mug and took a sip. Enjoying the taste immensely, she remembered to be a good house mate, noticing that the pot was low. Rick and Daryl were sure to be down soon, and they too would like their own cup. Putting in a new coffee filter, she added some more grinds and set it to brew.

Carrying her mug with her, Carrie slowly wandered around the kitchen and living areas, wondering why the blinds were still closed now that it was daylight. She was tempted to open them, but she hesitated…if Michonne and Carol were already awake, there was probably a reason they hadn’t been opened yet. Wondering where they had gone, she yawned as she began taking a look around. She had familiarised herself with the house yesterday, but the solitude now gave her the opportunity to look a little longer. Just like Deanna’s, this house was comfortably furnished and nicely decorated by whoever had lived here prior, but Carrie could see the little touches that clearly made this home belong to Rick’s group. Aside from Michonne’s ceramic cat on the mantle piece and her katana above it, the biggest indication that this was a family home was Judith. Her bottles were drying on the kitchen bench, and her toys and books were neatly organised in a plastic tub in the corner. The little touches that indicated her presence were sweet and homely.

Looking around a little more, Carried wandered into the dining room and admired the personal items on display. There were a few pictures in frames, and her eyes honed in on the one she had seen Carl putting up yesterday, ones they had retrieved from the prison. Of the three people in the photograph she recognised only two of them, although Rick and Carl looked considerably different than they did now. Considering the third face, Carrie knew that the woman with long dark hair had to be Lori. She studied her face carefully, knowing only very little about Rick’s late wife. Understandably, he didn’t bring her up much, the subject not really making for great pillow talk. Still, she was curious to learn about Lori, to know more about the woman who's loss had hurt Rick so badly. On that subject, she noticed another photograph, this one featuring people Glenn had already shown her photographs of. This one, perhaps developed from an instant camera, was of quite a few people, but the faces she was drawn to were Beth and Herschel, two more that she would never know, but who’s deaths had been major blows. There was another photograph from an instant camera, and though she didn’t recognise many of the faces, the fact that Glenn, Carol and Rick were in it indicated that it had been taken after the outbreak. Knowing she would never keep up with the group’s extensive history together, she peered at the unknown faces, wondering if the infamous Shane was among them.

The sound of crying brought Carrie from her thoughts, her heart beginning to pound as a feeling of unease came over her. It took a moment of listening to determine that it had to be Judith, but even then she did not relax. As Judith’s cries fell silent, there was a brief moment of reprieve before she started again, and this time she sounded genuinely distressed by something. Carrie’s instincts telling her that something wasn’t quite right, she slowly walked towards the hallway and looked towards the staircase and listened. Although the sound was clearly coming from the master bedroom upstairs, it was also coming from the living room behind her, the two sources echoing in an alarming chorus. Paralysed by confusion, she wondered where Rick was, why he wasn’t comforting his daughter. Was he alright? Had something happened to he or Carl during th-

Carrie gave a yelp of surprise when she heard sudden movement from behind her, and she turned just as a dark silhouette arose out of thin air. By the time her brain caught up with her and she recognised Daryl standing up from the couch where he must have been sleeping, she’d already embarrassed herself and spilt half her coffee. Clearing his throat and rolling his shoulders back, Daryl just shook his head at her in exasperation.

“You better switch to decaf, Blondie,” he muttered as he passed her and headed for the stairs.

Putting the pieces together, she slowly realised how silly she had been, and she took a slow breath to stem her momentary uncertainty. She was caught in the uncomfortable limbo between understanding that she was safe here in Alexandria, and her instincts still telling her to be on alert for absolutely anything. But things were different now, and a crying baby wasn’t reason to be alarmed. Slowly walking into the living room, she looked at the video baby monitor that sat on the coffee table, its presence explaining the dual sources of sound that had put her ill at ease. Picking it up, she felt a pang of sympathy as she looked at Judith in her crib.

She was standing at the rails and looking into the bed, crying as she came to realise no one was there, that she was alone. A moment later her expression changed, her cries fading as light filled the room from the open door. Daryl was there now. Though she felt like she was spying, Carrie watched a moment longer, stunned by the sweet way Daryl soothed her as he picked her up from the crib. While it was nice to see the paternal side of Rick, it was downright odd to see it from Daryl…he didn’t seem like the type to soothe a baby so expertly, and yet here he was, doing exactly that. As Daryl picked her up, Judith fell completely silent.

“I know, Ass-Kicker,” he muttered gruffly though the baby monitor. “Daddy’s gone, you’re brother’s gone, and you’re stuck with me. Life’s a bitch, ain’t it…”

Laughing at this, Carrie suspected Daryl wouldn’t have said that in front of Rick or Carol. Unable to see anything other than the empty crib, she put the baby monitor down and then hastily cleaned up the coffee she had spilt near the hallway. Figuring that she and Daryl were the only ones left in the house, she went about opening the downstairs blinds, still wondering where everyone else had gotten to so early. Straightening the couch pillows and neatly folding the blanket, she felt badly that Daryl was sleeping on the couch while she took his bedroom, despite Michonne’s assurance that he likely would have slept on the couch either way. She didn’t imagine that Daryl put much value in a nicely decorated bedroom with it’s own en suite. With a pang of guilt, she remembered the previous night when she had come down to make herself to tea, having completely forgotten that Daryl was asleep in the living room. She hoped she hadn’t awoken him.

When Daryl and Judith appeared a few minutes later, Carrie couldn’t hide the smile that appeared on her face. For all Daryl’s gruff and indifferent attitude, he was clearly smitten with Judith, and she suspected Judith felt the same. Content on Daryl’s hip, she held a piece of dark brown fabric against her chest, blearily rubbing her eyes as she looked around. There was a flash of disappointment on the little girl’s face when she saw only Carrie, and she suspected that she was looking for Rick or Carol.

“Mornin’,” Daryl greeted her properly now, grabbing a high chair from the corner and bringing it to the end of the bench. He tried to put Judith in it, but when she made soft protest he held her on his hip for a little while longer. “You eat yet?”

“Not yet.”

“You don’t gotta wait for permission, you know.”

“I know, thanks.”

Leaving his fussing at that, Daryl turned his attention to Judith now. “You want oatmeal or toast?”

Clearly knowing what she wanted, Judith pointed to one cupboard in particular, but when Daryl opened it and looked inside, he shook his head. “No, you ain’t allowed them.” Unhappy with this remark, Judith tried to protest. “No. Daddy says you can’t have Froot Loops. You don’t even like ‘em, girl!”

Judith appeared to disagree with this, and she insistently pointed to the box. Grumbling to himself, Daryl took the packet down and shoved his hand inside, pulling out a pink piece of cereal. He and Carrie both watched as Judith slowly took it and brought it to her mouth, looking rather pleased that she had won until she started pulling a face. Shaking her head, she took it out of her mouth and tried to give it back.

“No, you wanted it, you eat it,” Daryl told her sternly, putting the box back in the cupboard. “You want oatmeal or toast? Oatmeal or toast?” He suddenly smiled at her, easily interpreting the sounds she made to communicate. “Alright, both.”

Successfully putting her into her high chair now, he took away the brown piece of fabric she was clutching, ignoring her shout of protest. Telling her to behave herself, he passed her a sippy cup of water and then got to work, taking a loaf of bread from the pantry and slicing off a piece. Amused by their antics, Carrie watched the two of them as Daryl put the bread into the toaster. Waiting until Daryl wasn’t looking, Judith got Carrie’s attention and then held out the soggy Froot Loop she didn’t want, offering it to her. Stifling her laughter, Carrie just shook her head, nearly laughing again at what Judith did next. Checking on Daryl again, she simply dropped the Froot Loop to the floor and then thought no more of it. When Daryl put a plastic plate with peanut butter on toast in front of her, she cheerfully dove in, ignoring Daryl’s scolding when he noticed what she had done with the Froot Loop.

“She’s got you wrapped around here,” Carrie teased, holding up her little finger as Daryl began making a bowl of oatmeal.

“No, she ain’t,” he denied hotly. “She’s knows who’s in charge.”

“I like the way you talk to her,” she added next. “You know, without baby talk.”

He just shrugged at this, ignoring the compliment. “She can’t talk, but she ain’t dumb. She knows what we’re sayin’.”

“How did you get so good with kids?”

Again, he just shrugged. “Kids are easy…they’ll like anyone who feeds or plays with ‘em. They ain’t got no judgement neither.”

Carrie nodded in agreement, suspecting that Daryl’s nature hadn’t earned him much likability from some of the more conservative Alexandrian’s. To Carrie though, that was their loss.

Holding out a crust, Judith called out and got Daryl’s attention.

“Eat the crust,” he told her shortly. “It’s food.”

Judith’s expression fell at his refusal, and when she realised he wouldn’t budge the corners of her mouth turned downwards. Sticking her bottom lip out, it began quivering as she started to cry a little, protesting as she insistently held out the crust.

“Don’t gimme that look, Lori,” he told her, emphasising the name he called her. “It don’ work on me.”

“A’moh!” Judith insisted, managing to squeeze a single tear from her eyes.

“Oh,” Daryl said apologetically, understanding now. “Yah want more? Well stop licking it off, just eat the damn thing.”

Carrie smiled as he took the piece of crust and smeared on a tiny bit more peanut butter, satisfying Judith’s request. She took it back happily, but did indeed simply just lick it off. Her second request for more peanut butter was refused this time, the blow softened by the arrival of her bowl of oatmeal. Thoroughly pleased, she ignored Daryl’s attempt to feed her and went about the task herself, dipping the soggy crust into the bowl and eating it that way. Leaving her be, he poured himself a cup of coffee and topped Carrie’s up too.

“Yah want some breakfast?’ he offered her.

“Only if you’ll spoon feed me like Judith,” she teased.

He snorted in derision. “You gonna bite the hand that feeds yah? Alright, I see how it is.”

Laughing, she thanked him, accepting his offer of toast. Just as it was unusual to see everyone from the supply run in their homes and at ease, it was odd to see Daryl in such a domestic environment, cooking toast and looking after a baby. The three of them ate in silence for a little while, Daryl keeping an eye on Judith as she slowly dipped the toast into her oatmeal.

“So, what do yah think?” he enquired.

“Of your toast? Expert level, well done.”

Rolling his eyes, he gestured to the windows. “Of this place.”

“It’s….nice,” she said honestly. “Safe,” she added when Daryl scoffed a little.

“Mmm, it’s safe,” he agreed. “Safe enough for now anyway. What do you think of the people?”

“I haven’t really met any besides your group.”

“Lucky you.”

“Oh?”

“They’re living in fantasy land. They think the shit out there ain’t gonna get in one day.”

Carrie sighed. “It will,” she agreed. “So, where is everyone?”

“Carol’s at Natalie’s place. Michonne and Rick are out doing their rounds.”

“Rounds?”

Daryl nodded, pulling a face at Judith. “Yeah. They go out, keep an eye on the place, check the walls.”

“And Carl?’

“He’s probably on gate duty until they get back.” He sighed, drinking his coffee before glancing at her. “You gonna go out there sometime?”

“Outside the walls? Yeah. Rick said you’d take me hunting with you.”

Choking on his coffee, Daryl looked at her in alarm, his expression reminding her of the time she had asked for a try of his crossbow. Daryl really was just too easy to wind up. Realising she had been teasing, he just narrowed his eyes and then looked back at Judith.

“I’d like to go out sometime,” she answered his question. “Maybe for a jog or something. I think I’d go stir crazy if I only ever left to do supply runs.”

Daryl nodded, agreeing with her.

“I noticed you couldn’t wait to get out,” she commented. “You were gone all afternoon yesterday.”

“I was hunting” he answered shortly.

“I figured. You catch anything?”

He looked at her with a wry expression. “What do you think?”

Carrie just smiled at him, not needing to give an answer.

“Could yah watch her for me?” he requested, gesturing to Judith as he picked up his coffee. “I could use a smoke.”

“Oh,” she began, slightly alarmed at the thought. “W-what do I do with her?”

“Nothin’,” he said shortly, not understanding her apprehension. “Just make sure she don’t try to eat the bowl.”

“Alright,” she agreed, having no other choice considering Daryl was halfway out the door.

Both she and Judith watched him go, and Carrie was relieved that he didn’t appear to go any farther than the front porch. She looked back at Judith now, surprised to find that although she was content in her company, she appeared to be closely scrutinising her. Smiling uncomfortably, she waited for Judith to start crying or something, relieved when she did nothing of the sort. Seeing the opportunity, and likely figuring her to be an easy target, Judith picked up her crust and held it out to Carrie.

“Moh?”

Understanding what she wanted, Carrie hesitated before standing up. The crust was soggy and covered in oatmeal, but she satisfied Judith’s request for more peanut butter.

“I’m not above buying your approval,” she muttered, giving it back to her.

Pleased that she had found an easy target, Judith grinned as she took the crust back, licked off the peanut butter and then held it out again. “Moh?” She looked at Carrie expectantly, already knowing what would happen next.

Figuring this would be a repeated request, Carrie acquiesced one more time and then quickly put the peanut butter back in the cupboard, hoping that would be enough to deter Judith. She seemed happy enough now, having determined that Carrie was pretty easy to wrap around her finger. Perhaps babies could sense weakness in adults…she seemed smart enough to play on that. Thankfully she heard the sound of two people arriving, recognising Rick and Carol’s voices. As she too heard them, Judith turned around in her high chair and listened intently, calling out loudly when she recognised them. When they didn’t come in immediately, she called out again, sounding a little impatient.

“Yes, Miss Grimes?” Rick greeted her, finally coming inside the house. “What do you want?”

While Judith babbled happily, Carrie looked at Rick in astonishment, trying to hide the wide smile that was trying to cross her face. He was completely clean shaven this morning, the loss of his short beard showing off his jaw and mouth in greater detail. He certainly looked different, and it took Carrie a moment to realise that despite how much she had liked his short beard, God damn…she liked him without it too. She could observe the shape and colour of his lips now, and upon noticing this she couldn’t help but think about how much she’d like to kiss him. It would certainly be different, that was for sure.

He glanced at her now, but if he picked up on her staring at him he pretended not to notice. “Good morning,” he greeted her politely, picking up Judith’s spoon and scraping the bowl for her.

“Good morning,” she replied, averting her eyes before Carol caught her.

As Daryl and Carol lingered on the porch, discussing their plans for that day, Carrie got up and cleared the breakfast plates, emptying the crumbs into the compost and stacking the dishwasher. As she worked she watched Rick from the corner of her eye, observing the way he hustled Judith to finish the last of her oatmeal. She couldn’t quite get over how different he looked, the way the loss of his beard highlighted features she didn’t realise he had. His cheek bones and jaw were more evident now, as were his expressions as he helped Judith. His smile was easier to detect now, the curve of his lips echoed in his eyes…or perhaps it was just Judith bringing it out of him. Either way, he looked vastly different. She could more easily recognise the man in the family photograph she had seen in the living room.

“Are you done?” he asked Judith, showing her the empty bowl. “Do you want more?”

She shook her head. “Ta,” she said at his prompting, grinning at him.

Without fuss Rick quickly wiped her hands and face before picking her up, grimacing at the mess she had made. He went to leave with her, but at Judith’s loud protesting he turned around as he remembered something. Rolling his eyes, he grabbed the piece of brown fabric that Daryl had confiscated while she ate her breakfast. Satisfied, Judith clutched the fabric and let Rick put her down in the living room, happily peering into the plastic tub of toys when he tipped it over for her. Seeing that she was well occupied, he came back into the kitchen and ushered Carrie away from the highchair.

“I’ll clean it,” he insisted, taking the cloth from her hands.

She felt a spark when their hands innocently touched, but she kept a straight face and mentally told herself to settle down. There were other things to think about, things other than how much she wanted to kiss him and rub her hand over his jaw.

“When are we starting with the supplies?” she asked, keen to get started as soon as possible. Already she felt antsy to be occupied with a task, unsure of how she would fill her time otherwise.

Checking his watch, Rick answered. “Abraham is already getting ready. I’ve just got to get Judith dressed and pack her bag.”

“Where’s she going?”

“She’ll spend the day with Jessie.” Grabbing what looked like a lunch box, he began filling it with various snacks, choosing some crackers, raisins and what looked like a home made muesli bar. Taking out the left over lasagne they had eaten last night, he cut a portion and put it into a tupperware container, tossing it into the lunch box before adding two empty bottles with some powdered formula. “I can introduce you to her if you like.”

“To Jessie?”

He nodded. “You’ll probably like her. She’s not too…too much.”

“That would be nice, thanks. She’s the one who does hair cuts, right?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, giving her a strange look.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he quickly denied, looking away as Carol got his attention.

“We’re heading to the trucks,” Carol told him. “I’ll send Carl back to have some breakfast.”

“Thanks.”

As she and Daryl departed, Carrie tried not to smile as she realised they they were alone now, and while a part of her wanted to try and do something about that, she decided against it. They had work to do, things to accomplish. Looking at Rick now, she could tell that the same thought had just crossed his mind, so this time she didn’t bother hiding her smile. There was a long pause where they looked at each other across the kitchen, Rick no doubt thinking about the too brief kiss they had shared last night…Carrie sure was.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” she enquired, perhaps a little too politely.

He nodded slowly, clearing his throat. “You can pack her a few books and toys, please,” he requested, fetching a purple back pack from the closet by the front door.

“No problem.”

Leaving it at that, Rick swooped down on Judith and picked her up, blowing a raspberry onto her cheek when she wriggled around. As he disappeared upstairs to get her dressed, Carrie tried to make her best judgement on which particular things to pack for her, deciding that the ones she had been playing with then were a good guess. She tried to finish cleaning up the kitchen, but with very little that actually needed to be done, she took a seat at the island bench and then waited, eager to get to work.

Rick and Judith came back down a few minutes later, Judith fully dressed in a cute little dress and white tights. Hoisting Judith further up his hip, he clenched his jaw as he struggled to hang on to the items he had under his other arm. “Here, would you mind?”

Without giving it a second thought, Rick held Judith out to her. Rather intimidated, Carrie cautiously took her from him, holding her under the arms before awkwardly settling her onto her hip. Judith’s expression matched Carrie’s internal thoughts, and she looked up at her in abject horror. As though she didn’t quite trust Carrie to hold onto her properly, Judith clung to her tank top, her legs flailing as she looked around for Rick. As he stuffed Judith’s bag with a spare set of clothing, diapers, wipes and a pacifier, he glanced up and gave a low laugh.

“What?” Carrie asked in embarrassment, wondering how obvious it was that she wasn’t used to holding a baby.

“Nothing,” he smiled, coming over to her.

Carrie held her breath, wondering if he was going to kiss her, momentarily certain that he was. But instead he took the hand she had resting under Judith’s diaper and moved it further around, settling it on her thigh instead. Next he repositioned Judith up a little higher and settled her into the curve of Carrie’s waist, the position much more comfortable for both of them. Looking at Judith, she was relieved to note that she looked infinitely happier now, and her grip on Carrie’s tank top eased up a little.

“Better?” His hand lingered on the top of her arm, and she wondered if he was doing that on purpose.

“Yeah. Thanks.”

Not teasing her uncertainty, Rick just went back to the his former task, stuffing a few more things into the front pocket before giving the sippy cup a thorough wash. As they waited, Carrie tentatively smiled at Judith, relieved when she smiled back at her. Admiring the pretty dress Rick had chosen and the way her blonde hair curled at the base of her neck, Carrie thought that maybe she wasn’t so scary after all.

“She’s cute,” she complimented.

“Thanks,” he said, throwing the purple back pack over his shoulder. “Less so at three o’clock in the morning.”

“I bet.”

Putting a wide brimmed hat onto Judith’s head, Rick headed for the front door and opened the coat closet, taking out a folded up stroller. The three of them set off for Jessie’s, passing Carl as he returned to have some breakfast before starting work. Enjoying the sunshine, Carrie happily carried Judith for the short walk to Jessie’s house, saying hello to Maggie and Tara who were eating breakfast on their front porch. The walked in comfortable silence up to Jessie’s house, but from the corner of her eye she could see Rick looking over at her. Feeling a familiar jolt in the pit of her stomach, she wondered if he was checking on Judith or looking down the front of her tank top…with the way Judith was holding the front of it, the latter was quite plausible.

Upon arrival at Jessie’s house, Rick knocked on the red front door and expertly opened the stroller, snapping the braces into place and leaving it on the front porch for Jessie to use. Watching through the glass panes as a blonde woman approached, Judith started fussing in Carrie’s arms, sounding rather excited. The moment the front door opened Judith was leaning out of her arms towards Jessie, who greeted them all with a laugh of delight.

“Good morning, Judy,” she smiled, getting the hint and taking her. As she settled her onto her waist, she smiled again before turning to Rick and Carrie. “Come on in guys. Sam?” she called out. “Judy’s here.”

Following her inside, Carrie relaxed a little, instinctually knowing that she liked Jessie already. Just as she had come to expect, Jessie’s house was as comfortably furnished as everyone else’s, but her slightly bohemian style definitely shone through. In the corner stood an easel and canvass, but whatever it was she had painted was hidden beneath a black sheet.

“You must be Carrie,” Jessie began, ticking Judith who was trying to get her attention. “I’m Jessie, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too,” she smiled genuinely. “I’ve heard lots about you.”

“And you,” Jessie countered. “From the sound of it, we’re as lucky to have you as we are Rick’s group.”

Carrie laughed in surprise. “That’s nice of you to say,” she muttered, watching as Rick put Judith’s bag on the kitchen counter. As though this was a normal routine, he quickly unpacked it all and started filling Jessie in.

“She’s been biting her thumb a lot, so there’s extra band aids in the front pocket, as well as some Orajel. There’s Tylenol in the side if she needs it, she hasn’t had any today. I’ve packed her pacifier just in case she gets really fussy.”

“She’ll be fine,” Jessie assured him. “Besides, you or Carol won’t be far.”

“Yeah, I won’t be going outside the walls today,” he agreed, putting the lunch box into Jessie’s fridge. “The stroller is on the porch, and there’s spare clothes in the bag too. Just hand her off to one of us as soon as you’re sick of her.”

“Never,” Jessie grinned, glancing back as she heard someone on the stairs. “Pete’s so excited about today, he can’t wait to see what you got for the infirmary. He’s like a kid at Christmas.”

“Mr Grimes!” A whirlwind of blonde hair burst into the kitchen, a young boy arriving with great excitement. He spared Carrie a brief glance, but it was clear he was most excited by Rick. “Mom said I can help you today.”

“No,” Jessie corrected him hastily. “I said you can help your dad in the infirmary. You’ll only get in Rick’s way.”

Catching the look of relief on Rick’s face, Carrie hid her grin as Jessie introduced her to her Sam. A few minutes passed quickly, and before she knew it they were leaving, Rick having lingered long enough to make sure Judith had everything she needed. It was endearing to see him fussing like that, having always thought that it was only mothers who did that type of thing, not fathers. When he kissed Judith goodbye and headed for the door she began to cry loudly, wailing and reaching out for him despite Jessie’s attempts to soothe her.

“Go, just go,” Jessie waved him off, seeing him hesitate. “You’ll only make it worse if you stay.”

Taking her at her word, Rick just nodded, he and Carrie leaving without further ado. Not hiding her smile any more, Carrie watched the way Rick’s jaw tightened as he listened to Judith crying, and when they reached the pavement outside he stopped for a moment, listening. Barely ten seconds after their departure, Judith’s wails fell silent, and not another sound was heard from her…a moment later Rick relaxed.

“She does that to me all the time,” he muttered glumly, glancing back at the house as the two of them headed for the trucks. “She cries when I go, but she’s only pretending.”

Carrie laughed at this, amused by how he had momentarily struggled to leave. “She knows what she’s doing, I’ll give her that,” she chuckled, thinking about the extra peanut butter Judith managed to wrangle out of her.

“Yes, she does,” he agreed.

Reaching the five vehicles, Carrie was unsurprised to find that there were already people there, Abraham tilting his head as he peered into the back of the new truck, recalling the precise contents and trying to plan accordingly. As they waited, Rick made a few introductions for her, introducing her to Pete and then a few of the other women. They made small talk with Erin and Anna for a short while, and then typical of most men, Rick practically abandoned her. His attention diverted by someone else who needed him, Carrie quickly found herself alone with the other women, but to her relief they neither pestered her nor bothered her. In fact, just like her they were keen to get stuck into the work of unpacking the supplies, and when Rick caught her eye apologetically, realising what he had done, Carrie gave him a short nod.

“Carrie,” Deanna greeted her, turning up out of no where. “How are you?”

“I’m good, thanks,” she replied honestly, noting that the others slipped away to give them some privacy.

“You’ve settled in well? Are there any problems?”

“No, of course not. Everyone’s been great.”

“Good, I’m glad,” Deanna smiled, and just like she always did, it sounded like she truly meant it. “Well I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get stuck in to these supplies.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Hearing Abraham calling them all to attention, Carrie and Deanna headed over to join the growing crowd at the back of the truck. Nervous, she glanced at the many faces who were looking at her, curiously peering in her direction but pretending they weren’t. Already beginning to feel like an animal in the zoo, she breathed a long sigh of relief when Tara and Noah slipped through the crowd towards her, flanking her on each side as if to protect her.

“Thanks, guys,” she said gratefully.

“For what?” Noah frowned, but the small smile in the corner of his mouth indicated he knew what she meant.

“You know what for,” she muttered, trailing off as Abraham began barking his orders.

“Divide yourself in two! One group will be taking…”

Listening to his instructions, Carrie felt her nervousness turning into excitement, that feeling growing as she looked into the back of the truck. A sense of accomplishment and pride struck her, remembering that she had helped bring back all of this stuff, that despite the group having saved her, she’d worked herself hard to contribute, to pull her weight. Now that she was here in Alexandria, with even more members of her new group surrounding her, her sense of hope and awe was renewed.

It was difficult already…but she knew she could handle this.




It was barely nine o’clock in the morning, but already Rick felt like he had put in a full day of work. He’d slept on and off last night, awakening both to the innocent sounds of the night, and to Judith, whose descending tooth was causing them both a headache. He’d been up with her for a fair bit throughout the night, and just as he was ready to get up around five thirty, Judith all but passed out in his arms…it was a cruel twist that she went to sleep the moment he needed to get out of bed. Successfully putting her into her crib without awakening her, Rick simply got up and went about his day, knowing that there were many things to do.

He and Michonne had a prior agreement to get outside the walls before everyone else awoke, having arranged to meet Sasha out there too. When Carl had also roused, desperate to make himself useful, Rick had taken advantage of his eagerness. Asking Daryl to keep watch over Judith while she slept, Rick, Michonne and Carl had headed for the armoury, their apologies for waking up Olivia only half hearted. Arming themselves, they left Carl on gate duty and joined Sasha to make their rounds of the outside. He’d been out once the previous afternoon, but it had only been a quick look around as the sky grew dark, and he hadn’t made time to properly look for the Walkers with the W.

It hadn’t taken them long to find one that morning, and while Michonne kept watch Rick and Sasha took the time to carefully scrutinise the markings on the Walker’s forehead. Drawing on everything he had learnt from the police force, he carefully assessed the cuts, trying to determine if they had been made before or after the person had been killed. The cuts were straight and neat, with no indication that the victim had thrashed around in pain. Just as Carol had told him last night, the Walkers with the W didn’t appear to have been killed by the dead. As they walked around the walls and looked at each of them, Rick took care to pull back the clothing and assess the injuries, seeing only stabs and slashes that indicated cause of death, not bites or scratches. This knowledge was not of comfort to him, particularly given that he and Carrie had seen a Walker with the W further south two days prior.

Thinking of Carrie, Rick couldn’t help but smile to himself…as awkward as it might feel now that they were now room mates, there was no denying that the spark was still there. He’d taken a chance with her earlier that morning, kissing her in the middle of the dark hallway, relieved when she kissed him back. They would need to make time to talk, to simply catch up with one another, and then things would get easier. Once the fuss from unpacking the supplies had died down and normal life resumed, they would better understand the parameters of their relationship. Thinking about that morning, he smiled in amusement as he pictured the awkward way she had been holding Judith, scolding himself for just assuming she’d be comfortable with a baby she didn’t know. The worried look on Carrie’s face was nothing compared to Judith’s horror, the little girl clutching at Carrie’s tank top in fear of being dropped by this strange person.

When he’d gone to help her, to adjust the way she was holding Judith, Rick had to fight down the overwhelming urge to kiss her. He was close enough for sure, all he had to do was lean over a few inches and press his lips against hers, but for some reason he had resisted. The few short minutes they had spent together that morning had been pleasant, enjoyable even…he couldn’t help but look forward to more of those moments, even though he wasn’t supposed to. They were friends with benefits, nothing more…nevertheless, friends could still enjoy one another’s company.

Turning to his side to look for her, he cringed when he found that she wasn’t there, immediately realising he had forgotten to stay with her. Looking around, he found her standing at a distance, making polite small talk with Anna and her daughter Hayley, and he caught her eye apologetically, relieved when she just smiled and nodded. He was always being pulled in ten different directions, and it was easy to find himself being distracted from the more important tasks.

“Where did all of the surveillance equipment end up?” Rick enquired, trying to get back to the task at hand. Walking up the ramp into the back of the truck, he took out his flashlight and shone it around.

“The cameras from Walmart?” Abraham enquired. “They went in a box somewhere.”

“I thought I saw them going into a bag,” Aaron piped up. “One of those giant stripy ones.”

“Nah,” Daryl corrected them all, standing outside the truck with a cigarette. “They went in the back o’ the minivan. Put ‘em there myself.”

“Well they’re not there now.”

“No,” he agreed. “We put ‘em on the truck when we got the new one.”

Rick sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Which brings me back to my original question…where did they end up?”

“What you so worried for, Princess?” Daryl enquired, raising his eyebrows. “Here, you better ‘ave a puff of this,” he teased, holding out his cigarette.

Feeling his heart leap, Rick looked around for Carl, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw that his son wasn’t within ear shot. “Really funny, Daryl.”

“I didn’t know you smoked,” Aaron frowned.

“I don’t!”

Snorting at his expense, Daryl stubbed the butt out and stuck it into the packet, knowing he couldn’t get away with tossing them onto the street now he was home. When he joined them in the truck, it seemed his teasing was not finished. “He’s all sensitive about it. Won’t admit he fell off his high horse.”

Sighing, Rick looked to Abraham for help, all but pleading for it. Taking pity, Abraham got them into gear, moving to the rear of the truck and calling out for the community to crowd around. Waiting until everyone had come within earshot, he stood in the truck and began his instructions.

“Divide yourselves in two!” he called out, his crisp and no fuss tone reminding Rick that he was a military man at heart. “One group will be taking this truck around to the pantry, the other will be taking the military truck down to the shipping container by the solar panels. Now listen up, because I’ll only say this once. Any computers and surveillance equipment needs to go to Rick’s garage. Anything that looks like it could be used for camping, such as sleeping bags, tents, stoves, small generators…that all goes to my garage. Glenn and Eugene will be there throughout the day managing this area.

“Food and toiletries goes to the empty garage next to the pantry, not in the pantry itself. I repeat, not one damn item goes into rotation today. Larger equipment such as generators, solar panels and heavy duty batteries will go in the shipping container. Any and all medical supplies ranging from hospital monitors to cough drops go to the infirmary. Gardening supplies such as tools, greenhouses and bags of soil can go directly to the vegetable patch across from Rick’s house, and baby stuff goes to his garage too. Now this is the important part, Ladies and Gentleman, so stick your god damn ears on or I’ll tear them off your head.

“You see a weapon among these supplies? You do no touch it. You see a knife or a machete? Leave it. You see guns, grenades, ammunition, or magazines? You leave your sticky fingers in your pockets where they belong. We were thorough, there shouldn’t be a single firearm that is loaded, but unless you are one of those people whom I have already spoken to this morning, do not touch! Those other people I spoke to…report to Carl and his clipboard outside the pantry garage. He’s in charge of weapons.”

Listening to the surprised murmurs go around the community, Rick looked for his son in the crowd and found him, pleased to see that he looked happy with his assigned task. Abraham and Tobin would be nearby to help him should he need it, but his task for the day was a happy compromise between Rick wanting him to rest his leg, and Carl wanting to meaningfully contribute. Clearing and cataloging weapons could be done while sitting down, and there was enough of it to do to keep him occupied for the whole day.

“Is that clear as mud?” Abraham called out once more, looking around once more. “On a final note…supply runners. As per the usual understanding, aside from medical supplies and food, you can take whatever you please for your own use. That’s your payoff for taking this risk…if you bagged yourself an iPad, or a fancy dancy coffee machine, or you somehow managed to squeeze a sixty two inch flat screen onto the truck without my knowledge, Aidan…grab it when you see it. It’s yours to take. Lunch is at twelve, see Carol and Shelly for snacks. Let’s move, people!”

Glad the day was starting, Rick stepped out of the truck and then pulled the roller door closed, letting Aaron jump in the front and drive it around to the pantry where they would be unloading it. There was a lot for them to do, a lot of supplies that would need to be transported to various locations around the community…thank God they had plenty of wheelbarrows. Originally there had been an organisational system in place for when they collected supplies on the run, but as time had progressed and the truck began running out of room, the system went to shit. They’d found far more than they expected at all three of their major locations, the prison, the underground bunker and Walmart, and they’d managed to cram it all into the trucks and cars, but at the expense of organisation. It only got worse when they transferred it to the newer, larger truck, for they were all so tired and frustrated that the mere thought of trying to organise it was laughable.

“Christ,” Abraham muttered to Rick, looking worried. “Here she comes.”

“Who?” he asked dimly, so caught up in thinking about the supplies that he had forgotten the other task he had to attend to that day. Looking around, he caught sight of Deanna making her way over to him, a polite smile on her face.

“Gloss it over, Rick,” he said, clapping him on the shoulder. “Gloss it over.”

“Wait, would you -”

“Nope,” he said brusquely, already turning away and leaving. Knowing that Rick was going to ask him to do the debrief with Deanna, Abraham left nothing to chance. “Good luck.”

“Asshole,” he muttered under his breath, putting on his game face for Deanna. All she wanted was twenty minutes to go over the supply run, to get herself caught up and informed of all the things that happened. As everyone began dispersing, following the trucks and excited to start, Rick lingered as Deanna approached.

“Hey, Rick!” Ron Anderson called out, jogging over to him. “Hey, umm…Carl’s working on the guns today?”

“Yeah, he is,” he confirmed, glad for the momentary delay from Deanna.

“Well, I was wondering if I could help him,” Ron asked hopefully, failing to hide his eagerness. “He said I had to ask you though.”

Considering this, Rick glanced over at Carl who waited at a distance, trying to gauge what he thought of this. Catching his eye, Carl just shrugged at him, apparently unconcerned either way.

“You’ll need to ask your parents for permission first, and then Abraham,” he said, looking Ron up and down. He’d heard that he knew basic gun safety, though he hadn’t verified this himself…still, he’d be working with Abraham and Carl’s supervision. “He and Carl are in charge, alright?”

“Yeah, thanks Rick,” Ron grinned, holding up his fist.

Bumping the teen’s fist with his own, Rick kept a straight face as he looked at Ron’s beanie. That damn thing annoyed him as much as Carl’s reluctance to cut his hair…it seemed the older he got, the less he understood teenagers. As Ron rejoined Carl and they departed to find Pete, Rick headed over to Deanna, keen to get this over with.

“How do you think Carrie’s settling in?” was her first enquiry.

As the two of them set off at a slow walk, Rick considered this question. Casting his eyes up the road, he looked at Carrie who was with Tara and Noah, heading towards the infirmary. “As well as can be expected…she’s happy to be with us.”

Deanna nodded in agreement. “Doesn’t look like she got much sleep last night.”

With this remark, Rick had to agree. “That’s to be expected. It’s hard to sleep alone again after you’ve spent three weeks sleeping side by side. She’ll sleep better tonight,” he assured Deanna.

“I hope so,” she remarked, sounding concerned. There was a short pause, Deanna getting straight to business. “Shall we get the debrief covered? I’m sure they’ll be fine without you for half an hour.”

Hiding his reluctance, Rick nodded. “That sounds fine. I’d like to get Carl set up first,” he remarked, feeling the need to remind Carl of the safety procedures that he already knew. “Can we meet in twenty minutes?”

“Of course, I understand. I’ll make us a pot of coffee” Deanna paused, smiling up at him with the expression that made him feel like she was looking right through him, even though he knew she was barely scraping the surface. “It’s good to have you back.”

Extending all the pleasantries expected of him, he and Deanna parted ways, she returning to her home while he lingered out on the street by the infirmary. There was a peaceful moment as he looked around the community, a moment not unlike the one he had felt the day before when it began sinking in that he and his group had made it back. As he observed the hustle and bustle of the residents, listening to the roar of the military truck’s engine as Abraham backed it up towards the shipping container, he sighed as he started thinking about the conversation he and Deanna were about to have. He wished he had heeded Carol’s suggestion from last night, that despite his exhaustion he had pushed on for just a little while.

The bug Maggie had planted in the Monroe’s living room would have recorded the first conversations Deanna and Aidan had together, and had he listened to the recording he would have had insight into exactly what she knew. Carol had been right, they should have listened last night so that he knew where exactly he and Deanna stood, what she did and did not know about the group’s worse days on the supply run.

Thinking of everything that had happened with Carrie and Granger, and at the construction site too, he knew that the decisions he had made would no doubt be met with Deanna’s disapproval…with this in mind, Rick knew he was going to have to tread very carefully with the things he said.



A/N I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and particularly the scenes and situations we haven’t seen our characters in yet on the TV show. One thing that I’ve really enjoyed writing about is the every day activities that go on in Alexandria, the small snippets of actual life that give people a reason to push through the more difficult. Thanks for reading, and please review :-) Kudos to AngieB.

Notes

Comments

@WalkerWalkerChick
No worries, I was just so happy to find it on the other site I read it there. There aren't too many Rick Grimes stories, and yours are among the best I have found. Really looking forward to your new story and the continuing journey of Rick and Carrie.

Grimesgirl63 Grimesgirl63
5/21/17

@Grimesgirl63
Thanks Grimesgirl63, that means a lot!

Sorry it took forever to update on this site! (to get the formatting right, the copy paste has to be done from a Word doc which I don't have on my laptop - this is why I fell so far behind posting on here).

In progress of posting first chapter of The New World as we speak - hopefully up in an hour or so. Happy reading :-)

This was a great ending to the story. Loved how you weaved in the elements of the series but made it your own. Looking forward to your new story!

Grimesgirl63 Grimesgirl63
5/21/17

Hi there - just wondering if you plan to update the story on this site. I noticed this story on another FF site and it was much further along. Either way,I started reading it over there. Thanks, it is getting really good.

Grimesgirl63 Grimesgirl63
5/10/17

Just wanted to let you know that I really enjoy this story. Thought the first one was good as well. Looking forward to the next chapter.

Grimesgirl63 Grimesgirl63
6/7/16