77. remember

QUINN

     SHE STARED UP AT THE HUGE WALLS in front her. They stretched up high into the sky, a strong fortress to shield people from the dangers that lurked in the outside world. It seemed like Aaron had spoken the truth when he was saying how strong they were. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a second, forcing herself to believe this was real, to accept it. They really were safe now, the fight was over. It all just seemed so hard to believe.

If she listened closely she could hear the sound of children playing and laughing, people chatting and suddenly her heart clenched painfully in her chest. Tears appeared in her eyes without her knowing why and she blinked quickly to get rid of them. Her grip on her daggers tightened, as if the weapons brought her comfort. It was very strange now that she thought about it, she felt more comforted by prospect of war than peace. She had been fighting for so long that the thought of stopping was terrifying.

Rick came standing next to her, carrying Judith on his arm. She could see in his eyes that he was all comforted by the situation either, maybe none of them really was. But the fact that they were trying said more than enough. He noticed her staring and nodded at her, trying to tell her that it was truly okay. She offered him a small smile before turning her eyes back towards the gate, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.

The gates creaked when they opened and slowly the group moved forwards, with Aaron and Eric in the front. Eric was leaning on his husband, carefully stumbling forwards with his broken ankle. The two men reached the gates first and there Eric was helped by another men further into the safe zone.

A loud bang came from the right side of the street and as one men the group turned, watching as a possum came crawling from behind a fallen garbage can. Within seconds its body was pierced with one of Daryl's arrows. The redneck stepped forward and lifted the animal of the ground by its tail. When they turned back to the gates a man was standing there, staring with wide eyes and a pale look on his face at the animal.

'We brought dinner,' Daryl grunted and his very voice turned the man even more pale.

'It's okay,' Aaron assured the stranger and then gestured for them to come inside. 'Come on in guys.'

They walked inside and the gate closed behind them. Her heart started beating faster in her chest, the familiar feeling of claustrophobia settling in. It was ridiculous but she couldn't help it. Her eyes searched for Daryl and she found her fast beating heart calming slowly. He too didn't look comfortable but at least with him around she felt save.

'Before we take this any further, I need you all to turn over your weapons,' the man spoke, though his voice was shaky and he seemed to grow more nervous which each passing second.

She didn't like that, not one bit. Without their weapons they were vulnerable and she refused to give her daggers away.

'To say you hand them over,' he repeated when no one made a move to do as he said.

'We don't know if we wanna stay,' Rick countered, tightening the grip on his gun as if to prove a point.

Aaron turned to the man. 'It's fine Nicholas,' he reassured him.

'If we were gonna use them, we would've started already,' Rick added when Nicholas still seemed to determined to not let them pass.

'Let them talk to Deanna first,' Aaron suggested.

'Who's Deanna?' Abraham demanded, his voice sounding far from kind.

'She knows everything you'd want to know about this place,' Aaron explained. 'Rick, why don't you start?'

Rick turned to look at the group, his eyes questioning if they agreed with splitting up but before he could get an answer his gaze was drawn to something outside the gate. 'Sasha,' he said, nodding.

Quinn turned to see a lone walker stumbling down the streets towards the gate. She watched as Sasha raised her gun and shot the corpse down with one perfect shot. Nicholas paled even further at the sight before walking towards the gate and closing some sort of screen before the bars so the street was no longer visible.

'It's a good thing we're here,' Rick noted before walking after Aaron.

He led them down the street and she couldn't help but look around with wide eyes. She wasn't sure what she expected to find within the walls but this certainly wasn't it. The houses were huge and looked to be in a perfect state. There was a pond surrounded by perfectly cut grass in the middle of the street, with houses forming a circle around it. Children were playing in the grass and a few women were seated on a wooden bench, talking as if the world hadn't gone to shit.

But what struck her most was the fact that everything looked so incredibly clean. There wasn't a single leaf on a tree that looked out of place. It was almost unnatural, as if time had been standing still inside the walls.

They stopped in front of a huge white house and Aaron told them to wait on the porch while he led Rick inside. The man left Judith with Carl before entering. The group sat down, trying to get comfortable on the wooden benches and chairs. It felt weird to sit on anything else other than the ground and so she choose to sit on the stairs, looking out over the street of the almost fairytale like community.

Footsteps came from behind her and a shadow fell over her as Michonne joined her on the stairs. For a minute they just sat in silence, enjoying the sun and looking out over the strange peacefulness of this place. Finally it was Michonne who spoke first.

'If only Andrea could've seen this,' she whispered.

Quinn chuckled softly. 'She would've loved it,' she added, her voice just as soft. She hadn't thought about the woman in a long time. Thinking about the people they'd lost made her sad and so she usually stopped herself from doing so. But that she did think about Andrea, she missed her with her entire heart. She missed her stupid humor, her horrible cooking, her warm hugs and kind heart.

Once again her eyes wandered over to Daryl, who was seated on the ground with his back against the wall of the house and suddenly she didn't saw him sitting there, Merle was right at his side. A stab went through her chest and she quickly turned her gaze away. Even now the death of the people she cared about hurt, especially when she seated inside the safety of strong walls. If she'd never met Merle, she probably wouldn't have understood Daryl as well as she liked to think she did. And the fact that she hadn't been able to save him still made her feel guilty. To this day she remembered the way Daryl could barely stand on his legs from the overwhelming feeling of grief. She didn't think she could ever forget his pained sobs and if there was something she could do to prevent him from ever feeling such a thing again, she would. And maybe finding a home here, finding peace and safety, would do just that.

'Do you think we can do it?' Quinn questioned, clenching her fists. 'Do you think we can stop fighting and find peace?'

Michonne took a moment to think about her question, her eyes searching the street as if the answer was written on the pavement. 'I think we have to try.' She turned her eyes to Quinn, every emotion written on her face, which was something that didn't happen often and it slightly startled her. When Michonne was being open, it was because she genuinely believed she was doing the right thing and wanted other people to believe it too. 'We owe it to everyone who isn't here to try,' she added.

Nodding slowly she smiled at her friend. Michonne was right, like she usually was. If they didn't try to live in peace when the opportunity was right in front of them, everyone they had lost on the way would have died for nothing. Wasn't all they ever wanted to find peace again, and hope? They had to try and she was going to, no matter how hard it was going to be.

The sound of a door being opened came from behind them and the two women turned. Rick came walking outside, his gaze wandering around the group and he nodded slowly to answer their silent question. 'She just asked me some questions. She filmed it, saying they were all about transparency here.'

The group seemed to take a collective breath of relief. If Rick was reacting this calmly, it couldn't be that bad. A person with Rick's trust, or at least approval couldn't be that much trouble.

Aaron came walking outside as well, pointing at Michonne. 'You're up next..'

Her friend didn't protest and stood up, walking into the house to go and chat with the lady. Quinn watched as she closed the door, wondering who this Deanna was to think that she could the truth about their circumstances out of a group that was completely shut down.

One by one they were called inside, until it was finally her turn. With shaky legs she stood up, returning the reassuring smile Milo gave her, even though it did not make her one bit calmer. Aaron took her inside the house and she couldn't herself. Her mouth dropped open.

She had never had much money and so could never afford fancy furniture or art pieces. She was used to crappy couches and dirty kitchens but this was something else entirely. The house was big, light, clean and decorated like a palace. There were paintings on the walls, cushions on the couch and rugs on the floor. She felt like an intruder with her torn clothes, filthy hands and tangled hair.

Aaron gestured for her to enter the living room, which she did, although a bit hesitant. She feared that if she touched something it would turn black, that was how filthy she felt but when her eyes fell upon the many books standing on the shelves of a closet, all her caution disappeared. With a few steps she was standing in front of the shelves, letting her fingers run along the spines of the books. A small smile appeared on her face as her mind once again went to the eldest Dixon brother. Finding him reading a bible was still somewhere in the top three of biggest shocks of her life. She didn't think she could look at a book again without thinking of him, flirting with her in that dusty library of Woodbury. Would he be proud of how far she'd come? Would he approve of the friendship between her and Daryl? She was pretty sure he would be too busy teasing them to even think about disapproving.

'Did you like to read?'

She turned so fast that she was pretty sure she injured her neck. She had completely forgotten about the woman she was supposed to meet.

Deanna was a tiny woman with a wrinkled face. Her eyes were filled with both caution and kindness, a combination Quinn was sure was impossible, but here she was, seeing it anyway. The woman smiled at her, gesturing for her to take a seat on a big chair filled with flower cushions.

Slowly she walked forwards and carefully she sat down, her fear of ruining the perfect state of the house once again taking a hold of her. She felt like something gross, something that didn't belong her and maybe in a way, that was true.

'Did you?' Deanna asked once again, sitting down on the couch.

Quinn blinked, completely forgotten that the woman had asked her a question. If felt so strange and almost unnatural to talk with someone about things that used to be such a big part of her life. 'I did,' she finally replied, measuring her words carefully. She didn't want to tell this woman any more than necessary. If she found out about her drug addiction and her current struggles to keep herself standing, she might reconsider her choice to let them all stay here. She doubted Milo had told her about Deanna about his former life as a gang member and she knew for a fact Daryl would not have told her anything about his life, if he talked at all.

'I'm Deanna Monroe,' the woman said, 'it's a pleasure to meet you.'

'Quinn Morales,' she replied.

Deanna raised her eyebrows. 'Morales. Any relation to...'

'Milo's my brother,' she said, hoping the woman hadn't come to any other conclusion.

If she had, she didn't show it. She simply smiled and nodded. 'You're lucky to still have family in this world,' she said and her words angered Quinn. It didn't have anything to do with luck but she had a feeling that people who had lived behind walls, in a place like this, would find that hard to understand. 'Do you mind if I film this?' The woman questioned, gesturing towards the camera.

Quinn simply nodded, knowing there wouldn't be much of a point in saying no, other than to create suspicion. She tried to find a comfortable position in the chair but it was too soft. It felt like she was sinking right through it. But, she kept her face perfectly blank. She wasn't a stranger to showing different emotions than she feeling. It was basically a second nature by now.

'So, what did you do before all this?' Deanna questioned.

She narrowed, not at all feeling like opening up and sharing things about her past, so instead she tried a different approach. 'What did you do?'

A small smile appeared on the face of the tiny woman, as if she knew exactly what Quinn was doing. Quinn hardly cared if she saw through her mask, she only cared about getting out of this conversation without having to open the wounds of her past. Milo was the only one who knew every little secret about her previous life. Daryl, Beth and Michonne came close but even they didn't know it all. She wasn't about to share everything with a complete stranger. One she didn't even like because so far all the woman had done was stare at her like she was a book she couldn't wait to read. She felt like an experiment brought into the walls to test how safe these people would be when mixed with people who had been out there. And she did not like that one bit.

'I was a congressperson, Ohio, 15th District,' Deanna explained.

That did not come like a surprise at all. She held herself like someone who was sure of what they did. She looked around the room like she had all the information and could read your very soul. The only thing missing was a "vote for me" sign on her blouse.

'How long has this place been here?' Quinn asked, shifting in her seat in a hopeless attempt to get comfortable. As long as she kept asking questions, she wouldn't have to answer them.

Deanna smiled knowingly but answered her question anyway. 'Since the beginning. This was a planned community with its own solar grid, cisterns, eco-based sewage filtration.'

'And the walls? How did you put those up?'

'My husband is a professor of architecture. There was a mall being built nearby and we used the materials to built the walls.' She sounded calm but Quinn knew she was dying to ask her some questions and she probably wouldn't be leaving this chair until she had. 'How did you meet Rick?'

A shiver crawled down her spine as she realised what the woman was doing. It wasn't bad or anything but it didn't make her comfortable either. She was checking their stories, see if everyone told the same thing. She was testing them, feeling them out and that realisation made her want to stand up and run out of the room. But the only option she had was answering honestly.

'I was with Michonne,' she started slowly. 'We tired, injured, basically as good as dead. Rick took us in. It took him a while to really start trusting us, he has some issues with trust. But when he did, well, he fought for us, all of us. He's one of the greatest men I've ever met.'

The woman smiled softly, as if it was an endearing and charming story. Maybe it was to people who never had to fight to earn someone's trust, knowing they'd die if they didn't get it. Michonne was almost killed because Rick didn't consider them family. She was almost forced to leave and she certainly would've been dead then. But if Deanna wanted to believe it was a cute story, she wasn't stopping her.

'How did you find your brother?'

If Deanna thought Quinn was going to spill all the beans she was dead wrong. Spending your time in a world ruled by drug lords, you learned to lie like your life depended on it, because in most circumstances, it did. The trick was to tell the truth, but only part of it. Twist it so it would fit to your needs but still be believable. 'He was with Rick's group when Michonne and I met them. I got lucky, I guess.' She got far from lucky, she had known very well that her brother had been locked up in that prison but what good would telling this woman about Milo-the-criminal do? Answer, absolutely nothing.

Deanna leaned back, her hands folded on her lab. If she suspected Quinn of selling her lies, she wasn't showing it. This woman wouldn't be easily fooled and yet Quinn had a feeling she was managing to do so anyway. 'And Michonne? How did you meet her?'

'I was alone when the virus broke out, Michonne saved my life on the road. We travelled together since then.' There wasn't a single lie in that sentence but it wasn't the whole truth either. Quinn feared that the moment she'd have to talk about Andrea, she wouldn't be able to remain calm and so she left the woman out of her story. She hated how this place reminded her of people long gone. It appeared that the moment she was starting to feel at peace, ghosts would come to haunt her and she was beginning to think that she would never truly be at peace again. "We are the walking dead." It was going to be incredibly hard to be on the side of the living again.

'Have you been on the road since the beginning?' Deanna questioned again.

'We had some places we stayed but none of them lasted,' she replied, crossing her arms over chest. She just wanted this entire conversation to be over.

'It's truly impressive that all of you managed to survive out there,' the woman said and once again anger flared up inside of her.

'Not all of us did,' she countered, emotion finally leaking into her voice.

Deanna nodded. 'I know but we've known losses too. And look at this place, we're not just surviving here, we're thriving.' She leaned forwards, as if she was a mother offering candy to her kids. 'You can be a part of that, all of you can.'

'Why do you want us to be part of this?' She questioned, no longer trying to keep a mask of indifference on her face. She wanted the truth and it was going to take showing emotion to get it.

'Honestly, you are the first group we've even considered taking in,' Deanna started slowly, choosing her words carefully. 'But we need people like you, people who've been out there.'

So, she was right. They were an experiment, nothing more than means to an end. It was clever but that didn't make it any more enjoyable. But maybe, if she really thought about it, it wasn't any different from what they were doing. Both groups were experimenting with this. Would peace work out for them? Would being faced with reality work out for Deanna and her people? And suddenly she realised how fragile this thing truly was.

'I think we're done here,' Deanna said, standing up and offering her hand to Quinn.

Slowly she stood up out of her chair and hesitantly took the woman's hand to shake it. She wasn't sure what the gesture was supposed to mean. A promise to try? A thank you for having us here? Things like shaking hands had turned into a completely foreign concept. Normally she just pointed guns at people.

Deanna gestured towards the door and Quinn made her way out without another word. She wasn't sure what to think about the conversation, if it went well or had been a complete disaster. What she did know was that it would take a lot for her to get used to normal things like handshakes and chairs.

Once outside Deanna took the group to a garage at the side of the house where a woman with black hair and glasses was waiting for them. She was holding a notebook and a small cart was standing ready at her side. Quinn was getting a feeling that she wasn't going to like what was coming next.

'You're going to need to hand in your weapons,' Deanna spoke up and the entire group froze. 'They're still your guns. You can check on them whenever you go beyond the wall. But inside here we store them for safety.'

Slowly but surely the group placed their weapons on the cart, though no one looked very happy while doing so. After walking around with weapons for so long it felt like being naked without one. And even though they were inside walls, she still prefered having weapons at the ready. The thought of giving her daggers away, even though they were practically clued at her waist by now, made her mouth go dry.

The cart was almost too small for the amount of guns, knives and other weapons placed upon it. And Quinn couldn't help but notice how the woman with the glasses watched them all with a certain fear. Finally she walked forwards, slowly removing the belt with her daggers from around her waist. She placed it on the cart, then reached into her back pocket to take out the small handgun and place it on the ever growing pile of weapons as well. She, however, made no attempt to remove the small throwing knife that was hidden in her boot.

When she stepped aside to make room for Carol, she could feel Daryl his eyes on her. He knew very well she had that knife hidden there but she kept her eyes focused on Carol, who pretended to be a very clumsy and innocent housewife as she removed her gun in the most awkward way possible. Quinn had no idea what she was planning but she really had to up her game if she wanted these people to buy her story.

'Should've brought another bin,' the woman said, smiling awkwardly before taking the cart and driving it away.

Quinn looked around, wondering what was next. Rick clearly seemed to have plans as he turned and started walking down the street, the group slowly following him. 'Aaron told us we could have this place,' he said, pointing at one of the huge houses. 'There's warm water.' He said it as if someone had just told him that pigs could fly.

Her gaze went to Milo, who was standing at her side, a smile slowly forming on his face. 'Shotgun!' He called out, like a total five year old and then started sprinting towards the door.

'Oh, no, you don't,' Quinn mumbled and sprinted after him. She flew up the porch and into the hallway but there she stopped, looking around with wide eyes.

The house was just as big, clean and lavish as Deanna's place. It felt like a small paradise but she had no more time to take it all in, as Milo was already halfway up the stairs.

'There's one in the basement too,' Carl said, walking inside after her with a smile on his face and sparks of joy in his eyes.

She offered him a smile. 'Thanks.' She turned and headed for the stairs in the corner. The basement was huge. It was seperated in two rooms. One with two beds and the other with a king size bed. In between the rooms was a bathroom.

She walked inside, slowly, as if she walking into a temple of some kind. Even in Woodbury they didn't have showers like this. An actual shower, in a clean bathroom with tiles up against the walls, a mirror on the right and a sink beneath it.

Without wasting another second the closed the door behind her and got out of her clothes. Within a minute she was standing underneath the hot, streaming water. A sigh of pure delight left her lips. Never in a million years would she have thought to be able to take shower again. Maybe she was dreaming. Maybe she would open her eyes within a few minutes and wake up besides the road again...But when she opened her eyes, she was still standing in the shower. Her mouth almost dropped open when she noticed shampoo standing on a small shelf. She reached out and put as much as she possibly could in her hair, hardly caring about saving it up for the others.

It felt like she was standing there for hours, maybe she was, but she wasn't planning on leaving any time soon. She washed her hair at least three times and then it still felt filthy. She scrubbed all the blood, grime and sweat away until her skin was shining. She shaved her legs and armpits, feeling as if she being reborn.

When she was completely clean she just stood there, enjoying the feeling of the warm water streaming down her back, arms and legs. Finally, although a bit reluctant, she turned the water off and grabbed a towel to dry herself. When her eyes found herself in the mirror she froze, taking herself in with wide eyes.

She barely recognised herself. It had been years since she'd seen herself in something else than a dirty window or broken mirror without clothes and completely clean. The woman staring back at her was familiar and yet a total stranger. Her waist was slim, her shoulders looked strong, just like her legs did. She was thin from the lack of food but the muscles she had gained from spending time on the move made up for the lack of fat.

She looked strong, capable, dangerous.

No wonder the people of Alexandria had been staring at them. They looked like warriors. She had never pictured herself as one, but there was no denying it now. She was beaten into a survivor by the world and her body was the perfect picture of what she'd been through.

When she was done admiring herself, she went to brushing her hair. It had grown immensely long and she loved it. After she finally managed to untangle the mess she let her hands run through her smooth, soft and wonderful smelling hair and she couldn't help but smile.

She wrapped herself in a towel and left the bathroom. There was no way she was getting back into her filthy clothes now, so she made a straight line towards the closet in the bedroom with the king size bed. There were many clothes hanging there, waiting to be worn. She was so caught up in the wonderful feeling of having clothes to pick from that she only heard the footsteps when they were right behind her.

She turned sharply, her heart beat speeding up when she saw Daryl standing there. He looked just as caught off guard as she felt. And suddenly she became very aware of the fact that she was wearing nothing more than a towel. Her legs and shoulders were completely bare and he seemed to realise it too. For just a second his eyes scanned her body before landing on a spot just above her head so he wouldn't have to look at her.

'Beth's lookin' for ya,' he mumbled before turning around and leaving the room just as soon as he'd come.

Somehow she couldn't look away from the very spot he'd just been standing and it took her awhile to pull herself together and continue shopping. A small blush had appeared on her cheeks and her hands were trembling slightly, yet she couldn't stop smiling. The glowing feeling her chest made her heart tighten everytime she thought back to how his eyes had taken in her body. She had looked at him so many times, remembered every line and shape and she was pretty sure he knew it whenever she did. But never before had she seen him look at her that way. And the fact that he had, just now, made her heart do funny things and awoke the butterflies inside her stomach. She banned the thought that she was half naked and that he would have looked at any woman half naked that way, out of her head and instead enjoyed the feeling that she normally tried so hard to ignore.

When she was done daydreaming she managed to find a black tank top, a brand new black lace bra and panties and dark blue skinny jeans. She decided to put her old combat boots back on and then made her way up to the living room.

Milo was seated on the couch, his feet resting on the table before him. He seemed to be glowing with his face shaven, hair washed and brand new clothes. She was pretty sure she looked the same.

It was already turning dark outside, making Carl move towards a few light buttons in the corner of the room. He hesitated for a second before pressing them. A huge smile appeared on his face when the lights turned on, bathing the house in a warm, yellow, glow.

She found Beth seated at the table. There was a white box standing before her and she seemed to be bursting with excitement. With raised eyebrows Quinn took place on the chair next to the teenager. 'Daryl said you were looking for me?' She questioned.

Beth nodded, almost jumping up and down her chair. She reached for the box and handed it to Quinn. 'I found this in a closet upstairs.'

Hesitantly Quinn took it from her, placing it down on her lab with eyebrows still raised.

'Open it!' Beth smiled.

'Alright,' she mumbled, starting to open the lid. She almost dropped it out of her hands when her eyes fell on what was within the box. On a white velvet pillow lay a pair of dusty ballet shoes. They were old, the once bright pink color now faded but to her they looked like a treasure. Carefully she reached inside and picked them up, holding them as if they were made from glass and could fall apart in her hands any second. 'Beth, I-,' she fell silent, staring with wide eyes at the treasure in her hands.

'You're welcome,' the teenager grinned.

She placed the shoes back inside and pulled Beth into a hug. She hated the fact that a lump had appeared in her throat and tried her hardest to swallow it and blink her tears away. The past was catching up with her a lot these days but never had she thought to see a pair of ballet shoes again. And here they were, greeting her like old friends. She was dying to try them on but knew she would probably fail at every dance position she'd try. Maybe she'd just put them on the wall as decoration.

'Get settled everyone,' Rick spoke up, the little conversations in the room dying down. 'We should stay together for the night.'

Quinn untangled herself from Beth her arms and turned to look at their leader and this time her mouth truly fell open. Rick looked like a completely different person, a younger version of himself that had come walking right out of a photo album. He had shaved his beard, his hair had been cut and he was wearing fresh new clothes. But it was mostly the sudden loss of his huge beard that made his face completely different. She couldn't remember ever seeing him with a bare chin before.

He noticed their stares and looked close to rolling his eyes but before he could react, there was a loud knock on the door. He turned and walked towards the hallway, opening front door. Deanna appeared and was about to step inside but froze in her steps when her eyes landed on Rick his face.

'Wow,' was all she managed to bring out.

Rick scoffed, shaking his head slightly.

'I didn't know what was under there,' Deanna mused. 'Listen, I don't mean to interrupt, I just wanted to stop by and see how you were all settling.' Her gaze went around the living room and she seemed slightly surprised to find everyone there, gathering blankets and pillows like they were having a sleepover. 'Oh my,' she muttered, then turned to Rick, smiling slightly. 'Staying together, smart.'

'No one said we couldn't,' Rick said.

'You said you're family. That's what you said. Absolutely amazing to me how people with completely different backgrounds and nothing in common can become that. Don't you think?'

Nobody responded and so Rick changed the subject. 'Everybody said you gave 'em jobs.'

Quinn frowned, she hadn't been given a job.

'Mmhmm,' Deanna nodded. 'Yeah, part of this place. Looks like the communists won after all,' she chuckled.

Rick smiled slightly and it changed his entire face. It was strange to see, it almost felt like he had forgotten how to smile and doing it seemed to cost him some effort. 'Well, you didn't give me one.'

'I have,' the woman smiled, 'I just haven't told you yet. Same with Michonne. I'm closing in on something for Sasha and Quinn. And I'm just trying to figure Mr. Dixon out, but I will.'

She almost laughed at that. Figuring "Mr.Dixon" out wasn't something you did in a day, or in your entire life. She wasn't even sure if Mr.Dixon had figured himself out.

'You look good,' she said with one last look at Rick and then she walked away, her footsteps echoing on the wooden porch.

Rick closed the door behind her and everyone continued finding some spots to sleep for the night. Quinn turned to Beth. 'What job did you get?'

The girl smiled brightly. 'I'm going to help out at the school.'

Quinn felt her bright smile being reflected on her own face. 'Good, it suits you.' She gestured at the shoes. 'Thanks again.' Then she stood up from her chair and made her way over to Milo who had made two beds for them. She lay down, getting comfortable beneath the blanket. She was laying on a rug that was pretty soft and when you were used to pavement and forest floors, it was strange to suddenly have something so soft beneath you.

Sleep got a hold of her pretty quickly. She hadn't even realised how exhausted the events of the day had left her. But before drifting off to sleep completely her eyes went to the person they always searched before going to sleep. She had stopped trying to fight the feeling of safety he gave her a long time ago. She simply couldn't sleep without knowing that he was close and watching over her. Her eyes found him seated in the windowsill, his arm leaning on his knee as his eyes were focused on the world outside the window. She knew he wouldn't sleep tonight, he probably couldn't even if he tried. As always he felt her eyes on him and turned his gaze to her. The butterflies awoke in her stomach as if she was some stupid teenager with too many emotions to handle. 

For a simple second they just looked at each other and the world seemed to disappear around her but sleep was tugging at her and her eyes slowly closed. And so she never noticed how his gaze remained fixed on her even as she drifted off into the welcoming arms of the comfort that sleep provided.

A U T H O R 'S  N O T E

They've reached Alexandria! I'm so excited to dive into this storyline. You can probably tell by the length of this chapter how excited I am. XD It turned out a little longer than I first thought it would, but that is far from a bad thing. I just felt that this all needed to be in one chapter and I couldn't find a way to put it into two chapters in a way that it still made sense. So, one pretty huge chapters.

I really loved adding the little scenes in which Quinn thinks back to her past. There are a lot of moments in this chapter that she thinks about Merle and Andrea. I never really liked Andrea but she was important to Quinn's story so I couldn't leave her out. Sometimes I really regret killing Merle. A part of me wishes I could go back and rewrite the book so that he survives but I'm too far in to do that now.

Also, the scene where Beth gives Quinn those ballet shoes is very precious to me. I wanted to add this because it shows that Quinn is still very much tied to her past and that even though the world has changed her, a part of her will always remain that little girl that dreamed of being a ballerina.

I hope you guys loved this chapter! Please leave a comment or vote if you did!

xXx

UYM